Spaces we continuously move through shape our emotions, reflections, and actions while we have the power to shape them. It is essential not only to become aware of the underlying qualities of space but to acquire knowledge, skills and courage to change it. Therefore, we engage children and adults in the processes of conscious exploration, design and construction of public spaces.

Together we merge education and craftsmanship in order to transform "void" spaces into playful — meaning lively, engaging, sensory-active —landscapes. Eventually, we form fulfilling relationships between space and human beings and construct our own realities we identify with.

We work on the edge of architecture, education and child development. The festival is created to explore the future of the participatory design practices that incorporate children. Our research interests are built around investigating the following questions:

What do interaction and play mean for public space design?

How to create a constructive dialogue between users (children and adults) and architects?

How do children perceive space?

If we incorporate children in public space design, what are the benefits for their personal development?

Arch Dacha is an experimental festival that unites children, parents, and professionals in the process of design and construction of public space in 1:1 scale. The festival was founded in 2015 on the bank of the lake near Saint Petersburg, Russia, and has been visited by more than 1000 people. One project is created by averagely 30 children and 20 adults in 3-5 days.

The festival attracts families, architects, artists, thinkers and other creative professionals who are interested in innovative collaborations and working with children. Participants not only design and construct wooden structures but play, perform, interact, walk and enjoy a peaceful time in nature.

We document the construction process and gather feedback from professionals, parents and children. Our experimental investigation shows that collective design and construction practices that incorporate children have an equally strong potential to change the way we approach public space design and simultaneously to foster a higher level of intellectual and emotional intelligence:

Children are actively engaged in learning; professionals find new perspectives on design; construction process is very efficient; built spaces promote social interaction and generate an emotional response from its users; unexpected scenarios of play and interaction arise between people.