Building education
As part of The Prince's vision to create harmonious communities through education, projects, and attractions, The Prince's Foundation offers training programmes in building crafts and heritage skills, as well as postgraduate courses in sustainable urbanism and development.
Prince's Foundation Summer School
The Prince's Foundation Summer School enables participants to develop their knowledge of traditional architecture, design, building and repair techniques and how these can be applied in the 21st Century.
Summer School: London Week
Week one of the programme begins in London, where participants take part in drawing classes, geometry and structure exercises, as well as architectural tours, and the study of architectural development and history.
London Week of Summer School; geometryThe Prince's Foundation
London Week of Summer School; 3D GeometryThe Prince's Foundation
What Happens on Week One of the Summer School?The Prince's Foundation
London Week of Summer School; architectural drawingThe Prince's Foundation
London Week of Summer School; life drawingThe Prince's Foundation
Behind the Scenes: Week 1 at The Prince's Foundation Summer SchoolThe Prince's Foundation
London Week of Summer School; life drawingThe Prince's Foundation
London Week of Summer School; life drawingThe Prince's Foundation
Summer School: Craft Week
In week two, at the Dumfries House Estate, participants work together with local expert craft teams to learn craft and conservation skills in the fields of timber, thatching, stonemasonry, lime plastering, and pargeting.
Summer School Week 2 - What You'll Do in Craft WeekThe Prince's Foundation
Craft Week at the Prince's Foundation Summer School; timber framingThe Prince's Foundation
Behind the Scenes: Week 2 at The Prince's Foundation Summer SchoolThe Prince's Foundation
Craft Week at the Prince's Foundation Summer School; stonemasonry workshopThe Prince's Foundation
Summer School: Design Week
The programme ends with a week-long design workshop, where participants will form groups and create a design proposal for a live project, involving public consultations, design modelling, and technical drawing.
Design Week of Summer School; student drawingsThe Prince's Foundation
Design Week of Summer School; finished modelThe Prince's Foundation
Design Week of Summer School; finished designsThe Prince's Foundation
A panel of stakeholders will choose the winning design, which will be built by participants on our Building Craft Programme.
Design Week on the Prince's Foundation Summer SchoolThe Prince's Foundation
Design Week of Summer School; finished designsThe Prince's Foundation
For more information please visit: The Prince's Foundation Summer School.
Building Craft Programme
The Building Craft Programme gives practical experience in traditional building crafts, and an opportunity to gain a Heritage Skills NVQ Level 3. This course is designed for craftspeople looking to bridge the gap between basic qualifications and becoming a master craftsperson working within the heritage sector.
StonemasonryThe Prince's Foundation
The course starts with the intensive three week Summer School, which takes place in London and Scotland.
Making wooden pegsThe Prince's Foundation
This gives students a solid foundation in traditional architecture and design, and a range of traditional building crafts.
Workshop at Dumfries HouseThe Prince's Foundation
Students learn timber and stonemasonry skills...
PlasteringThe Prince's Foundation
...as well as lime plastering...
PargettingThe Prince's Foundation
...pargeting...
ThatchingThe Prince's Foundation
...and thatching.
THATCHING WITH PRINCE CHARLESThe Prince's Foundation
Students on the Live BuildThe Prince's Foundation
Following the Summer School, students participate in a 10 week Live Build project. This is a student led building project, constructing a structure (or series of structures) using traditional materials and techniques.
Building a Woodland Shelter With Our BCAs - The Live Build 2013The Prince's Foundation
Students on the Live BuildThe Prince's Foundation
Alongside their own trades, students are given the chance to work on a range of other trades throughout the process. The build is overseen by skilled tutors, to guide and provide assistance as needed.
HRH The Prince of Wales at Our 2014 GraduationThe Prince's Foundation
Building Craft Programme student on placementThe Prince's Foundation
Once they have completed the Live Build, the students then move on to placements with traditional building companies and master craftspeople, working on traditional new building schemes and restoration projects across the UK.
For more information please visit: The Prince's Foundation Building Craft Programme.
