STORY BY KAREN BOSSICK

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SUSAN DESKO

Sun Valley architect Susan Desko has designed a myriad of unique projects in her lifetime, including the Ketchum Visitor Center, whose use of massive wood totems made of deadfall logs received a prestigious 2012 American Architecture Award and has been touted among the most unique Starbucks locations around the world.

This spring she went miniature as she consulted with 8- and 9-year-olds building Hansel and Gretel houses during their Far+Wise afterschool program, which provides academic support and experiential learning opportunities to Blaine County School District students.

“Kristin Anderson, board chair of the AIA Idaho Mountain Section, sent out an email to local architects telling us that the Far+Wise program was looking for volunteers. I met with the kids and can’t stay away from them they’re so inspiring,” said Desko. “They’re the most creative organisms on the planet.”

The 3D model project involving 22 elementary students at Bellevue elementary was modeled after a student-driven, inquiry-based approach inspired by Reggio Emilia, said Lorena Horne, who oversees the afterschool program. The students have been engaged in hands-on projects throughout the school year, including engineering using recycled materials, cooking and exploring social-emotional learning through theatrical role playing.

Horne brought Desko in to discuss design and creativity.

Sitting at the head of a half circle of students, Desko pulled out a book on architecture that she found while building a tree house next to a stream in the woods when she was 10.

“I saw this book in the water and became mesmerized with the floor plans, the drawings, the two sets of blueprints it contained. I knew then and there that I wanted to be an architect,” she told the youngsters. “I couldn’t wait to get home from school to draw floor plans.”

Desko took a drafting class as a high school sophomore, then studied architecture at Georgia Tech and Harvard University where she had the opportunity to apprentice with architects. When she was 33, she told the kids, her 3D models were included in a book on architecture.

Desko talked with them about structure and how they needed to stabilize shapes by taping or gluing them. They discussed roof types, including flat roofs and A-frame roofs and how shed roofs are so named because they shed snow and rain down their sloped surfaces. And they talked about how roofs can be situated to shade homes and let sunlight in during various parts of the day.

They also talked about how they could create different moods with the colors they chose and about the symbolism of colors inspired by the ocean or forest.

A Bake Sale enabled the kids to buy architectural and design books at the Gold Mine. And the kids went to work on their own homes after reading the Brothers Grimm story of Hansel and Gretel, who came across a witch’s house made of bread, cake and sugar.

Working in teams of two and three, the students made their own houses out of recycled cracker boxes, egg cartons, paper towel rolls, packing materials and the tin foil caps of milk cartons. They adorned candy-covered walls with Fruit Loops cereal, marshmallows, Jelly Beans, tissue paper and sequins in what Desko called “a beautiful quilt work of found objects.”

The kids included such details as beds, tables, bird feeders and ovens. Aaron Munoz’s flat roof not only incorporated solar panels but was operable for ventilation. Alexa Valencia’s two-story model featured an operable roof in the shape of a gable. And Ariana Romero designed a tufted ottoman chair after seeing a photo of one in one of the books purchased from book sale sales.

“This isn’t just glitter, glue and paste. These are kids spending four hours after school making design decisions, thinking about the kitchen they wish they had,” said Desko. “Some have installed garage doors and front doors that open; some, solar panels. They’re using geometry—they just don’t know it yet.”

Asked why she had adorned her home with red and white elements, one little girl described how the colors reminded her of her hometown in Peru. When asked if he was done, one student exclaimed “I could use a year!”

“There’s a famous quote by Picasso that, ‘If they took away my paint, I would draw with chalk. If they took away charcoal, I’d use my finger in the sand to draw outlines.’ These kids are the same way—it’s so inspiring how their eyes light up and they’re so thirsty for information,” said Desko.

Horne said it was heartwarming to watch Moms and Dads linger while picking up their children to work alongside them on their projects. She added that the students learned problem solving skills as they planned designs and tested ideas, fine motor skills in the assembling of their creations, collaboration as they brainstormed ideas and environmental awareness as they learned to reuse materials to reduce waste.

“The level of creativity and skill the kids have shown is truly remarkable,” she added. “Susan noted that they are developing skills often taught in older grades, such as geometry, spatial awareness and structural designs. The children are learning to think critically, plan strategically, and execute their ideas while fostering their creativity and innovation."