The Summer School of Architecture at the FA BUT connects theory with practice and revitalizes the Osoblažsko region’s landscape
Architecture students to reopen old orchards in the abandoned village of Pelhřimovy. For the seventh time, students from the Faculty of Architecture at Brno University of Technology (FA BUT) will head to the vanished village of Pelhřimovy to continue previous interventions and enrich the local landscape with new elements as part of the summer school Dílna 2025 (22. - 27. 6. 2025). This year’s edition focuses on old orchards hidden for decades by wild vegetation. New installations will allow visitors to walk through previously inaccessible areas and discover the unique atmosphere and history of this Czech-Polish border village.Student interventions as a way to revive the locality
The Dílna summer school is an annual program organized by the Faculty of Architecture at BUT. Its aim is to offer students an intensive creative experience through the realization of their own designs on a 1:1 scale. The five-day workshop combines design work, modeling, and actual construction in direct contact with the site, materials, and landscape. “After a week of work, visitors can explore previously inaccessible places and admire the unique charm of aging orchards—places where people left long ago and nature has taken over,” says architect Jan Mléčka.
Pelhřimovy, once a lively village, was largely destroyed after World War II. Aerial photographs show the gradual disappearance of roofs and the overgrowth of courtyards. Today, the site is remembered only by a restored church and cemetery maintained by volunteers. Thanks to the efforts of local organizations, Pelhřimovy is gradually becoming a cultural and educational center. This year, students will clean parts of the old orchards and create installations that sensitively highlight the former orchard structure and provide visitors with spaces to pause and reflect.
“The Architecture Workshop was established in response to the need to develop students’ practical building skills, which often remain only on paper. The summer school emphasizes the connection between theory and practice and supports an understanding of materials, construction, details, and the relationship to place,” explains another instructor, architect Tomáš Madro. “Participants work with raw timber, create spatial sketches, and consult their designs with a team of expert tutors. The resulting structures remain on-site and become part of the local cultural program—an open-air gallery in the landscape.”
Previous editions have explored relationships between architecture and construction, memory of place, and the spiritual dimension of landscapes marked by historical and contemporary conflicts. Dílna 2025 continues to develop these themes and emphasizes the importance of hands-on work as an integral part of architectural education.
Are the apple trees blooming?
The Dílna 2025 summer school of architecture is organized by the Faculty of Architecture at BUT in cooperation with local organizations and initiatives in the Osoblaha region, particularly DUHA Jeseníky Movement and the municipality of Slezské Rudoltice.
The installations will remain accessible to the public throughout the following year.
The text was published as a press release.
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