The Internet Archive discovers and captures web pages through many different web crawls.
At any given time several distinct crawls are running, some for months, and some every day or longer.
View the web archive through the Wayback Machine.
Follow the ICAA’s Summer Studio in Classical Architecture program, from June 19th through July 15th, as students from across the country spend four weeks in New York City and the surrounding region exploring the ideas, methods, and issues related to classical architectural design.
The front facade of the Low Memorial Library
July 5, by Margaret Jones: After having Tuesday off for the Fourth of July, we dove right back into our busy and exciting routine, beginning with a field study at Columbia University. For this study, we did a measured drawing of the ionic columns featured in the front façade of the Low Memorial Library. This study allowed us to gain a deeper understanding of scale and proportion and to analyze the elements of design that were implemented by our great predecessors, McKim, Mead & White, inside and outside of the beautiful library.
Students look at original work in the Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library
We finished our morning at Columbia by visiting the archives at the Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library where we had the opportunity to view some original drawings and renderings by several notable architects. These were great precedents to see before we headed back to the studio to work on our final projects for the rest of the afternoon.
We ended the day with a lecture by The University of Notre Dame’s Professor Duncan Stroik. His talk used architectural masterpieces from the Renaissance to disprove the basic principles of architectural design. This was truly fascinating and showed us that it is possible to be creative and innovative while still maintaining the integrity of classical architecture.
Students work on their drawings during class
July 3, by Madeline Petty: Monday morning began in the studio, where we finalized our coverage of the Corinthian Order, before proceeding with a lesson on external and internal doorways and corners. After looking at a slideshow with many great Classical examples of doorways and arches, we drew the parts of both according to Vignola.
Students utilize a variety of drawing tools to work on their final projects
In the afternoon, we continued to work on our final design that is due at the end of the program, a theoretical pavilion in Prospect Park. The class has goals to establish the plan and elevation at a 1/8″ scale. The evening included open studio, which was a great opportunity to make progress and gain perspectives through our peers, books, and TAs.
Follow the ICAA’s Summer Studio in Classical Architecture program, from June 19th through July 15th, as students from across the country spend four weeks in New York City and the surrounding region exploring the ideas, methods, and issues related to classical architectural design.
July 1, by Isabella DeBenedetti: Saturday’s class was led by Stephen Chrisman and Michael Mesko, who discussed how plans, sections, and elevations make up an architectural drawing. During our discussion, we looked at wonderful precedents from architects like Quinlan Terry, and George Saumarez Smith, and we noted that when we study precedents and complete measured drawing exercises, certain nuances within architecture are often revealed to us.
Summer Studio students sketch on location at the Manhattan Municipal Building
This discussion was followed by an exciting field study trip to Manhattan’s Municipal Building, by McKim, Mead & White, where we analyzed and compared the building’s triumphal arch and arcade to notable examples from antiquity. The practice of drawing in the field and analyzing drawings gave us a greater sense of how architects can use and manipulate certain elements in new and complex ways to masterfully solve problems of design.
View of the Manhattan Municipal Building
June 30, by Holly Templeton: Friday’s classes were entirely dedicated to hand drafting. We explored the fundamental graphic conventions of orthographic drawings, which we used to continue work on our final project, a theoretical pavilion in Prospect Park.
Work by Summer Studio student Holly Templeton
We became familiar with the appropriate tools of hand drafting, including rotary lead pointers, set squares, and french curves, and were able to continue our practice using vellum. We paid special attention to the construction lines of the building, building contours, string courses, ground planes, and cut lines. The focus of the day was to understand how to create varying line weights in our drawings and how to identify their function in existing plans.
We also had some time to explore the literature of draftsmanship, and looked at several unique draftsmen, such as Joseph Hornecker.
June 29, by Daniel Glasgow: Thursday was another exciting and informative day for the ICAA Summer Studio. The day began with another lesson on the elements of classical design, with the focus being the Corinthian Order, followed by rigorous drawing exercises.
Students tour the offices of Robert A.M. Stern Architects
In the afternoon we had the privilege of visiting the offices of Robert A.M. Stern Architects, where we were hospitably greeted with a presentation about the firm and their work. The large firm is highly accomplished with international and local projects of all scales, so it was a treat to be able to see some of their up and coming projects.
The Summer Studio group stands in front of the statue of Diana at The Metropolitan Museum of Art
After a delightful lunch in Central Park, we walked over to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, where we were able to see and see and sketch excellent works by McKim, Mead and White.
Students study how to depict light and shadows on objects
June 28, by Christian Johnson: We began the day with learning about the basics of how light and shadow appear on and around objects. We started with a basic sphere before progressing to more complicated forms like a cast, and egg and dart motifs.
Later, we continued developing our final projects, a theoretical pavilion in Prospect Park, before heading out to visit the offices of Peter Pennoyer Architects. We were taken on a tour of their beautiful office and studio spaces, and shown some of their in-progress and finished projects. Among the projects was a virtual reality headset that enabled us to fully visualize a space, as though we were standing in it.
Students tour the offices of Peter Pennoyer Architects
To finish the day we attended the ICAA Plinth Summer party in Brooklyn, an event that attracts lots of young professionals and and ICAA members. It was a great way to make connections and see what young architects are doing in the city.
Students work on their drawings during class
June 27, by Chas Winebrenner: Tuesday began with a continuation of our lessons on the elements of classical design, with today’s focus being the Ionic Order. In the afternoon, we enjoyed a second lesson from geometer Rachel Fletcher, who led the class in hand drafting the Golden Ratio, square root of 2 squares, and square root of 3 rectangles. She also shared her knowledge of how these proportionate systems are adapted in classical architecture, such as Rome’s Pantheon and Jefferson’s Rotunda at the University of Virginia.
Students work on hand drafting the Golden Ratio
We ended the day with a lecture by Jim Taylor, from Peter Pennoyer Architects, who shared with us some of the residential projects he has worked on, as well as how his firm operates on a daily basis. He also discussed the process of taking projects from design to construction, and how his firm oversees this development, while also adapting to new technologies.
Students work on their drawings during their morning class
June 26, by Anthony Vercio: After our first weekend in New York City, we returned to class recharged and refreshed. Our morning lesson was on proportions, taught by geometer Rachel Fletcher, who showed us how different ratios can create amazing geometric shapes and patterns, and help us frame space more beautifully. Alongside the many diagrams she had us draw, she also taught us about the symbolism that these shapes and numbers convey.
Geometer Rachel Fletcher gives students a lesson on the principles of proportion
In the afternoon, we switched our focus to composition. Michael Mesko, Stephen Chrisman, and three teacher’s assistants proctored our esquisse, the first sketch of what will become our final presentation and the culmination of this studio.
It was a little daunting at first, but after two hours, we had all pinned our sketches to the board. As we presented our ideas to the class, most of us were astonished by the impressive array of designs that we would not have been able to do even a week ago. Seeing this much progress in just one week, we look forward to the next three weeks of the studio.
Students visiting the offices of Roman and Williams
The final stop for the day was a tour of the offices of Roman and Williams, where we got a glimpse of the practical applications of what we are learning.
Follow the ICAA’s Summer Studio in Classical Architecture program, from June 19th through July 15th, as students from across the country spend four weeks in New York City and the surrounding region exploring the ideas, methods, and issues related to classical architectural design.
June 19, by Analis Ramos: The rainy weather could not stop us from having a marvelous first day at the ICAA’s Summer Studio. We kicked off the morning with a warm welcome from the faculty followed by student introductions, where we learned more about our respective backgrounds and styles.
After lunch we dove right into the program, kicking off our studio with a lesson on the columnar orders, followed by our first exercise of measuring ratios and the parts of columns.
Students work on their drawings during the afternoon class
We finished the evening with a thrilling lecture by Russell Windham, a founding partner of Curtis & Windham Architects and ICAA Board Chairman, on the book: A Vision of Place: The Work of Curtis & Windham Architects. We could not have asked for a better start to what will undoubtedly be an incredible summer!
ICAA Board Chairman Russell Windham lecturing on A Vision of Place: The Work of Curtis & Windham Architects
June 20, by Analis Ramos: Tuesday we hit the ground running with a lesson on the elements of the Tuscan order, the entablature, pediment, and temple front. We then had hands-on experience practicing how to proportionally draw these elements.
Students learn how to make measured drawings of balusters
Later in the day, we took a trip to the ICAA’s Cast Hall where we split into small groups to practice our analytical and measured drawing skills, using balustrades as our focus.
Students measure balusters in the ICAA’s Cast Hall
We capped the day off with an informative lecture from Richard Economakis, the Director of Architecture and Urbanism for the University of Notre Dame’s Graduate program. He spoke to us about different architects’ approaches to the proportions of the orders and introduced us to the esquisse, a design problem that we would have to solve in class the next day.
Students in the ICAA’s Cast Hall look over each other’s work at the end of the lesson
June 21, by Andrew Anderson: On Wednesday, we were given the opportunity to apply our drawings of the Tuscan order to our first design project of the Summer Studio.
Professor Richard Economakis shows students how to develop their own designs
Guided by visiting professor Richard Economakis, each of us had the morning to develop a basic scheme for an aedicule addition to a theoretical monument in Prospect Park. We then spent the afternoon developing our design in plan, section, and elevation, following the traditional Beaux Arts design process consisting of a rough esquisse followed by a more complete analytique.
Students work on developing their designs for a theoretical monument in Prospect Park, NY
In the evening, James McCrery, director of The Catholic University of America’s Classical Concentration, presented Roman Catholic Church architecture projects designed by McCrery Architects. Students then had a chance to meet with their mentor architects, as part of the ICAA’s new mentorship initiative.
Mentor Rodrigo Bollat Montenegro with student Fionna Banchs Rios
June 22, by Andrew Anderson: On Thursday, we spent the morning learning about the second of the five major classical orders, by drawing the parts of the Doric order according to the proportions determined by Vignola.
Students measure balustrades in Bryant Park, NY
In the afternoon, we built on our practice of measured drawings from Tuesday afternoon by taking a trip to Bryant Park, where we drew balustrades in the field, as well as a detail from the east facade of the New York Public Library.
Students sketch building details at the New York Public Library
The evening concluded with a presentation by Mike Watkins on urban design in preparation for Saturday’s trip to Forest Hills Gardens in Queens.
Led by Kellen Krause, students compare their sketches outside the New York Public Library
June 23, by Andrew Jackson: On Friday we took a site visit to Prospect Park and did measured drawings with architects Michael Mesko and Stephen Chrisman. The beautiful site had an array of classical elements for us to study.
Students study a pavilion featuring ionic columns
Entrance to the Prospect Park Boathouse
Our first task of the day was a measured drawing of a dodecagonal pavilion near the war monument. We then transitioned through the park taking note of the differences in the primary, secondary, and tertiary entrances. Chrisman also showed the class how to estimate size by pacing at a small memorial.
Next we visited the project site for our studio, which is located at 15th Street and Prospect Park West, where we learned the two existing columns are proportionately consistent with the golden section.
We continued to make our way through the park and noticed an interesting structure composed of ionic columns in conjunction with a wood member. We had a brief lesson in tectonics and concluded the day with two more measured drawings: one at another pavilion, and a second at the Prospect Park Boathouse.
Students explored various architectural elements throughout Prospect Park
June 24, by Fionna Banchs Rios: On Saturday we were accompanied by practitioners Mike Watkins, Michael Mesko, and Rodrigo Bollat Montenegro on a field trip to Forest Hills Gardens in Queens. The purpose of the trip was to study the urbanism of the site.
Students learn how to use measuring wheels in the field
We learned how everything is arranged in a city to make it work and how every little detail has its purpose; factors crucial for creating communities that are easy to live in. For example, we learned about different types of trees that can be found in a city and why they are planted in particular places. We also learned about the importance of the size of streets, and their different functions according to the size. Throughout the first week, this has been my favorite field study.
Students walk through Forest Hills Gardens in Queens, NY
Students sketch on location at Forest Hills Gardens in Queens, NY
Summer has arrived, and millions around the world are retreating to cooler, calmer, and more bucolic destinations. Now, more than any other time of the year, we’re reminded that architecture and design have an inextricable connection to the surrounding natural environment; the most beautiful buildings are often complemented by carefully considered landscapes that, together, create a cohesive and coherent sense of place. With this in mind, I was especially inspired by garden and landscape designer Matthew Wilson’s recent piece The Visionaries behind UK’s Studley Royal and Italy’s Villa d’Estein the Financial Times Weekend House & Home section (my weekly bible!).
Studley Royal park (Image Source: Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal / National Trust)
Wilson’s article explores the remarkable parallel histories of Studley Royal park and Villa d’Este, two water gardens that were built over 150 apart amidst financial calamity. The patrons of each garden – John Aislabie and Cardinal Ippolito II d’Este, respectively – were enormously powerful and considerably tragic figures of their time. Yet each made an indelible contribution to landscape design that continues to inspire today. Indeed, both Studley Royal park and Villa d’Este are now UNESCO World Heritage sites, an indication of their vast impact worldwide.
Video featuring Studley Royal park by the National Trust in the North of England
John Aislabie inherited Studley Royal park in Yorkshire at the age of 23. After being elected as a member of parliament in 1695, he was eventually named Chancellor of the Exchequer – a post he left in disgrace in 1721 after contributing to a financial crisis known as the South Sea Bubble. Aislabie was banished to his country estate where, according to Wilson, he “invested his energies into overseeing what is still one of the most unexpectedly arresting celebrations of water in the landscape.” A Moon Pond (which interprets the lunar phases), a Temple of Piety, and numerous “crisply defined geometric bodies of water” stretch from the site of the demolished Studley Hall all the way to the unforgettable ruins of Fountains Abbey.
Aerial view of Studley Royal park’s geometric water features (Image Source: Pinterest)
Water gardens at Studley Royal (Image Source: Gardenvisit.com)
The ruins of Fountains Abbey, a former Cistercian monastery originally founded in the 12th Century (Image Source: Wikipedia / Mike Peel)
Over 200 years before Aislabie began building his magnificent water gardens, Ippolito II d’Este was born in Ferrara, Italy in 1509 as the second son of the Duke of Ferrara and Lucrezia Borgia. D’Este, who emerged as one of the wealthiest cardinals of the Renaissance, hired classical scholar and artist Pirro Ligorio to envisage a villa in Tivoli to rival “anything built by the Romans.” Work began on the villa in 1560, and although d’Este burned through his fortune by 1572 before it could be completed, it is impossible to not be impressed by his “lavish vision.” Today, Villa d’Este features 364 water jets, 398 waterspouts, 64 waterfalls, and 220 basins.
The Hundred Fountains, Villa d’Este
One of the most remarkable characteristics about these two gardens – one British and the other Italian – is that they were both created before the advent of the pumping mechanism, and therefore depend entirely on gravity and the engineering of existing bodies of water to create the final designs. It is also remarkable that they are both so well preserved, despite the financial constraints and turbulent transfers of ownership that plagued both locations following the deaths of Aislabie and d’Este.
Construction of Villa d’Este was never completed
Villa d’Este continues to serve as a vital source of inspiration for students, practitioners, and enthusiasts of classicism. Earlier this month participants on the ICAA’s annual Christopher H. Browne Rome Drawing Tour visited the garden, where they created sketches and watercolor drawings inspired by the site’s exceptional beauty. The tour, which is named in honor of the ICAA’s late Trustee, Mr. Christopher H. Browne, also visited nearby Villa Hadriana, which served as an inspiration for d’Este (as well as a source for statues and marble).
Watercolor sketches of Villa d’Este by Christopher H. Browne Rome Drawing Tour student Elena Belova
There is a clear and essential link between the landscape and its complex relationship to the buildings and spaces we inhabit; this indispensible connection between architecture, landscape design, and the many other disciplines that contribute to our built environment represents a key component of the ICAA’s mission. Successful design recognizes the interplay of each of these unique elements, allowing them to work together in synthesis.
Sanguine drawing of Villa d’Este by Christopher H. Browne Rome Drawing Tour student Martin Burns
As a part of its ongoing commitment to celebrating the importance of garden and landscape design in classical architecture, the ICAA has a number of upcoming programs featuring celebrated speakers who will share their knowledge on this very topic.
On September 19, world-renowned garden designer Arne Maynard will speak about the “Formality and Informality of Garden Design” in a special lecture co-hosted by Architectural Digest. And on January 20, 2018, David Gobel, Professor of Architectural History at Savannah College of Art and Design, will lead a continuing education class at the ICAA entitled “The Villa and Garden Design, the Paradox of Paradise,” exploring the villa and garden tradition from antiquity to the present.
I hope to see you at these upcoming programs. In the meantime, this summer, I encourage everyone with a passion for classicism to bring yourselves and others to places like Villa d’Este, Studley Royal, and the architecture and landscapes in your own communities that energize and inspire.
Rodrigo Bollat Montenegro (right) with a past Summer Studio in Classical Architecture participant
The Institute of Classical Architecture & Art (ICAA) has launched a brand-new mentorship program in association with its Summer Studio in Classical Architecture. Spearheaded by the ICAA Young Members Task Force, the mentorship initiative will connect participants of the Summer Studio program with emerging professionals within the ICAA community, and aims to provide university students and recent graduates with a deeper understanding of the professional world of classical architecture and the related fields.
Participants of the Summer Studio in Classical Architecture – a four-week, immersive program introducing students to skills, knowledge and resources essential to the practice and appreciation of classical design – will have opportunities to engage with mentors through one-on-one meetings, networking events, and during visits to professional firms. More than 20 young professionals have volunteered their time as mentors from a total of nine different firms, including Robert A.M. Stern Architects, Ferguson and Shamamian Architects, Roman and Williams, and G.P. Schafer Architect among others.
ICAA President Peter Lyden said of the program, “This latest initiative allows the ICAA to further support and engage with the next generation of classical architects and designers. By connecting Summer Studio students with our passionate members, we’re showing them that a vibrant, successful, and inspiring career in classicism is viable and achievable.”
Rodrigo Bollat Montenegro, who serves as Chair of the ICAA Young Members Task Force – a volunteer group of young and emerging architects, designers, and enthusiasts from across the country – worked closely with the ICAA Education Department to design the program. Bollat Montenegro, who is also volunteering as a mentor, said, “This new mentorship program will help guide up-and-coming practitioners as they begin to transition from students to professionals. I look forward to working with the mentees this summer, and continuing to help the ICAA make deeper connections with young professionals.”
2017 Summer Studio participant, Tatiana Amundsen, said, “So far, the mentorship program has allowed me to consider classical architecture not only from an academic perspective, but also through the lens of a practicing professional.”
After the Summer Studio concludes in mid-July, the ICAA will encourage mentors to continue dialogue with their mentees – many of whom are in the early stages of considering a career in architecture and the related fields. The mentorship initiative also provides Summer Studio participants with an opportunity to discover how ICAA programming and its broader community of members can serve as a valuable resource into the future.
The Institute of Classical Architecture & Art, in collaboration with Rizzoli Bookstore, hosted renowned interior designer Frank de Biasi for the most recent installment of ‘Breakfast & Books’ on May 31st. You can watch the discussion here in full, in which de Biasi highlights the book The Caliph’s House: A Year in Casablanca by Tahir Shah.
