14/09/2026
Last week, we had a wonderful time visiting Carnegie Mellon University and speaking with their first-year students about in with the Pantheon Institute. We were so lucky to have two amazing alumni with us: Davide Decker (.deckerr), a current CMU student who studied with us just over this most recent summer 2026, and Peter Margittai (), one of our earliest PSU alumni from 1994. Both had some incredible perspective to offer on how study abroad deepens your understanding of the built environment by challenging your preconceived notions about the enduring legacy and influence of architectural design. Rome offers an amazing spectrum of artistic stylings, religious influences, political affiliations, and engineering marvels. From its many churches and temples to its spectacular monuments and archeological sites, from the dozens of bridges, thousands of sculptures, and prolific museums, from ancient to modern, the Eternal City allows you to glimpse the transformation of the urban landscape over centuries. Those lessons can teach us so much about how we can move forward in designing spaces for the future, adapting the existing building materials and repurposing the enduring infrastructure to create something new and prescient for current and forthcoming generations.
A special thanks to Heather Workinger () and Christine Menand for hosting us and for encouraging students to explore the many amazing study abroad opportunities offered at CMU! We encourage all students to get out there and see what’s possible.
