The 2025 Architecture Discovery Program

CO Architects hosted the eleventh year of its Architecture Discovery Program, an immersive, month-long summer program that exposes high school students to the practice of architecture. The students are taught a variety of design fundamentals - from ways to think and see - to conventions of illustrating and fabricating; each day brings something new.

An exciting year unfolded as CO welcomed six talented students representing many different schools from the Los Angeles area. This year's participants – Abraham, Ava, Eero, Elisa, Olive and Sophia joined CO's Los Angeles office and worked closely with the firm's design professionals throughout the summer program.

Week 1

Week one challenged the students to engage with the design process flexibly by drawing freehand contours and taking interpretive photos of their environment to curate a creative atmosphere. In pairs, the young designers were then tasked with designing a comfortable and sturdy chair using five sheets of cardboard. Ideas were born and sketches were etched as collaboration resulted in functioning prototypes, which the students tested out. 

Each week ends with a "pin up," –an opportunity for the students to display their work, discuss their experience, and receive live feedback from practicing architects and design professionals. Presenting their design ideas and explaining their methods of thinking exposes the students to practical experience inherent to the design process.

Week 2

Week two expanded the students' design skills as they gained skills in formal architectural drawing conventions and practiced the art of physical space modeling. These exercises all lead to the introduction of their final project, a design thesis for a pavilion space in a public park near the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The students get to choose the pavilion's program on their own. The program moves into tours of the site so that they can study it and conceptualize various architectural moves to bolster their program. 

Final Weeks

The final two weeks pushed an iterative process of drawing and modeling as students challenged old ideas and discussed their work with the office. Materials were explored and selected, polished scaled models were fabricated and the young designers presented their final ideas. By the end of the program, each high school student leaves with a set of fundamental skills accompanied by an insight into the professional world of architecture, informing and supporting their journeys into higher education.