The ICAA's First-Ever Open Access Workshop in Classical Architecture Brings Together Students from Around the World

ICAA instructors, teaching assistants, and education staff discuss the outcome of the program.

On April 24, 2021, the ICAA hosted its first-ever Open Access Workshop in Classical Architecture, making the program available to any interested university-level student across the globe for the first time.

The Workshop in Classical Architecture program, which is usually hosted in collaboration with a university partner, introduces undergraduate and graduate-level students pursuing professional studies in architecture and allied fields to the vitality of the classical tradition in contemporary architectural design. The program demystifies the grammar of the classical language and includes freehand drawing exercises which put the fundamental concepts of classical design into practice.

Instructor Samantha Wilson and teaching assistant Jacques Levet demonstrate how to construct the Tuscan Order.

While typically held in-person on the university partner's campus, in late 2020 the ICAA began to offer a virtual version of the program, carefully developing an online format for the Workshop. Increased interest in classical architecture programming led to the idea of hosting a Workshop that could bring together students hailing from any location to collectively explore the principles of classical design.

The one-day Open Access Workshop, which is tuition-free for students, was met with immediate interest upon its announcement, and over 90 students registered for the program. Participating students represented 38 schools across 18 states and 8 countries, making the program one of the most geographically diverse educational events the ICAA has offered.

Instructor Austin Wilson and teaching assistant Emmie Ruth Wise show students how to construct a Roman arch.

In order to make the program possible, the ICAA assembled a team of 14 instructors and teaching assistants, including many former students from the ICAA's Workshops, Intensives, and Summer Studio programs. Following an opening presentation on the classical orders, the students were divided into smaller groups to draw the Tuscan order for the remainder of the morning. In the afternoon, each student selected one of three design exercises to apply the skills they had learned to the context of an architectural composition. The program culminated in a virtual ‘pin-up’ of exceptional work by the students and an engaging discussion with instructors.

Following the success of this pilot program, the ICAA is excited to offer a second Open Access Workshop in Classical Architecture this fall on November 6, 2021.

Examples of student work from the Open Access Workshop in Classical Architecture.

The ICAA's Workshops in Classical Architecture are generously funded by The Benton Family Foundation.

Tags: education, workshop