Inspired by Berlin’s fascinating architectural transformation and the prolific–often controversial–construction after the fall of the Wall, Lexia created the Architecture Program in 2006. Berlin is a laboratory for design experimentation. Lexia acquaints students with the process of rebuilding in one of Europe’s key cities and instills a critical attitude towards the physical and cultural context of architecture. Students contrast the recent ultra-modern commercial and bureaucratic architecture with the corroded walls and incomplete spaces that still characterize much of the urban landscape.

Today’s technologies allow architects to design for building sites they may never visit. What does it mean for an architect to propose a building or to rethink an urban situation in a foreign culture? How do architects develop an appropriate understanding of a place, its history and architecture, in the design process? In Berlin’s turbulent context, students combine site analysis with their talent and intuition to design locally relevant solutions.

A study abroad program in pre-architecture demands concentration and dedication, as students need to negotiate between the experience of living in a foreign environment (as avid consumers of knowledge) and the time they spend in studio (as diligent producers of architectural design). Students must show an open attitude towards learning in a new environment and a special commitment to producing rigorous academic work.

Lexia’s Pre-Architecture Program is an intensive and unique mixture of studio work, lectures, site-visits, workshops, language training, and excursions. In addition to seminars and studio work, students explore the city and surroundings, visiting historical building sites and museums, and sampling Berlin’s rich public culture.