Vienna Trip

Day 1: 
Our trip to Vienna started out with a tour of the Vienna City Center. We started our day walking down Vienna's main pedestrian street. It was on this street that we got to see David Chipperfield Architect's department store along with a postmodern building by Hans Hollein. Making our way down the street we stopped at Stephansplatz to see St. Steven's Cathedral, a beautiful Gothic Cathedral. We continued our day by visiting Adolf Loos' house on Michaeler Platz and then on to the Hofburg palace complex where we stopped at the Palmenhaus to get our first taste of Austrian food as well as spend some time in the Schmetterling House (butterfly house). After lunch we spent time in two of the art museums in the city center.  After warming up in the art museums we went to the Danube Canal and saw Jean Nouvel's Design Tower PS1 and the Shipping Pier. We ended our long day with attending a contemporary dance at Vienna's Opera House. Although we had seats with very limited views it was a wonderful evening that ended in the worlds best chocolate cake and wine!

Day 2: 
On our second day in Vienna we had a guided tour of multiple housing complexes throughout Vienna. Aside from seeing all different types of housing complexes we also found various playgrounds in Vienna and had a blast playing on all of them. After a long morning we visited the Sezession building by Joseph Olbrich and got to see the paintings by Gustav Klimt. After, we made our way to St Charles's Church where not only did we get to climb scaffolding to the top of the dome but we also got the rare pleasure of meeting Marina's brother, sister-in-law and two twin nieces. To end our day we made our way over to Otto Wagner's famous Metro Pavilion. 

Day 2 and 3:
On the third day in Vienna we continued to see housing complexes. We started at the Gasometer. Four gas tanks that have been converted into commercial spaces and housing complexes. Each converted gas tank was completed by a different architect. After the Gasometer we went to the Karl-Marx-Hof housing complex and then to see a passive housing complex with a wonderful rooftop view of Vienna. We also got to see the outside of one of Zaha Hadid's housing complexes. After finishing our housing tour we all got the afternoon off to experience Vienna on our own. Some of the group went on to see the Belvedere Museum and other various art museums while others explored the city on foot. On our final day in Vienna we explored Schonbrunn Palace. We took an audio tour of the imperial apartments and then explored the vast gardens. 

Our trip to Vienna, though very tiring, was filled with inspiring architecture, playgrounds and great experiences. Aside from the frigid temperatures and wind, Vienna ended up being, for most of us, our favorite city.  
Posted by Ladas Joanna + Rickert Anna

VIENNA TRIP PROGRAM

Northern Italy (Part One)

The first stop on our Northern Italy trip was in Firenze (Florence).  After arriving and dropping off our luggage, we headed straight to Santa Maria Novella by Alberti to sketch.  As the day continued, we studied a sequence of urban spaces in Piazza della Signoria. Later, we climbed all the way to the top of the dome, all 463 steps, on Santa Maria del Fiore by Brunelleschi. The last part of our day was a viewing of the Uffizi Gallery near the Arno River and Ponte Vecchio. 

 

The next day in Florence we tried to sketch in Michelangelo's new sacristy in San Lorenzo, but we got kicked out after a half hour.  We then went to sketch perspectives in the nave of San Lorenzo by Brunelleschi.  After a nice warm lunch, we were able to walk through the Laurentian Library and staircase by Michelangelo.  Then we walked to the Galleria dell'Academia to see the very famous David statue by Michelangelo. We also had the chance to see some of his unfinished sculptures intended for Pope Julius II's tomb which is in San Pietro in Vincoli, the site of our studio project in Rome. We spent the rest of the afternoon shopping in the leather markets and then finished the day with a group dinner at a Florentine Steakhouse.

On the third day of our trip, we took a train to Como near the border of Switzerland. Como is a beautiful town of about 80,000 residents. During our time there we studied three projects by Giuseppe Terragni: Casa del Fascio, Casa Giuliani-Frigerio, and Palazzo Novocomum. We were able to keep warm sketching Casa del Fascio from a cafe over some hot tea. Later, we spent a good amount of time photographing the beautiful lake and hills. Some of the students were even able to attend Sunday mass at the Cathedral in town.

 

On the fourth day we all boarded a bus to travel across the Swiss border to a small town called Vals. Our only stop this day was the Therme Vals by Peter Zumthor. We spent four hours bathing like the ancients in the magnificent Swiss alps. Zumthor drew inspiration from the mountains surrounding the site. He used stone from a local quarry to create this structure that emerges from the hill-side. On the interior, Zumthor carefully modeled the circulation to lead bathers to certain predetermined points but allows some independent exploration. Every perspective is controlled and the windows serve as a frame of the incredible views of the alps. It was the perfect relaxing day we all needed after a very tiring three days of travel.  

Rebecca Murray and Ryan Lyssy

Northern Italy (Part 2)

The fifth day of our trip to northern Italy landed us in the town of Vicenza. The town is dominated by the works of Andrea Palladio. Perhaps the most notable being Villa Capra. Palladio is well known and respected due to his contributions to High Renaissance Architecture. His knowledge and strict use of proportioning is evident in most all his projects. He is an extremely influential figure in architecture and influenced many of today's best architects. We also visited got to visit his Teatro Olimpico where we were fortunate enough to enjoy a light show with some music (very cool).

The following day we boarded a train and headed west to the town of Verona. We made a quick visit to the Arena di Verona before heading out to see the works of Italian born Carlo Scarpa. The first was his project for the Banca Popolare di Verona. We then spent the rest of the afternoon at the Castel Vecchio where we sketched our favorite "Scarpesian" details. The building is a medieval castle turned art museum by Scarpa. It is intriguing to see how he implanted his architecture around an existing structure while still being very respectful of the existing structure.

The last (and in my opinion) most beautiful stop on our Northern Italy trip took us to the city of Venice (Venezia). Upon leaving the train station we were greeted by the grand canal as well as a light rain leaving a very eerie but potent image of this amazing city. As we snaked our way up and over canals and through extremely narrow alleys we finally arrived at our hotel. The next morning we started the day by taking the "aqua metro" to the Doge's Palace and the Basilica San Marco on the other side of the city. We later went to check out another Scarpa project right off of Piazza San Marco. Perhaps the most intriguing element of the building was the mini-reflection pool and "shifting" staircase. The final day we went to see two of Palladios churches in Venice, San Giorgio Maggiore, and Il Redentore. We also saw another Scarpa project, Fondazione Querini Stampalia. There was exquisite detailing everywhere, notably in an outdoor courtyard. The perfect end to a perfect trip.

Nicholas Darin and Chris Derks

The Tempietto, Palazzos, and More!

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Our sketching assignment on Tuesday was of the Tempietto in Montorio.  On a hill overlooking the city, San Pietro in Montorio includes the Tempietto designed by Bramante.  Though debated, this is the supposed site of St. Peter’s crucifixion. While there, we also visited the Spanish Embassy to see a special Rodin exhibit that included many charcoal sketches and drawings. 

 

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On Wednesday, we explored Renaissance Rome with focus on the birth of the palazzo.  Paolo Alei was our guest instructor and took us on a walking tour of Renaissance Rome starting at Palazzo Venezia and continuing on to the Campidoglio, Palazzo Massimo,  Palazzo della Cancelleria, and Palazzo Farnese.

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The following weekend allowed the students to take in parts of Rome on their own.  Some places visited included the Castel Sant’Angelo and Capitoline Museum.

By: Elizabeth Bezilla and Emily O'Loughlin
     with some photo credits to Maura Rossi and Brandon Perez