Around the World with the ICAA's International Member Firms and Partners

It has been nearly two years since I last traveled abroad, and yet in that time I feel as if I have toured the world with the ICAA. Although the past year-and-a-half was marked by an unprecedented reduction in global travel, and—for many—abundant time spent at home and in local neighborhoods, at the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art (ICAA), we have rarely felt such a strong connection to our international friends, partners, and practitioners. Indeed, today the ICAA is very much a global organization, and not only do we continue to embark on new collaborations with overseas partners, witness stunning projects completed abroad by ICAA Member Firms, and feature lectures and courses taught by renowned international authors, architects, academics, urbanists, and more, but we are also now able to invite students and audiences from around the world to take part in our programming and productions. The newfound ability to bring the world to the doorstep of our audience is surely responsible for the past year-and-a-half of incredible growth in our ICAA members, both nationally and around the world.

At the ICAA, we have always treasured the role that travel plays in sparking inspiration from sources both historic and contemporary. Nearly right after the very first travel restrictions went into effect the ICAA was pleased to welcome Valentin Goux, Vice President at ICAA member firm RINCK, for the first in his three part series on Chinoiseries in France, which was followed in short order by further articles and virtual tours that appeared in Classicism at Home: Inspiration from India, with architects Michael Imber (Michael G. Imber, Architects) and Tom Kligerman (Ike Kligerman Barkley), Cathedrals of Knowledge, in which architect Andrew Skurman profiled some of the finest libraries of the world, and The Unique Joys of Travel with the ICAA, where I had the pleasure of joining Lani Summerville, Lisa Fine, and Kathryn Herman in discussing the inspiration to be found on the ICAA’s travel programs (which have now resumed in-person!). We were also pleased to recently welcome designer Timothy Corrigan to our Board of Directors, after having hosted him for the stimulating and visually rich presentation, “Adventures with Châteaux,” which documented his meticulous restoration of four historical landmarks in France. Elsewhere in the world, we presented viewers with an in-depth discussion of the newly built town Las Catalinas, in Costa Rica, in Placemakers: Conversations with New Town Founders and Designers which featured town founder Charles Brewer and Town Architects Sara Picado Bega and Juan Carlos Avelar.

Also, in a first for the ICAA, the national office partnered with the New England Chapter in inviting the renowned archaeologist and documentary host Darius Arya to lead a series of virtual tours of sites in and around Rome. Featuring visits to the Pantheon and the Roman Forum in 2020, the New England Chapter has renewed the series in 2021 with additional visits to the Roman aqueducts and the Colosseum, with the next entry featuring the Circus Maximus scheduled for Thursday, September 23rd. Learn more and register for that tour here.

We were recently happy to welcome Valentin back to host an episode in this summer’s series, ICAA Travel Revisited, where he offered a tour of the Château de Saulon in Saulon-la-Rue, France. Here, RINCK has completed a breathtaking renovation of the historic chateau, bringing a new level of elegance and finish to the 16th century structure. It is invigorating to witness a project like this one, where a historic property is given a new lease on life while its historic character is preserved and in some cases even enhanced, as when long-gone mouldings were restored to the house. Now a charming boutique hotel, this is a transformation-in-progress, and I look forward to seeing what else RINCK has in store for this château.

Elsewhere, ICAA member firms continue to create contemporary works of architecture and design that are simply stunning, bringing beauty to the world across oceans and continents. In September of 2020, we were pleased to welcome the ICAA member firm Loyzaga Design to host an entry in the ongoing In Your Neighborhood series which introduced viewers to two houses in Acapulco that fused traditional design with overseas influences. More recently, I have been enchanted by one of architect Jorge Loyzaga's latest projects, an Italian Villa in Acapulco that brings a sublime classical elegance to the beautiful seaside city. The thoughtfully designed structure draws inspiration from the architectural language and appearance of its Mediterranean precedents, but also from their functionality: the cross ventilation invites the fresh air and the courtyard and loggias provide a seamless transition between indoor and outdoor spaces. It is always remarkable to see how the timeless language of classicism can be applied with such ingenuity and sensitivity to local climates and environments, and in this case also providing a vivid testament to the remarkable work of the talented local Mexican artisans and craftspersons brought together by Loyzaga, who contributed to the resulting success.

Across the Atlantic Ocean, the work of Ben Pentreath, who delivered the ICAA’s 2021 McKim Lecture entitled Lessons from History, spans the United Kingdom and crosses disciplines, from urbanism to architecture to interior design. In his March 2021 lecture he advocated for listening carefully to the enduring lessons of the past, as they are not spoken in a dead language, but instead are as alive and relevant as ever. It has been a pleasure to welcome Ben to many memorable events at the ICAA, starting with his 2016 talk and continuing through his presentation, Adventures with the English Country House, delivered during the ICAA’s Summer High Season with Sothebys for the exhibition Treasures from Chatsworth.

That 2019 educational series marked only the beginning of the ICAA’s ongoing collaboration with Chatsworth House. Alongside Ben we were then proud to welcome authors and academics Dr. Amanda Foreman, Clive Aslet, and John Phibbs for the academic component of Sothebys’ Treasures from Chatsworth series. Since then we have been honored to be approached by the Duke of Devonshire and the staff at the Chatsworth House Trust to produce a new series telling the story of the historic estate, from the Tudor period to the present day. The first two episodes of “Chatsworth Through Time” premiered as a special exclusive to ICAA Members in late August, and the rest of the six episode series will similarly be made available as it is released in regular installments. The fascinating series is introduced by the Duke of Devonshire himself and offers an intimate look at the history of the house, as led by Alice Martin, Head of the Devonshire Collection, and Dr. Alex Hodby, Senior Curator of Programme, who provide access to places and documents heretofore unseen by the public.

Elsewhere in the United Kingdom, we are honored to continue our collaborations with two organizations that believe deeply in the great vitality of the classical tradition and historically-rooted urbanism: The Prince’s Foundation and INTBAU. The Prince’s Foundation, led by HRH The Prince of Wales, who has been a dogged supporter of classicism and architecture rooted in the local vernacular, and INTBAU, a global network of architects and artisans who believe that classically-informed urbanism can create enduring places, have both been key partners in a new innovative series, The Architecture of Place. The series debuted in 2020, in the midst of the global pandemic, and sought to unite a remarkable collection of the world’s great architects, designers, urbanists, and academics, to draw from the wealth of global traditions that can offer great value and insight into creating livable environments that work for all people. We are excited to announce that the program is returning this fall, once again in collaboration with The Prince’s Foundation and INTBAU, and we are once again welcoming a star list of practitioners and academics who will explore the most pressing issues of our time. Learn more about the 2021 program, The Architecture of Place: In Conversation with..., which will feature a series of interviews in which three architects will each have the opportunity to play the role of both interviewer and interviewee.

With the continued expansion of the ICAA’s Bunny Mellon Curricula, which focuses on the intersection between architecture and landscape design, we have been privileged to welcome some of the preeminent architects and designers to share their wisdom and insight. A particular highlight has been landscape designer Arne Maynard’s presentation, For the Love of Plants: Planted Structure in Garden Design, which was introduced by Bunny Williams. In this, Arne offered lessons drawn from many of the projects he has completed for clients alongside his own delightful home and gardens in Wales, Allt y bela. I have long admired Arne's ability to conjure magical environments whose naturalness and ease seem almost inevitable, though this powerful effect can only be the result of the deep consideration he gives to the land, the architecture, the climate, the local flora, and countless other variables. What a testament to the incredible potential for designers and architects to create enduring places!

Finally, the ICAA’s Christopher H. Browne Drawing Tours continue to offer a tangible real-world immersion in the architecture and urbanism of sites around the globe. At the ICAA we are proud to have recently introduced domestic tours, beginning with Colonial Williamsburg in 2019 and Charleston, South Carolina in 2020, making this unique opportunity more accessible to a greater number of students than ever before. Now, after a long hiatus, it brings me great pleasure to report that Drawing Tours are returning in-person. The next domestic tour will take place in Savannah, Georgia later this month, and the ICAA will be hosting our first-ever trip to Edinburgh, Scotland this coming Spring/Summer. From May 28th to June 4th, 2022, the ICAA is once again inviting students, practitioners, and architecture enthusiasts to pick up pen, pencil, and brush, and to join instructor George Saumarez Smith, architect at ADAM Architecture, to commit to paper one of the great classical cities of the United Kingdom. (Incidentally, George made his own contributions to the ICAA’s remote programming when he delivered the online course, New Light on the Orders, as part of the 2020 Summer Studio Retrospective.)

In a wildly transformative period for the ICAA, more courses, lectures, and other educational opportunities than ever thought possible have been made available online to audiences across the world, thanks to the prudent investments the organization has made in our video and online production capabilities. Now we look forward to building on this success with the return of meaningful in-person educational opportunities, which will only add to our rich online offerings. We are grateful for our international community, and are delighted that we have been able to keep in such close contact with the talented architects, designers, academics, and more that are enriching the world — now we look forward to reuniting in person!

I hope that in the coming year you too will find the ICAA’s international collaborations enriching, that you will discover new opportunities for travel and discovery, and—most of all—that we will see you soon!

Tags: classicism at home, peter's reflections