Archinect - Features

A Conversation with SCI-Arc's Undergraduate Chairs Kristy Balliet and Marcelyn Gow

2023-12-26T09:00:00-05:00

Archinect's Dean's List series allows us to connect with architecture's academic leaders (deans and chairs) to learn more about their pedagogical stances, academic perspectives, and what they envision for the school during their tenure.

SCI-Arc is an institution known for its historic and influential presence within Southern California's architecture and pedagogy. This legacy of progressive pedagogy continues with the appointment of Kristy Balliet and Marcelyn Gow as SCI-Arc's Undergraduate Chairs. During the Fall 2023 term, in an exclusive interview, I spoke Balliet and Gow, to discuss their new role and the observations they see for this incoming wave of undergraduate students.

'Architecture Education as an Active Project': A Conversation with Mariana Ibañez, Chair of UCLA's Department of Architecture and Urban Design

2023-11-13T11:05:00-05:00

Academic leaders have the demanding task of steering and shaping a school's culture and pedagogy. Not only are they responsible for overseeing an institution's administrative affairs, but they are also charged with fostering environments for students and faculty to thrive.

Since 2013, Archinect's Deans List series has provided in-depth conversations with architecture and design leaders (Deans and Department Chairs), giving us invaluable perspective on their pedagogical stances, the institution’s curriculum, and academic environment. For this Deans List interview, I chatted with Mariana Ibañez, Associate Professor and Chair of UCLA's Department of Architecture and Urban Design.

Meet Tulane School of Architecture's New Faculty Hires

2023-10-16T08:00:00-04:00

Tulane School of Architecture (TuSA), one of Archinect’s School Partners, welcomes nine full-time incoming faculty members who will hold permanent positions at the school starting in the 2023/24 school year.

TuSA Dean Iñaki Alday shared that the aim for this new round of faculty hiring was to respond to the school's growth and impact on the school's programs housed within the school – Real Estate Development, Landscape Architecture, Historic Preservation, Social Innovation, Design and Architecture. Dean Alday explained, "...new people equals new perspectives, new reach, and a richer learning environment." He adds, "We're very committed to this work because we need our faculty to represent different perspectives, different cultures, different educations, and different experiences. Diversity of thought is essential for excellence and innovative thinking."

NJIT’s Hillier College of Architecture and Design Embodies Sustainability Practices From the Inside Out

2022-11-14T13:26:00-05:00

Implementing sustainability practices continues to be a priority among architecture firms, institutions, and organizations around the globe. This is the case for the New Jersey Institute of Technology's Hillier College of Architecture and Design. As one of the leading polytechnic universities in the Northeast for its academic programs, it has also earned global recognition as a top sustainable institution from the Times Higher Education's Impact Rankings.

Its efforts and commitment to being a sustainable campus continue beyond there. These initiatives are also echoed throughout Hillier College's pedagogy. In previously featured editorial coverage of the College, Archinect has had the chance to highlight important events that showcase the engagement and dedication to implementing sustainable design approaches, civic engagement, and climate action. For this unique editorial feature, we emphasize, in broad strokes, important topics explored at the College's research centers and labs, s...

The Fluidity of an Architecture Education: A Conversation with Tulane School of Architecture's New Director Emilie Taylor Welty

2022-11-08T08:48:00-05:00

"School is this great place where you can turn research into action, and that testing ground fosters creative, collaborative professionals who can implement positive change in the world," Emilie Taylor Welty shared during our recent Zoom call.

An architect, educator, and multi-disciplinarian specializing in public-interest design, materials, and detailing, her approach to practice and academia is rooted in collaboration and fabrication. As Tulane School of Architecture's new Director of Architecture, her extensive background in social design practices and equity building positions Taylor Welty as another exciting key figure in Tulane's academic leadership.

Exploring Methods of Resiliency in Society, Ecology, and Design with Kevin Mojica, Sam Fox Ambassadors Graduate Fellow at Washington University in St. Louis

2022-04-27T09:07:00-04:00

Continuing with our spotlight on architecture fellowships and the individuals behind the work and research, we present Part Two of our special (2020–2022) Sam Fox Ambassadors Graduate Fellow at Washington University in St. Louis features. Last week, we highlighted the work of fellow Nathan Stanfield. Here, we share our interview with Sam Fox Ambassadors Graduate Fellow Kevin Mojica about his research.

Mojica's path to studying architecture was influenced by his upbringing in Mexico and the architectural disparities he observed growing up in Southern Florida. During our in-depth interview, Mojica identifies the stark realities immigrant families face when it comes to housing and challenges in climate change. He discusses how his experiences influenced his design perspectives and focus on climate resiliency projects and design's impact through a social and cultural lens. "To understand my interest in design and architecture, I feel it is important to share my background as a first-ge...

Embracing New Pathways for Architectural Expertise: A Conversation With Heather Flood, Woodbury School of Architecture Interim Dean

2022-04-21T09:12:00-04:00

Academic leaders have the demanding task of steering and shaping a school's educational culture and pedagogy. Not only are they responsible for overseeing an institution's administrative affairs, but they are also charged with shaping both learning and teaching environments for students and faculty. While prerequisites for a Dean or Department Chair may differ from institution to institution, their goals are to provide a place that will nurture a student's architectural curiosities by providing an environment where they can gain skills and expand their design knowledge.

For Heather Flood, the path to architecture and academia may not resemble the typical 'academic dean.' Her commitment to education and attitude towards building more robust pathways for students pursuing a career in AEC and design industries sets her apart.

For Archinect's latest Deans List conversation, I connected with Heather as she embarks on her role as Interim Dean at Woodbury University School of Architectur...

Investigating the Histories and Futures of Water-Based Crises with Nathan Stanfield, Sam Fox Ambassadors Fellow at Washington University in St. Louis

2022-04-15T17:43:00-04:00

While highlighting fellowships has been a regular editorial topic on Archinect, we developed a special series (starting in 2018) to understand what these positions offer for both the fellows themselves and the discipline at large by presenting their work and experiences through an in-depth interview. Archinect's Fellow Fellows series is about bringing attention and inquiry to academia's otherwise maddening pace while also offering a broad view of the exceptional and breakthrough work done by people navigating the early parts of their careers.

For this Fellow Fellows feature, we'll be connecting with participating fellows from the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis. In this special two-part feature, we speak with Nathan Stanfield, Sam Fox Ambassadors Fellow (2020–2022) and Divided City Graduate Fellow (2021). He is a graduate of Sam Fox School at Washington University in St. Louis where he received his B.S. in Architecture as well as an M.Ar...

NJIT's Upcoming eLCAd Symposium Builds Cross-Disciplinary Bridges in Design and Environmental Life Cycle Assessment

2022-03-19T10:30:00-04:00

Sustainability is more than a buzzword for the team behind New Jersey Institute of Technology's (NJIT) upcoming Environmental Life Cycle Assessment in Design Symposium, better known as eLCAd. What began in 2020 as an idea to bring together the disciplines of architecture, design, and data-driven techniques for assessing environmental challenges has now become a book and industry-focused symposium for working professionals and students.

When it comes to sustainable design approaches and best practices, there are numerous conferences and symposiums to talk about and attend. But what makes eLCAd different? Why highlight this symposium in comparison to others? In a nutshell, eLCAd 2022 is a three-day, international event that "unites two professions engaged in parallel systems thinking [...] to define actionable, collaborative opportunities brought about through continuing advances in computational tools." For John Cays (Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Interim Director of the Schoo...

Fostering Civic Engagement in Architecture School With Jeanine Centuori, Director of Woodbury’s ACE Center

2022-02-23T10:46:00-05:00

How can architecture schools better engage with the communities surrounding them? For faculty and students at Woodbury School of Architecture, the words civic engagement are more than just umbrella terms used as curriculum aides for student learning. Instead, they are pillars to facilitate ongoing discourse and action towards helping underserved communities in Southern California. Through architecture, design, non-profit work, and business initiatives, the school's Agency for Civic Engagement (ACE) program uses a multidisciplinary approach to designing for the public.

ACE stemmed from an idea led by a group of dedicated Woodbury faculty members. What began as a visionary project has become an essential public interest program. To learn more about ACE's history and the community-driven projects born out of the program, I spoke with its Director, Jeanine Centuori, FAIA. During our conversation, we also discussed public art and its relationship to architecture, the importance of exposi...

NJIT’s Hillier College of Architecture and Design Fall 2021 Super Review Showcases Civic Engagement and Climate Action

2021-12-17T09:30:00-05:00

For the Fall 2021 school term, the New Jersey Institute of Technology’s Hillier College of Architecture and Design (HCAD) welcomed its students back to in-person learning. The College is comprised of the School of Art and Design and the New Jersey School of Architecture, a vibrant community of undergraduate and graduate architecture and urban design students and faculty. As the academic year comes to a close for the winter holiday Archinect was invited to sit in on the Fall 2021 Super Review which took place virtually on December 9 to learn more about the pedagogy and studios at Hillier College.

The review focused on the Master of Urban Design Studio and Bachelor of Architecture Option Studios, featuring presentations from seven studios. The virtual review was moderated by Associate Professor and Director of the School of Architecture Kelly Hutzell, Senior University Lecturer and B.Arch/B.S. Arch Coordinator Mark Bess, and Associate Professor and M.Arch/M.S. Arch Coordinator Gernot ...

Architecture as Caregiver: NYIT School of Architecture and Design Showcases Student and Faculty Work at the 2021 Venice Biennale

2021-12-16T10:49:00-05:00

Pavilions and exhibitions showcased at the 2021 Architecture Venice Biennale have grabbed news headlines for a good portion of the year. As the architecture and design world interrogates the works of numerous architects, curators, and professional design teams through the lens of the latest theme, How Will We Live Together, attention must also be paid to the participation of architecture students and faculty. Highly visible exhibitions have become outlets for educating the world about what architecture is today. Academic contributions add to architecture's growing discourse through research and investigations.

For this year's International Architecture Exhibition, architecture students and faculty from the New York Institute of Technology School of Architecture and Design (SoAD) made an appearance in Venice. Through the leadership of SoAD Dean Maria Perbellini and fellow faculty members, the institution showcased two unique pavilions. Archinect connected with Dean Perbellini to lear...

Doctor of Design Program Seeks to Transform Design Education in the 21st Century

2021-12-10T13:43:00-05:00

In November 2019, the University of Calgary's School of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape (UCalgary SAPL) announced its new Doctor of Design (DDes) program targeted towards practicing architects, planners, and landscape architects looking to "leverage their existing expertise into new areas of innovation." While institutions within the United States offer such programs, UCalgary is the first to launch a DDes program in Canada. Currently, the program has two active DDes cohorts that began in 2020 and 2021 with a total of 16 candidates located in Canada, Nigeria, Nepal, and Saudi Arabia. To better understand the program Archinect connected with program critic Marcelo Stamm, Ph.D., and DDes candidate Barry Johns.

With applications currently open for UCalgary's third DDes cohort, Stamm and Johns offer valuable insight to help prospective applicants learn more about the program.

Barbara Bestor Reflects on the Julius Shulman Institute and Woodbury University's Commitment to Celebrating Architectural Photography Through Exhibition

2021-10-29T10:13:00-04:00

Architecture and photography are two disciplines whose relationship has blossomed into visual documentation used repeatedly for reference, inspiration, and research. While there are many architectural photographers whose work has been exemplary in presenting the public with a glimpse into the world of architecture, Julius Shulman remains an industry icon and pioneer in the field. Since 2005, the Julius Shulman Institute (JSI) has acted as an important bridge for Woodbury University to connect the public with the disciplines of architecture and photography. To learn more about the JSI, its history, and its mission, I spoke with Woodbury University's Julius Shulman Distinguished Professor of Practice and Executive Director of the JSI, Barbara Bestor.

"Our goal is to change the way Architecture and photography of the built environment are understood and presented in our culture and museums," shared Bestor. "It's rare for there to be an architecture department in any given museum. On t...

SCI-Arc's Design Immersion Days High School Summer Program Fosters Design Exploration Through Architectural Thinking and Scholarship

2021-06-16T09:00:00-04:00

Summer is here. As high school students search for programs that spark their interests, architecture institutions like SCI-Arc provide opportunities to bring the basics of architectural thinking to teens interested in architecture, technology, and design.

"DID's curriculum is built to articulate projects within three different formats and scales, from analog models to digital renderings, presenting scenarios in which students are challenged to think analytically, use different tools, and imagine nontraditional approaches to design," shares SCI-Arc. "Through projects emphasizing visual studies, design lab, and portfolio building, students are introduced to a range of skills essential to exploring, discovering, describing, and producing design work."

To learn more about SCI-Arc's popular Design Immersion Days (DID) summer high school program, Archinect spoke with its Program Coordinator, Mira Henry. Now in her fifth year as coordinator, Henry discusses what excites her about each inc...

A Bridge to Architectural Education: Exploring UCLA Architecture and Urban Design’s Summer Programs with Julia Koerner

2021-05-13T11:32:00-04:00

With summer right around the corner, high school students, young professionals, and individuals looking to explore new disciplines seek programs that spark their interests while learning new skills. With virtual learning practices adopted globally, the opportunity for students to participate in notable summer school programs from any part of the world is readily available.

This summer, UCLA Architecture and Urban Design's notable summer programs welcome individuals interested in exploring design and learning introductory skills in architecture in a new virtual format. By offering two programs created for high school students and adults, the Teen ArchStudio and JumpStart programs provide participants with a glimpse into studio culture at one of the leading public universities in the world in addition to earning University of California (UC) course credit. This year's summer program welcomes Assistant Adjunct Professor Julia Koerner as its newly appointed Summer Programs Director. Wit...

M.Arch Students From Washington University’s Sam Fox School Publish Studio Work Investigating International Housing From a Social, Cultural, and Environmental Framework

2021-05-10T09:00:00-04:00

The Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis recently announced the publication of International Housing Studio: 2017-2019, which highlights the work of the 419 International Housing studio in the Master of Architecture program.

A core studio taken by all graduate architecture students, the 419 International Housing studio draws from the diverse expertise of Washington University faculty and visiting faculty, with project sites located in different parts of the world. The studio begins with a set of rotations, where students work for two weeks in one city with one instructor before moving to another city with a different instructor, with whom they develop their project for the remainder of the semester. Students explore how each city’s climate, history, and sociocultural particularities inform the making of collective housing.

To dive into the collection of student and faculty research, Archinect previews the publication that was published in Marc...

Academia and Professional Practice: Cal Poly Pomona's Graduate Architecture Program Fosters Architecture Leaders

2021-03-03T14:53:00-05:00

While applications for graduate programs have passed, there are a handful of schools whose application deadline extends into April. In preparation for their Fall 2021 term and its prospective applicant pool, Archinect dives into the graduate program at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona Department of Architecture (CPPARC)

According to Department Chair and Professor George Proctor AIA, "The learning environment at CPPARC cultivates both individual skills and knowledge while providing the context and tools for collaboration [...] The learn-by-doing methods and collaborative components of every CPPARC studio have produced leaders who run many of the region's largest and most successful firms." Newly appointed Graduate Coordinator Victor Jones shares, "our graduate students are outfitted to harness architecture’s potential to address the many of environmental, political, social, and economic challenges that face our communities and cities."

To further expand on their gradua...

Discussing Technology and 'Architecture as Transient Media' With Güvenç Özel and Benjamin Ennemoser of UCLA's IDEAS Technology Studio

2021-02-19T13:39:00-05:00

Architecture is currently at the cusp of a paradigm shift, where the environments we occupy are becoming increasingly virtual and mobile. Considered as an ecosystem of technologies rather than a tectonic assemblage of materials, architecture is shifting toward a non-static and non-physical form of experience. This opens up the potential for it to be considered as a transdisciplinary medium that merges the worlds of fabrication, gaming, and media design.

The IDEAS Technology Studio, one of four studios offered as part of UCLA Architecture and Urban Design’s Master of Science in Architecture and Urban Design (M.S.AUD) program, investigates the design of new media in digital and physical forms and its potential to radically transform the human experience. Recognized as a leading research institution UCLA Architecture and Urban Design is also a part of the UCLA School of Arts and Architecture. This unique blend and integration of departments allow both students and faculty "to connect ...

A New Form of Architectural Education: A Conversation with SCI-Arc's Marrikka Trotter and Tom Wiscombe

2020-12-30T09:00:00-05:00

Finding the right college for any high school student, let alone a program to pursue, is not an easy task. While students may be enthusiastic about specific professions, different institutions approach these professions with radically distinct teaching methods and emphases.

Among the accredited programs in the Western USA, SCI-Arc stands out for the quality of student work and the cutting-edge skills its graduates bring to the workplace. I wanted to investigate what makes this "school for architectural thinking" different. What would a student applying to SCI-Arc leave with? With such an active student body and faculty, what else does the school offer that we don't already know about? Archinect wanted to learn more about what makes this school's undergraduate program so successful and hopefully shed light and add some clarity to what makes this highly sought after.

Cal Poly Pomona's Undergraduate Architecture Program Aims To Shape the Industry with Students Ready for Professional Practice

2020-11-17T12:46:00-05:00

While the notion of attending college has shifted over the years, many students look for programs that will provide a strong academic foundation and the tools to become successful professionals.

Choosing to pursue a bachelor's degree in architecture is no easy task. While the idea of becoming an architect is still an alluring profession, the intensity and rigor of an architecture program is not for the faint of heart. According to Cal Poly Pomona Department Chair George Proctor AIA, "Many first-year students of architecture discover that while the discipline is demanding, it offers far more than common preconceptions. A degree in architecture can open the door to a variety of career and professional opportunities. A degree in architecture is not like that of other disciplines, is an amalgamation of many, and could be described as a structured liberal arts degree. Every studio offers students an opportunity to learn about both, the design of buildings and environments and, the peo...

X-WORLDS: UCLA's 2020 IDEAS Summer Studio Transforms Their Summer Programming Into an Incubator for Remote Exploration

2020-11-15T12:59:00-05:00

Summer 2020 proved to be a season of tackling the unknown as the pandemic impacted architectural academia. With nearly all summer programs pivoting and transitioning to remote learning, popular summer programs aimed to find a way to motivate students during such challenging times with online experiences that allowed them to explore digital possibilities within architecture.

UCLA's IDEAS Summer studio shares with Archinect, "This year's IDEAS Summer Studio "X-WORLDS" marked the first entirely virtual introduction to the one-year Master of Science in Architecture and Urban Design (M.S.AUD) program at UCLA Architecture and Urban Design. The six-week program provided an immersion into the intersecting worlds of each of the four M.S.AUD research studios: Entertainment, Mobility, Technology, and Urban Strategy."

Archinect connected with the team from UCLA's IDEAS Campus Summer Studio to learn about the program's goals and highlight the work of student participants created during their s...

Academia and Social Responsibility: A Closer Look at Tulane School of Architecture's Graduate Programs

2020-10-22T11:47:00-04:00

Located in New Orleans, Louisiana, and the heart of the Gulf Coast, is Tulane University's School of Architecture. Rooted within the institution is an academic environment that houses its architecture, preservation, and real estate development graduate programs. In this feature, we take a closer look at the school's mission, its goals for its students and faculty, and how it aims to foster an environment of socially responsible learning.

According to Director of Graduate Architecture Benjamin J. Smith, Ph.D., the school's graduate programs share a "commitment to design excellence and social responsibility. With studio, seminar, and lecture courses that bridge intellectual, technical, social, and physical areas, our graduate students examine architecture by understanding its discipline and its consequence. To impact culture in positive ways, our students use architecture to ask challenging questions and deliver meaningful responses."

To learn more about the school's graduate programs...