Join the celebration of Clemson’s Fluid Campus® in Genoa, Italy
The art of architecture is a process. One that takes time, focus and, ideally, a great space to work from concept to sketch and beyond. Since 1973, Clemson University’s School of Architecture has provided its students with such a space in the Charles E. Daniel Center for Building Research and Urban Studies in Genoa, Italy. Known affectionately as The Villa, this “so-much-more-than-a-space” facility is preparing to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2023. For the next 12 months, the School of Architecture and Clemson Architectural Foundation hope you will join the many celebrations we have both in-person and virtually.
Charles E. Daniel Center for Building Research and Urban Studies Website
Events
Clemson School of Architecture alumni, friends, students and faculty invite you to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Charles E. Daniel Center for Building Research and Urban Studies. There are several ways to participate during the year.
La Villa-Le Storie: The First Five Decades, Lee Gallery: February 24
An opening exhibition and reception on February 24 at 6 p.m. will be held celebrating the work of Genoa alumni. The exhibition will be open to the public from February 24 - March 10 in the Lee Gallery at Clemson University. Please RSVP for the opening reception via Eventbrite by clicking here!
Aperitivo and Genoa Student Work Exhibition: March 23
An aperitivo and student exhibition will be open to the public at the Villa in Genoa at 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 23, 2023. Please RSVP via Eventbrite by clicking here!
Villa Open House Events: March 23 and 24
An open house and tours of the Villa in Genoa will occur at 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. on Thursday, March 23 and Friday, March 24, 2023.
RSVP for the Thursday, March 23 open house via Eventbrite by clicking here!
RSVP for the Friday, March 24 open house via Eventbrite by clicking here!
Genoa 50th Anniversary Celebration + Dinner: March 24
Guests will arrive to the Villa at 6 p.m.on Friday, March 24, 2023 to enjoy a brief program honoring the 50 year legacy of the Charles E. Daniel Center for Building Research and Urban Studies. Following the program, guests will promenade through the Villa garden, crossing over to Castello Bruzzo for dinner and celebration. A limited number of tickets are available. Purchase tickets via Eventbrite by clicking here!
History of the Villa at Genoa
The Charles E. Daniel Center for Building Research and Urban Studies is the foundational piece of the Clemson University School of Architecture’s Fluid Campus®.
The Villa, as it is known to Clemson architecture alumni, students and faculty, was opened in 1973 in Genoa, Italy. Its program is part of the overall vision of former Dean Harlan McClure who wanted to immerse students in an international city that is just off the beaten path to strengthen their real-world design abilities.
Genoa is a seaport city rich in art, music, culinary expertise, architecture and history. Students there have an opportunity to explore the nuanced layers of history alongside current revitalization projects in and around the urban environment and port.
Students live, eat and work together in The Villa, which was built in 1899 and contains shared bedrooms, living and dining rooms, a library, studio space and related facilities. A large garden overlooks the city, harbor and the Mediterranean. Since its creation, The Villa has provided insight, inspiration and unforgettable memories to more than 1,600 Clemson architecture students.
The Silvia Carroll Endowment
The Silvia Carroll Endowment will support students studying abroad at “the Villa” in Genoa, which is part of the School of Architectures’ international Fluid Campus® system, and which celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2023.
Learn More >>School of Architecture News
Clemson Architectural Foundation
The Clemson Architectural Foundation (CAF) was founded in 1956 as an eleemosynary corporation to support and enrich the professional programs in the College of Architecture. That partnership has grown from one program in 1956 to five in 1993, including a college name change to support the programs offered.
These are South Carolina’s only programs in architecture, landscape architecture, city and regional planning, and construction science management, and they join the fine arts and humanities in forming a uniquely integrated school of professional studies within the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities.
Benefits of Genoa’s programs
One of CAF’s most significant accomplishments has been the establishment of the Charles E. Daniel Center for Building Research and Urban Study in Genoa, Italy, in a villa owned and operated by CAF for the benefit of the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities and Clemson University. Each semester, 22 students representing all disciplines in the college study and analyze Italian and European building construction, architecture, planning, landscape architecture, art and history. The lessons learned here by the students are brought home to apply post-graduation to the built environment of South Carolina.
Since its inception nearly 50 years ago, the design and build disciplines within the College have established study programs in Barcelona, Spain, and Charleston, both of which CAF also supports.
