It is said that travel broadens the mind, and beginning in 2017 the American Institute of Architects (AIA) is offering a new global travel program specifically focused on broadening the architectural mind.
Architectural Adventures, as the program has been dubbed, will offer small-group trips tailored for the discovery and appreciation of architecture. Every Architectural Adventures tour will feature subject-matter experts, hand-picked by the AIA, to guide travelers and enliven their awareness of the world’s architecture. The tour guides will offer an up-close view of not just the iconic landmarks and buildings in the various cities, but also an explanation of how the historical, political and cultural events helped shape the cityscapes.
Architectural Adventures provides individuals with the opportunity to participate in special excursions, gain exclusive behind-the-scenes access, and get insider knowledge to popular sights as well as lesser-known, yet equally fascinating architecture.
2017 destinations and highlights are listed below:
- Havana: In March, set forth on a six-day immersion in the Cuban capital that spans from Old Havana and the 16th century stone fort that guards Havana Bay to the city’s early twentieth-century Art Deco wonders and its most prominent contemporary projects.
- Barcelona: In March, discover Antoni Gaudí’s Modernist marvels and see the city’s medieval Gothic Quarter.
- Chicago: In April, explore the varied works of Frank Lloyd Wright and see why Chicago is known as the first city of American architecture.
- Lisbon to London: In April, cruise Europe’s Atlantic coast, stopping to see its most spectacular sites and structures, like the Frank Gehry-designed Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain and France’s Mont Saint-Michel.
- Northern Italy: In May, immerse yourself in the Renaissance world of Andrea Palladio and visit Venice for an exclusive tour of St. Mark’s Basilica.
- Cities of the Baltic Sea: In June, sail from Copenhagen to Gdansk to Tallinn to St. Petersburg to Helsinki to Stockholm, stopping to see the Baltic’s grandest designs.
- Along the Danube: In June, experience Central Europe’s signature cities, including Prague, Vienna, Bratislava, and Budapest.
- London: In July, wander London’s charming back streets and towering triumphs like Westminster Abbey and St. Paul’s Cathedral.
- Portugal and Northern Spain: In October, take an epic 17-day journey from Lisbon to Barcelona by way of the seminal cities of the Spanish Pyrenees.
- China: In October, spend two weeks exploring Chinese culture and design in Beijing, Pingyao, Hangzhou, and Shanghai.
Accommodations, most meals, tour transportation, and logistical details of the trip are included in the tours. For more details on booking availabilities and new trip announcements visit architecturaladventures.org.
Related Stories
| Oct 28, 2014
Miami accepts more modest plan to renovate its convention center
The city of Miami has awarded an $11 million contract for its on-again, off-again convention center renovation to Denver-based Fentress Architects, which will serve as the design criteria professional on this project.
| Oct 28, 2014
Kean University creates Michael Graves School of Architecture
Winner of the AIA Gold Medal, the National Medal of the Arts, the Topaz Medallion and the Driehaus Prize for Architecture, Graves is best known for his contemporary building designs and prominent public commissions.
| Oct 27, 2014
Davis, Calif., latest city to join race to develop 'innovation hubs'
The city plans to develop two "innovation centers" with a total of seven million sf of commercial space geared for local research and technology companies.
| Oct 27, 2014
Report estimates 1.2 million people experience LEED-certified retail centers daily
The "LEED In Motion: Retail" report includes USGBC’s conceptualization of the future of retail, emphasizing the economic and social benefit of green building for retailers of all sizes and types.
| Oct 27, 2014
Top 10 green building products for 2015
Among the breakthrough products to make BuildingGreen's annual Top-10 Green Building Products list are halogen-free polyiso insulation and a high-flow-rate biofiltration system.
| Oct 27, 2014
Studio Gang Architects designs residential tower with exoskeleton-like exterior for Miami
Jeanne Gang's design reinvents the Florida room with shaded, asymmetrical balconies.
| Oct 26, 2014
New York initiates design competition for upgrading LaGuardia, Kennedy airports
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that the state would open design competitions to fix and upgrade New York City’s aging airports. But financing construction is still unsettled.
| Oct 26, 2014
Study asks: Do green schools improve student performance?
A study by DLR Group and Colorado State University attempts to quantify the student performance benefits of green schools.
Sponsored | | Oct 24, 2014
Infographic: 5 key considerations for securing modular workspace
Keep these five considerations in mind for your next project that may benefit from modular space. SPONSORED CONTENT
| Oct 24, 2014
Herzog & de Meuron reveals plans for redesign of Roche pharmaceutical campus in Germany
The project includes the addition of a 205-meter-high tower and research center, as well as the renovation of an historic office building designed by Swiss architect Otto R. Salvisber.