projects and articles by members

Equal Chances - Young Architects of Change Spring 2005.

Project located in the Grammar Shcool in Pilawa (www.pilawa.com.pl - a small town south - east from Warsaw) ad the Training Centre for "Culture Animators" (www.lucznica.org.pl - in the village of Lucznica nearby). The preparatory activity was the seminar and workshop in October 2004. Then, the targets of the project were identified and participants got involved. The Akademia Lucznica (ngo), as organiser and host, applied for support to the Polish Foundation for Children and Young People and got the funding from American Freedom Fund.

There were 20 participants (10 grammar school students, architect, landscape architect and students of architecture, art historian, students of Warsaw University). Workshop leaders were Zofia Bisiak - art historian and Dariusz Smiechowski - architect. The main goals were: to offer the volunteering students a teaching proposal based on architecture and landscape design; to prove that young citizens may become engaged through democratic processes in shaping the environment from which the community may benefit; to prove that qualities of life and "everyday" surroundings are interconnected; to build bridges between professional possibilities and activities of those, who are planning their futures through common creative work).

After common meetings ("illustrated inspirations": basic elements of architecture, ecology, arts, crafts) participants divided into three groups working on: the Park in the centre of the town, the School environment and the remodelling of the Culture Centre. Thorough analyses of sites and community needs were made. The final results were scale models exhibited and presented by young participants in the Town Council to general public and authorities. The debate over town centre regeneration is now animated with these proposals taken into account. The project is going to continue being a possible subject to international workshops in 2006.

www.lucznica.org.pl
www.pilawa.com.pl

Dariusz Smiechowski

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