Invitation to the Summer School of Architecture in Litomyšl

We love architecture. Our motivation is to educate young architects and assist the cities and municipalities where the summer schools take place. We are not focused on academic solutions, but rather on realistic outputs that can be utilized in practice by local governments. Each school ends with an exhibition of the projects, which are subsequently presented in the media, whether on television or in magazines and newspapers. The results are also published in a book.

The first two summer schools were organized as part of the grant project Architecture beyond the Centers. Due to their great response, we decided to continue them. The summer architecture schools are intended for a maximum of three dozen university students from Czech and Slovak architectural schools. Each five-member group of participants is always led by renowned architects, from which a solid teaching team was formed during previous years. Work on the projects is thus intense, and for the students, it is an unparalleled opportunity to gain valuable experience and contacts in the field.

The summer architecture schools always focus on current topics that future architects may encounter in their practice. In Rožnov pod Radhoštěm (2012), we learned the principles of design in a protected landscape area, which is tied to a number of regulations and restrictions. Part of the summer school was to create principles for the construction of an entire parcel so that future development could follow them. In Plasy (2013), we focused on the urbanism of the municipality, which would allow for better utilization of the former Cistercian monastery complex (a national cultural monument). We chose Kopřivnice (2014) as the venue for the third summer school due to its intrinsic connection with the Tatra car manufacturer: with the reduction of production in the 1990s, a large part of the manufacturing area became unused, resulting in an extensive brownfield that students addressed for revitalization.

In all cases, a number of interesting proposals emerged, which the local governments are considering using. When building, cities and municipalities must know which direction they want to take: if they know, they have a chance to get ahead of others. Summer schools can play a positive role with their intensity and innovation, as they offer an outside perspective that is not burdened by so-called local blindness, where locals take for granted the preserved, often dysfunctional state of things, and resign themselves to their correction. Often, it is essentially little that needs to be changed for improvement to occur.

For this year's upcoming summer school of architecture in Litomyšl, we have gained the patronage of four post-revolution mayors of Litomyšl: Miroslav Brýdl, Jan Janeček, Michal Kortyš, and Radek Kašpar. The expert guarantors of the event, Kamil Mrva and Petr Volf, have chosen as the main theme the possibilities for urban development in Litomyšl following the construction of the bypass, which will render the four-lane thoroughfare through the city obsolete. The teaching team, which formed during previous summer schools, will work in Litomyšl composed of: Jakub Fišer, Zdeněk Fránek, Jan Hendrych, Karel Janča, Hana Maršíková, Jitka Ressová, Svatopluk Sládeček, and Veronika Veselá. Architect Josef Pleskot will be the consultant for issues related to the theme of the summer school. The summer school will culminate in a festive vernissage of student projects, which will be presented to representatives of the city, the media, and the public.

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Summer School of Architecture 2015: Litomyšl without a Thoroughfare

The theme of the Summer School of Architecture 2015 will be assessing the possibilities for urban development in Litomyšl after the construction of the bypass, which will make the four-lane thoroughfare through the city obsolete. We are asking ourselves questions: What will this mean for Litomyšl? Further strengthening of its character? Unification of the city that will give it new energy? Or stagnation? And how to deal with the concreted area?

Date: September 4–12, 2015

Location: Castle Brewery in Litomyšl

Expert guarantors: architect Kamil Mrva, journalist Petr Volf

Consultant: architect Josef Pleskot

Architects–lecturers: Jakub Fišer, Zdeněk Fránek, Jan Hendrych, Karel Janča, Hana Maršíková, Jitka Ressová, Svatopluk Sládeček, Veronika Veselá

The summer school is intended for a maximum of 30 students or graduates of architecture from Czech and Slovak universities. Active participation for the entire duration of the event is a requirement.

For more information and the registration form, visit here>