CONTINUING EDUCATION COURSES

We offer continuing education courses in both theory and practice for professional development and personal enrichment.  Classes are held during evenings and weekends throughout the year and are taught by accomplished design professionals, artisans and craftsmen, fine artists, historians, and faculty from allied institutions. Courses are generally open to all, regardless of experience, and many fulfill continuing education requirements and credit towards completion of the ICAA’s Certificate in Classical Architecture.  In addition, many of our classes qualify towards continuing education units with the American Institute of Architects (AIA).

Classes focus on various topics including drawing, the Classical Orders, moldings, watercolor, and field sketching, to name a few. Students develop a broad array of skills and knowledge essential in becoming fluent in classical architecture and design.  Lectures cover a wide range of topics appealing to our diverse audience, including architectural history, interior design, theory of proportion, and landscape architecture.

The Certificate in Classical Architecture (CCA) program provides architects and designers with a working knowledge of classical architectural design. Requirements for completion ensure participants build a broad foundation of skills and knowledge in the ICAA core curriculum. The CCA serves as a catalyst for deeper appreciation and understanding of the classical tradition.

There are four paths to earning the Certificate in Classical Architecture certificate:

  1. Completion of the ICAA Summer Studio in Classical Architecture;
  2. Completion of the ICAA Intensive in Classical Architecture plus elective Continuing Education (CE) courses;
  3. Continuing education courses in approved classes in ICAA’s core curriculum plus additional elective CE Courses;
  4. Completion of one of the above options plus approved programming offered through an affiliated institution.

Upcoming Continuing Education courses are listed on both the SoCal and National ICAA calendars.  To find out more about our Education programs, email info@classicist-socal.org.

 

 

Course Descriptions

Classical Primer:  As a primer on the language and rationale of classical architecture, this class is an introduction to the classical orders and offers an overview for beginners and interested laypersons. It offers an excellent prequel for students who intend to continue their education with more focused study of the individual orders as offered by the Institute.

Introduction to the Classical Moldings: This class provides an introduction to understanding the use and rationale of the classical moldings. Moldings are the basic building blocks of classical buildings, the “atomic units” at the very heart of the classical language of architecture, and a working knowledge of moldings is the starting point for a thoughtful approach to design. Whether your goal is to lay out a correct Doric column, or to design a beautifully embellished formal room, a practical understanding of the classical moldings and the rationale for their purpose and use is indispensable to the design practitioner.

PLEASE NOTE: This course is a pre-requisite to the Classical Orders (Tuscan, Doric, Ionic & Corinthian)

Introduction to the Classical Orders: This class provides an introduction to understanding and laying out classical architecture through a study of each of the Orders (Tuscan, Ionic, Doric and Corinthian). Students of all abilities learn the proportions, details and essential parts of classical architecture with the class culminating in a sketch problem.

 

Past Classes

Classical Primer II: This two-hour sequel to the popular Classical Primer is a detailed examination of the classical language, and how it can thoughtfully address our modern lifestyle. Students explore how contemporary architects and designers are employing this language to seamlessly respond to how we live today and meet design challenges.

Measured Field Drawing: This lecture and field drawing class delves into the history, purpose and method of architectural measured drawing. The class begins with an informative lecture on the legacy and importance of documenting historical architecture, followed by students doing measured drawings of details from historic buildings.

Basic Watercolor Technique: This studio class is intended to help students become acquainted with watercolor as a medium for the first time, or as a refresher course if they have had limited experience. Students explore the merits of certain kinds of paper, watercolor brushes, practical applications of watercolor paint including varying wash techniques, color mixing and paint selections.

Basic One-Point Perspective & Rendering I & II, Elements of Perspective Drawing for Freehand Sketching: This class focuses on the basic elements of one-point perspective, including techniques to add interest and the illusion of depth to your drawings. Through hands-on exercises and image studies students gain an understanding of perspective elements, and improve confidence and ability in sketching – whether to communicate design ideas, or for urban/ travel sketching.

 

ICAA SoCal Instructor Bios

Winston Chappel, an architect by trade, has been an ICAA SoCal member since 2015. Winston spearheaded the creation of the plaster casting module offered to middle school students in our New Heights program. Scenes from the 2023 New Heights session show Winston working on the alchemy of temperamental plaster and teenagers. Though we hate to pull him away from his granddaughter, we appreciate his warmth, intelligence, and quick wit. Heartfelt thanks to Winston.

Erik K. Evens is Principal of Evens Architects, a boutique studio of the KAA Design Group. He is a licensed architect in California, with over thirty years’ experience in residential, commercial, hospitality, and institutional work. He is a founding member and past President of the ICAA SoCal, and a Fellow of the ICAA.

Domiane Forte is the Senior Designer at Appleton Partners, and also an accomplished oil and watercolor painter, master draftsman, and furniture maker, with his work displayed in public galleries and private collections. Originally from Wyoming, Domiane pursued a career in professional baseball, but an injury changed his career path, leading him to focus on undergraduate studies in mathematics and philosophy. Destined for design, he earned his Master of Architecture from the University of Notre Dame, where he was awarded the Gertrude S. Sollitt Prize for Excellence in Design and Structural Engineering. Domiane has also taught at the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art for the last 19 years, leading workshops and lectures in cities across the United States, and has also taught at Boston Architectural College, University of Notre Dame, and Ohio State University.

John P. Margolis was born in Boston, Massachusetts into an academic family full of intellectual and artistic diversity. He holds a bachelor’s degree with a Major in Architecture from Washington University in St. Louis, and a Master of Architecture from the University of California, Berkeley. He is a member of the AIA and is licensed in Massachusetts. His passion for classical and traditional architecture led him to the ICAA in 1990. Since then he has held numerous Board positions and also served as New England Chapter President of the ICAA for five years. He was recently elected as a Fellow of the ICAA and has a certificate in classical architecture. In 2019, John joined Appleton Partners as a Senior Project Manager in their Santa Barbara office where he interprets traditional approaches to the Southern California climate.

David Rinehart is a Los Angeles-based architect with broad experience in the design of multi- and single-family residences, mixed-use developments, institutional buildings, as well as master planning and urban design. Prior to his individual practice, Mr. Rinehart worked at Moule & Polyzoides, Architects and Urbanists, in Pasadena, CA, and Robert A.M. Stern Architects in New York. He holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Notre Dame and a Master of Environmental Design degree in the History, Theory, and Criticism of Architecture and Urbanism from Yale University, where he was awarded a Beinecke Rare Books & Manuscript Library Fellowship and served as a curatorial assistant for the Yale School of Architecture. Mr. Rinehart is a registered architect in the State of New York, a member of the Society of Architectural Historians, and a Fellow of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art, where he has served as an Instructor since 2015. He has taught workshops on classical architecture at universities across the country and has been a lead instructor for the ICAA’s Regional Intensive and Summer Studio in Classical Architecture.

 

New Heights

The New Heights Program immerses middle-school students in the dynamic world of Classical Architecture, by expanding their understanding of the built environment through a new perspective.

ICAA guest instructors facilitate interactive activities, exploring everything from the basic building blocks of Classical Architecture to its role in our society. Topics cover the origin and evolution of classical architecture, building & design, and the study of the Classical Orders. Students create their own plaster molds of the Classical Orders, and learn about the physics of construction. They draw landscapes and buildings using one-point perspective, and explore the theme of proportion, order and beauty in architecture. The program culminates in a field trip to various Southern California landmarks, including The Huntington Library, The Getty Villa, Greystone Mansion, and downtown Los Angeles.

Our New Heights program has reached its tenth year, and we are so fortunate to have our ICAA members volunteer to teach tomorrow’s future architects and artists.  Stephanie Jazmines has been an integral part of the Structures class within New Heights, and is an artist and designer based in Los Angeles.  She is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture and Yale School of Architecture.  She was the winner of the Gabriel Prize in 2015, received a Fulbright Scholarship to study at Aalto University Wood Program from 2015 – 2016, and was an affiliated Fellow at the American Academy in Rome in 2019 as the winner of the Rieger Graham Prize. She is currently working as a Senior Designer at Walt Disney Imagineering in California.

If you are interested in being involved in this dynamic program, please email info@classicist-socal.org