Real Matter Summer Workshop

An annual summer workshop for students and young professionals in Raleigh focused on rethinking what architecture can do

Image of lecture during Real Matters. Source: In Situ Studios

In an area that’s growing as fast as the Triangle, questions about design aren’t abstract, they’re urgent. Who gets to shape the public realm? Who’s welcome in a space, and who’s left out? What can architects really do in the face of rising inequality, climate pressure, and social fragmentation?

These are the questions at the center of REAL MATTER, an annual summer design workshop hosted by Raleigh’s own in situ studio. The workshop brings together students and young professionals from across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico for two intensive weeks of research, design, and public engagement, all rooted in the physical and social landscape of Raleigh.

While the work is local, the implications reach far beyond the city.

Why It Exists

REAL MATTER exists because the built environment, shaped by decades of …