Student work by Joseph Arnold. Image courtesy of UCLA Architecture and Urban Design

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. With Koerner at the helm, she has re-envisioned the program offerings for its online learning environment. For the first time, students worldwide can experience a design curriculum from one of California's leading public research institutions. Since the pandemic, UCLA has found ways to modify and present its annual programming while celebrating student exploration and fostering design exploration.

To learn more about this year's summer programs, I connected with Koerner. Together we discussed what makes summer programs in general "intense," the beauty of studying architecture in Los Angeles, and how UCLA's summer sessions differ from other summer architecture programs. We also talk heavily about what programs like JumpStart and what a program like this means for individuals looking interested in a new career in architecture. 

*For those unfamiliar with UCLA's Architecture and Urban Design summer offerings, JumpStart (July 6-30) is a four-week summer studio for individuals contemplating a career in architecture and urban design. The program is open to students from all backgrounds and carries six quarters of UC credit. Teen ArchStudio (July 6-23) is a three-week summer architecture experience for high school students interested in exploring architecture and design thinking. Structured around the experience of a design studio typically offered within the curriculum of a college-level architecture program, students develop and advance their design skills through space and form-making and related 2D and 3D representation techniques. The program is open to anyone 14 years of age or older and enrolled in grades 9th-12th during Spring 2021. 

It's been a year since the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Options for remote learning have become more available and far more sophisticated. While online learning programs have both pros and cons, academic institutions offering remote learning have strived to create a curriculum that is engaging and motivating to participate in. Cohort building and studio culture may look different in 2021, yet during my conversation with Koerner, she explains that remote programs are opportunities for "connecting the dots" and bridging UCLA's students, alumni, and faculty together with participants interested in pursuing an architectural education. "Programs like this should be a motivator, especially during this time. We want ideation. We want to have people who are motivated and who like to learn," shares Koerner.

Behind the Curriculum with Julia Koerner

In May 2019, I connected with Koerner to explore her work and background as one of architecture's leading 3D fabrication designers. Fresh off of Black Panther's Oscar win in costume design, where she worked alongside the brilliant Ruth Carter, Koerner shared how her architecture education aided her in designing one of the most distinguishable costume designs in the Marvel franchise. During our conversation, she also expressed her commitment and passion for teaching and how she planned on using her expertise to open new doors for students and designers at UCLA. 

"What I like about UCLA is that I have the freedom to teach students within the framework of architecture, but there is always room to make them look beyond what's in front of them [...] I want to challenge their thoughts and designs beyond architecture." It's this same energy that Koerner brought to our Zoom call earlier this month. As a world-renowned designer across the fields of architecture, product, and fashion design, she was eager to share what her plans are for this year's summer curriculum. 

What I like about UCLA is that I have the freedom to teach students within the framework of architecture, but there is always room to make them look beyond what's in front of them [...] I want to challenge their thoughts and designs beyond architecture. - Julia Koerner

Summer architecture programs have a tendency to be "intense," but I suppose that comes with the territory of fitting architecture concepts in such a short time period?

It's true, but I would say that every school is different and intense in its own way. For me, I'd say for summer programs conducted in Los Angeles, it fits why they're "intense." What I always loved about Los Angeles is its city. It's intense but in a great way. The architecture scene here, its history, it's so mesmerizing. So with teaching here at UCLA, I wanted to pull what makes the city exciting into our revamped curriculum. It's not only about architecture discourse. It's about seeing how all these elements interact with one another and how we can provide these types of perspectives to our students.

This is the first time both JumpStart and TeenArch will be conducted remotely. Students won't be able to experience the city of Los Angeles in a conventional way. How does this year's program curriculum incorporate the city's feel?

In JumpStart, we'll focus on having participants learn about case study homes, specifically the Eames House and the aspects of how it was built. Essentially it was a form of prefabrication since its foundation and steel frame was completed in 16 hours with materials ordered from catalogs. It's a great contemporary project that touches on prefabrication, residential design, and affordable housing. The contemporary issues of Los Angeles and its relationship to affordable housing and housing design is something to be explored. When you look at something historically here in Los Angeles, there are elements of it theoretically, and I'm curious as to how prefabrication will tie into it. 

For Koerner and the school's department, they aimed at bringing an "experimental approach to the design of dwelling." In the program's description, JumpStart is an introductory design studio that "will challenge students to unfold new spatial and formal arrangements comprising re-imagined parts that stimulate creatively framed passages and transitions within the dwelling landscapes of today." 

The Teen Archstudio will focus on introductory levels of form and volume through diagrammatic drawing and modeling through the Japanese art form of origami. She emphasizes that both programs will work on "connecting the dots between history and contemporary design in order to show what kind of opportunities there are for architects in the future." Students in the Teen ArchStudio will use these skills learned through origami models and architectural drawings to aid them in their final project, "a pavilion dedicated to the courtyard plaza in front of Perloff Hall, UCLA Architecture and Urban Design's home on the UCLA campus."

Building Student Comradery in a Digital Space

Collaboration and connecting with students and faculty have gone through various changes thanks to remote learning. I asked Koerner how this new virtual format will foster networking and comradery building for both students and individuals new to the industry. Remote program offerings have now removed the physical barriers of attending summer programs in different parts of the world. Besides working around time differences, schools continue to explore ways in which remote learning can also cultivate a digital studio culture that fosters team building and virtual support systems for students to work together and grow together during remote learning.

By mixing students who are in our summer programs with students who are currently in the process of completing their architecture education brings a greater sense of understanding and comradery.

"What I want to do is connect our Teen ArchStudio and Jumpstart students with current students, graduate students, and alumni to give them an opportunity for a glimpse at what it's like to experience an architecture education at different levels," explains Koerner. "For example, instructors who are teaching the summer program are returning alumni who participated in the summer program or graduated from AUD as well as teaching assistants who are current students. Mixing students who are in our summer programs with students who are currently in the process of completing their architecture education brings a greater sense of understanding and comradery."

Koerner shares that she didn't experience this type of intermingling and integration during her own architectural education until much later in her career. "I never had the opportunity to meet those people at different stages and ask those questions to see where all of this leads. I wanted to offer this to our summer program students even in this short time frame. Making connections and networking look different now, and I wanted to provide that opportunity for students."  

Remote Learning as a Translation of the Professional World

There are plenty of exciting summer architecture programs available for individuals to participate in, especially for adults looking for a career shift. There are those who may feel ill-equipped to join due to the lack of software knowledge or design basics. However, Koerner expresses that this year's summer curriculum at UCLA isn't an environment meant to intimidate but rather motivate. 

"Having taught remote courses because of the pandemic, student work is better documented and easier to discuss. Thanks to programs like Miro, students, and faculty can see and reference workflow a lot easier." shares Koerner. "Teaching and learning design are very process-driven, and the experiences are linear. Participants can see how people work. Faculty can better understand a student's train of thought because work doesn't "get lost" in a virtual environment. Each process gets documented very well. It's a brilliant result between the instructor and the student." 

Whether you're a student interested in learning more about architecture with the intention of applying to a B.Arch program or a professional interested in switching careers UCLA's summer programming focuses on fostering their passions and interests for architecture while further developing a design perspective.

Both programs really focus on giving you a mini experience as an entryway into an architectural education. It’s meant to prepare the students. We really start from scratch and we don’t assume that participants already know these methods. We’re inviting students to ask questions so we as a team know what they’re looking for. No one should feel that they’re not ready for this. - Julia Koerner

Enthusiastic and excited to create memorable student outcomes, Koerner closes our discussion by adding, "if someone has a background or interest in architecture and design, I believe this program will be an opportunity to meet like-minded people for a memorable exchange. It's the people and the connections that will lead to a fruitful experience. 

For more information about the JumpStart program click here. To learn about Teen ArchStudio program details click here.