Four finalists have been announced for the Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize for Emerging Architecture. They include projects in Mexico, Brazil and the United States looking at designing buildings for children, the future and reclaiming public space. Children Village (Aleph Zero + Rosenbaum), an education facility designed for children in remote Formoso do Araguaia, has increased the children’s sense of belonging, responsibility for the environment and overall academic performance, while María Montessori School Mazatlan (EPArguitectos + Estudio Macias Peredo) responds not only to a harsh climate, but also the changing needs of children at different stages of learning. Common Unity (Rozana Montiel) reclaims privatised spaces for public use in one of Mexico City’s large housing complexes to improve social interaction. Embodied Computation Lab (David Benjamin) involves a facility for interdisciplinary research on robotics, sensors, and everywhere that computers meet the physical world in a building designed to evolve over time, with components and systems that can be swapped and upgraded. Ricky Burdett, Director of LSE Cities and Urban Age was the Jury Chair.