Petit Architect Design for Kids

Looking for somewhere fun to visit with your kids this summer? ☀️

We rounded up some of our favourite Vancouver playgrounds to visit for climbing, exploring, imagining, and soaking up some much needed sunshine.

Playgrounds are one of our favourite examples of everyday architecture because they’re thoughtfully designed spaces for movement, creativity, play, and community.

We’re sharing a few local favourites on the blog now. Read the full post through the link in our bio!

Design Skill of the Week: Building with Wood

This week students explored the work of Kengo Kuma.

Known for using materials like wood, bamboo, stone, and glass, Kuma creates buildings that feel peaceful and full of light. We looked at how he often studies the site carefully so his buildings feel connected to their surroundings instead of separate from them.

Inspired by his work, especially the layered wooden forms of the Odunpazari Modern Art Museum, students designed their own wood buildings and experimented with texture, shape, and natural materials.

A great reminder that architecture can be both beautiful and thoughtful!

Big summer news ☀️ We’re partnering with Cousteau School this summer!

Petit Architect will be joining Cousteau’s summer camp lineup in North Vancouver for two weeks of architecture and design activities.

Cousteau’s bilingual camps are packed with a variety of creative, sporty, scientific, and technical activities (and are open to both Cousteau students and outside students!)

If your child loves building, creating, exploring, and learning, this is such a fun summer option.

📍 North Vancouver
🕘 9:00 AM-4:30 PM

Registration is open now on website!
See you there!

What if your child could travel the world through architecture? 🌎🏠

At Architecture Around the World Camp, your child will explore how people across the globe design homes to respond to climate, culture, and everyday life. Throughout the week, they’ll learn how communities use local materials, clever building techniques, and sustainable design to create spaces that work beautifully in their environment.

By the end of the week, they’ll leave with new design skills, hands-on creations, and a deeper understanding of the world around them!

🏡 Ages 7-12
🏡 No experience needed
🏡 Hands-on STEAM learning
🏡 Electronic free

Spots fill quickly every summer, register now through the link in our bio!

What actually happens at architecture camp? 👀 A LOT of creativity, building, problem-solving, collaboration, and hands-on fun.

From sketching ideas to building miniature models, our Vancouver camps help kids explore architecture and STEAM in a way that feels exciting and engaging, and definitely not like school.

Perfect for creative kids who love to imagine and make things with their hands. No experience needed ✨

This week, students explored the work of and how the studio uses stacked blocks and geometric forms to create playful, eye-catching buildings.

Instead of designing buildings as one simple shape, MVRDV often layers and stacks different sections together almost like giant building blocks. Their projects combine homes, offices, shops, gardens, and public spaces into one structure, creating buildings that feel dynamic.

Students looked at how changing the placement, size, and arrangement of blocks can completely transform the look and function of a building! Some blocks stick out, some are pushed back, and others become rooftop gardens or terraces filled with plants. Inspired by these ideas, students experimented with creating their own stacked structures. Swipe to see some of their designs ➡️

Remember when summer meant building forts, making messes, and coming home with glue on your hands instead of screen time reports?
This summer, give your kids space to create, explore, build, and imagine...offline.

At Petit Architect camps, kids spend their days designing dream spaces, building 3D models, making friends, and bringing big ideas to life. A screen-free summer = creativity, confidence, and hands-on fun.

Join us for a summer they won't forget 💕