Interview with Pia Rost Rasmussen, manager of DAC &Learning
"teaching architecture to children and young people, it is a lot about giving them tools in order to be able to partipate in these democratic meetings" Pia Rost Rasmussen
_What is your role in the education and training in architecture? Ages? Educational goals? My role here is that I am the manager of our learning program and I am also managing the activities we do here, which are not not only about teaching but also about experiencing architecture with the families. The aim of the learning activities is about giving knowledge about architecture and urban space, landscape architecture and so on, but it is also very much about teaching young people how to give their opinion on what they think future architecture or different projects should be about. Because specially in the nordic countries we have this strong tradition about asking people about what they think about different projects and actually we are all invited to participate in these meetings where, you could say "normal people" can come, and say what they think about a given project, perhaps in their area. It is a lot about democracy. And very often they don´t have the tools necessary in order to use this democratic voice.
You could say that teaching architecture to children and young people, it is a lot about giving them tools in order to be able to partipate in these democratic meetings. I think learning about architecture and the urban enviroment is also learning about how to take care about what you have. And I definitely think that children and young people that get to know about this building and the history behind this building and so on, and the way it was built and so on, they will be much more caring with the things around them. It is about as well finding out what the teachers need in order to do their programs. So it is much about reading what the teachers have to do, their curricullums, and then try to make the program or activities relevant for their activities, so they can include it in their lessons on history or mathematic.
_ Why do you think that the education in architecture is so relevant? It has much to do with the previous answer. It has to do with democracy.
_ Do you collaborate with other institutions? Which ones? Yes, I actually collaborate with Pihla Meskanen, from Arkki. We have a collaboration in the nordic countries: in Finland with Arkki and the Alvar Aalto Academy; the Swedish Museum of Architecture: with Norsk Form which is a Norwegian Architecture Center; also in Reykiavik. We have this association called Playce.org. Actually some years ago, we made a toolkit together, where we tried to particitpate and reuse our different experiencies, in order to make one toolkit in english and from english we translated them into our own languages. We are going to Finland at the end of April in order to develope it further on. Playce is not only nordic countries, but we have our nordic group. So actually we do work a little bit of work together when we have time and the money to do it, when we have the fonding. Actually we have had meetings in Playce with people from Spain, from Turkey, Ireland, England, and so on, which is very nice.
And then, of course, I work with Utzon Center and a lot of different collaborations. I am always collaborating with someone.
_ What do you think are the challenges of teaching architecture? I think a challenge in Denmark, it is to make this work. It is to reassure how to incorporate and how do we work for architecture education during this whole period of a life time. How do we plan activities for daycare, pre-school? how do we make sure that the pupils during primary schools are learning about architecture? How do we make sure that this actually works? It is a lot about making the politicians see that this is worthwhile, that this has to be part of the plans. If you take a country like Norway, I don´t remember the exact structure, but you have like architecture and design learning program during the whole primary school, so it is like you start up by learning about architecture as you learn about geometry, for instance. It is a continious way of learning about it, that could be very interesting to do in Denmark. That is one of the challenges, to integrate big programs in the programs that are already there, not only in visual arts, because then it is just one part of it, but what about geography or maths, danish, for instance. It is also about combining practice and theory, that is something very important right now in our way of thinking education now in Denmark, because we realize that some children learn in some ways, others learn in other ways, but this is not new, we have known that for several years now, but actually how do we implement this different strategies in our schools? Architecture can be one of the topics which are quite relevant in that strategy. It is about creativity, and creative subjects have not much space in our education now.
_ What would you like to improve in your own educational project? I think at DAC the biggest challenge it is about to make more, and how to get to do more. And actually I have a new college arriving in April, who will be working with me full time.
We see that what we do here, it is something that it is needed, so it is more about being able to follow, being able to develope and develope and develope and do whatever is needed.
_ Do you want to add any comments? I think this is a lot about politics and what is needed in order to integrate all this in our schools. And also about how we make the curricullum in the right way. It is a long process. And you should definitely read this book about architecture education in Denmark (in English): http://www.boernekultur.dk/om-boernekulturensnetvaerk/english/architecture-and-design-for-children-and-youth/
Thank you very much!
Interview for Architect in Progress http://www.architectinprogress.com/ DAC offices, 22nd March 2012
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* Pia Rost Rasmussen: T +45 61 60 01 54 - E prr@dac.dk More info: http://www.dac.dk/en/about-dac-learning/