Archinect - News

AIA President Kimberly Dowdell outlines the need for better K-12 outreach to strengthen the architecture profession

2024-05-31T14:43:00-04:00

Reflecting upon her activities during the recently passed Architecture Week in Detroit, AIA President Kimberly Dowdell outlined the need to engage with the key K-12 demographic in order to cultivate and better prepare the next generation of American architects to match the challenges they and the country will face tomorrow.

"If we want to engage the best young talent to help us grow our profession in the future, we must start now. Kindergarten through 12th grade engagement provides a wonderful opportunity to educate and excite students about the amazing field of architecture," Dowdell stated, also relating her experience as a young student in the city public school system.

Outlining her vision for institutional change in a new five-point agenda, Dowdell (also currently a trustee of her alma mater Cornell University) said better youth engagement can be achieved by further connecting the AIA’s K-12 nationwide resources; increasing support for the Architects Foundation’s scholarship pr...

Middle and high school students shine at the 2021 Chicago Architecture Biennial Student Ideas Competition

2021-06-17T13:25:00-04:00

Now in its fifth edition, the CAB Student Ideas Competition, hosted by the Chicago Architecture Biennial (CAB), encourages middle and high school students to explore design in their immediate built environment. The competition invited students to discover how "design can play a role in creating shared spaces and improving communities."

For the Spring 2021 iteration, participants were inspired by the Biennial's theme, The Available City, led by Artistic Director David Brown. Each project had to answer the following question: "How can existing urban spaces be reimagined to better reflect the needs and interests of local residents?"

Students were also tasked to develop projects that addressed architecture and the built environment through "varying disciplines including design, the humanities, visual and performing arts, and STEM fields."

The contest was open and free to Chicagoland students in 7th through 12th grade. Winning projects and teams were recognized in a virtual ceremony. ...

The Hip Hop Architecture Camp will be held virtually this year

2020-06-24T15:19:00-04:00

Highlighting the ongoing disruptions emanating from the COVID-19 pandemic, Hip Hop Architecture Camp has announced that it will hold its summer sessions online this year.

According to the Hip Hop Architecture Camp website, the camp is open to middle school and high school students, and will be held between August 1 and August 11, 2020. "There is no typical student for The Hip Hop Architecture Camp," the announcement states, adding, "Our students are aspiring architects, urban planners hip hop artists, musicians, computer game creators, interior designers, industrial designers, politicians and more!"

To help inaugurate this year's special summer series, Michael Ford, Hip Hop Architecture Camp founder, plans to hold an International Hip Hop Architecture Day celebration on August 1st that will be followed by a closing event on August 11th themed around the 47th Anniversary of Hip Hop.

During this celebration, the top 20 portfolios generated by the camp participants will be awarded s...

A girls-only summer camp for aspiring architects and engineers

2016-05-31T17:58:00-04:00

Girls Inc. was looking for ways to get their girls interested in fast-paced, high-paying jobs where women traditionally have been left out. Architecture and engineering certainly fit the bill. [...] the girls will travel to various construction sites and talk to professionals in the field. Girls Inc. also is looking to build a new, bigger facility, and the summer camp girls will play a large part in the initial design, even being given a chance to pitch their project