Building Paisley
Surveying and drawing town centres
Paisley has a rich industrial, cultural and architectural history, but for younger generations the town’s heritage can feel abstract or distant. In 2018, Renfrewshire Council commissioned Lateral North to create a programme that would connect primary school children with the story of their town through design. The result was Building Paisley, a four-year initiative engaging schools across the town between 2018 and 2021.
At its core, the project sought to inspire curiosity about the built environment, showing how architecture, design and heritage intersect. Each year, a different school became the focus, with pupils taking part in a series of workshops that introduced them to mapping, surveying, drawing, modelling, and even augmented reality.
The workshops were structured into five sessions: Mapping Paisley, Augmenting Paisley, Surveying Paisley, Drawing Paisley and Modelling Paisley. Each was designed to gradually build knowledge and skills while keeping creativity at the forefront.
- Mapping Paisley began with pupils piecing together giant maps of the town – an 1850 Ordnance Survey map and a modern satellite image – to see how their town had changed over time.
- Surveying Paisley took learning outdoors, introducing pupils to architectural surveying techniques as they explored the High Street, sketching and measuring buildings.
- Augmenting Paisley used our travelling exhibition Prospect North, allowing pupils to experience data and information through augmented and virtual reality and see how design operates across Scotland today.
- Drawing Paisley translated their survey data into plans and elevations, introducing concepts of scale, light and shadow.
- Modelling Paisley concluded the process by building 3D models, often using LEGO, to reinterpret parts of the town they had studied.
This structured approach meant pupils weren’t just learning about history – they were actively engaging with their environment through the tools of design.
Over four years, Building Paisley worked with multiple primary schools, giving hundreds of children hands-on experience of architecture, heritage, and creativity. Each iteration built on the learnings of the last, with pupils producing maps, drawings and models that expressed their vision of the town.
The project demonstrated how design education can be embedded within the classroom and local community. It also reinforced that Paisley’s story is not static: it is continually shaped by those who live there. By equipping young people with the confidence to look closely at their built environment, Building Paisley gave them both pride in their heritage and a framework to imagine the town’s future.
