Join us for PLAYCE @ 2005, a Seminar on Architectural Education for Children and Youth arranged by the Alvar Aalto Academy in Helsinki and Jyväskylä, 6. – 7.10.2005.

Background

The Alvar Aalto Academy arranged two Soundings workshops in Jyväskylä (in 2003 and 2004) for the architectural education of children and youth. Those taking part represented leading institutions in their own countries, or were individuals involved in planning and implementing architectural education. The Soundings 4 and 5 workshops gave rise to an international architectural education networking association called PLAYCE ry, which is registered in Finland.

Aims

The PLAYCE @ 2005 Seminar aims to spread knowledge of the means and aims of architectural education and ways to implement it in various countries, and to develop networking interaction in the Nordic countries and elsewhere. The 2005 Seminar will facilitate cooperation between players in the sector, introduce Seminar participants to the current state of architectural education in various parts of the world, and share expertise in the sector in Finland and from abroad. The speakers will be drawn from participants in earlier workshops and supplemented by invited experts.

Timetable

Lectures on the Seminar’s first Open Day (6.10.2005) will be at the University of Helsinki. Lectures on the second Open Day (7.10.2005) will be at the University of Jyväskylä. The event will then continue in the Alvar Aalto Museum Finland, Jyväskylä, with meetings of experts (8.-9.10.2005).

Target group

The Open Days of the Seminar are free to all. They will be a source of knowledge for architects, teachers, pre-school teachers, visual arts teachers, experts in education, students of different disciplines, and all interested. The Seminar’s language is English.

Registration

You may request information and register to the seminar no later than 5.10.2005 through Project Secretary Mari Kovanen, tel. +358-(0)44-555-7337 / e-mail: mari.kovanen (at) alvaraalto.fi

Working Group

Teija Isohauta, Curator of Education, Alvar Aalto Museum (on leave until 04/2006)
Esa Laaksonen, Director, Alvar Aalto Academy
Pihla Meskanen, Principal, Arkki - School of Architecture for Children and Youth
Jaana Räsänen, Arts Council of Uusimaa, coordinator of architectural education for children and youth
Tiina Valpola, Project Manager, The Finnish Architectural Policy Programme / National Council for Architecture

Reportage

A report (part of the monitoring of Finland’s Policy Program on Architecture) will be issued on the PLAYCE @ 2005 Seminar. It will be published at a meeting of the European Forum for Architectural Policies in Finland in autumn 2006.

The event is supported by the Ministry of Education, the Nordic Cultural Fund, Academy of Finland, British Council, The Finnish Association of Architects, SAFA, Arts Council of Helsinki Metropolitan Region and the City of Jyväskylä.