Architectural Thinking School for Children is an interdisciplinary supplementary education project founded in 2016 by architect Alexander Novikov and artist Elena Karpilova in Minsk, Belarus. The school focuses on developing "architectural thinking" – an interdisciplinary approach to problem-solving – in children aged 6–14 through project-based learning. Since 2022, it operates in Lisbon, Portugal, working primarily with migrant children.
History Founded in Minsk in 2016, the school began offline operations. In 2022, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its regional impact, the school relocated to Lisbon. There, it established activities in Lisbon through partnerships with Portuguese cultural institutions and was registered as a non-governmental organization (NGO).
Methodology The school's program integrates architecture, urban design, ecology, film and contemporary art through project-based learning. Each term culminates in tangible projects like exhibitions or publications. Professional practitioners teach classes after pedagogical training to adapt their expertise for children. This approach has been documented in international publications including the field guide Archifutures Vol. 5: Apocalypse and featured in the Mexican architecture journal Arquine.
Notable projects
HOUSEДОМДОМ: A Book of Children's Projects and other Avant-Garde Architecture (2019): Book of children's architectural projects featured in ArchDaily, Tatlin, Afisha Daily and The New East Archive. Listed on Goodreads."HOUSEДОМДОМ on Goodreads". Goodreads. Retrieved 2024. and Google Books. Bambini Ovunque - Children Everywhere (2024): Unofficial participatory project at the Venice Art Biennale 2024, part of the Foreign Pavilion initiative. Announced in ArchDaily and covered in Die Presse. Children's Spaces of Protest, Civic Activism, and Play (2025): Public talk at Venice Architecture Biennale 2025 (GENS Public Programme). IntelliGens Play Lab (2025): Unofficial participatory project at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025, part of the Foreign Pavilion initiative. Announced in ArchDaily.
Exhibitions
House/Дом/Casa at Lisbon Architecture Triennale (2022) Projects at Museum of Contemporary Art MAC/CCB, Lisbon (2023-2024)
Awards and nominations YearCategoryNomineeResultRef.2021Individuals of the YearElena Karpilova and Alexander NovikovNominated2021Best OrganisationArchitectural Thinking School for ChildrenNominated2022Diversity in ActionArchitectural Thinking School for ChildrenWon2022Best International OrganisationArchitectural Thinking School for ChildrenWon2024Best International OrganisationArchitectural Thinking School / Bambini OvunqueNominated
Gallery
References
External links
Foreign Pavilion