VERMONT, USA, Oct Nov 2008
ADS3 LIVE PROJECT Royal College of Art

PUBLICATIONS
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Royal College of Art's Studio 3 design outdoor camp shower in Vermont,
Building Design Magazine, London UK,
13 Feb 2009
The Camp Destiny shower Follie was a live project in Chester, Vermont, USA. The project was part of a MA Architecture study trip of 10 Royal College of Art students in 2008 organised by Chris Procter. It was a short warm up design project and study trip introducing the theme of RCA design studio 3 run by Dr Fernando Rihl. It was organised with an October three week intense group design that liaised with the client community for approval. In November the 10 students and 2 tutors travelled to Vermont USA for a 3 day build of the primary structure with technical support from 5 builders from the client community. The two week study trip researched timber with visits to local timber houses, timber frame construction company Bensonwood, preserved 1700's village Deerfield, and Hancock Shaker village, with accommodation at Rudyard Kipling's house Nalaukha, a Victorian painted timber house, and with final stay in a Boston loft. Other visits included MassMOCA and architecture of Boston
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The theme for ADS 3 that year was TRIBES working on the hypothesis that we are all segregated within our own tribal micro-groups. The study trip interacted with a specific community to design and build a permanent timber structure on their land for summer camping. The structure was later clad and shower facilities were installed. The structure is still in use since 2009.
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Live projects bring real constraints and clients into academic study. This live project enhanced the Vermont study trip with something permanent, beyond research that was small enough to not only be designed by students but built by them. The concept was then later developed as part of the curriculum of the first year MA RCA under Alex de Rijke, where Dr Fernando Rihl was the LIVE project coordinator for three consecutive years 2013-2016. Live projects developed by Fernando were Helix, Wembley Windows and Pipe Up.