The Prince’s Foundation organises summer school programmes, which take place over the course of three weeks. The first week commences with intensive learning of traditional geometry, life drawing classes, geometry and building exercises as well as architectural walks and historic investigation of buildings across London. In 2014 we spent a week at the foundation’s headquarters in Shoreditch and studied the surrounding area, now capitalised by the City of London.
The second week involves a series of traditional craftsmanship courses such pargeting (decorative plasterwork), limestone plastering, timber framing, thatching and stone masonry. Each workshop lasts a day where the students have to complete a task by the end of the working processes. The work involves being mentored by traditional craftsmen, who have deep insight and understanding of how to apply a technique from the past into 21st century scenario and implement such with modern twists. Our workshops took place at Dumfries House, Scotland where the foundation owns the site and regenerates its condition and development annually.
The final weeks is a design competition. Students are asked to incorporate a site-specific brief into an architectural proposal. Our brief was to design a farming school for young students. A place, where children could visit and learn about domestic animals’ farming. The team I was part of was the winning concept. A couple of year later, the farm was built.
