The Buffalo Architecture Foundation began the Architecture + Education (A+E) program which brings local practicing professionals into the Buffalo public school classrooms — partnering with teachers to use architecture as a tool for multidisciplinary problem-solving and learning. The program has brought over a decade of successful outreach to a diverse population of students.
What they do
10
years of programming
+
25
Buffalo public schools involved
+
100+
Local Architects who have volunteered
+
3,500
Students impacted
How we're helping
We have donated hundreds of hours over the past decade so our architects are able to spend time with the teachers and students. Over two dozen of our architects and interior designers have volunteered over the years and we’ve had two architects co-chair the entire program for the past four years.
The program starts with the architect and teacher developing unique lesson plans that will be implemented in the classroom. During the 8-10 in-class sessions, the architects lead a short lesson, and the students complete an activity related to the lesson and overall project. Each lesson is built off of the last, so that in the end of the 8-10 weeks, the students have produced tangible projects that show their process and progress for learning.
The culmination of the program is a public exhibit of the students’ work held at the CEPA gallery, which has been a great source of pride for students, parents, teachers and architects alike.
Photos: Buffalo Architecture Foundation, buffaloarchitecture.org