The Architecture Program is part of a renowned school of art within a major research university, and is located in Philadelphia -- a city with a rich architectural heritage and a vibrant professional community. Professors and students use these multiple contexts to foster intellectually and experientially diverse teaching and learning opportunities; to structure research initiatives and creative practices, and to generate critical dialogue with the architecture profession, its related disciplines, and the public.
The Architecture Program's core belief is that architecture is a uniquely social art and a place-based profession. Our special focus is in teaching the craft of architecture as an expression and instrument of its cultural context, with the object of making places that are beautiful, sustainable and humane. An emphasis on the urban situation as a generator of ideas about the programmatic and formal elements of architecture is a central theme in courses and studio projects. While acquiring the fundamental skills and knowledge-base of the discipline, students are taught to understand architecture as both global and local phenomena. They are exposed to critical contemporary discourse in cultural theory and environmental sustainability, and are immersed in hands-on experience in the immediate postindustrial urban situation. They emerge prepared for ethical and informed leadership in the profession.
2001 North 13th Street
Philadelphia, PA, US , 19122
