The Forestories project, developed by Stefano Boeri Architetti in collaboration with Dynamo Art Factory, is an example of how architecture can integrate with art and nature to create educational and stimulating experiences for children and young people. Dynamo Camp offers free specialized Recreational Therapy programs to children affected by serious or chronic illnesses, neurodevelopmental disorders, or disabilities, whether they are undergoing treatment or in post-hospitalization, as well as to their siblings and families. Within the Dynamo Camp projects, Dynamo Art Factory, founded in 2009, aims to use art as a tool for inclusion and growth, providing young people with the opportunity to express themselves freely through creativity. The Art Factory activities involve collaboration with various experts and artists to carry out projects with the children, encouraging them to explore their creativity in new and original ways.  

Forestories draws on this approach, combining art with architecture and ecology in a participatory design process. The project is inspired by Walt Disney’s creative method, which used a playful, theatrical approach involving different “hats” – those of the dreamer, the realist, and the critic – to explore various stages of the creative process. In line with this philosophy, the workshop offers a playful and interactive version of Stefano Boeri Architetti’s design approach, engaging children in an immersive experience that explores not only the role of the architect but also those of the botanist and agronomist, through a post-anthropocentric lens. This approach places not only humans at the center but also other life forms—plants and animals—that coexist within the same ecosystem.  

The first part of the Forestories workshop invites children to imagine a building starting not from the architectural structure but from the ecosystem that surrounds and inhabits it. This inversion of the usual design process allows the natural environment to become the true protagonist of the work, encouraging young participants to reflect on the importance of integrating humans and nature. The children used the technique of collage to shape their ideas, working on copies of botanical, ornithological, and entomological atlases, along with other materials. Through this activity, they were able to imagine and build spaces that not only house people but are designed to interact with plants and animals, highlighting a key concept of green architecture.  

The workshop extended beyond paper creation, engaging participants in a sensory experience focused on the discovery of aromatic plants. Through touch, smell, and sight, the children explored the qualities of plants, coming into direct contact with nature. Each child also had the opportunity to engage in planting activities and work with soil, selecting a plant to cultivate and creating a miniature prototype of a prefabricated block inspired by the Bosco Verticale (Boeri Studio, 2014).  

The experience culminated in a collective construction activity, where each participant contributed their own module to create a site-specific installation at the Dynamo Art Gallery. The artwork, created in collaboration with the 100 guests of the 19th session of Dynamo Camp 2024, is currently on display in the gallery and consists of 200 biodegradable hemp blocks, each housing an aromatic plant.  

The design of Forestories evokes the fluid movements of a green river, a forest, or a dragon, symbolizing the spontaneity with which a simple artistic gesture, combined with children’s imagination, can transform a space into an experience rich in visual and olfactory stimuli.  

This installation reflects the essence of the project, which is based on the idea that architecture, like nature, is an ever-evolving organism, capable of adapting and growing through interaction with its surrounding environment.  

Thus, the Forestories project is not only an educational experience for children but also a manifesto for a new vision of architecture, where humans and nature can coexist harmoniously. Through a playful and participatory approach, Stefano Boeri Architetti and Dynamo Art Factory have created a work that invites reflection on the importance of spontaneity, inclusion, and the ability to adopt different perspectives, demonstrating how even a simple creative gesture can have a profound and lasting impact.