Marking The Forest

Calling all conscientious architect students! Fancy a well earned break amidst the beauty of the Oregon forest? Come join Architectural Association Visiting School, Marking the Forest, this summer. The AA Visiting School / Eugene will explore the inner workings of the forest, investigating the biodiversity of the woodland and the commodification of the tree. We will skim the surface of the politics of the forest and conceptualize this information into a design which will then be realised in the forest. Interested? Read on… Oregon has nearly 30 million acres of forestland covering nearly half the state. The forest, thick with meaning, holds as many interpretations as contemplators. For some it is a natural refuge, a place to get away from civilization, a habitat for wildlife and endangered species, even a place of protest. It conjures images of living off the land and of the noble savage. If treated badly it represents man’s disregard for nature, ignorance of our effect and skewed priorities. For others it represents an important resource and export, a source of income, a versatile crop that provides material for building our homes and products that make our lives easier. The forest is all of these things as well as an absorber of carbon dioxide and off-setter of our polluting activities; it is a barometer of the planet’s health. Marking the Forest is a Visiting School through the Architectural Association School of Architecture which will run from the 11th to the 20th of August 2012 with the support of the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon, U.S.A. The Visiting School is an opportunity to experience the methodology and ideas developed at the Architectural Association in a short and intense full time studio for eight days with tutors from the AA within the context of the Oregon forest. Please visit our facebook page for more info or our website: http://eugene.aaschool.ac.uk/