The workshop addresses a shift in architectural practice toward approaches that are creative, resourceful, and grounded in the everyday. Through hands-on making, participants explore what it means to work with ordinary and discarded materials. Each year, three international practitioners (architects, artists, or designers) are invited to lead the workshop. Working with their own methods and experience, each leader guides a group of participants through a collaborative process of spatial experimentation. The format encourages close exchange between participants and leaders, moving between making, talking, eating together, and observing the city. The workshop concludes with a shared exhibition presenting the work produced throughout the week.

The workshop is open to people in architecture, design, or art who are in an early-to-mid stage of their studies or practice. The organisers are looking for applicants with at least two years of experience, typically up to those completing a master’s thesis or capstone, or who have recently finished a master’s degree; not for established professionals with several years of independent practice. You do not need to be currently enrolled at a university.

There are 50 places available. Participants are divided into three groups of roughly 15. You will work alongside your workshop leader throughout most of the programme. The workshop runs for 7.5 days. The structure includes two days of orientation and preparation, four days of intensive hands-on work, and a final day of reviews and open conversation. Productive working sessions are balanced with quieter moments: time to reflect, move through the city, and engage with the ordinary. All participants follow the same overall schedule. Within that shared structure, each workshop leader sets their own themes and methods, creating three distinct experiences running in parallel. On the final day, all three leaders come together as a review panel, giving each participant the chance to present their work to the group as a whole.

The workshop takes place in Copenhagen, near the campus of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. The building offers generous interior and open floor space, giving participants room to work at scale and engage directly with the physical environment. Materials and tools are provided on-site.  The workshop is conducted in English.

Applications close on Friday, 5 June 2026 at 23:00 CEST. Applicants will be notified on Monday, 22 June, with participation confirmed by Monday, 6 July. The workshop runs from Thursday, 13 August until Friday, 21 August 2026.

The attendance fee is 195€. It covers lunch on each full workshop day, as well as five communal meals shared across the week. Participants are responsible for arranging their own travel to and accommodation in Copenhagen. Applicants are responsible for their own visa requirements and arrangements.

Please email paraplyschool@gmail.com if you have any questions during the application process.