Children spend years in school without ever learning how the places they live in are shaped.
In Romania, children grow up in cities, towns, and villages without understanding how the built environment works or how it affects their daily lives. Schools rarely address how buildings, public spaces, and infrastructure influence well-being, community life, and the natural environment.
As a result, many young people feel disconnected from where they live and lack the confidence or tools to get involved. They are seldom encouraged to observe, question, or take part in shaping the spaces they use every day.
This gap has long-term consequences: people become less aware, less engaged, and less equipped to contribute to healthier, more sustainable communities.
De-a Arhitectura was created to respond to this need. We bring built environment education into public schools, helping children understand, experience, and critically explore the places they live in. In doing so, we support the development of informed, active citizens who can better understand their environment and their role in shaping it.
The first step to caring for and protecting a place is understanding it.
De-a Arhitectura runs a network of interdisciplinary, project-based educational programs in public schools, where teachers and built environment professionals (architects, urban planners, landscape architects, designers, and students) collaborate in the classroom.
Students learn by observing, analyzing, and transforming their surroundings through activities such as mapping their neighborhood, exploring public spaces, and building models. Each project follows a clear process: observe and analyze, develop and test ideas, and present solutions to peers and the community.
The programs are supported by a complete educational toolkit, including curriculum, guides for teachers and professionals, student workbooks, visual materials, and an online group for collaboration. This makes the model adaptable and easy to implement in diverse contexts, including underserved or rural areas. A “lite” version is being developed for teacher-led delivery, alongside adaptations for children with special educational needs.
The approach is scalable across age groups, from early education to high school, and supported by training for teachers and architects, as well as an active community of educators and volunteers.
Evidence of impact includes long-term teacher engagement, students returning as volunteers, and real interventions in schools and communities co-designed and implemented by students.
The model is already used nationwide in both urban and rural schools.
In recent years, De-a Arhitectura has expanded both its reach and range of programs. Alongside core school-based courses, we developed new initiatives for teenagers and young adults, including peer-to-peer learning formats and community-based projects that connect students with professionals and local stakeholders.
We strengthened our national network of teachers, architects, and partner schools, with many educators continuing the program over multiple years and across full student generations. At the same time, we improved our educational resources through digitization and expanded training opportunities, focusing on pedagogy, communication, and facilitation skills.
The model continues to spread organically through word of mouth, school communities, and returning participants who become volunteers. We are also supported by the Order of Architects of Romania and collaborate with museums, NGOs, and content creators to increase visibility and reach.
Over the next 2-3 years, we aim to increase accessibility and scalability. Key priorities include developing a simplified version of the program for teacher-led implementation in underserved and rural areas, and strengthening partnerships with schools and public institutions.
We will also continue to expand participatory, real-world projects involving students, communities, and local authorities, while reinforcing our advocacy efforts to better integrate built environment education into the formal education system.
Since its inception, De-a Arhitectura has continuously evolved to meet the needs of children, teachers, and communities. We have expanded across age groups, from early education to high school, and developed new formats for teenagers, including peer-to-peer and community-based learning.
A key focus has been accessibility. We are developing a “lite” version of our core program for teacher-led use in underserved and rural areas where access to built environment professionals is limited. In parallel, we are adapting our methodology for children with special educational needs, building on earlier pilots to make the program more inclusive.
We have strengthened our educational infrastructure through improved toolkits, digital resources, and training for teachers and professionals.
At a systemic level, we contribute to national and international education frameworks, including the student profile and the Built Environment Education (BEE) network. Our recent Theory of Change process clarified long-term impact and led to the creation of a resilience fund. It was complemented by a role-mapping tool that aligns the diverse roles within our network, where educators and professionals act as both contributors and beneficiaries, supporting sustained engagement in a project-based model.
These developments reflect our ongoing effort to make the model more adaptable, inclusive, and scalable, while staying grounded in real-world, hands-on learning.
If you want to adopt De-a Arhitectura's model in your context, you can start with a small pilot involving a school, a motivated teacher, and, ideally, a built environment professional (architect, urban planner, designer).
Our programs are based on a clear, flexible structure: observe and analyze, develop and test ideas, and present results. This makes them easy to adapt to different cultural, social, or educational contexts.
We provide a complete educational toolkit, including curriculum, guides for educators and professionals, student workbooks, and visual materials. Training and guidance are available to support implementation and help facilitators feel confident in delivering the program.
The model can be implemented in different formats:
• teacher + professional (core model),
• teacher-led (lite version, for areas with limited access to professionals),
• workshops or short-term programs.
Most materials are currently available in Romanian, with selected resources translated into other languages. In Romania, the program is free of charge in public schools.
We encourage starting locally, adapting the content to your context, and building a small community of educators and professionals around the program.
For partnerships, resources, or guidance, contact us at: office@de-a-arhitectura.ro.
