We have a long tradition of offering diverse programs of international study led by our well-traveled faculty. These custom-designed travel opportunities happen throughout the school year and in the summer.
Workshops, lectures, fieldwork, and visits to notable sites, both well-known and off the beaten path, are all part of the experience. While the focus of these studies is on architecture, historic preservation, and urban design, there are opportunities for you to experience and enjoy the local culture of these wonderful places.
Recent trips have taken students to France, Italy, England, Scandinavia and Germany.
France
In France, students studied architecture history at a different building each morning, transforming the city into an expansive and immersive classroom. In the afternoons, they gathered at various urban sites for design studio.
Weekly excursions explored the Île de France, Loire Valley, and the Normandy coast. An independent travel break offered time to explore other European cities, with plenty of flexibility for students to choose their own destinations. From ringing Quasimodo’s bell to buying a hot baguette at dawn, this journey brought history, architecture, and culture vividly to life.
Italy
As part of the Marcus Prize Studio, students traveled through northern Italy to explore both historic and contemporary architectural landmarks.
Highlights included the Venice Biennale, Palladio’s villas in Vicenza, Carlo Scarpa’s work in Verona and Brescia, and a variety of works in Milan, including a series of gothic cathedrals, OMA’s Prada Foundation and Grafton Architects’ Università Bocconi. Students also attended the Milan Triennellem, which means students visited two iconic international architecture, art and design exhibitions in one trip.
England
Undergraduate and graduate students traveled with the Historic Preservation Institute to the Herstmonceux Castle in East Sussex, England, for an immersive documentation project.
Using LiDAR scanners, drones, and photogrammetry, they captured the historic 15th-century structure inside and out. The team created precise 3D models and drawings to aid in preservation planning. The multi-year effort blends cutting-edge digital tools with hands-on heritage work, offering a rare opportunity to study and preserve one of England’s oldest brick castles.
Scandanavia
On the “Nordic Trek” study abroad trip, students explored Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. They discovered the Scandinavian Romantic Modernist movement, alongside cutting-edge works, in cities like Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm, and Helsinki.
The trip highlighted both cutting-edge design and centuries-old wooden stave churches. Along the way, students also ventured into fjords, forests, and archipelagos, diving deep into a blend of historic and modern architecture set against breathtaking Nordic landscapes.
Germany
Students traveled with the Institute for Ecological Design for two unforgettable weeks in Germany immersed in architecture, innovation, and culture. They collaborated with international peers to design a rooftop addition to a listed museum in the heart of Frankfurt’s reconstructed core.
The program focused on adaptive reuse of industrial and other structures, alternative construction tech and net-zero emissions buildings and urban design. Highlights included site visits around the region and a trip to see work by internationally celebrated waterscapes designer Herbert Dreiseitl.