Domain Expert Guidance
Course Material
flights
hotels
local & airport transfers
breakfast & dinner
visas
entry fees
The Architecture Experience – Europe takes the participants on a 15 journey spanning France, Spain, and Italy, where they get to see architecture ranging from Renaissance, Gothic and Baroque to the Art-Deco, Modernism and Futurism movements. Participants will get to visit sites showcasing different architectural styles. This will help in understanding the incorporation of aesthetics and form along with the function, context and surroundings of each site, ranging from Gaudi to Zaha Hadid.
Sagrada Familia by Antoni Gaudi, Barcelona
Image on top – Trevi Fountain, Rome
15
days
20
participants
4
cities
What is The Architecture Experience - Europe?
The best approach to growing as an architect is to learn from experiencing and observing. The Architecture Experience aims to do just that. Participants get to observe contextualising architecture, through site visits and interactions with local architects, and document the learning in a themed narrative for later referencing. The Experience will be a fifteen day long curated educational tour for up to twenty participants, across 4 cities in Spain and Italy.
These visits will focus on observing and learning about the importance of contextualising architecture, the history of different architectural styles and techniques, importance of design, its influence on architecture around the world, sustainability and other aspects which draw scores of visitors to European architecture. The visits will foster a deep understanding of city planning, old architecture and its conversion to new, mobility-driven infrastructure while working on a documentation project across different themes.
Itinerary
In the 15 days, participants will get to work on their own project in sync with their work, or their subjects in college. These projects will be relevant for different Indian landscapes (be it urban or rural), with inspiration taken from places visited during this Experience.
Casa Mila by Antoni Gaudi, Barcelona
Paris
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 1
Arrival in Paris, France. Orientation on the structure of the tour visits and project. Finalisation of teams, and the participants’ individual roles and responsibilities within the team will be defined.
Places to visit: Neighborhood exploratory walk, Eiffel Tower (outside visit).
Day 2
Topic of Discussion: History and transition of French architecture over different periods – Renaissance, French Baroque & Classicism, Rococo, Neo-classicism, Art Nouveau and Art Deco.
Places to visit: Bibliothèque Nationale de France (public access areas), Louvre Museum, Communist Party Headquarters (outside visit).
Cultural Visit: Notre Dame Cathdedral, Saint Chapelle.
Day 3
Topic of Discussion: Haussmann Architecture and its influence on modern-day Paris.
Places to visit: Les Docks: City of Fashion and Design, Centre George Pompidou, Fondation Louis Vuitton, Philharmonie De Paris (outside visit).
Cultural Visit: Palais Garnier, Place De La Concorde, Arc De Triomphe, Basilique Du Sacre-Coeur de Montmarte.
Lille
Day 4
Day 5
Day 4
Morning Arrival in Lille.
Topic of Discussion: French Renaissance revival architecture and its influence on the global architectural movement.
Places to visit: Notre Dame de la Treille, Stock Exchange building (outside visit), Chambre De Commerce, Citadelle de Lille.
Cultural visit: Old Town.
Day 5
Topic of Discussion: The rise of contemporary modernism in a classical background.
Places to visit: Museum of Modern Art, Villa Cavrois, Euralille Youth Center.
Barcelona
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9
Day 6
Arrival in Barcelona.
Topic of Discussion: Historic evolution of Catalan and Spanish architecture.
Places to visit: Barcelona Cathedral and Gothic Quarter, MACBA, Casa Mila, Casa Batllo.
Cultural visit: Parc Guell, Portal De L’angel, Carrer D’Avinyo.
Day 7
Topic of Discussion: Urban planning, Barcelona city grid and the concept of superblocks.
Places to visit: Sagrada Familia, Agbar Tower & Design Museum of Barcelona (outside visit), Bunkers del Carmel.
Cultural visit: Passaeig de Gracia.
Day 8
Topic of discussion: External global influences in Barcelona’s architecture.
Places to visit: El Pabellón de Barcelona, Caixa Forum, Santa Catarina Market, Forum Building & Museu Blau.
Cultural visit: Las Ramblas, Mercat dels Encants, Botanical Gardens, Bac de Roda bridge.
Day 9
Topic of discussion: The varying degrees of modernism in present-day Barcelona.
Places to visit: Walden 7 (outside visit), Natural History Museum, Palace of Catalan Music.
Cultural visit: El Born, Placa de Sant Josep Oriol.
Rome
Day 10
Day 11
Day 12
Day 13
Day 14/15
Day 10
Morning arrival in Rome, Italy.
Topic of Discussion: Understanding Rome’s Historic Layer.
Places to visit: Colosseum, Foro Romano.
Cultural visit: Trajan’s Market.
Day 11
Topic of Discussion: Romanesque architecture due to the rise of monasticism and the blend of Renaissance, baroque and neoclassical architecture.
Places to visit: Vatican City – St. Peter’s Basilica and Square, Necropolis, The Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel.
Cultural visit: Apostolic Palace, Pauline Chapel.
Day 12
Topic of Discussion: Romanesque architecture due to the rise of monasticism and the blend of Renaissance, baroque and neoclassical architecture.
Places to visit: Vatican City – St. Peter’s Basilica and Square, Necropolis, The Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel.
Cultural visit: Apostolic Palace, Pauline Chapel.
Day 13
Topic of Discussion: Understanding material usage in the architecture of Rome.
Places to visit: The Pantheon, Chiesa de Santa Susanna, Fontana De Trevi, Piazza Del Campidoglio.
Cultural Visit: San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, Palazzo Farnese, Scalinata di Trinità dei Monti (Spanish Steps), Chiesa di Sant’Andrea al Quirinale.
Day 14/15
Culmination of project work. Departure to India or home country.
Days 14 and 15 are free for the participants to explore Rome.
Cultural visits are not part of the itinerary but are recommended areas to shop and explore the city.
Upcoming batches
How Much Does It Cost?
INR 287,000 /$3,500
The price includes flights ex-Mumbai, India (taxes extra). The price without flights is $3000. Please contact us if you are a student, for discounted pricing.
What does the cost include?
Our Partners
People
Rachita Bhonsle
MS Ramaiah Institute of Technology
Curator & Tour leader - The Architecture Experience
Testimonials
The trip allowed me a very holistic experience of the cities, which is a first for me despite having been on quite a few “study” trips. It encompassed everything from contemporary and historically relevant site visits to vibrant day and night markets, offering insights into various aspects beyond architecture- food, culture, history, and so on. To our surprise and joy, the lively local New Year celebrations added a dynamic dimension, revealing various facets of the city's essence. It was encouraging to see studios and practices using sustainability and adaptive reuse as forefront agendas in a relatable urban context. I enjoyed seeing the variety in the typologies and languages of architecture within the same city. Would definitely want to explore more into the observations and learnings from Vietnam. Having been a small group, there were a lot of spontaneous discussions encouraged and initiated by Atul Sir, that made me look a few more steps beyond just the surface and helped me catch onto certain aspects in a much more simplified way. He was really a great mentor to have on this trip!
Ayushi Madan
4th Year, Wadiyar Centre For Architecture, Mysore
(Participant - Vietnam, February 2024)
(Participant - Vietnam, February 2024)
I loved the Bawa site visits(especially Lunuganga) and meeting with Palinda. The fact that we could closely experience Bawa's works would definitely add to our designs and projects. All the important spots were thoughtfully covered and personal attention was given everywhere. Guidance from Rachita, on not only the project but also on architecture as a field, was really helpful. She is amazing and is an excellent mentor. She answered all our questions patiently and is a very sweet and friendly person. Overall planning and organizing of the tour was amazing. We were allowed to explore on our own and make changes to the itinerary if required, which gave us more exposure. Lastly, it was an extremely fun trip where we enjoyed 24x7 and made unforgettable memories. Kudos to Ankit and The Happy Llamas!
Chirag Betgeri
2nd Year, MMCOA, Pune
(Participant - Sri Lanka, October 2023)
(Participant - Sri Lanka, October 2023)
10 out of 10! The Galleries we visited were really innovative with excellent technology and the neighbourhood with its unique character and vibrancy.I loved the lecture with Ar. Neo Sei Hwa. It gave me an insight into the evolution of Singapore as a city as well as the master's programme and practice opportunities there. Having learnt a lot about Singapore’s energy-efficient buildings, organised human settlement patterns, comfortable climate and rich culture in the previous semesters of our UG, it was really insightful to be able to see and experience them in person. Ar. Rachita was an excellent guide and mentor and guided us perfectly throughout the trip so that we didn’t miss out on the major architecture-rich hotspots, every typology ranging from heritage to contemporary structures, as well as the major tourist attractions in Singapore. Overall it was an amazing experience with lots of learning and fun that got me so attached to Singapore’s culture, architecture, diversity and improvised automation.
Rithika Ragunath
4th year, CARE school of Architecture, Trichy
(Participant - Singapore, February 2024)
(Participant - Singapore, February 2024)
Sustainable Development Goals
All our Experiences are aimed at implementing and solving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals set by the UN. Goal no. 17 ‘Partnerships for the Goals’ is key to our Experiences, since we work with a global team of experts to be able to add value to the learning of the participants. The Architecture Experience Europe focuses on 3 of the Goals primarily.
Goal 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
– Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure, including regional and transborder infrastructure, to support economic development and human well-being.
Goal 11: Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
– By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing
– By 2030, enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanization and capacity for participatory, integrated and sustainable human settlement
– By 2020, substantially increase the number of cities and human settlements adopting and implementing integrated policies and plans towards inclusion, resource efficiency, mitigation and adaptation to climate change, resilience to disasters
Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
– By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources
– Support developing countries to strengthen their scientific and technological capacity to move towards more sustainable patterns of consumption and production
FAQs
– Students and fresh graduates from architecture colleges and related fields
– Young professionals from architecture, design and related fields who want to explore Contextualising architecture in Europe (France, Spain, and Italy)
Young architects could benefit exponentially from observing architecture ranging from the Renaissance, Gothic and Baroque to the Art-Deco, Modernism and Futurism movements, and getting to understand more about contextualising architecture. Understanding how the sites in Europe utilise existing infrastructure for new purposes, be it cafes or hotels or museums. How the planning in the cities visited is mobility driven. Learnings from this trip can be applied to the participants’ methodologies when working on sites/projects back home.
Yes! This Experience will take up to 20 participants. These participants will be split into smaller teams to execute projects which are designed to give added value to their ongoing projects (school or live).
The Architecture Experience is designed with the intent of enhancing architectural understanding. To this end, a short project is included as part of the experience. The participants will explore methods of observation and documentation while focusing on ideologies of Contextualising Architecture.
This Experience will focus on observing and learning about the importance of site sensitivity, different architectural techniques – active and passive, importance of material selection and other aspects vital to sustainable architecture, which are important tenets of contemporary and new age architecture, be it urban or non urban.
Yes! From a logistics point of view, this price includes the cost of accommodation, flights, visas, breakfast and dinner, local and airport transfers, and entry fees where applicable.
“
A building can only be understood by moving around and through it, and by experiencing the modulation, and feel the spaces one moves through - from outside into verandah, then rooms, passages, courtyards. Architecture cannot be totally explained but must be experienced."
Geoffrey Bawa
Contact Us
Maxxi Museum by Zaha Hadid, Rome
If you’d like to know more about The Architecture Experience – Europe, please fill out this form, and one of us llamas will get back to you shortly.