ArhiPera International Summer School, 12th edition: “Sustainability through community building”

Authors’ Comment

The 12th edition of the ArhiPera International Summer School, titled “Sustainability through Community Building,” specifically addressed the vulnerable community of Chiojdu through a democratic and sustainable approach to architecture. This included construction site visits to the Community Center—an ArhiPera project initiated in 2023—and the development of the participatory project "Outdoor Schoolyard Spaces for Creative and Dynamic Recreational Activities."
Guest lecturers—Elina Alatalo, Viviana Comito, Silvia Costiuc, Ionuț Laurențiu Dinu, Willie Vogel, Irina Scobiola, Sebastiaan Veldhuisen, Georgiana Elena Ivan, Valentina de Piante, and Lorin Niculae—contributed by delivering lectures on participatory social architecture, sustainability, and best practices, as well as conducting workshops with students from Chiojdu at the Casa cu Blazoane of the Romanian Union of Architects. Various types of activities were organized for students of the “Ion Mincu” University of Architecture and Urbanism, including model-making workshops, lecture sessions followed by open discussions, site visits, participatory design with pupils of the modules for rural schoolyards, and the actual construction of the project.
The "Outdoor Schoolyard Spaces for Creative and Dynamic Recreational Activities" project emerged from an identified need in Romanian schools where the association had previously developed participatory activities with pupils: Valea Argovei, Dor Mărunt, Belciugatele (Călărași County), Scorțeni, Poiana Negri, Iacova (Bacău County), and Chiojdu (Buzău County). In these schools, pupils emphasized the need for social spaces. Schoolyards are often areas lacking urban furniture; during summer breaks, pupils briefly go outside only to seek shelter near the school fences, the only available shaded areas, thus leaving most of the yard underutilized.
Due to interdisciplinary guidance, the Summer School facilitated a participatory process through which pupils from Chiojdu, IMUAU students, and tutors jointly designed and built a leisure space prototype for the schoolyard. This zero-volume architecture can also serve during breaks and extracurricular activities, particularly in rural schoolyards or in Romanian regions with low per capita income. The project offers a viable and easily implementable spatial solution for all rural communities in Romania.
Alongside the creation of this prototype in Chiojdu during the Summer School, a construction and assembly manual was also developed, allowing the structure to be adapted in various configurations. This enables each school to customize the model based on the geometry of the available space and pupils' preferences. The project is Open Source and made from inexpensive, natural materials (wood), accessible throughout Romania, allowing implementation on a modest budget.
The project’s impact extended to two other rural communities after the Summer School's conclusion: it was assembled at School nr. 1 in Dor Mărunt, at School nr. 1 in Valea Argovei, as well as in the portico and terrace of IMUAU. A module was also built during the Archy Fest festival in Bucharest.
The ArhiPera Summer School was organized by the “Ion Mincu” University of Architecture and Urbanism and the ArhiPera Association, with the support of the Romanian Union of Architects. The project was funded by the Romanian Order of Architects, through the architecture stamp duty, and by The King’s Foundation, with additional support from the re:arc institute.