This four-week course (Greek Island Architecture, Culture, and Identity) is a voyage into the life and architecture of four Cycladic islands aiming to offer students an opportunity to consider questions of dwelling, belonging, and identity through an investigation of their practices of making sustainable architecture. The overarching aim of this course is to explore the meaning of unique island spaces: the private, the public, and the communal. We aim to understand what “dwelling” really means when it is fully engaged with the environment, histories and local practices.

The course “Greek Island Architecture, Culture and Identity” will take place on four different islands, each revealing a unique history and tradition. We will spend five days on each island sketching, observing, writing, interviewing, studying, and exploring what everyday life is like in these communities. The final seven days will be spent on Tinos where students will be invited to work collectively and suggest solutions to the various challenges they observed. The course will conclude with a two-day forum on these matters, a forum joined by artists, researchers and architects.