Kids and Architecture: Inspiring Young Minds
Alice Allen, Premdyl Shadan, Sam Seccombe
February 2025
Article
Inspiring Young Minds: Our day at the LITTLE ARCHITECT holiday club
Last Tuesday, we had the pleasure of volunteering at a LiTTLE ARCHITECT holiday club, an interactive workshop designed to introduce primary school-aged children to the world of architecture through imaginative projects. This session’s theme? Designing hotels in space!
Our journey began with the children sketching and mapping out rocket ships on the floor using masking tape – an essential first step in reach our cosmic construction site, and a perfect way to explore how much space people need to move around. Once in ‘space’, we sparked discussions about how the unfamiliar environment might look, feel, and even smell, and how these factors could shape the design of our futuristic hotels. What facilities would be essential? What kind of spaces would guests need? How might these rooms connect? How would you get about the planet?
With ideas flowing, the children brought their concepts to life using a variety of craft materials. Some focused on individual rooms and amenities, while others took a broader approach incorporating elements of urban design into their intergalactic communities. One particularly ambitious model featured a beachfront with palm trees, a cycle lane, and a series of pitched houses – an unexpected yet fascinating vision of a space resort!
By the end of the day, the diversity of models and sketches showcased an impressive range of interests and talents, spanning fashion, storytelling, urban planning, and architecture. One standout design featured a sectional model of a pitched house complete with stairs, furniture, and even flowers for a ‘protective aura’ – something we could certainly use in the office!
We left feeling inspired by the children’s creativity and fresh perspectives. We can’t wait for our next LiTTLE ARCHITECT adventure – who knows where we’ll be designing next time?!
ALICE:
I really enjoyed my day at LiTTLE ARCHITECT - we had great fun creating characters to visit our space hotels and wrote short stories about their trips to another planet! It was a fantastic experience and I’m excited to bring that creativity and imagination back into the office.
SAM:
Helping out at LiTTLE ARCHITECT was a refreshing experience away from the computer screen, and a reminder of why it is important to provide opportunities for kids to discover their skills and passions.
My favourite part of the day was watching two students try to negotiate their ‘site boundary’ around the cycle lane. Undoubtably a good idea of what’s to come in the architecture industry!
PREM:
My time spent with LiTTLE ARCHITECT has rekindled the imagination and creativity that I may have lost over time. Nothing is impossible, like a tube that transports air, food and services from Earth to Mars or a space shuttle that looks like a Capybara, with fur that absorbs the sun’s energy like solar panels. The options are boundless and I have the kids to thank for that.
