Archinect - Features

Applying to architecture school? Don't miss these info sessions and open houses this fall

2024-10-29T12:55:00-04:00

Application deadlines for 2025 architecture academic programs are coming up soon! To learn more about exciting undergraduate and graduate degrees in Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urban Planning, take a look below at Archinect's latest highlight of upcoming information sessions and open houses (online and in-person) as a guide to your application process.

‘We Have To Get Much Better at Speaking To Wider and Wider Audiences:’ A Conversation With USC Architecture Dean Brett Steele

2024-10-09T12:03:00-04:00

In February 2024, Brett Steele took up the position of Dean of the University of Southern California School of Architecture. Since then, Steele has been busy capitalizing on the opportunities and responsibilities that come with leading a Los Angeles design school in a city known globally for its creativity; a landscape Steele also experienced in his past roles at fellow Los Angeles school UCLA and at the AA in London.

Steele's mission at USC centers not only on preparing students for unpredictable futures but also on "speaking to wider and wider audiences." In that spirit, USC architecture students forge links with their peers in landscape, building science, and beyond, led by a faculty of diverse practitioners. "This isn't a place to just show up for courses; you've got to want to absorb everything around you," Steele notes.

In September 2024, Archinect's Niall Patrick Walsh caught up with Steele as part of our Deans List series to gain an insight into USC Architecture's approach t...

Climate, Justice, and Collaboration in Academia: A Conversation with Tyler School of Art and Architecture's Director Kate Wingert-Playdon

2024-09-23T12:25:00-04:00

At Temple University's Tyler School of Art and Architecture, Kate Wingert-Playdon is building an academic culture grounded in collaboration. As Senior Associate Dean and Director of Architecture, Wingert-Playdon is engaged in a mission of encouraging cross-disciplinary interaction between architecture, planning, landscape, and beyond, in addition to encouraging and cultivating the views of communities beyond the profession.

For Wingert-Playdon, this emphasis on collaboration takes on a heightened sense of urgency when preparing students to tackle challenges of the present and future, from climate change to social justice to the demographics of the profession.

In September 2024, Archinect's Niall Patrick Walsh spoke with Wingert-Playdon as part of our Deans List series, to gain an insight into Tyler's approach to education, the student experience, and building a holistic curriculum. The conversation, lightly edited for clarity, is published below.

2024 Summer Architecture Programs for Adults and High School Graduates

2024-03-20T10:00:00-04:00

Archinect's 2024 highlight of summer architecture programs continues with Part 2, where we focus on courses and workshops for adults, high school graduates, and current college students.

Take a look below at our curated selection of educational events at academic institutions and architectural organizations across the United States and Canada. Make sure to apply early — spots are filling up quickly.

If you're interested in summer programs for kids and high school students, check out our recently published Part 1.

2024 Summer Architecture Programs for Kids and High School Students

2024-03-18T10:00:00-04:00

If you are a parent looking for engaging architecture-focused programs for your kids, or a high school student interested in gaining valuable pre-college experience, take a look below at Archinect's latest highlight of summer architecture programs.

For the 2024 season, we have curated another two-part special featuring educational events for all ages and regions across the United States and Canada. With spring quickly approaching, now is the time to secure your spots.

Part 1 focuses on summer courses and workshops for elementary, middle, and high school students ready to discover architecture's basics.

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

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

Archinect's Deans 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.

10 helpful tips for architecture students going back to school

2023-09-19T08:23:00-04:00

School is officially back in session as new and returning students begin another academic term. Whether you're a fresh undergraduate student embarking on your first year of architecture school or you're a returning student about to continue another rigorous year of learning, experimenting, and designing — our ongoing Archinect Tips series has you covered!

NYIT School of Architecture & Design's M.Arch Graduate Studio Explores 'Designing (Inter)Scalar Domains'

2023-08-01T15:05:00-04:00

Continuing with our Archinect Studio Pin-Ups series, we connect with Archinect Partner School New York Institute of Technology to learn more about its Fall/Spring semester M.Arch studio led by Marcella Del Signore, the school's Associate Professor and Director of the Master of Science in Architecture, Urban and Regional Design.

The ARCH 802 Design-Research Studio "Designing (Inter)Scalar Domains" built upon the preceding M.ARCH 801 Studio from Fall 2020/21 and continued to focus on "interscalar design processes, translating research and design scenarios into the development and production/fabrication phase," asking students to "explore the continuity and interdependence of scales in their project proposals while emphasizing strategies that address micro and macro scales." The concept of 'interscalarity' served as a "methodological framework, investigating scalar relationships and the co-dependency of material, spatial, social, cultural, political, and environmental concerns."

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UCLA AUD's M.Arch Research Studio Explores Speculative 'Future Histories' of Los Angeles

2022-12-15T13:57:00-05:00

The latest installment in Archinect's Studio Pin-Ups series presents graduate student work from one of UCLA Architecture and Urban Design (AUD)'s Research Studio Seminars. The studio, titled "Future [Hi]Stories of the City," is led by Kutan Ayata, AUD's Vice Chair, Associate Professor, and co-founder of Brooklyn-based architecture practice Young & Ayata.

This research-based studio encouraged M.Arch students to explore and document "speculative future histories of Los Angeles through the design of episodic instances. In pairs, students choose an issue that currently pressures and influences the development of LA; the task is to document the state and impact of these issues towards the Year 2062."

Exploring First-Year Student Work With Cal Poly Pomona's Architecture Foundation Design Studio

2022-10-27T11:41:00-04:00

Continuing with our new Archinect Studio Pin-Ups series, we showcase work from Cal Poly Pomona's Department of Architecture (CPP ARC) First Year Spring Studio. The ARC 1011A Foundation Design Studio is led by Studio Coordinator Robert Alexander (CPP alumn and coordinator of the Department of Architecture's First Year Design Studio) and Associate Coordinator Claudia Wainer (CPP ARC lecturer and Senior Architecture Associate at OWUI).

This course provides students with an "introduction to the process of design through studio projects addressing the role of process in the development of form. Focus on drawing and model construction as a means to seeing and understanding."

The University of Texas at Austin's Green Core Studio Explores Sustainable Energy Production in Residential Building Design

2022-09-29T12:35:00-04:00

Design studios are one of the core components of an architectural education. Through the guidance and expertise of dedicated faculty members, students are taught the skills and design perspectives needed to navigate architecture studios.

Studios encourage students to explore new ways to design, prototype, think, and build. To bring closer attention to architecture studios, their committed instructors, and the exciting work being developed, we present Archinect Studio Pin-Ups, a new series highlighting architecture studios focusing on new and thought-provoking topics.

To kick off the series, we dive into the University of Texas at Austin's Advanced Spring 2022 Studio - Green Core, led by Jing Liu (Visiting Professor and co-founder of SO–IL) and Claire Townley (UT Austin Alumn '19 and Associate Architect at Pollen Architecture & Design).

Summer Architecture Programs, Workshops, and Design Intensives for High School Graduates and Adults

2022-05-09T12:28:00-04:00

Continuing with our list of architecture programs to explore during the summer, Part II focuses on opportunities for recent high school graduates and adults. Echoing a similar message as provided in Part I, these courses and workshops offer adults young and old, even without prior design experience, access to the fundamentals of an architecture education.

Our list also includes programs for those with existing backgrounds adjacent to architecture looking to explore specific topics with design emphasis.

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...

California Architecture Students Celebrated Through Exhibition and Scholarship at the 2021 2x8:Assemblies Student Showcase

2021-12-03T15:04:00-05:00

California is home to public and private educational institutions that offer architecture, landscape architecture, interior architecture, and urban planning programs — not to mention the myriad of community colleges providing notable two-year programs. In 2002, the AIA Los Angeles and a group of LA-based architects, architecture faculty, and design collaborators launched the first 2x8 Exhibition at the A+D Museum in the Bradbury building. Fast forward 19 years later, the 2x8 Exhibition has become the foremost student-focused architecture exhibition and scholarship event in Los Angeles.

Archinect has been a frequent supporter and media sponsor of the 2x8 Exhibition and Student Awards Program. While last year's exhibition and awards ceremony was conducted virtually, the current iteration, 2x8:Assemblies, features a collection of outstanding student works, enthusiastic exhibition designers, and a community of supportive architects, design professionals, and visitors.

Going All-In at Bard Architecture; The Opportunities and Challenges of Architectural Education in a Time of Transformation

2021-07-27T16:23:00-04:00

This spring, the first year of classes came to a close at a new undergraduate program in architecture at Bard College, a 2,000-student liberal arts school in rural Annandale, New York. According to the co-directors, Professors Ivonne Santoyo-Orozco and Ross Exo Adams, designing Bard Architecture’s new curriculum has been an opportunity to rethink architectural education by asking: “What is architecture in the first place?”

Becoming an Architect; Part 1: My Destiny

2021-07-06T08:05:00-04:00

I grew up in a masculine household; my dad was a crane driver, and he operated those wrecking ball cranes that would slam into buildings to demolish them (obviously without Miley Cyrus sitting on the steel sphere). I was going to say a bit like the game conkers, but that wasn’t a thing here in the USA; google it.

Equity in Architectural Academia: A Conversation with Cory Henry

2021-01-11T09:00:00-05:00

Last year, my family and I moved to a new home. After we were settled in, I shared with one of our neighbors that I taught and wrote about architecture. She was stunned and told me that there was another neighbor, right next door to me, who taught and practiced architecture also.

Shortly after, I met Cory Henry, and we began having regular discussions about architectural education and practice. Cory is the Principal and Founder of Atelier Cory Henry, a Los Angeles-based interdisciplinary design practice. He is currently a Kea Distinguished Professor at the University of Maryland, a Visiting Critic at Syracuse University, and has served as a Visiting Critic at the University of Pennsylvania, and a Visiting Assistant Professor in Architecture at Penn State University.

Cory has also helped me with some of my writing, most recently, my essay on tokenism in architectural practice. In our discussions, we soon dove into issues of equity in architectural education and decided it would be in...

"Discovering a Black Aesthetic in Architecture" — An Investigation by Woodbury Grad Demar Matthews

2020-06-09T13:29:00-04:00

Demar Matthews is a recent M.Arch graduate of Woodbury University. We first met Demar with the publication of his article A Black Architecture Education Experience, a piece that propelled the young designer into a rigorous investigation of Black architectural aesthetics in America. Due to COVID-19, Demar was forced to rework his approach to his project and decided to curate all of his research on a website, offtopdesign.com, which is a work in progress. Demar's academic exploration of Black aesthetics is something he says he's only just begun.

He says this thesis is a first step to what he hopes will be a much longer and deeper path. I connected with Demar, to talk a bit more about his project and thoughts for his future.

Archinect's Spotlight on 2020 Thesis Projects: 2020 has been an extraordinarily challenging year for architecture graduates. Students were displaced as schools shut down, academic communities had to adapt to a new virtual format, end-of-year celebrations were can...

How To Choose Between Architecture Schools

2020-05-12T16:06:00-04:00

One of our most popular questions in the Archinect Discussion Forum is how to choose between architecture degree programs. Some students might already be accepted to multiple programs and are uncertain which to choose while others may have yet to apply and are unsure of which to pursue. The question is usually along the lines of, “which school is better?” or, “which school should I go to?” and even sometimes, “can someone give me insight into these programs?”

It’s a tough position, and candidates want to make the right decision for their future, so they turn to the Archinect community for guidance only to be met with conflicting opinions or harsh feedback. When it comes to this crossroad, one that will influence the trajectory of the next 2 to 5 years of your life, turning to strangers isn’t always the best idea. In this article I hope to provide prospective students with some essential techniques in making a good decision about which school to attend and how to decide between diff...

School of Architecture Deans Detail COVID-19’s Impact on End of the Year Activities

2020-04-28T12:00:00-04:00

In an effort to gather more information regarding how schools of architecture are adapting to the COVID-19 crisis, Archinect has reached out to a collection of architecture deans and program chairs for specific insight into how each institution is responding to the crisis individually.

The first installment of a three-part COVID-19-specific Deans List update explored the fast-paced changes that are taking place at these institutions as uncertainty and rapid-response approaches become a matter of daily life. For the second installment of this series, we asked architecture directors to convey cover how COVID-19 has impacted traditional end-of-the-year activities like final reviews, thesis exhibitions, and other events. Part three will focus on the potential long-term impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on architectural education.

School of Architecture Deans Voice Institutional Responses to the COVID-19 Crisis

2020-04-27T12:49:00-04:00

The first installment of a three-part, COVID-19-specific Deans List update explores the fast-paced changes that are taking place at these institutions as uncertainty and rapid-response approaches become a matter of daily life. We asked the architecture educators below to provide a general statement regarding how their institutions are handling the pandemic. The second installment of this series will cover how COVID-19 has impacted traditional end-of-the-year activities like final reviews, thesis exhibitions, and other events. Part three will focus on the potential long-term impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on architectural education.

USC Architecture Faculty Share Insights on Virtual Learning

2020-03-27T12:24:00-04:00

As institutions of higher learning round out the shift to online instruction, architecture schools also have had to address the pivot. However, the tactile nature of architectural education lends itself to the curious case of duplicating the tactile benefits of studio digitally. There's no doubt schools of architecture across the country have risen to the task at hand. Archinect has even reached out to educators and students across our international community to learn more about the diverse experiences and approaches to this unorthodox learning model.

In this piece, I had the pleasure to connect with the faculty over at the USC School of Architecture to discuss everything from how they mobilized so quickly, solving this debacle of online learning in design to the challenges they faced along the way. While only a perspective of one institution, this exploration should prove valuable to students, professionals, and educators alike.

Balancing Studio With Other Classes

2019-10-21T10:00:00-04:00

In architecture school, everything takes second place to studio. It’s an unwritten rule: you do whatever it takes to have a great studio project, and if your other classes fall by the wayside, then so be it. Is this a well-placed tendency? Perhaps it depends on what we believe architecture school is here for: to make us great designers, or maybe to accurately prepare us to be a professional. In any case, should studio reign over our other studies? Is our propensity to prioritize it over everything else warranted? Or is there a bigger picture to understand?

How to Face a Jury in Architecture School

2019-09-03T07:00:00-04:00

A while back, we talked about how our ability to communicate as creative people can sometimes make or break our success. Effective communication is one factor of life as an architecture student, but another one is in how we face up to a jury of people ready to critique our work. It is something sure to cause most new students to melt in anxiety. The moments leading up to a review can be filled with uncertainty and worry. Standing in front of a group of people and presenting something we’ve created can be daunting, and we brood over the stamp of approval we yearn for. Our primary preoccupation tends to be a fear of looking bad, of not appearing smart, capable, and competent enough. And the need to be seen in this favorable light is what often encourages the uneasiness that swells within us.

To fight this, we must modify our view of the jury and the part they have to play in our development.

What the Broke Architecture Student Can Learn From the Work of Glenn Murcutt

2019-08-06T09:00:00-04:00

Architecture school can be a rewarding and overwhelming experience. The long hours, harsh criticisms, and competition amongst peers are only a few factors the student faces daily. And, of course, there’s the question of the material costs that come along with model building, 3D printing, software, computers, and the pile of other commodities one must acquire during their time in school. Of course, there are those students who are fortunate enough to have the funds needed to do as they desire during their academic progression. But, there are also those who can hardly afford to buy a few sheets of material. Do they just take out a loan to keep up with the more well-off students? What if their professors expect them to use an expensive material and they do not have the means to obtain them?

How do you view architecture school when you’re broke?

The Architecture Student’s Presentation Roadmap

2019-07-10T11:54:00-04:00

If you’re an architecture student, then you’ve probably had to endure the daunting arena that is the critique, or the pin-up, or the review. Whatever it’s called for you, one thing is for sure: the quality of your presentations in school significantly impact how your work is received. Most students spend hours on their projects but then sell them short by not communicating them well to others. There’s nothing more frustrating than knowing you have a great project and not being prepared enough to help a professor or juror see that as well. Having a roadmap to guide you can provide just what you need to enter a presentation confident and ready for action. This is your roadmap.

The Architecture Student’s Guide to Studio

2019-05-30T12:53:00-04:00

Throughout your years in architecture school, one thing is always true — everything revolves around studio. It’s your living quarters for five years, where you’ll succeed and fail with a small group of comrades crazy enough to choose a career path in architecture. Studio is a kind of ecosystem we learn to obsess over. Every other class kind of becomes an afterthought. Your time in school is dominated by this phenomenon, and it comes with many cultural and social nuances, things that have been passed down year after year. In this article, we’ll look at some aspects that you, as an architecture student, experience every day, whether you’re aware of it or not. We’ll also explore some of the bizarre characteristics of studio culture and how it influences your time as a student.

What to Expect After Graduating From Architecture School

2019-03-12T12:00:00-04:00

As a student, you have been working toward an ultimate and almost seemingly distant goal for quite some time now. And as you find yourself nearing the end of your education, one might wonder, quite appropriately, what life after graduation is going to look like.

Constructs of Memory: Lorem Ipsum

2018-10-18T09:00:00-04:00

Lorem Ipsum: Narratives of Architecture is the first studio to be subjected to the experimental format of a jury presented in Pedagogies, the Public & Juries. The third round of Lorem Ipsum focuses on bringing the processes and products from the previous stages together, presented here as Constructs of Memory.

Transcripts of Los Angeles: Lorem Ipsum

2018-10-17T09:00:00-04:00

Lorem Ipsum: Narratives of Architecture is the first studio to be subjected to the experimental format of a jury presented in Pedagogies, the Public & Juries. The second round of Lorem Ipsum borrows its process from Bernard Tschumi’s Manhattan Transcripts. What follows is the development of Lorem Ipsum’s Transcripts of Los Angeles.