Riga Technical University International Summer School is back in Cēsis and we are glad to host again young architects, urbanists and designers. The summer school is an annual hands–on course that aims to make participants aware of the opportunities and responsibilities their profession equips them with. Organisers work to facilitate an exchange of knowledge and to endorse understanding between professionals of spatial disciplines, local governments and the society. School support an open–ended approach where the process of making architecture is as important as the architecture itself and the events within a space are as important as the space itself.
This year’s focus is on what does a modern day Arcadia entail? Does it accommodate urban agriculture, water management, wildlife reintroduction, ecotourism, well–being of the body and the mind? Can we imagine giving up an urbanised territory to the forces of nature? Is today’s Arcadia economically and socially sustainable?
The Summer School’s participants are going to explore the picturesque and the utilitarian green areas both within and around Cesis: forests, parks, cemeteries, gardens, maintained greenery and overgrown plots. A site of particular interest is the valley of Pirtsupite, a small tributary of the river Gauja. It stretches through Cesis, being both a divide in the urban fabric and a green connector between neighbourhoods. Young architects, urbanists and designers are going to read the landscape, decode the obvious and hidden qualities of the site, place it within a larger ecosystem and the collective memory, suggest strategies and design structures for public use.
Besides workshops RTU International Summer School will held several lectures and discussions that are open and free for everyone.
Program of open lectures and discussions.
July 27
17.00–17.45 Jānis Ķīnasts — Geography as the Context. Looking underneath the surface
18.00–18.45 The Baltic Pavilion — Introduction to the project. Looking at the region
July 28
17.00–19.00 The Baltic Pavilion & Arcadia tutors — Panel discussion on the Baltic landscape
July 29
17.00–17.45 David Grandorge — Understanding landscape through photography
18.00–18.45 David Grandorge — A trip around the Baltics
August 7
17.00 – 19.00 Final presentations and a public discussion at Rucka Art Residency, Piebalgas iela 19. Working language — English, free entrance.
21.00 – … Opening of the installations «Wild Thing» and «Ethereal Nature» in Pirtsupītes grava (accessible from Glūdas iela and Palasta iela). The structures will remain in the valley until September.
Organisers
Riga Technical University Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning
Online platform for Latvian creative industries FOLD
More info about RTU International Summer School
In 2014, participants of the RTU International Summer School explored the topic of well–being by building a miniature sanatorium with a fully functional sauna and an infinity pool, as well as a park pavilion for play and relaxation. Video of the 2014 Summer School “Get Well City”.
