Architecture students at the University of East London are set to benefit from real world experience in shaping the future of a corner of Newham.

The collaboration with The Silvertown Partnership aims to strengthen the relationship between education and practice by allowing students to help shape the future of the seven million sq ft Silvertown development.

The transformation of the area is already underway, with prelimnary work on the 450,000 sq ft Millennium Mills beginning earlier this year.

The first phase of the development will see the iconic building turned into an innovative business hub, with a completion date set for 2018 to coincide with the opening of the nearby Custom House Crossrail station.

Student architects will be involved in developing the future of the site, which will take several years to complete and feature 3,000 new homes, leisure facilities and a new school in addition to commercial and brand spaces.

Barry Jessup, director at The Silvertown Partnership, said: “We’re proud to partner with the University of East London.

“Celebrating and fostering local talent is hugely important to us.

“We’re looking forward to following the students on their creative journey throughout the year and to benefiting from their fresh ideas on what Silvertown should be in the future.”

Architect and programme leader at UEL, Roland Karthaus, added: “The opportunity to work with a strategically important client and design team on a major scheme in our own neighbourhood over a whole academic year will be a unique experience for our students.

“We believe this is a pioneering new model for postgraduate architectural teaching and we can’t wait to get stuck in.”

The partnership will run from October until next summer and serve as the final assessment portfolio for the course.