An architectural project in Milan brought together children’s ideas and the visions of leading architects

One Earth – House of the Heart is an international children’s architecture workshop project launched by Japanese architect Toyo Ito, in which the perspectives of children and leading architects are presented side by side.

The theme of the project was to create interpretations of home, the “house of the heart.” The goal was to use children’s imagination to envision how we might live on our shared planet. At the same time, the project highlights a global perspective: how housing and communities are connected to planetary challenges.

The exhibition at Milan Design Week featured approximately 100 scale models designed by children from five countries. Alongside these, the exhibition also showcased interpretations of the theme by architects such as Toyo Ito, Kazuyo Sejima, Sou Fujimoto, and Klein & Dytham. The exhibition fostered a dialogue between different generations and highlighted children’s perspectives on safety, community, and the environment.

“The exhibition showed that children have a strong sense of hope and that they share similar dreams regardless of their background”, says architect Pirjo Sanaksenaho, who led the project at Aalto University.

International collaboration

Architecture schools from five countries participated in the project: Finland, Japan, Sweden, Portugal, and Italy. Workshops were held in each country for children aged 10–12. Twenty children from Finland participated in the project, designing their own “houses of the heart” in workshops held at Aalto University.

The project at Aalto was led by architects Pirjo Sanaksenaho, Laura Zubillaga, and Daniela Alatorre, with 20 architecture students from various majors and year levels serving as partners and assistants to the children. The workshops were held at Aalto in collaboration with Aalto Junior in March.

Aalto Junior, which offers ways to explore art, science, technology, and business to children, young people and teachers, provided the workshop facilities and helped with contacting the children. Participants were also recruited through the Cultural Center Ninho and the Arkki School of Architecture.

During Milan Design Week, 21–26 April, the exhibition was on display at Superstudio, which attracts a large number of design professionals and visitors each year. Next, the exhibition will move to Tokyo.

“This was a wonderful opportunity to showcase Finnish architectural expertise on the international stage – alongside the world’s leading designers and children’s imaginative visions”, says Sanaksenaho.