Over the past 30 years, the Architecture Department at Cranbrook Academy of Art has developed a reputation for questioning the boundaries of architecture as a discipline. In a world where information and conversation are no longer restricted by physical boundaries, architecture is no longer restricted by its traditional disciplinary boundaries. Yet as boundaries become more fluid, the architectural delineation of boundaries becomes more significant, not less. The Department of Architecture attempts to delineate the "core work" of architects and the boundaries of architecture, artifice and discourse. The education of architects in the department reinforces the understanding that the work of architecture by its nature is always "in response to." No matter how its boundaries are re-defined, architecture still provides shelter, erects structures, organizes movement as well as ideas, stimulates perception and engages culture. At Cranbrook, the architect is engaged in, not estranged from, the profession of architecture.
