Now in its second year, Autodesk and the Urban Arts Collective continue their collaboration on Hip Hop Architecture Camps, inviting local middle and high school students to re-imagine their communities and introduce STEAM education through the lens of hip hop culture.

The 3D printing industry isn’t the only place that’s suffering from a diversity problem. In the architecture profession, for example, only 4 percent of architects are black and only 0.3 percent are black women, according to the American Institute of Architects.

Maker of computer aided design (CAD) software Autodesk — whose products are used in both architecture and 3D printing industries — seeks to bring about positive change through their sponsorship of the Hip Hop Architecture Camp. Now in its second year, the camp will travel to 17 American cities this spring and summer.

Hip Hop Architecture Camp sprang from the Urban Arts Collective, an organization that teaches underrepresented communities about careers in science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM). The camps are targeted at select students aged between 10 and 17, where they’re introduced to architecture and concepts such as urban planning.

The kids will study rap music for elements such as structure and rhythm, and then develop ideas for how they could inform designs. They’ll also get to use Tinkercad 3D modeling software, and 3D printing models for their projects. At the end of the camp, students present their projects by writing a rap. They stage a rap battle and the winner makes a music video.

Hip Hop Architecture in Action in Detroit

“My experience at The Hip Hop Architecture Camp showed me a variety of ways to help my community, and allowed me to connect with architects who want to see young people grow and design better communities for future generations,” says former camp participant Brianna White, now aged 18 years.

“I’m now enrolled at the University of Houston as an early high school graduate and I’m having an amazing time learning new things and meeting amazing people as I prepare to start the architecture program this summer. The Hip Hop Architecture Camp helped me discover the impact I can have on my community and I’m looking forward to returning as a volunteer.”

During a recent camp in Detroit, participants generated schemes in response to the Michigan Department of Transportation’s proposal to remove the I-375 highway and restore it to a surface street.

The initial planning of I-375 was highly controversial as it was constructed through the historic African American neighborhood known as Black Bottom. The camp included special guests ranging from former residents of Black Bottom, local hip hop artists, and leadership of the city planning department.

For more information on the camps, visit hiphoparchitecture.com, and see below for the list of 2018 locations:

• Lake City, South Carolina: April 18, 2018
• Kansas City, Missouri: April 26, 2018
• Milwaukee, Wisconsin: April 28, 2018
• Bronx, New York: May 17, 2018 – May 21, 2018
• Cleveland, Ohio: June 11- June 15, 2018
• Portland, Oregon: June 11- June 15, 2018
• Detroit, Michigan: June 25 – June 29, 2018
• Madison, Wisconsin: July 9 – July 14, 2018
• Evansville, Indiana: July 9 – July 13, 2018
• Toledo, Ohio: July 9 – 14, 2018
• Toronto, Canada: July 16 – July 20, 2018
• Oxon Hill, Maryland: July 23 – July 27, 2018
• Dorchester, Massachusetts: July 23 – July 27, 2018
• Chicago, Illinois: August 6 – August 10, 2018
• Tempe, Arizona: August 6 – August 10, 2018
• St. Louis, Missouri: July 30 – August 3, 2018
• Vancouver, Canada: September 22, 2018

Source: Autodesk