The American Institute of Architects taught elementary school girls from Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools how to dream up the future of their communities during their Fourth Annual Girls’ LEGO Day.
Girls gathered at the Wake Forest Center for Private Business to speak with local architects and urban planners about what it’s like to work in their field. Then, they put what they learned to the test by using LEGO to design prototype buildings. At the end of the day, every participant left with a set of colored pencils and LEGO that they could use to keep designing. The event is meant to inspire young people to think about what they can achieve when given freedom to steer their own projects.
“Kids always have to follow adults’ schedules and rules,” said Hannah Atkinson from AIA of Winston-Salem. “This is a chance for them to draw outside the lines.”
The theme of the day was “If Kids Ruled the World”, encouraging the young builders to consider what they would do differently if their priorities guided community planning. The results included a significant amount of extra green space, more support for animal hospitals, more colorfully decorated streets, and clustering of essential services where residents could access them more quickly. Fourth Grader Aubrey Vaughn felt confident that when her generation is running things someday, society will see some major improvements.
“It feels amazing,” Vaughn said. “The world would be a better place if people just listened to kids.”
Only about one in six architects working today are women, and Girls’ LEGO Day is a reminder of the value in giving all different kinds of people a chance to contribute. Architect Kellie Overberg says the event is not only a great launching pad for aspiring architects, but also a chance for working architects to gain perspective. Every idea proposed at the event might not be feasible, but they’re always full of inspiration.
“This is my favorite event that we put on,” Overberg said. “Every year, they take a really simple prompt and come up with completely different ideas. They have the kind of ideas that you don’t have as many of once you grow up.”