Join us for student-led building tours and fabrication demonstrations to learn about a unique architecture program where students have been designing and building their own learning environment for thirty years.

Registrants can choose between two repeat sessions*: Friday, July 8, 1:30-4:30pm or Friday, August 12, 1:30-4:30pm. Maximum 20 attendees each session.

*This registration is Session II: Friday, August 12, 1:30-4:30pm.

Organized by:

Washington Alexandria Architecture Center (WAAC), Virginia Tech—Situated in Old Town Alexandria, the WAAC is VT’s urban satellite campus for Architecture & Urban Design.

Presented by:

Ryan Pieper—Ryan has a MFA, 3D Design, Cranbrook Academy of Art. He teaches Design Build and Product Making, oversees the WAAC workshop, and practices independently. His work has been exhibited in a variety of venues, such as Salone del Mobile (Milano), Detroit Design Week (Detroit), and Design Within Reach (D.C.).

Susan Piedmont-Palladino—Susan is an architect, professor of architecture and Director of Virginia Tech’s Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center. She is also a consulting curator at the National Building Museum, and author of several books, most recently “How Drawings Work: A User-Friendly Theory,” published in 2019.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the process of learning-by-doing in the education of architects
• Identify the materials and techniques of interventions in the design/build projects found throughout the building
• Explore a selection of fabrication processes themselves through hands-on activities
• Discuss the impacts of design-thinking and making on a learning environment