+ 358 50 525 8668 info@arkki.net | www.arkki.net
SCHOOL LOCATIONS: Helsinki: Kaapelitehdas Tallberginkatu 1 C 106 00180 Helsinki
Vantaa:
Espoo:
Lastenkulttuurikeskus Vernissa Tikkurilantie 36, 01300 Vantaa Koulumestarin koulu Muuralanpiha 1, 02770 Espoo
�Many children have developed a mindset that they are not able to draw, but luckily no one seems to think they cannot build!� - Pihla Meskanen, director of Arkki
ARCHITECTURE CLUBS
ARCHITECTURAL EDUCATION
Arkki provides courses in architecture for ages ranging from 4 to 19. Teaching takes place in weekly sessions. Around 500 children and young adults attend the courses weekly. 4-6 year olds are welcome to come to the courses with their parents. Children from 7 years and up join activities in groups of 12 of the same age. In Arkki, the children are introduced to the different aspects of the built environment, the natural environment and the relationship between the two. The basic elements of architecture; space, light and shadow, colours, shapes, materials and structures are studied as well as visual presentation techniques, design processes, and matters related to ecology, sustainability and construction. In Arkki we believe that architectural education gives children new possibilities, means and mediums to influence the creation of our future environment. Through various activities Arkki wishes to ignite a spark in young people’s minds, so that they will want to influence and participate in the development of the built environment in the future, whatever their occupation is.
The aim of Arkki is to promote architectural education in Finland. We want to help children to fully discover and enjoy architecture and the built environment, to understand the impact and meaning of architecture to man, and appreciate everybody’s joint responsibility for the environment. In Arkki, play and fantasy are used as means to discover the different phenomena of architecture. Learning happens through carefully conducted investigations, constructing and experimenting with different materials. Teaching in Arkki follows the national system of Basic Education of Arts and Architecture, which supports and extends the arts education at the elementary school.The objectives and core contents are determined in national core curricula devised by the National Board of Education. Architectural education aims to develop a child’s ability to perceive, consider, understand, conceptualise and evaluate his or her environment. Education about architecture helps provide tools for responsible and active citizenship.
At Arkki we focus on experiencing the world with all the senses. We create pedagogical projects to stimulate the senses and to inspire the imagination and creativity.
WORKSHOPS FOR SCHOOL GROUPS Personalised workshops are available for school groups. The theme can be selected from our wide range of existing choices, or the workshop can be tailored according to individual wishes. Most of the workshops utilise hands-on working methods. Learning by doing and experimenting are essential in understanding architectural concepts and qualities. An essential part of the workshop is play and pleasure. Carefully planned projects guide children through an individual learning process. Succeeding in these projects leaves a pleasurable memory and encourages the child to find out more about the subject themselves.
BIRTHDAY PARTY WITH ”SWEET ARCHITECTURE” For a birthday party that’s both educational and fun ”Sweet Architecture” or “Sweet City” workshops are memorable and unique events. The party can be arranged at Arkki´s inspiring premises in the Cable Factory. By hands-on building the participating children can discover answers by themselves in a playful way, instead of being told the answers by adults. In these workshops the idea is to inspire the participants to learn more about our built environment and provide knowledge about architecture.
COURSES HUT BUILDING
”I have started to see the environment in a totally new way”, commented a 12-year-old Arkki student.
Amongst Arkki´s various architectural courses some of the most popular are the hut building courses, where architecture is discovered in 1:1 scale. The desire to build huts seems to exist in every child. Hut building courses introduce the children to the building traditions of different nations and cultures. Man has always constructed shelters against the hostile elements of nature using whatever different materials each environment has had to offer. From ancient, as well as present day nomads we can learn the simple and practical construction methods that have been refined over thousands of years. In the hut building courses the children are introduced to different cultures and their building traditions. They also learn about different structural systems, joining methods and knots. Learning happens through play and construction. By 2013, 450 camps have been organised and a total of approximately 4000 children have participated in them. A book for children on hut building is available from Arkki in Finnish, called ”Pieni Majakirja”, a ”Small Book of Huts”.
ADVANCED HUT BUILDING For those who have participated in the hut building course, Arkki offers advanced courses. In these courses children can make use of the methods they have learned in the previous camps. Within groups, various techniques can be joined together to design new types of huts. Advanced courses are arranged under various themes.
HUT BUILDING FOR FAMILY Family courses give also the youngest children a possibility to safely join the hut building together with their parents or grandparents. Techniques learned on this course can easily be applied at home, for example, to create a hut village as children’s playground.
ENVIRONMENTAL ART On this course the environment is discovered using all the senses. Individual and group artworks are designed and realised in the landscape using different materials and techniques. The art pieces are documented and published in the children’s virtual architectural map www.cmycity.net.
”DREAM HOUSE” – PLANNING WITH A 3D COMPUTER PROGRAM On this course you can create a complete model of your dream house using computer-aided design. We use the same 3D software as professional architects. The program enables the participants to build a virtual model with life-like materials, furniture, and outdoor elements. It’s a wonderful feeling to stroll around in your own creation, and even make a video of the journey!
ANIMATION On this course the participants plan and realise their own animation film step by step, getting first hand experience of the different phases of animation, such as writing the manuscript, creating the scenery and characters, and filming and editing the movie. The completed animation is always fun to watch for the whole production team!
ART On the art course different techniques are used to realise your thoughts and dreams on canvas and other materials. In addition to 2D techniques we also include design and sculpting. Everyone can find their own artistic expression by choosing from our broad range of possibilities!
DESIGN On the design course the world of objects is approached from a new perspective. Different questions are explored; such as why we need design, who designs the objects, and what do you need to consider whilst designing objects. During the course a variety of objects at different scales are designed and realised with tried and trusted design techniques. The underlying theme is recycling and innovative reuse of materials.
MODEL BUILDING On our model building course participants can choose between two themes. You can concentrate on the big plan and landscape model with houses and scenery, or focus on the interior design of a dream house considering details of furniture and materials. Both the interiors and exteriors can be inhabited with characters and used, for example, for role-playing games.
ADVENTURES IN THE CITY On this course participants explore the city and the built environment. They observe the common and the extraordinary, and document their discoveries by sketching, photographing, and through videos and notes. Also, plans for the future city are designed, and these creations are published in the children’s virtual architectural map www.cmycity.net.
ARKKI Arkki is a unique school in Finland run by a non profit organisation founded in 1993. Arkki provides architectural education within the system of Basic Education in the Arts. The Basic Art Education act was passed in 1992. Arkki provides this long-term architectural education in the cities of Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa. The architectural education for children and young people provided by Arkki, is the most comprehensive in the world, measured by its depth, quantity and quality. Arkki provides 3600 teaching hours/year and offers children and young people a possibility of altogether 16 years of architectural studies, and a total of 1800 hours of teaching. In addition to this long-term architectural education, Arkki provides short courses for 400 children and workshops for 3000 children each year. Arkki also creates educational curriculums for schools, museums and afterschool art and architecture clubs. Arkki is involved in national and international networks related to architectural education. Arkki also organises training for school teachers and daycare personnel, organises conferences and produces teaching material.