Winterim 2011: How "The Intensive" Has Evolved

The 15thof January marked the end of a successful Winterim Intensive with a jury of invited guests awarding three prizes and two honorable mentions for student designs.

Filled to near capacity, the Institute welcomed 13 exceptionally talented and dedicated students from six states. Among them was James Ford III, the winner of the 2010 Hampton University Scholarship, which, through the generosity of the Marilyn and Ray Gindroz Foundation, sends a fourth-year architecture student to the Winterim Intensive each year. Also in attendance were two practicing architects from the Southern California Chapter, Domiane Forte and Carolina Chacon Allen, both winners of the 2010 I-Grace and ICA&CA Southern California Chapter Scholarship.

Happily, we were able to host the students in our newly renovated classroom for a total of ten days, as opposed to the previous seven.  Further, the curriculum was expanded to include a Design Studio taught by Richard Cameron and Michael Djordjevtich.

The Design Studio centered around a sketch problem to create an aedicular shrine in the form of a baldachin to properly house the stone upon which George Washington stood when sworn in as the first President of the United States. (Currently, the stone stands upright, cordoned off by some rope, in a corner of Federal Hall in Lower Manhattan.) This was the assignment that met the students on their first evening here at Orientation.  It served to anchor and guide them over the course of the Intensive, complemented and informed by the core courses: The Elements of Classical Architecture with Martin Brandwein, Architectural Rendering in Wash with Andy Taylor, Observational Drawing and Linear Perspective both taught by Patrick Connors, Theory of Proportion with Steve Bass, and The Literature and Theory of Classical Architecture with Marvin Clawson.

In order to grasp the historical significance of the project, as well as to get a sense of the actual place, the first studio session was a walking tour led by Instructors Richard Cameron and Michael Djordjevtich of Lower Manhattan, which ended in Federal Hall.  Once there, the students sketched the rotunda, made measurements, and gathered inspiration for the work ahead.

For the next nine days, the students (as they can surely attest to!) were sitting at their desks, hard at work on their projects. The work they produced was remarkable, especially under such time constraints, and can be seen (along with some photos of the walking tour, thanks to Tom Matthews!) on our Facebook page.

And, finally:

Congratulations to the winners of the 2011 Winterim Intensive esquisse

Coburn Everdell, AIA, First Place (Northern California Chapter)
Domiane Forte, Second Place (Southern California Chapter)
Robert Sweetnam, Third Place, (New York, NY)

Honorable Mentions went to:

Joseph Tralongo (Florida Chapter)
Tom Matthews (Rocky Mountain Chapter)

And congratulations to ALL the Winterim Students whose decision to take time away from their busy lives to immerse themselves in this unique educational experience and become an integral part in furthering the classical tradition inspires us all.

Carolina Chacon Allen
Barbara Eberlein
Coburn Everdell
James Ford III
Meghan Ford
Domiane Forte
M. Jane Gaillard
Thomas P. Matthews
R. Samuel Roche
Nina Roefaro
Robert Sweetnam
Eduardo Tenenbaum
Joseph Tralongo