Under the guidance of experienced instructors, the youngsters attending the special camp had the chance to work together on a small construction project. The huts they ultimately built were designed and constructed according to ideas that emerged from within the group.

Piret Anier, camp leader and head of the School of Architecture said huts are a human's primordial form of dwelling. "All of us, whether big or small, have an idea of what a hut could be like and the desire to build one ourselves. Building a hut in the summer is part of a good childhood."

Anier added that children nowadays have fewer opportunities to build huts and play games in them, than they would have had in the past.

"The playground in Tartu Central Park is loved and used by children and parents alike. There, it is the park's creator and designer who have determined which types of movement these safe installations encourage. The hollow and small movable parts made of natural materials inspire creative play, while being a little bit 'half-open' and a little bit 'dangerously unfamiliar,'" Anier added.

12-year-old August, who attended the camp, said that while she was not overly impressed at first, she ended up having a great time. August was very inspired and got a taste for building. "It was cool – we were handed a trolley and given a go. We could just build. Now I'd like to carry on and build a kolahoov (an adventure playground created by and for children – ed.)," she said.

Anna-Liisa Unt, representative of the 'Curated Biodiversity' project, said that in addition to increasing biodiversity, revitalizing the parks in Tartu city center and making them more enjoyable have been goals of the project from the very beginning. In her view, the newly completed huts will help make the park more lively.

"First of all, we approached the young people of the School of Architecture three years ago to help us dream up and identify what young people wanted to do in the park," Unt said.

At that time, she added, the young people they asked drew hollow spaces in the park where they could play freely and creatively. "It's great to see that we were able to fulfil this dream, because along with insects, plants and butterflies, it is young people, who need to be brought back into the city center to help make it more vibrant," Unt added.

If the huts remain intact, they will stay in Central Park until the end of September.

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