Architecture
and Children:
Building the Connections
Architecture
unites culture with human perception and technology. The study of
the built environment includes the fields of architecture, landscape
architecture, historic preservation and planning. Buildings express,
through the artistic organization of materials according to the laws
of physics, peoples' need and belief in community organizing. Because
children are natural builders, they enact this unity through their
play and inquiry of the world around them.
Young
Architects at Work
When
children build zoos with blocks,
make forts out of blankets, rearrange their
doll houses and construct hide-outs in the trees, they face all the
challenges of a grown-up architect.
They have clients - dolls and
figurines, toy animals, imaginary dragons or themselves - who need
particular sorts of structures, with dedicated functions - to fend
off monsters, shelter a pet or keep out the boys. They use available
materials and grapple with an understanding of their structural limitations
and possibilities: sand, rocks, blocks and sheets can only do certain
things, and these limitations define the ultimate forms that emerge.
They face penalties if they ignore local building ordinances, such
as that you're not allowed to use Grandmother's heirloom quilt to
make a tent.
They must consider land use and site planning
when they're trying to cram all of the cushions from the couch under
the dining room table. They often have to negotiate with other designers
and builders, who may have distinctly different ideas about the whole
project. They have scheduling problems and deadlines, having to stop
work to take a bath or do their homework. Problems of maintenance
soon develop if the structure is vandalized by a younger sibling or
somebody opens the door that the main tent cable is tied to. And,
sooner or later, they face the anguish of demolition.
If
you have a young architect in the house,
you're very aware of it. Your household has been rearranged to accommodate
boxes of all sizes transformed into castles or train stations, and
designs for new projects cover pieces of paper. The best thing you
can do when all of this is going on is to enjoy it, admire it effusively,
and be sure that you move through your home with caution. As your
architect grows, you can encourage these activitiesin a number of
ways.
Next
steps: Home is where the Architecture is...
