We are thrilled to announce that students from Uptown International School have won the prestigious Design Engineer Construct (DEC) Challenge 2024! This award-winning competition, which invites students to explore careers in architecture, engineering, and construction, challenges young minds to create sustainable and innovative designs that address pressing environmental issues. Our students’ winning project, a Net Zero rail station design, stood out for its creativity, sustainability, and cutting-edge innovation.

The Challenge and the Winning Team:

In this year’s DEC Challenge, teams of secondary school students (ages 11-16) were tasked with designing a Net Zero rail station—a community hub that blends sustainability, inclusivity, and modern technology. The challenge called for a design that not only reduces the carbon footprint of transportation but also creates a space that benefits the surrounding community. Our students’ project was chosen as the winner for its exceptional quality, which was described by the judges as “reading like a professional standard, comprehensive stage 2 report.”
The judges for this year’s challenge included Ian Watkins of Mott MacDonald, Elaine Lewis, Iain Miskimmin, and Stefan Mordue of Bentley Systems, who had a tough task selecting the best entry from many remarkable submissions.

The winning design created by our students focused on a sustainable, Net Zero rail station hub. The station was designed to connect with a mainline station, incorporating innovative, eco-friendly technologies that help reduce the carbon footprint of transportation. Their design also prioritized inclusivity and aimed to serve as a community space while promoting cutting-edge sustainable practices.
As part of their prize, the winning team spent an unforgettable week in London, where they stayed at the iconic St Pancras Renaissance Hotel. They explored the city’s rail heritage with the HS1 team, professionals from the High Speed 1 rail line, who manage the UK’s high-speed rail network. The students also presented their design at Bentley’s Bishopsgate office, where they had the opportunity to work closely with experts from Bentley, Mott MacDonald, Grimshaw, and Turner & Townsend to further develop their project.

This incredible achievement is a testament to the talent, dedication, and hard work of our students. We are immensely proud of their success and the professional standards they demonstrated throughout the challenge. Watch the video to learn more about their journey and the design that earned them this prestigious award!