What Is Architecture? Exploring Design, Creativity, and Community at Chapel Hill Public Library

What is architecture?

Is it the buildings we live in, the schools we attend, or the cities we move through every day? While architecture certainly includes all of these things, it is also about imagination, creativity, problem-solving, and the ways people interact with the spaces around them.

On June 20, 2026, Prism Design Lab partnered with NC NOMA, AIA North Carolina, and Diversify Architecture to host What Is Architecture?, a family-centered workshop at the Chapel Hill Public Library. The event welcomed children of all ages, along with their parents, guardians, and caregivers, for a day of exploration, learning, and hands-on design activities.

The workshop was designed to introduce architecture in an accessible and engaging way, helping participants discover that architecture is a profession and a way of thinking about how we shape our environments and communities.

Throughout the event, families participated in a variety of interactive activities that encouraged creativity, collaboration, and curiosity. Children explored architecture through storybook readings, coloring activities, LEGO building challenges, structural design exercises using pipes and joints, and city-building activities that invited them to imagine and create their own neighborhoods and urban environments.

The room quickly filled with energy as young designers experimented with wooden blocks, constructed structures, and worked together to solve design challenges. Some children focused on creating colorful architectural drawings from coloring books, while others built imaginative structures with LEGO bricks and pipes. Others carefully planned city layouts. Parents and caregivers joined in the process, transforming the workshop into a shared learning experience that encouraged conversation, discovery, and family connection.

At Prism Design Lab, we believe that early exposure to design education helps young people develop critical thinking, creativity, and confidence. By creating opportunities for children and families to engage with architecture in meaningful ways, we hope to inspire the next generation of designers, problem-solvers, and community leaders.

We are deeply grateful to the children, families, volunteers, and partners who made this event possible. Special thanks to NC NOMA, AIA North Carolina, and Diversify Architecture for their collaboration and commitment to expanding access to architecture and design education.