If students learn about architecture at all, it usually isn't until post-secondary school classes, but the Alberti Program offered by Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri is attempting to change that. The free workshop, which focuses primarily on sustainable design but also covers the field of architecture in general, is open to children between the ages of 8 and 15.
The Alberti Program is offered through Washington University's Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts. It is an extracurricular program, with daily classes in June (when public school is out of session) and Saturday classes during the fall and winter. Though free, attendance is limited, and so students must be selected by their principals and teachers.
The courses, seminars, and discussions are run by a senior architecture lecturer and assisted by undergraduate students.
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Early Architecture Education
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop online platforms or mobile apps that provide interactive and accessible architecture lessons for children.
- Sustainable Design Focus
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Create eco-friendly building materials or technologies that can be easily implemented in architectural projects.
- Inclusive Architecture Education
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Establish community-based programs that provide architecture education to underprivileged children.
Where This Applies
- Education
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop specialized curriculum or online learning platforms for early architecture education.
- Construction
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Integrate sustainable design practices into construction processes and materials.
- Non-profit
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Partner with schools and organizations to offer free architecture education programs for children.
