We turn a city into a classroom
With UDesign Academy, children and teens learn design and architecture skills in an applied setting. They bring their unique frame of reference to a real public space in the city they live in.
About
With UDesign Academy, children and teens learn design and architecture skills in an applied setting. They bring their unique frame of reference to a real public space in the city they live in. Through hands-on activities, they explore the built environment and learn about the many layers of urban planning and design that serve the citizens of their city.
In our courses, students create proposals to make real public spaces more inclusive, sustainable, and safe, then present them to the public. They practice site analysis, technical drawing, model-making, and prototyping. The process builds their critical and empathetic thinking, teamwork, and public speaking, while showing them that young people can have a role in shaping their city.
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Designing An Urban Oasis
Students ask what their community needs, and how urban planning and design can provide it — then design an installation for a real space and present it.
Building An Urban Oasis
Teams develop furniture concepts and refine them through technical drawings, scale models and full-size prototypes, ending in an exhibition.
Our Accomplishments
Our aim has never been to produce young architects. It is to help young people understand that cities are something they can help shape, and to see themselves as citizens with both a voice and a responsibility.
Testimonials
“I learned how to understand plans and improved my English a little. I notice the needs of people in a park and I look at the surrounding buildings and style of the neighbourhood.”
“I can think of every stakeholder, … I learned how to make 3D models of plans, including how to make scales. I also learned about homeless people in the last semester.”
“It is now easier for me to formulate and defend my opinion. Also I started to work better in groups, also I became initiative and confident in group projects.”
“This is a wonderful team, experienced young people who invest in children: knowledge, their experience, develop the potential of children, and give direction for the future.”