FestivaL’and 

FestivaL’and is an immersive summer course that takes learning beyond the confines of the classroom. Building upon the success of the previous four editions, this program offers a unique opportunity to explore the world of design, construction, and public spaces. 

Participants have the opportunity to experience a design-build course that goes beyond traditional classroom learning and delves into the practical realm of design and construction for city users of all generations. 
The summer school aims to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application. Participants will work alongside experienced design professionals to generate innovative ideas and develop design skills. The focus is on constructing a spatial framework for an audiovisual adventure at the theater festival center, exploring new approaches to communication. 

FestivaL’and is open to both local and international participants. We encourage students from creative industries, including architecture, arts, media, and engineering, to join us for this transformative experience. Proficiency in English is required, and participants must be at least 18 years old. 

Upon completion of the program, participants will receive a certificate of participation and earn 3 ECTS credits. 

For more information and updates about the next edition of FestivaL’and, please stay tuned to our official channels and website. https://festivaland.org/ 

We look forward to welcoming you to Valmiera, Latvia, for an inspiring and immersive summer school experience. 

The YEAR 2021

Summer School on the Ephemeral Architecture and Urban Design “FestivaL’and 4.0” – "TEMPORARY MUSEUM OF INCIDENCES THROUGH THE EYES OF ANOTHER"
Dates: July 28 – Aug 6, 2021
Duration: 10 days
Location: Valmiera city, Latvia / indoors and outdoors*
Languages of instruction: Latvian and English

Students of architecture, urban design, and related disciplines were invited to RISEBA University summer school on ephemeral architecture and urban design also in 2021. “FestivaL’and 4.0” took place for the fourth time in Valmiera (Latvia) as continuing cooperation between the RISEBA Faculty of Architecture and Design and the Valmiera Summer Theatre festival. "FestivaL'and" is a DesignBuild summer course to go beyond academic knowledge – we get out of the classroom into the physical world of design and construction for city users of all generations, theatre festival guests, and locals of Valmiera. The participants led by design professionals generate ideas, design, and learn crafts of timber construction to create and build an instant spatial framework for audiovisual adventure at the theater festival center – the old Boilerhouse on 25, Rigas Street.

The summer school was led by the international and local team of designers and invited professionals: architect and printmaker MALGORZATA (Gosia) MARIA OLCHOWSKA, architect and carpenter YORK BING OH (both based in Belgium), architect DINA SUHANOVA, guest lecturers –architect, dean and lecturer at FAD – RUDOLFS DAINIS SMITS, architects based between the UK and Estonia – LAURA LINSI and ROLAND REEMAA, and AIGARS LAUZIS – the Founder, CEO & Designer at ZELTINI / Z-Triton.

Participants of the summer school receive 3 ECTS and a certificate confirming their participation.

After completion of the course participants receive a certificate and 3 ECTS. More about the summer school in English HERE.
There were 10 Latvian State scholarships awarded for foreign participants (State Education Development Agency). Financial support: Valmiera City council.

The YEAR 2020

Summer School on the Ephemeral Architecture and Urban Design “FestivaL’and 3.0”
Dates: July 30 – Aug 7, 2020
Duration: 9 days
Location: Valmiera city, Latvia / indoors and outdoors
Type of summer course: daytime for Valmiera residents / with overnight accommodation for others
Participants must be at least 18 years old
The number of participants: approx. 10

Summer School on the Ephemeral Architecture and Urban Design “FestivaL’and 3.0” in 2020 will take place from July 30 to Aug 7 in Valmiera. The summer school is organized as a cooperation between the RISEBA Faculty of Architecture and Design and Valmiera Summer Theatre festival (VVTF). This year due to the global pandemic and measures to limit the spread of COVID-19, both VVTF and the summer school are in a different situation, challenged to think about how to respond to the constraints imposed, while seeing those as an opportunity for the new form, unprecedented tasks, and intellectual provocations. The task of the summer school by developing physical prototypes of the new socialization structures is to create an environment for a visual and audial experience, the opportunity for people to be together in a safe way, meet from a safe distance, and envision a temporary change in the city's public space.

The YEAR 2019

Summer School on the Ephemeral Architecture and Urban Design “FestivaL’and 2.0”
Dates: July 25 – Aug 2, 2019
Duration: 9 days
Location: Valmiera city, Latvia

The summer school is organized as a cooperation between RISEBA Faculty of Architecture and Design and Valmiera Summer Theatre festival (VVTF) The VVTF has so far three years of experience in discovering the city spaces for theatre performance. By joining the forces with RISEBA University of Applied Sciences the plans to generate more ambitious ideas and construct the festival village in the center of Valmiera has resulted in the cooperation to organize the summer school already for a second year. The summer school is devoted to the idea of contemporary ephemeral architecture and urban design elements as catalysts for important shifts in the urban environment.

Concept of 2019 – Playful and living city. Social diversity and inclusivity are fundamental aspects of any thriving city. Architecture and urban design play key roles in nurturing these characteristics. The majority of urban spaces, however, are built on somewhat pragmatic principles and outdated understanding of social structures and therefore often fail to efficiently address the needs of today’s cities and their inhabitants.

Playful city sets out to seek new directions for shaping future social spaces, focusing on children within the city and ways in which different age groups could mutually benefit from the interaction. A traditional urban space would consist of one part that is dedicated to adults and a fenced-off area with a swing and a slide for children – a playground. The playful city would be a different environment that encourages any person to engage in playful behavior. The traditional model gives clear signals that, for example, a 'grown-up' should sit there, and a kid should slide there. In contrast, the Playful city allows anyone to freely find their own meanings and uses for the setting, and take an active part in forming the social space of the city.
Anyone taking a closer look at the behavior of children would soon come to the conclusion that it is not the brightly colored standardized equipment of a playground that the kids crave. It is first and foremost the freedom to act, to be in an environment that they are allowed to engage independently and have permission to explore on their own terms. Any space that occasionally can fit this description (for example a garden, a large atrium, an exhibition space, or an abandoned industrial area) will spark the playful behavior. Can we, as architects and designers, create an environment that respects children in the same way as any other member of the society, without creating fixed action patterns? Can we create an environment that encourages playfulness in adults and allow new, more varied, and efficient use of public space? In the occasion of Valmiera Summer Theatre festival, which is dedicated to children and families in 2019, the participants of the summer school were invited to imagine and build a festival’s center – a public space for all ages that stimulates interaction and creativity. A testing ground for the ideas of Playful city.

The summer school was led by the international and local team of designers and invited professionals: architect Kārlis Melzobs (LV), set designer and carpenter Rudolf Bekic (LV/AT), theatre director and set designer Reinis Suhanovs (LV), architect Dina Suhanova (LV). Participants of the summer school receive 3 ECTS and a certificate confirming their participation.

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The international architecture student workshop "Wooden architecture heritage of Aizpute" will be held from May 9 to 12, 2019 in Aizpute. The workshop will identify the values and propose the development of the wooden architecture heritage of Aizpute town – a cityscape, street landscape, materials, color schemes, signs, and details. Participants from RISEBA, Vilnius Art Academy Klaipeda faculty, Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies (landscape architects), Riga Technical University will take part in the four-day program.

The workshops will be led by invited experts and tutors: architect Malin Belfrage (White Architects, Sweden), Dr.arch. Jana Jākobsone (City architect of Kuldīga), Dr.arch. Jānis Lejnieks (RISEBA, chief editor of the magazine “Latvijas Architektūra”), Mg.ing. Jānis Kreicburgs (Skonto būve, RISEBA), Mg.art., artist Martinas Lapas (VAA, Klaipeda faculty), Dr.arch., prof. Aija Ziemeļniece (LUoLST), Mg.arch. Egons Bērziņš (RTU), Dr.arch.h.c. Jānis Dripe (RISEBA).

The YEAR 2018

“FestivaL’and” – RISEBA International summer school on the ephemeral architecture and urban design
Dates: July 24 – Aug 4, 2018
Duration: 12 days
Location: Valmiera city, Latvia

We think the summertime is for festivals! Students of architecture, urban design and related disciplines from all over the world were invited to RISEBA International summer school on the ephemeral architecture and urban design – “FestivaL’and”. The summer school was organized as a cooperation between RISEBA Faculty of Architecture and Design and Valmiera Summer Theatre festival (VVTF).

We invited students to get out of the auditorium, get acquainted with the varied cultural experience in Latvia and make new friends, but most importantly – apply their theoretical knowledge and develop the skills in constructing amazing ideas in scale 1:1. 

The summer school was devoted to the idea of the contemporary ephemeral architecture and urban design elements as catalysts for initially invisible but important processes of turns in the urban environments, perception, and usability of the city. Working in teams and workshops led by invited professionals as mentors we developed the ideas and build the festival city in the very center of Valmiera for VVTF visitors, locals and guests.

Mentors of the summer school: architect and stage designer DIDZIS JAUNZEMS, landscape architect and urbanist AIGARS LAUZIS, set designer and carpenter RUDOLF BEKIC, architect RALF LÕOKE, architect and printmaker MALGORZATA MARIA OLCHOWSKA, architect and furniture designer YORK BING OH, artist ANDRIS EGLITIS, theatre director and set designer REINIS SUHANOVS, architect DINA SUHANOVA.

Project manager and curator of the summer school: Dina Suhanova

Photo report HERE.
More information: http://festivaland.org.