The Value of Architecture in Education

< Talks

The fourth edition of the international conference “De-a Arhitectura TALKS,” themed “The Value of Architecture in Education” took place on June 8, 2025, in the Frescoes Hall of the “Ion Mincu” University of Architecture and Urbanism in Bucharest.

About the conference

“De-a Arhitectura TALKS” is an event dedicated to professionals in the built environment as well as those in education, and to anyone interested in the connections that can be made between these two fields.

Following its first editions (2014, 2015, 2017), the new format becomes a platform that brings together voices and innovative practices from across several continents. The theme of this edition—The Value of Architecture in Education—refers to the concrete ways in which Built Environment Education (BEE) can support Sustainable Development Education (SDE). We will reference key documents such as the BEE Charter of the “Architecture and Children” working group of the International Union of Architects (UIA), the UNESCO Charter on Culture and Arts in Education, as well as UNESCO’s guidelines on education for sustainability.

Agenda

09:00 – 10:00 – Participant Reception & Welcome Coffee

10:00 – 10:30 – Official Opening

Host: Vera MARIN (Vice President, De-a Arhitectura)
Conference objectives in relation to the activity of the UIA Architecture and Children Work Programme and also of De-a Arhitectura Association as the host organization for this event – short presentation of the afternoon Workshop topics for on-site registration.

Co-directors of the UIA Architecture and Children Work Programme welcome speech:

  • Mina SAVA – founding member, initiator and president of De-a Arhitectura Association since 2013, the first Romanian organization that introduced built environment education for children and youth in schools.
  • Carolina PIZZARO HERNANDEZ – regional and international initiatives promoting architectural education for children across the Americas.

Launch of the Volume Youth for Climate Neutrality – Resources, Educational Scenario, and Guidelines for Use in Workshops with High School and University Students, Representative of OAR – The Order of Architects of Romania – partner in the M 100 Project – Mirror Mission Cities Hub Romania.

10:30 – 11:00 – Keynote Speaker: Roberta GHELLI

Built environment education through architectural research, cultural initiatives, and teacher-led innovation: the case of France within the European context.

11:00 – 12:00 – PANEL 1: Collaborations Between Schools and Built Environment Professionals

Host: Corina CROITORU (Board Member, De-a Arhitectura)
Presentations & Moderated Discussions with:

  • Krisztina SOMOGYI – advocating for BEE in school curricula and collaboration between architects and educators in Hungary.
  • Dorota WANTUCH MATLA – coordinating the national postgraduate program “Archi:kultura” in Poland.
  • Carolina PIZZARO HERNANDEZ – promoting partnerships in education for sustainable development in Costa Rica, coordinator of ANDA – Architecture and Childhood of the Americas Group, advisor to the FPPA – Pan-American Federation of Architectural Associations.

12:00 – 12:30 – Coffee Break with snacks

12:30 – 13:00 – Keynote Speaker: Heba SAFEY ELDEEN

The making of an international online course on built environment education for children and youth: bridging gaps between diverse practices, disciplines, and contexts.

13:00 – 14:00 – PANEL 2: Flexible Collaborations in Education for Sustainable Development

Host: Corina CROITORU (Board Member, De-a Arhitectura)
Presentations & Moderated Discussions with:

  • Magdalina RAJEVA – raising young people’s awareness of architecture, the city, and sustainability in Bulgaria.
  • Katarzyna DOMAGALSKA – connecting research in architecture and regional identity with built environment education.
  • Suzanne BOSANQUET – leading initiatives that empower communities through architecture and education in Australia.
  • Shani GRANEK ISBI – going from a school in the city to the city as a school – built environment as learning support.

14:00 – 14:30 – De-a Arhitectura GALA

Award Ceremony for Educational Project Contributors in the De-a Arhitectura Network

14:30 – 15:00 – Lunch Break

15:00 – 16:00 – Parallel Workshop Sessions

Each workshop will include:facilitator, rapporteur, and invited contributors.

Workshops focused on METHOD:

  • Project based learning and Integrated Approach
    Hands-on collaborations between education and the built environment
    Facilitator: Cristina DUMITRESCU
    Contributor: Alex BELENYI
    Rapporteur: Claudia PAMFIL (founding member of DAA)
  • Networks & Coalitions – Culture & Arts in Education
    Architecture’s role in UNESCO’s Charter for Culture in Education
    Facilitator: Mina SAVA
    Contributor: Raluca IACOB
    Rapporteur: Eliza YOKINA (founding member of DAA, member of DAA Board of Directors)

Workshops focused on CONTENT:

  • Vulnerable Groups – Ensuring Access to Complexity
     Inclusion and equal rights to built environment education
    Facilitator: Corina CROITORU
    Contributor: Oana FLORICIOIU
    Rapporteur: Viorica POPESCU (member of the DAA Board of Directors)
  • Ecology, Resilience & Education
    Ecology and net-zero cities and education for sustainable development strategies
    Facilitator: Vera MARIN
    Contributor: Oana STANCIU
    Rapporteur: Miruna GRIGORESCU (founding member of DAA)

16:00 – 17:00 – Conclusions & Reflections

Workshop rapporteurs will summarize key ideas.
Possible additions to the BEE Charter.
Future plans – Talks, 5th edition.
Official Closing.

 

Speakers

arch. Carolina Pizarro Hernández, Costa Rica

    Chilean-Costa Rican architect, with studies at the University of Costa Rica and the University of Sciences and Arts CR. She holds a diploma in Environmental Architecture from the University of Salamanca, Spain, and a master’s degree in social innovation from Playground Learning by Helping the University of Salamanca. She is a museographer, set designer, and cultural manager. She is a former member of the Board of Directors of Architects of Costa Rica (CACR) for three terms. She has served as coordinator of the CACR’s Architecture and Childhood Commission since 2007. She has also served as coordinator of the A.N.D.A. Architecture and Childhood of the Americas Group since 2015. She has been an official member of the UIA’s Architecture and Childhood WP (Working Group on Architecture and Childhood) since 2010, and as co director of this group since 2023. She has also served as advisor on Architecture and Childhood for the FPPA (Pan-American Federation of Architectural Associations). She has also served as a jury member of the UIA’s International Golden Cubes Competition in Paris, France, in 2014 and 2020, respectively. Director of ARQUITICOS: Architecture, City and Childhood of Costa Rica since 2000. Professor of ARQUITICOS in various public and private schools and communities in Costa Rica. Director of DIAR Industrial Design and Architecture of Costa Rica since 2000 and Co-director of Parque Urbano S.A.

    arch. Heba Safey Eldeen, Egypt

      Professor of Architecture and Design, Misr International University (MIU) and American University in Cairo (AUC). Director of House of Egyptian Architecture, Cultural Development Fund, Ministry of Culture. Former director, Architecture and Children Work Program, International Union of Architects. Board member, Egyptian Society for Culture and Development (ESCD). Member, International Association for Aesthetics (IAA). Member: Global Centre of Spatial Methods for Urban Sustainability” (GCSMUS) – DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service).  Member, Built Environment Education Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) – DAAD. Director, Architecture and Children – Egypt, society of Egyptian Architects SEA. Since 2011, conducted over 100 BEE workshops, published over 50 scientific refereed researches, articles and book chapters, and joined in over 20 exhibitions on the topic in Egypt and around the world. Founder of Built Environment Education “BEE.Egypt” lab for disseminating archi-culture for children and non-architects all over Egyptian cities in collaboration with governmental cultural bodies and governmental educational institutions and local NGOs all over Egypt.

      arch. Roberta Ghelli, France

        Roberta Ghelli is an architect, PhD, director of the Maison de l’Architecture de l’Isère, teacher and researcher at the Grenoble School of Architecture. Since 2012, she has collaborated with several cultural organizations in Italy, Spain, England, and France, and has designed educational activities, programs, and tools to enhance and strengthen built environment education. Since 2020, she has led professional training sessions for architects, urban planners, and teachers interested in transmitting architectural and urban culture to young people. At the Grenoble School of Architecture, she is in charge of a teaching module on built environment education and is conducting research for the scientific development of this specific topic. Her doctoral thesis was the first research work in France on built environment education, and was published in the book “Éduquer les enfants à l’architecture”. In 2023, her work was recognized by the French Ministry of Culture with the AJAP award.

        Krisztina Somogyi, Hungary

          What impact does the built environment have on people and what knowledge helps to interact more positively with it? A critic of architecture, researcher of visual culture and communication with a PhD in environmental psychology, Krisztina SOMOGYI examines the manifestations of the built environment together with their significations and user experiences. Besides her work as writer, editor and curator, she has an extensive teaching experience. Build environment education is key to her activity, since 2018, she has been a speaker at several international conferences on the topic. Member of the Hungarian Psychological Association and the Association of Hungarian Architects, she is an active member of UIA Architecture and Children Work Program, where she works as the Hungarian delegate.

          arch. Magdalina Rajeva, Bulgaria

            Born in Sofia (Bulgaria), Magdalina Rajeva received her Masters’ Degree in Architecture from the University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy in Sofia. She runs her own architectural studio “ArchPoint” in Sofia with numerous projects in different fields – Interior Design, Residential, Public and Industrial Buildings. She is devoted to the idea of developing young people’s awareness of architecture, city and sustainable development. In 2011 she co-founded the Children Architectural Workshop, a non-profit organization, meant to inspire and emotionally engage children in architecture derived activities.
            Representative of the Union of Architects in Bulgaria in the UIA working program `Architecture and Children` since 2014.

            arch. Suzanne Bosanquet, Australia

              Suzanne Bosanquet is an award-winning architect and social impact leader with over 25 years of global experience. She champions sustainable design, economic empowerment, and community capacity building through art, architecture, and leadership. Her architectural practice currently focuses on community and residential projects and is based in Brisbane, Australia. Suzanne represents the Australian Institute of Architects and the Asia Pacific Region on the UIA’s Architecture and Children Work Programme. She is a long-standing examiner for the National Standards for Architectural Practice and Education and holds a governmental quasi – judicial role adjudicating development decisions. Suzanne also holds significant leadership roles within the global FCEM Women Entrepreneur network and has contributed to the delivery of the most recent World Congress and establishment of multiple scholarships empowering migrant refugee women entrepreneurs and rural, underprivileged young women.
              With 30 years in architectural practice, advocacy and education, she has a demonstrated and awarded track record of engaging and empowering people. Through public education, citizen activation, and sustainable partnerships, she creates impactful legacies that uplift communities and foster long-term opportunity.

              Katarzyna Domagalska, Poland

                Katarzyna Domagalska is an architectural historian, educator, researcher, and educator. The main topics of her research are: regionalism, identity of the place defined by the architecture and urban, architectural heritage. She is the head of the Education Department at the National Institute of Architecture and Urban Planning (Poland). The author of Architectural and Conservation Guides.

                arch. Dorota Wantuch-Matla, Poland

                  Architect, assistant professor in the Chair of Urbanism and City Structure Architecture (A-9) at the Faculty of Architecture, Cracow University of Technology in Poland. She also teaches spatial management at the University of the Commission of National Education in Cracow. Graduate of the Faculty of Architecture at the Cracow University of Technology and BA in Interior Architecture at Griffith College Dublin. Member of the Team for General Architectural Education at the National Institute of Architecture and Urban Planning. She gathered professional experience over a number of years in design offices in Dublin and Cracow. Author of numerous scientific and popularisation publications on public spaces, architecture, urban planning and the issue of built environment education. From 2021 to 2024, she was also the head of the inter-institutional, nationwide postgraduate course ‘Archi:kultura – educator architektoniczny’.

                  arch. Shany Granek Isbi, Israel

                    Arch. Shany Granek Isbi. BArch and MA from the school of architecture, Tel Aviv University, Israel. Owner of SGI Architects office. Lecturer at the School of Architecture, Tel Aviv University, and at the Shenkar College of Engineering and Design.
                    She is the Co-Founder of ABCity: Children & Urban Planning, an initiative aiming to promote education for active civic involvement in urban planning. Shany is the representative of the Israeli Association of Architects at the UIA Working Group Architecture & Children.

                    < Talks