13.3.2014

Dear Colleagues,
Riga Technical University International Summer School 2014 opens for applications and announces this year’s theme — «Get Well City». It welcomes students and young professionals of architecture, urbanism and design, as well as related disciplines.

For the third time, the Summer School is going to take place in Cesis — a town where health and leisure have always been intrinsic to the local lifestyle. Cesis is located within the Gauja National Park, which is the largest protected natural area in Latvia. Its high biological diversity, varied terrain and natural water resources provide for hydrotherapy establishments, outdoor sports of all seasons, and traditional picking of mushrooms, berries and medicinal plants.
Participants are going to revisit local natural assets, infrastructure and traditions of wellness, and propose ways how they can be updated according to the needs of a healthier society and possibilities of current technologies.

Within two weeks, from July 26 to August 9, 2014, an international team of tutors will guide the participants through a complete project cycle — from first sketches to communication of complex data, construction of spatial structures in public domain and seeing their work being tested by the users. As usual, the lecture programme with talks by international and local speakers, as well as project presentations by the participants will be open to the public.

In 2013, participants of the RTU International Summer School gathered over a hundred residents of Cesis for a common dinner during the «S?lsmaize» event and built a book exchange structure «Story Tower». Its inventive construction and Tetrapak roof cladding sparked interest of design media worldwide. This year, the cosy Rucka manor, located just
outside the town's centre, is going to accommodate the Summer School and become one of the cases to study — in the past the building has served as a tuberculosis hospital, but currently it is on its way to transform into a new creative hotspot.

Call for applications is open until May 4, 2014 for students and young professionals of spatial disciplines. Applicants should be fluent in English and keen to work in groups. Participation fee is € 675, a limited number of full and partial scholarships are available. Application form can be found on the Summer School’s website.

Organisers
The course is organised by platform for Latvian creative industries FOLD in collaboration with Riga Technical University Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning. RTU International
Summer School is supported by State Education Development Agency and Cesis Local Municipality.

Online resources
More information and application for the Summer School:
http://www.rtusummerschool.lv/
Facebook page of the Summer School: http://www.facebook.com/rtu.summer.school
Video of the 2013 Summer School «Local Shift»: http://vimeo.com/73863128
Installation «Story Tower» published on «Dezeen»: http://ej.uz/dezeen2013
Installation «Story Tower» published on «Frame»: http://ej.uz/frame2013

Additional information and questions
Programme director of the Summer School Evelina Ozola getwell@fold.lv +371 29287899

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