15 Summer Architecture Programs for Middle School Students
- Stephen Turban
- Jul 18
- 9 min read
Updated: Oct 5
If you are a middle schooler interested in designing structures, exploring cities, and understanding how buildings are constructed, a summer architecture program could be the perfect next step. Summer architecture programs designed for middle school students provide opportunities to explore a future in design, building, and urban innovation at an early stage. These programs can introduce you to foundational concepts in architecture while also helping you build practical skills like architectural drafting, designing, spatial reasoning, and model making.
Often hosted by universities, museums, known architecture firms, or nonprofits, these programs offer access to rigorous training, peer collaboration, and early exposure to design thinking. Beyond academics, summer architecture programs for middle school students often provide a window into real-world careers, giving you a taste of what it’s like to work in a studio environment, interact with industry professionals, explore construction sites, and work with blueprints.
To get started, check out our list of 15 summer architecture programs for middle school students.
Acceptance rate: Highly selective
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies; need-based financial aid available
Dates: Summer Cohort I starts on June 2, and Summer Cohort II starts on July 14; the program runs for eight weeks.
Application deadline: Summer Cohort I: April 13; Summer Cohort II: June 23
Eligibility: Middle school students with strong academic backgrounds. Apply here
The Lumiere Junior Explorer Program is an advanced research-based experience for middle school students interested in exploring architecture, engineering, and design, among other fields. During the program, you will collaborate with Ph.D. mentors from universities like Stanford, Harvard, MIT, and Yale to develop independent research projects based on your interests. You can choose to explore the field of architecture and pick a topic of interest for your project, which could be a research report, presentation, or something else that reflects your skills and knowledge. This program can help you refine your critical thinking, scientific inquiry, and independent research skills as well as prepare for academic competitions and future research opportunities.
Cohort size: 20 students
Location: Chicago Architecture Center and Jane Addams Hull-House Museum, Chicago, IL
Cost: Free!
Dates: Green Cities: June 23 – 27 | Future Housing: July 7 – 11
Application deadline: Rolling deadlines.
Eligibility: Students in grades 6–8 identifying as girls
Girls Build! is an experiential architecture summer program that introduces you to the built environment of Chicago while fostering foundational skills in architecture and design. Guided by professional educators and designers, you will engage in model-making, design challenges, and creative problem-solving using a range of materials and technologies. The program offers two themed sessions. Green Cities focuses on sustainable urban design, encouraging you to conceptualize and build a model of an eco-friendly city through field visits, collaborative planning, and hands-on construction. The second session, Future Housing, will challenge you to design resilient and affordable homes, with an emphasis on developing design thinking, technical skills, and public presentation abilities.
Cohort size: 50 students
Location: National Organization of Minority Architects, Portland, OR
Cost: Free!
Dates: June 26 – 28
Application deadline: Rolling deadlines
Eligibility: Middle school students aged 11–14 years
NOMA PDX organizes a three-day Architecture Summer Camp designed to introduce middle schoolers to architecture and design. The program will guide you through the full design process and the use of tools like sketching, diagramming, site analysis, drawing, and model making to help you develop a project that addresses a local, community-based issue. You will begin with an introduction to architectural fundamentals, including concepts of design justice. You will engage in site visits, conduct interviews with community members, and work collaboratively under the guidance of local architects, designers, and mentors. Through hands-on activities involving the use of visual tools and model construction, you will research and develop your own design ideas. Your camp experience will end with you presenting your final design projects to peers, families, and community members.
Acceptance rate: Selective
Location: Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY
Cost: $320; need-based financial aid is available
Dates: July 7 – 18
Application deadline: Rolling deadlines; applications open on April 22
Eligibility: Middle school students entering grades 7 and 8
The Summer Scholars program offers a two-week studio-based course for middle school students. It introduces you to the fundamentals of art, design, and architecture. You will attend classes led by faculty from the Schools of Art, Design, and Architecture to strengthen your observational drawing skills. You will engage in projects using materials such as pencils, charcoal, and oil pastels, working from still-life setups or models to explore how light interacts with three-dimensional forms in space.
Cohort size: 12–16 students
Location: Center for Architecture, New York, NY
Cost: $750; need-based scholarships are available
Dates: July 14 – 18
Application deadline: Rolling deadlines
Eligibility: Middle school students
The Store Design track offers you the opportunity to explore architecture by engaging with specific themes through hands-on design activities, creative building tasks, and site-based learning. The summer program covers basics through case studies, group instruction, and independent project work. You will examine how designers balance creativity and functionality in shaping spaces. By visiting a selection of well-designed retail stores, you will observe how exterior and interior elements influence customer experience. Drawing on these observations, you will develop your own storefront concepts, producing sketches and detailed models that reflect both aesthetic choices and intended user experience.
Cohort size: 12–16 students per studio
Location: California College of the Arts, San Francisco, CA
Cost: $650; need-based scholarships available
Dates: Session I: July 14 – 18 | Session II: August 4 – 8
Application deadline: Rolling deadlines
Eligibility: Students in grades 5–7
The California College of the Arts offers a weeklong, full-day summer studio for middle school students to gain hands-on exposure to architecture and interior design. Through a series of small projects, such as sketching, model making, storytelling, and writing, you will learn to translate abstract ideas into physical forms and develop your own architectural designs. Afternoon sessions focus on interior design, where you will analyze examples, record classroom measurements, and consider the functional needs of designed spaces. You will then create a vision board using colors, materials, furniture, and fabric, and develop a floor plan for an imagined café, gallery, retail space, or play area in San Francisco. The program concludes with role-play activities to simulate real-world client-designer interactions.
Acceptance rate/Cohort size: Selective; 40 students
Location: College of Design, NC State University, Raleigh, NC
Cost: $750; need-based financial aid is available.
Dates: Session I: July 7 – 11 | Session II: July 14 – 18 | Session III: July 28 – August 1
Application deadline: April 11
Eligibility: Rising 6th- to 8th-grade students
Design Camp, organized by the NC State Design Lab, is a weeklong summer program offering middle schoolers an introduction to design thinking and its relevance in everyday life. Through hands-on 2D and 3D design projects, you will explore various design disciplines offered by the College of Design. You will also engage in studio activities that are structured to enhance creative problem-solving abilities and visual literacy, providing you with foundational skills applicable to future design challenges. The program is selective and offers a student-staff ratio of 5:1.
Cohort size: 12 to 16 students
Location: Center for Architecture, New York, NY
Cost: $750; need-based scholarships available
Dates: July 28 – August 1
Application deadline: Rolling deadlines
Eligibility: Middle school students
The AIA New York | Center for Architecture offers various summer programs to students. Its Skyscrapers track is meant for middle schoolers interested in exploring how the advancements in structural technology have enabled the construction of increasingly taller skyscrapers. During the program, you will engage in discussions, site visits to notable skyscrapers in New York City, and design-based activities to examine the engineering principles and systems that support these structures. You will also study prominent skyscrapers globally to gain insights and come up with your own skyscraper concepts, which you will present through detailed drawings and physical models.
Acceptance rate/Cohort size: Not specified
Location: University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Cost: $780. Need-based financial aid is available.
Dates: Session I: July 14 – 25 | Session II: August 11 – 22
Application deadline: Rolling or two weeks prior to the course start date.
Eligibility: Rising 6th to 8th graders
The Introduction to Architecture course, a part of the University of Washington’s Youth & Teen Programs, can introduce you to the role of architecture in addressing social and environmental challenges within your communities. The program offers foundational instruction in drafting, model making, and architectural techniques. As a participant, you will work in a team, develop architectural ideas, and translate them into physical models. In the process, you will build skills in drawing, design vocabulary, and communication, while also developing critical thinking and collaborative problem-solving abilities essential to the design process.
Cohort size: 60 students
Location: College of Design at NC State University, Raleigh, NC
Cost: $825; need-based financial aid is available
Dates: July 7 – 11
Application deadline: April 11
Eligibility: Rising 8th and 9th-grade students
Design Fundamentals Camp is a weeklong summer program that serves as a transition between middle school and high school design programs. It can offer you an in-depth introduction to design thinking and practice. Through hands-on projects in digital, 2D, and 3D design, you will also explore various design disciplines at camp. The program can help you refine creative problem-solving and visual literacy through three studio-based projects and related activities. You will also engage with current college students to gain perspective on academic and career pathways in design.
Cohort size: 12–16 students
Location: Center for Architecture, New York, NY
Cost: $750; need-based scholarships available
Dates: August 4 – 8
Application deadline: Rolling deadlines
Eligibility: Middle school students
This track offers an introduction to how New York City’s extensive subway system plays a critical role in shaping the city’s infrastructure and daily life. Here, you will explore the history and design of the subway while also examining transit systems in other parts of the world. As part of your research, you will visit notable subway stations and transportation sites throughout the city. Drawing from these observations, you will apply 3D design software to conceptualize and develop a model for a future transit hub.
Cohort size: Not specified
Location: Knowlton School of Architecture, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
Cost: $380; need-based scholarships available
Dates: Multiple sessions between June and July
Application deadline: No information available
Eligibility: Middle school students
Camp Architecture and Design is a one-week summer program that offers you an introduction to the field of design through a variety of structured daily activities. Here, you will engage in hands-on projects, presentations, and guided tours to pick up design skills and get insights into the field. The program is facilitated by experienced directors with a background in youth engagement and supported by a team of counselors currently pursuing studies at a partner higher education institution. At camp, you will get access to design studios and other resources while working on projects.
Cohort size: 12–16 participants
Location: Center for Architecture, New York, NY
Cost: $750; need-based scholarships available
Dates: August 4 – 8
Application deadline: Rolling deadlines
Eligibility: Middle school students
In this summer architecture program, you will explore the evolution of housing. You will get to examine the historical development of housing, current innovations in sustainable architecture, and possible future directions. The coursework also includes the study of historic residences to understand past living conditions, as well as exploration of contemporary practices in green design. You will also work on a project, designing and constructing a scale model representing your vision of a future home.
Acceptance rate/Cohort size: No information available
Location: Connect Music, Memphis, TN
Cost: Free!
Dates: May 27 - 30
Application deadline: Rolling deadlines.
Eligibility: Middle school students in Memphis
The Hip Hop Architecture Camp uses elements of hip hop culture as a platform to engage underrepresented youth in the fields of architecture, urban planning, and design. As a participant, you will develop design proposals for the Memphis Hip Hop Museum and gain experience with 3D modeling and printing. You will also collaborate on the production of a music video that reflects your architectural concepts and creative vision. The camp can be an opportunity to explore the intersection of architecture, design, and music.
Acceptance rate/Cohort size: No information available
Location: Strawberry Hill School Barn, Stamford, CT
Cost: $1,500; limited need-based scholarships available
Dates: June 30 – August 8
Application deadline: Rolling deadlines
Eligibility: Middle school students
Designed as a six-week immersive experience, My Architecture Workshops Summer Program offers an introduction to architecture through an interdisciplinary S.T.E.A.M. framework. Here, you will engage in activities that combine academics, design, art, engineering, science, and physical education. The program emphasizes observation, reasoning, and critical thinking, helping you build a deeper understanding of and respect for the built environment. Throughout the program, you will explore architectural concepts, learn how to apply principles from natural sciences, geography, mathematics, and art, and work on a collaborative design project.
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a Ph.D. student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program in which students work one-on-one with a research mentor to come up with an independent research paper.
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