Arkki Singapore

About Arkki

Arkki provides creative education by using architecture & design as holistic real-world phenomena to integrate Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) subjects.

“Arkki´s creative programs support children in developing the essential skills, competencies and qualities necessary for today’s society.”

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 will no longer be about WHAT you know at a certain moment, it will be about HOW you can learn and adapt. It is no longer enough to learn facts, but we need to learn what to do with the facts — how to combine complex information, and how to use it creatively to solve the complex problems of our society.

Finnish education approach

Arkki program represents Finland’s core values: education, equality, participation, creativity, and innovation.

“Arkki has done outstanding work in giving architectural education and promoting interest in architecture for almost 25 years.”

Sanni Grahn-Laasonen, Minister of Education and Culture, Finland (2015-2019)

Arkki programs are developed in Arkki Finland since 1993. Arkki Curriculum was approved by the Ministry of Education and Culture in 2008. It follows the national curriculum called “National Core Curriculum for the Advanced Syllabus for basic Education in Architecture”.
Arkki International develops and licenses Arkki programs worldwide. We are an official member of the Education Finland program.
Literacy and numeracy are the basis of our society and for creating new meaningful knowledge. But globally we have reached the point where we need to rapidly change the education goals. The Finnish learning aims at teaching children skills, instead of concentrating on memorizing the ever-growing amount of facts.

International impact and recognition

Arkki programs have impacted tens of thousands of children who have participated in programs, courses, workshops, or projects. Children are capable of anything and we want to give them opportunities to succeed and reach their fullest potential!
Arkki is present in 7 countries and actively collaborates in Finland and Internationally with local governments, companies, and organizations such as UNICEF. We aim to make children’s voices better heard all over the world.
Arkki has been recognized internationally multiple times. We were recently selected as a finalist for the WISE 2020 Awards, won the UNICEF Child-Friendly City Initiatives (CFCI) 2019 Inspire Award in the category “Meaningful Child Participation” and we made it to the prestigious HundrED 2020 Global Collection as one of the leading and most inspiring innovations in education that are changing the face of K12 education today.

“With this program, UNICEF is proud to demonstrate the importance of children’s participation and their ability to inform us, adults, what a smart and child-friendly city could look like when children are encouraged to express themselves.”

Ms. Marianne Oehlers, Chief of Programme Partnerships Office – UNICEF Vietnam (on Arkki’s “Children Innovate” project which won UNICEF’s CFCI Inspire Award in October 2019)

About Arkki's founder

Mdm. PIHLA MESKANEN
Knight First Class of the Order of Lion of Finland
Member, Finland’s National Curriculum Team
CEO and Founder, Arkki
Pihla Meskanen is an architect and a pedagogue who specializes in creative education. She has written several books about creative education and taken part in writing the National Curriculum for Visual Arts and Architecture under the National Board of Education.

Meskanen is also a founding member of PLAYCE, an international association of architecture education, and is currently the head of the board. She has practiced architecture 1996-2008 in her office Architects Meskanen & Pursiainen. She has taught in several universities, published articles, and is a frequent speaker in conferences related to architecture education. To acknowledge her work in the field of creative education she has been awarded in Finland The Asko-Avonius Prize in 2018, the Building Information Foundation’s Pietilä Prize in 2004, the State Children’s Culture Award in 2005, and was chosen the Art Educator of the Year 2013.