The BSA and BSA Foundation aim to create opportunities for local students to build awareness about architecture while exploring potential career paths. By partnering with the Boston Private Industry Council (PIC), the BSA is able to connect interested Boston Public School (BPS) students with paid career exploration and internship opportunities throughout their high school careers.

Architecture/Design Thinking Week provides public high school students with the opportunity to learn about architecture from local architects. Evolving from Design Thinking Day (2016-2020), the four-day workshop is now hosted at BSA Space each February School Vacation and transforms the BSA's galleries into a pop-up design studio fit for drawing and model making.

This program is made possible through a collaborative effort between the BSA, PIC, and four local architecture firms. Design staff from Finegold Alexander Architects, Goody Clancy, HMFH Architects, and Sasaki/Sasaki Foundation facilitate each day of the workshop. Participating students work through a design prompt, gaining new design skills, and learning to communicate their ideas ahead of the final Share Out.

Providing pathways to architecture and related fields is resonant with the BSA and BSA Foundation's missions. Following the workshop, interested students are provided a stipend for their time as well as support to pursue their interests further. Past participants have gone on to pursue architecture through BSA x PIC's Architecture/Design High School Internship, Sasaki Foundation's Summer Exploratory Experience in Design (SEED), and other partner programs.

Upcoming

Dates
February 20-23, 2024

Location
BSA Space
290 Congress Street, Boston, MA

Program

Type
Four-day workshop

Grade Levels
9-12, Boston Public Schools

Timeframe
Design Thinking Day: 2017-2020
Architecture/Design Thinking Week(s): 2021-present

Timeline
January-February: Firm planning and student outreach
February: Workshop

Collaborators

Student Outreach
Boston Private Industry Council

Firm Facilitators
Finegold Alexander Architects
Goody Clancy
HMFH Architects
Sasaki x Sasaki Foundation

Support

Thank you to our firm partners and those who have supported the development of this program. To support this and other K-12 programs, consider donating to the BSA Foundation.

K-12 Design Education

Questions about Architecture/Design Thinking Week or other K-12 Design Education programs? Feel free to reach out to Design Education and Engagement Manager, Taylor Johnson, [email protected].

Learn more about K-12 Design Education

Workshop Recap: Architecture/Design Thinking Week 2024

The BSA recently hosted Architecture/Design Thinking Week, a collaboration with the Boston Private Industry Council (PIC) that offers interested Boston Public School (BPS) students paid career exploration during February school vacation week. Each day of this four-day workshop, firms take turns facilitating activities and providing hands-on support as students work through a multi-stage design prompt.

BSA Fuels Its Mission, One Internship at a Time

Through the summer internship program, the BSA, in collaboration with the Boston Private Industry Council, is enhancing its goals by providing Boston-area high school students not only an opportunity to think about a career in architecture but also an avenue toward pursuing the profession.

Design Thinking Day Introduces High School Students to Architecture

Design Thinking Days address the limited options for many students through Boston Public Schools (BPS) to become aware of architecture and design as a career pathway. The program gives students an introduction into the multiple aspects that the architecture industry encompasses; including interior design, computer science and technology, material and construction, and more.