Architectural Festivities: Shaping Young Minds through Built Environment Education

Abstract

Educating children and young people about architecture is crucial for a better architectural future and for fulfilling the social responsibility of architects. The current generation's addiction to mobile phones and gaming underscores the need for engaging, physical play-based learning. International festivities offer a platform for architects and educators to create activities that draw young people out of their digital bubbles and into the real world, charging these activities with social meanings and built environment education. This paper examines four case studies from architectural festivities’ celebration in Egypt, focusing on STEAM activities and hands-on learning. The four case studies are the celebrations of international festivities of “World Architecture Day” in the years 2023/ 2024, which were held at “The House of Egyptian Architecture” and “The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization”. In addition to the celebrations of “International Children Day” for the year 2024, held at Benha University and “The House of Egyptian Architecture”. These case studies are qualitatively compared based on learning objectives, context impact, achievement of learning outcomes, and feedback from participants. The conclusion presents a framework for enhancing architectural education for children and youth through contextual and engaging architectural engagement.