Hamilton Architects are proud to support the growth and development of our Part One Architectural Assistant, Rebecca Carrothers, who has just returned from taking part in the European Architecture Students Assembly (EASA) in Finland.
EASA is a student-led network that has provided an alternative model of architectural education outside traditional institutions since its founding in 1981. For more than four decades, it has thrived through voluntary participation, creating a unique platform for cultural and educational exchange and connecting architecture students and professionals across the world.
Every summer, a different country hosts the two-week assembly, offering students the chance to immerse themselves in hands-on, self-directed exploration of architecture. This year’s event took place in Savonlinna, Eastern Finland, where students stayed on a former manor estate called Lehtiniemi. The 45th edition of EASA was centred on the theme ‘Rhizome’ – a concept inspired by the decentralised, interconnected root systems that share resources horizontally. The theme encouraged participants to reimagine architecture, power, and ecology through a rhizomatic lens, inspiring new ways of thinking about spatial practice and change.
Rebecca joined the MapTrap workshop, working with 12 other participants to capture and reinterpret the use of the site. Together, they mapped Lehtiniemi through two layers: one of its existing forms and another representing how 500 architecture students had adapted and interacted with the space during their time there. Their findings were translated into a quilt at 1:250 scale, symbolising both the mapping process and the collective memory of the summer.
Reflecting on the experience, Rebecca shared:
“During EASA, I got to explore architecture in such a creative and collaborative way. My favourite part was experiencing everyone’s cultures from across Europe. We celebrated this during a culture night where each country shared local food and drinks and played their favourite music for everyone to enjoy during karaoke. I would definitely recommend EASA to other architecture students, it’s a great way to meet people at different stages of their career and to learn from each other.”
Quilts are traditionally created to celebrate people and significant events, and for Rebecca and her peers, their collaborative quilt has become a lasting keepsake, a stitched-together memory of shared learning, culture, and creativity.
Hamilton Architects are delighted to see Rebecca thrive through opportunities like EASA, which enrich her architectural education and bring fresh perspectives back to our team.
