Report on the experience of the Marvão Summer School
by Saniya Malhotra.
I will begin by telling you I am currently a 3rd year student of architecture. I love tradition architecture, material and techniques. The thought and experience behind tradition fascinates me. This summer school enlarged my vision about it. Born and brought up in India, classical architecture was not a very strong subject of mine. But after Marvao it seems like I know everything. Actually it’s just the name that changes. A few changes here and there due to climate and region, but the basic idea of spaces all over the world remains the same. This realization gave me an immense satisfaction. It always killed me to think that I knew nothing about the foreign countries except what I had read off the internet. But after meeting so many people from different parts of the world I realize that the knowledge of places and its spaces just comes to you. You visit a place and you understand it, the people the land, the air and the vibe. Marvao taught me that.
We visited Marvao, Castello de Vide, Estremoz, Elvas and Evora. These places were so beautiful, that I would never be able to thank you enough for giving me this opportunity. I learnt a lot from Alejandro, Professor Douglas, Frank and Christopher. It was a very impactful learning experience that I will always cherish.
Once I am an architect I will surely visit these places again. It was the best experience I have ever had in my little life of 19 years.
