Summer School 2022
Summer School 2022
Theory and Practice of
Social & Sustainable Architecture
The long-awaited Summer School is back!
Join us for a transformative two-week workshop experience and you’ll learn:
- Hands-on sustainable construction skills
- Designing a project with a social purpose
- Participatory design methods and application
- Sustainability practices and philosophy integrated into the core of the program
The Critical Concrete Summer School will be held in Fão, to the north of Porto, Portugal.
The practical result of the project is the rejuvenation of public space by implementing sustainable outdoor furniture that is suited for the local context.
Duration: 16th – 26th August
Timetable: Workshop hours between 10am – 6pm, evening activities from 6:30pm
Methods: On-site wood processing and carpentry, construction of tyre foundations, participatory design, tool and working site safety
Location: Largo da Abarrosa, Fão
Language: English
Contact: ssa@criticalconcrete.com
Building truly sustainable public spaces
Critical Concrete promotes new mechanisms to rehabilitate social housing, improve public and cultural spaces shared by low-income communities. We also question the political meaning of sustainability in architecture, which has ambiguous connotations. We follow our own understanding of sustainable architecture as: long lasting and easily repairable structures, made of locally sourced materials and upcycled waste.
Building truly sustainable public spaces
Critical Concrete promotes new mechanisms to rehabilitate social housing, improve public and cultural spaces shared by low-income communities. We also question the political meaning of sustainability in architecture, which has ambiguous connotations. We follow our own understanding of sustainable architecture as: long lasting and easily repairable structures, made of locally sourced materials and upcycled waste.
Building truly sustainable public spaces
Critical Concrete promotes new mechanisms to rehabilitate social housing, improve public and cultural spaces shared by low-income communities. We also question the political meaning of sustainability in architecture, which has ambiguous connotations. We follow our own understanding of sustainable architecture as: long lasting and easily repairable structures, made of locally sourced materials and upcycled waste.
Public space interventions are all too often temporary; involving lots of materials that last for a season before being trashed. Critical Concrete is challenging this by proposing structures in public spaces that are strong, durable, sustainable, and transformative.
This summer school aims to establish the missing link in architectural education between the designer, materials, and the community.
This is your opportunity to gain valuable hands-on experience by thinking through making, in the design/build tradition, while networking with other like-minded people and exchanging their skills and knowledge.
Theoretical input for the summer school comes in two forms – on-site instructions and remote online learning. To kick off the program a day of co-design with the community and participants will set the direction of interventions. This will be followed by discussions, debates and workshops on selected afternoons.
Additionally, each participant will receive a voucher for one interactive online course, hosted on our platform, Criti.co. We recommend ‘Insurgent Urbanism: From Activism to Public Policies’ or ‘Ethnography for Local Engagement’.
summer school aims
- Design a structures that meet the needs of local residents in this social neighbourhood – We aim to activate this space by providing meaningful, useful structures.
- Development of high-quality furniture and other interventions with a small budget and restricted time.
- Welcome a team of enthusiastic, inspiring individuals looking to get hands-on and delve into discussions of sustainability, conscious living, participatory design, and more.
- Provide project and site management experience and team-working including different types of leadership skills
- Offer the students a supportive network for their future project and their promotion, opening new professional perspectives.
learning outcomes
- Co-design with participants and the community the arrangement and function of structures
- Process wood from trunk to board, learning how to minimise wastage with non parallel cuts
- Construct tyre foundations – made with recycled tyres – that will last forever
- On-site carpentry for timber structures using both power tools and hand tools
- Natural methods of wood protection
- Tool and site safety – How to operate power tools in the correct way that is safe for you and the people around you
who is the summer school for?
The workshop is open to students, graduates and young professionals. Whilst participants might study or work in Architecture, Design, Landscape, Planning and Engineering we are open to all backgrounds. Students from abroad are welcome, the official language of the activities English.
Sustainability on site
Sustainability is at the heart of all of the activities of Critical Concrete. We strive to be conscious and critical about our activities and their impact. We have a preference for re-using materials where possible, prioritising natural materials that are responsibly sourced and minimising construction waste.
Another big way that we strive for sustainability is through conscious eating. Critical Concrete is a vegan organisation which means that at our production centre and on our projects we don’t consume animal products. We kindly ask that you respect this when you join our team for a workshop. We are always happy to talk about this and the ways in which we can live as sustainably as possible.
price
Payment option 1 | Payment option 2 | |
Early bird | 760€- One instalment with a 5% discount | 780€ Two instalments with 2.5% discount. Deposit: 180€ Remainder until August 15th: 600€ |
Regular | 780€- One instalment with a 2.5% discount | 800€ in two instalments, no discount. Deposit: 200€ Remainder until August 15th: 600€ |
What is included?
- All construction materials and tools
- Detailed instruction and guidance from mentors
- Delicious nutritious daily vegan lunch on site
- Voucher for 1 Criti.co course
What is not included
- Transportation to and from the site
- Accommodation for the duration of the workshop
Payment details
Payment can be made via Bank Transfer, PayPal or MBWay. Details of these payment methods will be sent following your successful registration.
What accommodation options are there?
We are in the process of securing a dormitory for the duration of the workshop a short distance from the site. More details to follow.
Alternatively there are a range of accommodation options in Fão and the neighbouring towns:
Hostel in Esposende:
https://innesposende.com/en/sports-hostel/
Another hostel in Esposende:
Guest house 5 capacity:
https://bestvillas.pt/en/park-ofir-2/
Guest house 5-10 capacity:
Campsite:
https://www.cccbarcelos.com/?pg=19&lng=pt
Youth Hostel:
https://www.pousadasjuventude.pt/pt/pousadas/pousada-de-ofir/
Hostel:
https://www.spot-hostel-ofir.com/
Apartments:
What can you do in your free time?
Being based around Fão, the whole of Northern Portugal is available for you to explore in your downtime. Fão itself is a coastal town boasting beautiful beaches and river side nature reserves. Just over the river is the historic town of Esposende that comes alive during the summer months. There are surf schools nearby and kayak lessons available along the Cávado River.
Accessible by bus are Braga, Guimarães or Barcelos, beautiful historic cities with a range of activities.
What insurance do you need?
All participants are required to provide their own health insurance for the duration of the workshop. We will ask for confirmation of this ahead of the summer school.
What equipment do you need?
In order to guarantee a safe environment for everybody, we ask you to bring your own safety and work equipment:
- Security shoes (level S1 or more)
- Ear plugs/ ear protection against noise
- 2 pairs of standard working gloves
- Protective glasses - (model würth)
- Some pairs of long pants (which can get dirty)
- Protective mask (rz mask or anti-pollution mask for bicycle)
- Refillable water bottle
