Reuse Recycle Reinvent: Arch.

Kids 2016 BRAC University

32 students, 32 packets and 10kg of recyclable items
These recyclable items were collected by students of Class 6 from Chittagong Grammar
School, Dhaka, for an Interactive workshop held at Department of Architecture, BRAC
University. Arch.Kids is an outreach program originated with the idea of letting our
future generation know about our environment and the architecture that occupies this
environment. Conducted by Assistant Professor Dr. Huraera Jabeen and Dr. Sheikh
Rubaiya Sultana along with a team of lecturers, teaching assistants and volunteers,
Arch.Kids 2016 was designed with the theme Reuse Recycle Reinvent.
Children are the future generation and they need to learn about the current conditions of
the world, otherwise they will succumb to the undesirable practices that are occurring.
The focus of this years workshop was on the waste children generate in their everyday
life as an urban resident and make them aware of about recycling and reusing of the
already used materials and find innovative ways to use them in many different manner.
Prior to the workshop, the children of CGSD were given a recycled paper bag
sponsored by Jatra, to collect the waste products that can be recycled. The students
arrived in the morning with all the collected materials. In total around 10kg of waste was
collected by the students including metal, plastic boxes, paper boxes etc.
The workshop was divided into two sessions. The first consisted of a presentation by
the coordinators informing the young students about examples of good and bad
environment and architecture, while the second session focused on a design exercise
participated by the students, objective of which was to explore the levels of creativity
through designing. The students were asked to make groups of four and share their
ideas to create a design. The idea was to design something that can be made with
recyclable material that they had collected prior to the workshop. The design needed to
be something that is functional as well as aesthetic.
A floating market made of waste plastic bottles and plastic wrappers that would help
vendors continue their business during natural disasters such as flood: a floating garden
which will replicate a garden on land in water as land is becoming scarce day by day
were amongst the innovative ideas that the students designed during the one hour
workshop. The students showed tremendous display innovative ideas all of which were
functional and sustainable. Theyre work showed how well informed these young
students are of the built environment, climate change and most importantly comfort. The
workshop concluded with presentations of the groups showcasing their ideas and
motives behind their design and was awarded with a certificate by Professor. Shaheda
Rahman, Chairperson, Department of Architecture, BRACU.
The future generation should get a chance to have a better living environment with a
basic knowledge of how we should manage our city. This workshop aimed to raise
awareness amongst the next generation to work for the benefit of the environment.