— Pihla Meskanen, CEO – Arkki International
Arkki’s Mission is to empower children and youth with the most essential skills for becoming innovative influencers of the future.
Education must transition from static knowledge to fostering lifelong learning and adaptability. Mere accumulation of facts is inadequate; we must learn to creatively synthesize complex information to tackle society’s multifaceted challenges.
Arkki´s Creative Curriculum is built upon the fundamentals of the national Core Curriculum for the Advanced Syllabus for basic Education in the Arts and Architecture, and supports the national educational objectives set by the Government. Arkki´s long-term after-school program provides a comprehensive and holistic approach to education that prepares students for life in a rapidly changing world fostering creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, and innovation, and supporting students in becoming responsible and active citizens.
In other words, the Arkki program represents Finland’s core values: education, equality, participation, creativity, and innovation.
Over the past three decades, Arkki programs have positively influenced over 50,000 children across 27 countries through a variety of long-term programs, courses, workshops, and projects. Currently, Arkki’s long-term programs are accessible in 11 countries. As an esteemed member of the Education Finland Programme, overseen by the Finnish National Agency, Arkki has also earned the prestigious Design from Finland mark.
Arkki´s recognitions include
Inspire Future Generations Award 2021 in the category of Most Innovative Organization by Thornton Education Trust
Chosen among Top 20 innovations of creative education in the world in 2020 by Lego Foundation and Hundred
UNICEF Child-Friendly City Initiatives (CFCI) Inspire Award in the category “Meaningful Child Participation” 2019 for Arkki Vietnam
HundrED Collection 2020 and 2021, among inspiring innovations that are changing the face of K12 education today
— Ms. Marianne Oehlers, Chief of Programme Partnerships Office – UNICEF Vietnam (on Arkki Vietnam’s “Children Innovate” project which won UNICEF’s CFCI Inspire Award in October 2019)
Pihla Meskanen, born in 1970, is a versatile professional with a Master’s degree in Architecture and an Associate degree in Pedagogy. She is the co-founder of Arkki School of Architecture for Children and Youth, established in 1993 in Finland. With three decades of experience in creative eduction, Meskanen has played a pivotal role in developing the creative curriculum licensed across 10 countries worldwide via Arkki International, which she founded in 2013.
At the core of the Arkki concept is a commitment to creative education that utilizes architecture and design as holistic, cross-curricular phenomena. This approach aims to impart broad-based cultural and civic literacy, fostering creative thinking and innovation skills. The Arkki curriculum is based on the principles set out in the National Core Curriculum of Basic Education in Architecture (and Arts) issued by the Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland in 1993. Meskanen has actively contributed to the new editions of the curriculum in 1998, 2003, and 2009.
In recognition of her exceptional contributions to architecture and creative education, Meskanen has received prestigious honors, including the Knight First Class of the Order of the Lion of Finland (2018) by President of the Republic, the Asko-Avonius Prize (2018), the Pietilä Prize (2004), the Children’s Culture State Award (2005), and the title of Art Educator of the Year (2013).
Meskanen’s impact extends beyond Arkki, as she has co-created numerous non-profit initiatives and events in the field of architecture education in Finland and internationally. She is a founding member of PLAYCE, an international association dedicated to architecture education. Meskanen has also a background in architecture practice from 1996 to 2008, and has also contributed to academia publishing articles, writing books, and serving as a frequent speaker at conferences focused on education.
Driven by the belief that project-based, hands-on architectural education is a powerful catalyst for developing problem-solving abilities, Meskanen envisions architecture education empowers children and youth to become innovative creators of the future, regardless of their chosen careers.
