The Rotch Travelling Studio

The Rotch Travelling Scholarship was established in Boston in 1883 to promote architectural education through foreign travel. The Trustees announced an expansion of this mission in 2002 to include a new grant program entitled the Rotch Travelling Studio.

This program also includes foreign travel and has been established to augment the architectural education of students of architecture at the highest level of scholarship within a studio format.

Proposals are invited from faculty members in all NAAB accredited schools of architecture in the United States for travel anywhere in the world during the following calendar year. Studios are to be directed by the faculty applicant and are intended to supplement a specific design studio at the school. It is anticipated that one grant of up to $20,000 will be given up. Proposals should specify the sum being requested. The school of architecture within which the faculty member teaches will be the recipient of the grant, and will be responsible for both the dispersal of the funds and the performance of the studio.

Criteria for the evaluation of applicants’ proposals are their potential for scholastic excellence. This applies primarily to the students, but the impact of the trip on the studio instructor and the studio’s impact on its department or institution will be also be taken into consideration. Interpretation of the quality of the proposals will be at the sole discretion of the Jury and the Trustees of the Rotch Travelling Scholarship.

The Studio winner will be asked to produce an exhibit and a report. The exhibit should demonstrate the range of results of the studio, but the specifics of the exhibit will be left up to the winner. All or part of the report may be posted on the Rotch website. The report, submitted digitally, is required to have at least the following items:

1. The original proposal
2. A one page description of
   a. the travels by the faculty member and students, and
   b. a succinct assessment of the impact that the travel had on the studio course
3. At least three digital travel photos
4. At least three digital photos of the exhibition

With questions contact Sarah Nastasia at snastasia@architects.org by October 3, 2008 and the response will be posted on October 10, 2008.