Two UCD Architecture Students to Attend U21 Summer School in South Africa

^{Shane Dempsey and Mark Ruddy, who will be participating in the U21 Summer School at the University of Johannesburg}

Two UCD Stage 3 Architecture students, Mark Ruddy and Shane Dempsey, have been selected to participate in the Universitas 21 Summer School which is being hosted by the University of Johannesburg this year.

This year’s Summer School is entitled ‘Fabricating Design Space/s’ and will be hosted by David Tlale, an award winning South African fashion designer. The three-week programme, running from June to July, will focus on materials design work with a strong practical element, especially in metalwork.  Students will also take part in workshops on ‘Space, Openness, and the Body & Construct’. Mark and Shane will join students from around the world, many of whom will be from UCD’s U21 partners in 15 different countries worldwide. As the Summer School is design-focused, Mark and Shane will be working with staff and students representing a wide range of disciplinary backgrounds.

When asked what drew him to the competition, Mark Ruddy said, ‘With architecture generally it’s all about taking experiences and using them in your design work, so visiting a new place is always beneficial to how you think and how you work.’ He is also excited to work with designers from different disciplines as he feels that he can learn a lot from their different approaches to subject matter.

Shane Dempsey is eager to learn about working with a new material. ‘It’s not something that I have ever worked with. It’s not something we have learned in Architecture at all. Learning different ways of working with a new material will be interesting.’

Shane and Mark will receive a scholarship which will cover their course registration and tuition fees, accommodation and flights to South Africa.