Dream City in a Box
This creative, hands-on workshop invited students from the Frank Barnes School for Deaf Children to imagine and build their ideal cities using recycled and craft materials. We gave each participant a wooden box to work within, which acted both as a physical framework and a creative constraint. This encouraged inventive thinking about how meaningful spaces could exist within defined boundaries, but also provided a presentation frame for each finished city.
The children were guided to include four key building types within their designs: a home, an office, a community centre and a science lab. We encouraged them to connect their creative thinking to the real world with references to the nearby Camley Street development in colour, form and layout. They also added landscape elements, both as three-dimensional features inside the box and as drawn designs on the exterior, to enrich their tiny cityscapes.
Delivered over three days, the workshop helped the students to build their confidence and develop new skills. On the first day, they explored their ideas through drawing and design development, and began the initial stages of model-making. The second day focused on construction, using materials such as coloured paper, paint, textured surfaces and recycled items to bring their concepts to life. On the third day, the children completed their models before presenting their cities and explaining the thinking behind their design choices. Many of them also created stories to go with the work, adding narrative depth and personal meaning.
The project aimed not only to nurture imagination and design skills, but also to support self-expression, confidence and pride in creative achievement. By engaging in the full design process — from concept to construction to presentation — participants were given space, encouragement and recognition for their ideas and voices.
This collaboration between Deaf Architecture Front (DAF) and Ballymore supports Deaf inclusion in architecture and public spaces, demonstrating how creative engagement can strengthen access to design education and participation from an early age.