Kent State University recently completed a dazzling new $43 million building for its College of Architecture and Environmental Design, a welcome addition to the campus and a big boon for architecture in Ohio. An award-winning LEED Platinum building, the facility marks a new era for the school looking to push a national and international profile. It's also ushered in a series of changes for the Ohio school, which started out the 2018-2019 school year with Ivan Bernal as the program's new director. 

Dedicated to educating future professionals, Kent State's College of Architecture & Environmental Design focuses on combining design and technical characteristics. The hope is to graduate students committed to improving the quality of life, enhancing the physical environment, and protecting the public welfare through the design of the built environment. Bernal comes to the school via the A+D Museum, where he had been serving as their guest curator. He has previously taught at Syracuse University and SCI-Arc as both an assistant professor and as part of the full-time faculty. He also has his own practice, his work situated at the intersection between formal familiarity and nontraditional representational techniques. On his recent move to Ohio, Bernal says he views his role at the school as being about "as much of an instigator as it is of a facilitator for the development of the present and future of architecture." Here, he expands on what that will mean for the school. 

What interested you in pursuing a position like this?

In general, I think academia is a beautiful project—especially in architecture. I love how students become engaged with their studies, how they completely immerse themselves in new ways of thinking. It is impressive to see them grow as intellectuals and professionals, but more importantly as human beings. Students go through this transformative face in which they have to put aside their preconceptions and be willing to take criticism constructively to be able to design things they couldn’t previously imagine. As a director of a program, I am not only involved with their daily classes and studios, but I help craft their whole pathway while helping faculty explore their interest. My role is as much of an instigator as it is of a facilitator for the development of the present and future of architecture.

What insights from your past professional experience are you hoping to integrate/adopt as the director?

I had the pleasure to engage the professional side of architecture at an early age and at different levels. I have worked at some of the most service-oriented offices to the most radical ones. It doesn’t matter which side of the spectrum I fall in a given time; I always like to challenge its standards, question its role, and push its boundaries. My trajectory and diverse background allows me to find value in every aspect of architecture. I believe in a progressive, well-rounded architect, full of curiosity, skills, passion, and expertise to shape and strive for a better future.

You are relatively young for a director of an architecture school. Do you think that will affect your approach it and what unique advantages and perspectives does it allow you to bring?

Based on my age, background, and experience, I bring a different set of eyes to the table

I have to say that my position here at Kent speaks loudly about the vision of the College. It is evidence of the program's commitment to engage in a rapidly changing world. It is proof of our willingness to tackle issues in unexpected ways and take risks—after all, that is what we teach in school. Being from a younger generation gives me a fresh perspective on the relevant issues of the discipline, especially those issues that weight heavily on technology and its relation to today’s culture and the built environment. My profile allows me to connect with the student body as a designer, who not too long ago, was facing similar challenges. I am committed to exploring new paths for architecture education. And to some degree, I like to think that based on my age, background, and experience, I bring a different set of eyes to the table. I believe my voice resonates with those students aspiring to have a significant impact and question what is next.

What kind of student do you think would flourish at Kent State and why?

Highly motivated, skilled, and critical. The program encourages faculty and students to research and inquire by broadening exposure to contemporary theories, advanced technical skills, and newly disseminate knowledge. We are developing a more dynamic and focused curriculum where technology, visualization, making, history, theory, and design studio coursework offers a platform for scholarship, constructive discourse, and debate. We want to hear what our students have to say and provide tracks for them to explore their own interest.

Briefly describe the school program’s pedagogical stance on architecture education. How would you characterize the programming?

The program at Kent is recognized for a long-standing reputation of preparing some of the best professionals in North-East Ohio. It has a strong core dedicated to training students as future architects and leaders in the profession. I plan is to build upon this strong foundation and expand its ambition, to push a national and international profile. We will educate forward-thinking leaders committed to enhancing the built environment and pursuing progress through design and creative thinking in all different areas of the field.  

What are the biggest challenges, academically and professionally, facing students?

It is a discipline rooted in its legacy while continuously looking to evolve from it

I like to think of architecture and even its education as one that negotiates contemporary culture to the influence of its history; it builds the present while speculating on the future. It is a discipline rooted in its legacy while continuously looking to evolve from it. It engages industry while challenging conceptual standardization. Architecture is a part of the everyday life, and as such, its role is to produce and inspire creative thinking to identify new possibilities. This is a lot to ask from individuals entering the discipline, and even harder to explain to new students enrolling in the program. Many times, they bring preconceptions about what it means to be an architect and what they will get out of their education. On occasions, they set a very linear path to success, and it can be challenging to realize that it is fluid and has a multitude of branches, each of which can be climbed to develop a career. I tell our students to develop a plan and to seek out opportunities, but be flexible and take risks.  

What are some of the larger issues of “today” that you feel
an architecture school should be preparing its students for?

I think one of the more significant issues we are facing today is trying to keep in mind that architecture is inherently an optimistic act, and as such we can and should offer new possibilities in times of despair and contradiction without relying on revisionism. Our role is and has been to come up with new ideas, principles, theories, and environments to move us forward.

What are some of the advantages of the school’s context—being at Kent State and in Ohio—and how do you think they help make the program unique?

In my opinion, urban cities like Cleveland and Akron (closest to Kent) are rapidly adapting and mutating to move beyond the post-industrial cycle. They are finding new and exciting ways to redefine themselves. North-East Ohio rich history and transforming urban landscape serve as a setting for academic research and learning while looking into possibilities for the future. On the other hand, Kent as a research University is also engaging in projects that seek to expand the current modes of education. Some initiatives developed over the past years are being consolidated now providing new platforms for cross-disciplinary collaboration among the different program in the campus. Things are happening in the Midwest, it is an area known for its inventors, and we are proudly taking on the role of innovators. At the college scale, we have different programs housed in one building, landscape, interior design, construction management, urban design, to name a few. This constant multi-disciplinary interaction and exchange help students evolve in a collaborative setting engaging other fields, this a great advantage of being a College of Architecture and Environmental Design.

What are you most excited for about this new position?

I look at every opportunity as a design challenge, and what is more exciting about this new role is trying to carry that notion into shaping a vision for the program. It forces me to identify my biases and look at the bigger picture. I like to see the program as an evolving creature, growing, changing and developing a personality. I am excited to see where it goes, and what it would look like in a few years.

How would you like the school to have changed in your tenure?

One of my main goals is for students to have the ability and skills to think, iterate, represent and make anything they can imagine. It is straightforward, but many times I find brilliant students struggling to represent their ideas, it is a sad feeling. I think a good education not only prepares you to think critically about the process and how to address challenges, but it also gives you the tools to communicate with your audience and get your message across.  Part of this is understanding the medium of delivery in a culture that is in constant flux. My goal is to graduate highly skilled, adaptable, and creative individual with the abilities to succeed in any setting inside and outside of the profession.