Ludantia
The 1st International Biennial of Education in Architecture for Children and Young People is an event which seeks to gather experiences related to this topic from around the world. It is also a platform from which education and research projects – which are concerned with the use of (domestic, urban, communal and natural) spaces and those in which the child or young person is the protagonist – can be shared, broadcast, experienced and debated.
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The biennial celebration is one of the projects that emerged from the 3rd Education in Architecture International Meeting. This meeting was organised by the Playgrounds Group (currently the Ludantia Architecture and Education Association), and was held in the Reina Sofia museum in Madrid on 16 and 17 January, 2016.
One of the aims of the people dedicated to education in architecture is to include the child/young person in debates about the city and to act as intermediaries who ensure that their opinion is heard, with the firm belief that this will lead to a better environment. With this in mind, the theme chosen for this first biennial event is that of public spaces under the heading: “Living with fun in mind: a games board from the school playground to the city.”[1]
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The Biennial seeks to be an opportunity for individuals to exchange experiences on education in architecture and to deeper understanding of methodology and research in the field. It is also a way of showing the enormous potential children and young people have as regards transforming our cities. And the best tool for doing this is educational projects.
It is an event which is open to schools, architects, professionals involved in education, artists, central and local government organisations, not-for-profit organisations and individuals and groups throughout the world interested in education through the medium of construction. Whilst there have been other educational projects presented in architecture or art biennials, Ludantia makes education the end in itself with architectural and artistic processes the medium for achieving this. The first Biennial event – the brainchild of Jorge Raedó – will be held in Pontevedra, from 10 May to 17 June, 2018.
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[1] ‘Public spaces’ are understood as those communal urban spaces (streets, squares, parks, playgrounds), rural, natural, school-related (playgrounds or other communal spaces) environments or even places temporarily provided for communal use (industrial buildings, vacant building plots, etc.)