Experiments in participatory architecture : adventure classrooms and the construction of micronational realities

Abstract

Beginning with the conjecture that non-professionals can find empowerment through a greater understanding of the built environment, two projects of architectural intervention were developed to experiment with the notion of "participatory architecture." The first was ting-ing, a modular classroom structure designed to be built, redesigned, and rebuilt by a group of high school students. The structure was prototyped at full scale with the hands-on help of local high students and expanded into a system of virtual and model-scale building toolkits. The second experiment was a temporary autonomous micronation called The Microdot, an event series open to the public featuring the construction of easy-to-build transformative tensile tents, collaged passports as symbols of citizenship, and a pop-up alter-institution.