Architecture & Design

The main goal of the Summer Program on Architecture is to cover a wide range of profession-related subjects normally not studied at schools of architecture or at least not studied practically; something that will be essential to the students in the real world.

Initially, a young architect’s work is performed under the leadership of senior architects. As junior architects progress in their careers, they become the leaders on various projects themselves. ECCEDU Programs are oriented towards preparing students for their future careers and to become the new leaders in their field. The ECCEDU Architecture & Design, program is designed to fulfill this purpose as best as possible, by incorporating elements from land development, real estate, and construction. The three components of the curriculum (i.e. the lectures, the internship, and the design assignment) will give students more confidence in their work and a much better understanding of the business world of architecture, design, planning, real estate, land development, and construction.

Part I - Lectures

The lectures take place over a period of 3 weeks.

The lectures are typically taught in classrooms, but we will instead go outside where the city itself becomes the classroom. The lectures follow a business-oriented curriculum and revolve around career-oriented topics such as the architectural design of commercial buildings from a business perspective, the planning, and management of cities growth, working with clients, leadership or cooperation between architects, land developers, and real estate consultants. We will touch on land development processes and discuss how various market trends impact the design and development process.

On several occasions, we will leave the classroom and visit historical or modern architectural sites and a project under construction. We will make several excursions out of Prague, specifically to Dresden and Kutna Hora.

Courses are taught by leading local and international architects and planners, professionals in land development, IT specialists, and representatives from real estate firms. We select lecturers with real experience in order to make sure that they can give students a true impression of their field.

After the three weeks of lectures, students will take part in internships in prominent local and international architectural and development firms based in Prague or neighboring countries. Students will have an opportunity to apply and improve the knowledge gained during the lectures.

Part III – Design Assignment (5 weeks)

Students will also have a design assignment to work on over the duration of the program. It will be assigned on the first day of lectures and will be related to the curriculum of the year. The design project will be led by two senior practicing Czech architects with extensive design and teaching experience. Other architects, selected developers and real estate consultants will be invited to participate as critics during the presentations.

Here are some of the lecturers for the Architecture & Design program and their lectures:

• Barbora Markechova (Director at Ian Bogle Architects, London, Prague, Hong Kong; Designing Green Buildings)
• Milica Vujošević (Ing. Arch., PhD, architect and urban designer at CASUA Architects, Sustainability and Energy Saving)
• Sean Clifton (RIBA, Architect, Director at Prague office of Jestico+Whiles; Hotel and Residential Design for Commercial Success)
• Filip Pokorny (Ing. Arch, Ph.D., Director at Chapman Taylor Architects, Prague: Mall Design in the Time of Online Shopping)
• Michal Kovářík (Ing. Arch, Czech Technical University: Digital Fabrication & Robotics, New Paradigm in Architecture)
• Tu Nguyen (B.Sc., Valuer at Cushman&Wakefield: Valuations, to what extent can Valuations influence value of RE)
• David Friday (MBA, Journalist; Dictionary: Business of Architecture, Land Development and Real Estate)
• Jan Holna (Ing. Arch., CEO & Partner at DAM architekti; Design Assignment Leader Architect) 
• Colin Glover (Chartered Sruveyor; Managing Director of Construction Company SIS; Construction Site Visit) 
• Dávid Fogad (Executive Manager at Fond Českého Bydlení SICAV (Fund of Czech Living), Presentation skills & Public speaking)

More information about our lecturers are available via the following link:

• Learn more about lecturers for the Architecture & Design branch

ECCEDU internships offer a unique chance to acquire beneficial work experience and interact with some of the best architecture and development companies in Prague and abroad. 4 weeks of internship at a local architecture or real estate development company. The students will be matched with architecture studios based on their experience and skills and the studios demands. Several offices available for internships will be in other European countries.

Internships are always under the close supervision and guidance of senior company representatives, who look after students, coach them and help them grow - for this reason, each company doesn’t take on more than 1 or 2 of our students.

During their internships, students get assigned personalized tasks, designed to fit their personal and professional interests. Their internship work also typically includes office-based work related to the practice of architecture and design, such as research, working with various software programs, attending meetings, or visiting construction sites.

Students can choose internships in several international ECCEDU partners located mostly in Prague, but also in other European cities; internship opportunities range from the largest international companies to smaller firms with a focused area of expertise. In the past, these have included Jestico + Whiles Architects, Chapman Taylor Architects, Aukett Swanke, Ian Bryan Architects, DAM.architekti, and AED Project, among others.

Please, visit the following website to learn more about ECCEDU partners:

• ECCEDU Architecture & Design partners

Traditionally, our Global Career Summer Programs open with a welcome gala evening for ECCEDU students.

This event provides an opportunity to meet the inspiring people who contribute to the ECCEDU community and meet other ECCEDU students from the International Business, Law, Architecture & Design and IT programs. In 2021, our Grand Reception will take place in mid-July.

The Grand Reception also serves to gather top-level representatives from Czech and foreign companies, politicians, diplomats, and academics.

Please, visit the following website to learn more about ECCEDU Grand Reception:

• ECCEDU Grand Reception

ECCEDU provides its attendees with a Graduation Certificate. Following the end of the lecture sessions, we hold an informal certificate awarding ceremony.

ECCEDU partner companies will also be issuing reference letters for their students upon successful completion of the internship.