In addition to its usual blend of art, music and cultural programs for kids ages 7-12, the Carlos Museum's Camp Carlos will have a new offering for teens this summer that explores the architectural influences of ancient Americans.

Taught by Atlanta architect Carlos Tardio of mc2 Designs, the design studio is for teens ages 13-17 and will run June 14-25. Campers will discover how environment, site, indigenous materials and spiritual considerations played important roles in Aztec, Maya and Inca architecture and apply this to their own designs.

Ancient civilizations used solar orientation, cardinal points and sacred symbols in their architecture and even their city planning, according to Tardio.

"I also want to teach the students that you can project your mind to spaces much larger than we can conceive on a human scale," he said. "Take, for example, Machu Picchu or Cuzco, where the city itself was planned in the shape of a puma.

"To experience changes of scale, the students will be making site models and placing them in places they choose in the Baker Woodlands behind the museum," Tardio continued. "We also will be using a meditative process to understand and develop a respect for the natural environment and how the landscape interacts with their work."

Tardio, who was born in Bolivia, moved to the United States when he was 16 to begin a sculpture apprenticeship. He has a bachelor's degree from Emory in economics, with intensive study in painting, sculpture and art history, and a master's in architecture from Georgia Tech.

Tardio collaborated for five years with the local firm Scoggin, Elam & Bray on various internationally acclaimed projects, inclu-ding the Buckhead Library, the Morrow Library and several high-profile private residences. He is a lecturer and teacher at numerous architecture schools, including Georgia Tech and Auburn and Florida State universities.