Short course
Classical Architecture: A Design Workshop
Course status:
In progress - closed to new applications
Dates:
21/04/2026 - 23/06/2026
Study format:
In-person weekly
Fees:
£300.00
Explore the history and variety of classical architecture through the ages, and discover how it is based on ancient principles that have evolved over centuries, up to the present day.
The course includes an expert tour of classical buildings in Oxford, dissecting the way classical principles have been used in their design.
You will have a chance to learn to draw some of the key assemblies of columns and beams that provide the aesthetic framework to all classical design, and well-known practitioners will explain how they have used these to create their own designs.
You will also have the chance to try your hand under expert supervision and leave with your own designs.
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Programme details
Course starts Tuesday 21 April 2026
This is an in-person course which requires your attendance at the weekly meetings in Oxford on Tuesdays, 6.30-8.30pm.
Week 1: Introduction to Classical Architecture
Week 2: Introducing the Classical Orders
Week 3: Tour of classical buildings in Oxford
Week 4: Finding the Orders and how to draw the Orders
Week 5: Drawing the Orders, tutoring
Week 6: Tour of new classical building with the architect
Week 7: Tour of new classical building with the architect
Week 8: Tour of new classical building with the architect
Week 9: Design project, tutoring
Week 10: Review design project.
Level and demands
The Department’s Weekly Classes are taught at FHEQ Level 4, ie first year undergraduate level, and you will be expected to engage in a significant amount of private study in preparation for the classes. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class.
Course aims
- To provide a practical and historical knowledge and understanding of the classical design in architecture.
- To provide a working knowledge of the main components of classical design, to be able to understand the composition of classical buildings, and obtain some elementary practical experience of designing a classical building.
Programme details
Course starts Tuesday 21 April 2026
This is an in-person course which requires your attendance at the weekly meetings in Oxford on Tuesdays, 6.30-8.30pm.
Week 1: Introduction to Classical Architecture
Week 2: Introducing the Classical Orders
Week 3: Tour of classical buildings in Oxford
Week 4: Finding the Orders and how to draw the Orders
Week 5: Drawing the Orders, tutoring
Week 6: Tour of new classical building with the architect
Week 7: Tour of new classical building with the architect
Week 8: Tour of new classical building with the architect
Week 9: Design project, tutoring
Week 10: Review design project.
Teaching methods
The course will include lectures, discussion and one-to-one personal instruction.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course, students will have been given the opportunity to:
- understand the essential principles of classical architecture;
- understand the principal compositional methodologies of classical architecture; and
- gain some working knowledge of the design of classical architecture.
Assessment methods
Only those students who have registered for assessment and accreditation, in advance of the course start date, can submit coursework/assignments for assessment.
Assessment
Students will be assessed on three coursework projects, all presented in drawn form.
This will not be an assessment of drawing skills (assistance with drawing skills will be given where necessary), but rather a demonstration of the understanding of principles of classical architecture and design. Full allowance will be made for the relative skill and knowledge level of students.
Robert Adam
Professor Robert Adam has practiced architecture for 45 years and has an international reputation as one of the leading exponents of contextual urbanism and modern traditional design. In 1992 he founded ADAM Architecture, now the largest architecture practice specialising in traditional design in Europe. He has written six books, including a textbook on classical architecture and an analysis of how globalisation has affected world architecture, and is a regular contributor of papers, articles and chapters to books, journals and newspapers. He has won numerous prizes including the prestigious Richard H. Driehaus Prize, for “the highest ideals of traditional and classical architecture in contemporary society”. Adam holds a bachelors degree from the University of Westminster and a doctorate from Oxford Brookes University.
Assessment methods
Only those students who have registered for assessment and accreditation, in advance of the course start date, can submit coursework/assignments for assessment.
Level and demands
The Department’s Weekly Classes are taught at FHEQ Level 4, ie first year undergraduate level, and you will be expected to engage in a significant amount of private study in preparation for the classes. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class.
Fees
| Description | Costs |
|---|---|
| Course fee (with no assessment) | £300.00 |
| Assessment and Accreditation fee | £60.00 |
How to enrol
Please use the ‘Book now’ button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an enrolment form.
How to register for accreditation and assessment
To be able to submit coursework and to earn credit (CATS points) for this course, if you wish to do so, you will need to register and pay an additional £60 fee. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.
Students who do not register for CATS points during the enrolment process will not be able to do so after the course has begun.
If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education at the Department you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.