The VDA Department of Architecture turns 230. Underneath the jubilee number lies a complex, ambiguous history of the Vilnius School of Architecture and several periods of its existence. Although the history of architectural courses goes back even further, 1793 is considered the beginning of university studies of architecture and fine arts in Lithuania.
The VDA Department of Architecture seeks to recall its long history and showcase the achievements of the current period of independent Lithuania. The exhibition presents original projects preserved in the VDA Museum and the Vilnius Faculty of Architecture archive. These are students' final works, starting from 1952 - one of the first post-war graduate classes - and ending in 2023 - the most recent Masters’ theses.
Alongside the final theses, which demonstrate the graduates' readiness for practice, the exhibition features projects developed during creative workshops. These are experimental, reality-transcending digital architecture and design objects presented in video format. The exhibition concludes with a Ph.D. (practice-based) thesis from 2022 which encourages debate on the future of architecture.
The Cathedral's outlook for the future is quite optimistic. The anniversary was celebrated with excellent results and activities of the past year: the creation of an Art Doctorate program for architects (together with partners from KTU), which is one of a kind in Lithuania; the 12th place taken in the BUILDNER international ranking of architecture schools; Honorable mention diplomas continuously awarded in the BAUA international student competition; the international summer camp for students from the Nordic-Baltic Association of Schools of Architecture (NBAA) is being held every year in Vilnius; the works of lecturers and Ph.D. students are continuously being published on the ARCHDAILY website and in the National Architecture Awards (NAA) nominations; we cooperate regularly with Lithuanian municipalities; and took part in the Travelling Architecture Workshop (KAD), which was given the "Lithuanian Power" award by the President of the Republic of Lithuania.
The exhibition is curated by: R. Kučinskas, M. Mankus, A. Siaurusaitytė-Nekrošienė.
