The ICAA Regional Intensive in Classical Architecture: San Antonio

The Intensive is an eight-day immersion in the ICAA’s core curriculum. The program is designed for professionals and students with limited time who seek a methodical introduction to the language of classical architecture. Participants learn how to draw, identify, and compose with the classical elements to form an understanding of the basic tenets on which the classical tradition is founded.

Topics include: The classical elements and composition, proportion, architectural representation through drawing and rendering, the study of precedent, and the literature of classical architecture.

The week culminates in a studio project in which students use the classical canon in the design of a small building. Students are guided through a design process rooted in the Beaux-Arts system in which an initial parti is developed during an esquisse and a charrette into a finished design proposal. The program concludes with a review by an esteemed panel of architects.

The Intensive program satisfies the core subject requirements for the ICAA’s Certificate in Classical Architecture.

Please note that in addition to the programming offered August 3 – 10, there will be an optional Hand Drafting session held on Saturday, August 2. If you are interested in attending, please email education@classicist.org when you sign up for the Intensive program.

Schedule

The San Antonio Intensive program schedule will be available closer to August. As a reference for what to expect, you can view the schedule from the 2025 New York Intensive program here; please note that the Intensive schedule changes with every iteration and therefore the instructors, topics, and time allotted for each content area are subject to change for this version.

Accommodation Options

The ICAA has a room block at the historic Menger Hotel, where the program will be taking place. If you have signed up for the program and are interested in more information about staying at the hotel, please email us at education@classicist.org.

Learning Objectives

• Gain practice in the classical language by designing plans, sections, and elevations using hand drafting skills.
• Gain an introduction to the Beaux-Arts method of design—a process that may be applied to all aspects and scales of design work.
• Design a final project incorporating a columnar type, integrating the design skills learned.
• Understand various drawing techniques including design sketches, hand-drafted drawings, architectural watercolor rendering, and simple presentation techniques appropriate to a short design program.