Education

The Prince’s Foundation Summer School

The Summer School enables participants to develop their knowledge of traditional architecture, design, building and repair techniques and how these can be applied in the 21st century.

Week one of the programme begins in London where you will take part in drawing classes, geometry and structure exercises as well as architectural tours and the study of architectural development and history. In week two, at Dumfries House Estate, you will work together with expert craft teams to learn craft and conservation skills in the fields of timber, thatching, stonemasonry, lime plastering and pargeting. The programme ends with a week-long design workshop, where you will form groups and create a design proposal for a live project, involving public consultations, design modelling and technical drawing. A panel of stakeholders will choose the winning design, which will be built by participants on one of our building craft training programmes.

Start Date

The Prince's Foundation Summer School 2024 is closed to external candidates.

Location

The Prince’s Foundation headquarters, Dumfries House, Scotland.

Fees

£4,125 Fully inclusive, including tuition, materials, accommodation, and food. Travel to and from the Summer School is not covered.

Qualifications needed

There are no entry requirements for this course and anyone is welcome to apply.

Ideal candidates

The programme will particularly benefit architects, developers, builders, craftspeople and students who are interested in building crafts and architecture, and how these factors respond to the local identity of historic contexts in a timeless and ecological way.

What should I bring?

All materials are included in the fee, so you only need to pack the essentials to help your stay away from home go smoothly.

What will I achieve?

You will learn skills including

• Stonemasonry
• Carpentry
• Thatching
• Lime plastering
• Pargeting
• Timber framing
• Design and build
• Public consultation
• Technical drawing

What happens if I don’t complete the course?

We highly recommend the three-week Summer School is completed in full. However, if you are unable to attend for the duration or are interested in a particular week’s curriculum, please do get in touch.

Watch students in action on week two of the Foundation Summer School.