Archinect - Features

2023 Summer Architecture Programs, Workshops, and Intensives for Adults and High School Graduates

2023-03-15T09:16:00-04:00

Archinect's featured list of summer architecture programs continues with Part II, where we focus on opportunities for recent high school graduates and adults.

Echoing a similar message as provided in Part I, these courses and workshops offer recent high school graduates and adults (at any age range), even without prior design experience, access to the fundamentals of an architectural education. Our list also includes programs for those with existing backgrounds adjacent to architecture looking to explore specific topics with a design emphasis.

2023 Summer Architecture Programs for Kids and High School Students

2023-03-08T15:04:00-05:00

Are you a parent looking for fun and stimulating spring and summer programs to keep your young ones busy? Or are you a high school student interested in exploring the world of architecture and getting college credit? As we enter the spring season and with summer just around the corner, there are plenty of architecture-focused programs young designers can explore in the coming months. For the 2023 summer season, Archinect highlights programs that could be the perfect fit for the budding architect or designer in your life.

Our two-part feature will highlight architecture programs for all ages ranging from young children to adults looking to explore the world of architecture. To kick things off, this first installment lists courses, programs, and workshops for young minds ready to discover architecture's basics. Explore over 30+ programs from across the United States and Canada. We've also included a few programs available for little ones to take during the spring months.

'As a Black Architecture Firm, We Cannot Ignore the Fact That We Are Rare': A Conversation with Think Wilder Architecture

2023-02-24T08:15:00-05:00

Architecture licensure and running a practice are topics widely discussed on Archinect. While everyone's path is different the experiences of firm leaders, regardless of their firm size, offer a look into the realities of being an architect, leader, and entrepreneur.

"Having my own practice has allowed me to use the business as a platform to create more than just architecture. I think architects have skill sets that transcend architecture." These are the words of Stephen Wilder, Principal of Think Wilder Architecture. The Howard University and Carnegie Mellon University graduate runs a New Jersey/New York-based architecture practice that's keen on balancing work expectations while showcasing the value architects provide to their communities.

For our latest installment of Archinect's Studio Snapshots, we chat with Wilder on his path to architecture, the obstacles of licensure, challenging the industry's work culture, and how he defines the role of an architect.

SCI-Arc Student Investigates How Artificial Intelligence Can Assist in 3D Modeling

2023-01-31T14:43:00-05:00

Advances in 3D modeling software continue to develop year after year. An example of this is a new thought-provoking 3D modeling plug-in designed by SCI-Arc EDGE graduate Jimmy Wei-Chun Cheng. His work offers a new way to challenge design "from the perspective of toolmaking and AI technologies [...] The plug-in proposes an alternative model to existing applications of AI and procedural methods."

In our latest Thesis Review installment, the SCI-Arc Architectural Technologies EDGE graduate shares his thesis project, Artificial Imagination Owl. During our interview, Cheng discussed the motivations behind his project and how it can help reshape "real-time ideation feedback" for users. Cheng explained that his project is a "Human x AI cooperation 3D modeling plug-in" that was designed to "awaken our awareness of the cliché in architectural design but also to contemplate how designers can engage with AI Machine Vision/Machine learning differently in the recent AI Architecture proliferation...

The Cooper Union Promotes Russian Architecture. Why?

2023-01-21T08:00:00-05:00

This month, the School of Architecture at The Cooper Union in New York City is scheduled to open an extensive exhibition on Russian architecture. Vkhutemas: Laboratory of the Avant-Garde, 1920–1930 is the title of a show presenting what is loosely known as the "Soviet Bauhaus." Undoubtedly, it's an essential part of the Russian architectural legacy worthy of attention. But not now. I would have been first in line ten years ago to see the exhibit, but not today. To support Russian architecture now is simply tone-deaf. I believe the Cooper Union should terminate this exhibition and put a pause on its courses on Soviet and Russian architecture. Here is why.

‘Every Piece of Architecture is First a Work of Fiction’; A Conversation with Ole Scheeren

2023-01-20T07:51:00-05:00

For the past 30 years, Ole Scheeren has built a career defined by an internationalist outlook. The German architect has lived in 10 countries, and worked in 25, always guided by a philosophy that recognizes "the power of bringing people, cultures, and practices closer together."

Nowhere is Scheeren's philosophy better encapsulated than through Büro Ole Scheeren; the firm that Scheeren founded in 2010 having previously served as a Partner and Director at OMA. Today, his 100-person-strong studio operates offices across Hong Kong, Beijing, Bangkok, New York, London, and Berlin, designing and delivering schemes throughout Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Despite their varying typologies and geographies, the projects are united by Scheeren's belief that architecture can instill an emotional anticipation of narratives and stories.

In December 2022, Archinect’s Niall Patrick Walsh sat down with Scheeren at the 2022 World Architecture Festival in Lisbon, Portugal for a wide-ranging discussi...

Breaking Down Architectural Techniques With USC School of Architecture’s Foundational Graduate Studio

2023-01-13T08:30:00-05:00

Kicking off 2023, we've connected with USC School of Architecture to learn more about one of its graduate studios taught by instructors Ryan Tyler Martinez of Studio Ryan Tyler Martinez and Jimenez Lai of BUREAU SPECTACULAR.

For our latest installment of Archinect Studio Pin-Ups, we explore Graduate Studio 1: Form, Order, and Representation. This foundational studio focused on giving students with no previous architecture backgrounds an opportunity to gain "experience to foundational design concepts, disciplinary knowledge, and techniques for thinking about and developing fundamental architectural principles." Comprised of three studio projects and a field trip to Chicago, first-year graduate students could learn, explore, and apply these foundational design principles as they continue their studies.

Gehry Prize Winner Sophie Akoury Retells Histories of the LA River Through an Architectural and Archival Lens

2023-01-06T14:12:00-05:00

During SCI-Arc's 2022 M.Arch graduation, three students were awarded the Gehry Prize for the Best Graduate Thesis. In December, we highlighted prize winners Ian Wong and Sue Choi for their project, Earthly Passage. Continuing with our Thesis Review series, we connected with the third Gehry Prize winner, M.Arch graduate Sophie Akoury, to discuss her project, 51mi + 25km = 13ft.

Akoury shares her motivation behind exploring the city's infamous LA River and how its physical and historical existence parallels Lebanon's Beirut River. "Few places can be as contradicting as the Los Angeles River. Without it, LA would not exist (which sounds quite surprising since its existence is often neglected, and calling it a 'river' is sometimes questionable)," she explained. "When I moved to Downtown Los Angeles from Lebanon, I noticed the Los Angeles River's uncanny resemblance to the Beirut River. That intrigued me since the two cities are so different yet share almost the same urban entity as a pa...

Architecture’s 'State of the Union': Reflections on the 2022 World Architecture Festival

2023-01-05T06:00:00-05:00

From November 30th through December 2nd, 2022, the World Architecture Festival (WAF) held its first physical event in three years. The annual festival, adapting to an online format during the COVID-19 pandemic, is regarded as one of the most critical events in the global architectural calendar, from identifying award-winning projects from over 700 candidates around the world to facilitating debates, discussions, and critiques on the built environment, and the forces entwined within it. Below, Archinect’s Niall Patrick Walsh reflects back on his visit to the 2022 edition of the festival, held in Lisbon, Portugal.

‘Clearly, The World Cup Format is Not Sustainable’; A Conversation with WilkinsonEyre Sports Director, Sam Wright

2022-12-20T12:03:00-05:00

The 2022 FIFA World Cup was mired in controversy. Human rights groups saw Qatar’s hosting of the event as an affront to the LGBTQ+ community, free speech, and ethical labor practices. Ethics and standards groups investigated whether Qatar had ‘bought’ the event following rumours of bribery. Fans and sporting bodies alike even questioned the timing of the event, and its interference with domestic league calendars.

While these concerns targeted at Qatar at the 2022 World Cup specifically, the event was also a catalyst for environmental groups to ask broader questions about the carbon cost of major temporary sports and cultural events, and whether they can be justified by long-term economic or social benefits. These questions are not new or bespoke to Qatar; they also formed the basis for our feature articles on both Expo 2020 Dubai and the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

For WilkinsonEyre’s Sports and Leisure Leader Sam Wright, whose team has delivered an abundance of major sports project...

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."

Gehry Prize Winners Reimagine Funerary Architecture

2022-12-12T18:12:00-05:00

Thesis projects aim to push students outside of their comfort zones and foster new versions of architectural thinking. For our latest installment of Archinect's Thesis Review series, SCI-Arc M.Arch graduates Ian Wong and Sue Choi discuss the architectural tones and typologies of cemeteries and funerary customs in their project, Earthly Passage.

Winners of the 2022 Gehry Prize for best thesis project, Wong and Choi explained, "Earthly Passage is a new model of funerary architecture." While their topic may seem unconventional, the duo explains the importance of exploring and respecting these spaces for the deceased. Their project exhibits a place for "funerals to take place, as well as subsequent visits," highlighting improved experiences for mourners to pay their respects. They continue by adding, "culturally, our thesis highlights a program or function of space/architecture that is often uncomfortable, or taboo, to talk about."

During this interview, they discuss their motivation to...

It’s Time To Consider the Refugee Camp as a City — And Here’s Why

2022-12-09T09:00:00-05:00

With the horizon of increased global instability closer than ever, whereby the scales of political balance can be so quickly tipped and toppled, questions relating to the rights of displaced peoples in refugee camps are both pertinent and vital. Yet, since refugee camps are becoming increasingly ‘urban’ in terms of scale, population density, social processes, and physical manifestation through schools, clinics, roads, and infrastructure, the questions surrounding refugee camp design and camp dwellers’ rights inherently become architectural and urban matters.

Exploring Funded Academic Research Opportunities with Faculty at UW-Milwaukee’s School of Architecture & Urban Planning

2022-11-25T09:02:00-05:00

Paid employment opportunities for graduate students are an ongoing topic of discussion at Archinect. While many architecture schools offer scholarship/fellowship opportunities for students, we've connected with three of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's School of Architecture & Urban Planning (SARUP) faculty to learn more about a unique research opportunity for graduate students called the Mellowes Master’s Research Assistantships (MMRAs).

To help provide more information about the research opportunities prospective students could work on, we reached out to Assistant Professors Tania Gutiérrez-Monroy, Maura Lucking, and Lindsey Krug. Together they discuss their research focuses, what makes SARUP's programming different from other schools, and the advice they offer to future research candidates looking to apply.

From the Editors: What We're Thankful For in 2022

2022-11-24T08:34:00-05:00

As the year comes to a close, there are many things to reflect upon. After navigating 2022, filled with ups, downs, and everything else in between, the industry as a whole continued to endure. From architects and designers to students and faculty, it's an important time to reflect on what we've learned, overcome, let go of, and challenged.

The Archinect editorial team has spent another year watching, listening, and reporting on the events of 2022. With the holidays approaching and the year slowly coming to a close, we want to express our gratitude and appreciation by sharing the things we're thankful for this past year.

ORA’s Oonagh Ryan and James Guillou Talk About Balancing Diversity With Specialization

2022-11-21T14:18:00-05:00

In this installment of our Studio Snapshot series, we had the pleasure of chatting with ORA, a Los Angeles-based boutique studio that has been steadily putting out exquisite designs since 2014 while picking up recognitions, among them the Emerging Practice Award as an AIA Los Angeles Presidential Honoree.

Founding Principal Oonagh Ryan, together with Associate Principal James Guillou, talks about the benefits of varied perspectives, balancing diversity with specialization as a small firm, and the joys of achieving good design by creatively turning constraints into unique opportunities.

Fellow Fellows: Zelig Fok Discusses Architecture, Photography, and Its Relationship To Manipulating Space

2022-11-16T15:21:00-05:00

Archinect's Fellow Fellows series connects with individuals who are currently in, or have recently finished, an architecture fellowship; discussing their architectural journey, areas of research, and their overall experience as academic fellows.

For our latest interview, we connected with Zelig Fok, the 2021–2022 Howard E. LeFevre '29 Emerging Practitioner Fellow at The Knowlton School of Architecture at Ohio State. We discuss his fellowship experience, his passion for photography, the studios he teaches, and work from his fellowship exhibition, titled Déjà View.

TALLER’s Luis Gil on Balancing Design Idealism and Development Pragmatism

2022-11-15T10:49:00-05:00

For some, architecture is a calling; for others, they're called to the profession in unexpected ways. This is the case for Luis Gil, architect and founder of the LA-based practice TALLER (tah-yehr).

For the latest installment of Archinect's Studio Snapshot series, we connected with Gil to learn more about the firm he established and his journey to architecture. We discuss the challenges and benefits of running your own practice, what he looks for in new team members, and what he strives to change when it comes to the industry's problematic work culture.

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 Revival of Human-Centered Architecture

2022-11-10T08:23:00-05:00

For too long, we have incessantly glorified freshly-poured concrete Romanesque columns and marveled over crumpled-paper-inspired museums. This isn’t real architecture. The real architecture that is worth observing, touching, feeling, admiring, studying, critiquing, and understanding is the one that lives in the unassuming shadows. The type made for ordinary people with ordinary lives; one that seeks not to occupy the cover of architectural digest, but to improve the lives of those who have been marginalized, under-designed-for or forgotten. Architecture where the artist fought for a little more sunlight, a little more fresh air—a little more space to plant a tiny tree that blossoms during gloomy, winter days, inspiring hope where it was seemingly lost. It is these artists and these battles that need our acknowledgement, our praise, and our motivation so that they may continue to design a better world.

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.

How to Get a Job at Safdie Architects

2022-11-07T11:44:00-05:00

Few design firms have managed to build a portfolio of realized projects so instantly recognizable and beloved around the world as Safdie Architects has. Established in 1964 by Israeli-born Canadian architect Moshe Safdie to construct his now-iconic Habitat ’67 commission, the studio has grown into a globally-active design heavyweight over the past six decades. Headquartered in Somerville/Boston and closely connected to its satellite offices in Jerusalem, Shanghai, and Singapore, the firm has been making headlines with high-profile projects like Marina Bay Sands and Jewel Changi Airport in Southeast Asia, Raffles City Chongqing in China (featuring the world's longest sky bridge), or Arkansas' soon-to-be-expanded Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.

For this episode of Archinect's "How To Get A Job At ____" series, we interviewed members of the Safdie Architects leadership team to learn more about their hiring process. Chris Mulvey (Partner), Jaron Lubin (Partner), and Wen Wen (Ass...

When Buildings Attack: A Six-part Series of Unfortunate Architectural Events

2022-10-31T07:00:00-04:00

In the horror and thriller worlds, buildings sometimes seem to take on a life of their own. From The Shining’s Overlook Hotel to The Watcher’s 657 Boulevard, architecture and space become more than a backdrop or a vehicle but instead become main characters in their own right; sometimes to the peril of their occupants.

Unlike Hollywood, buildings in the real world don’t always follow a script. Even works of architecture overseen by some of the world’s most well-known architects can become unexpected antagonists for those in or around them. Below, we have rounded up six such examples, from heat rays to ice daggers to flying ceramics.

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."

‘I Seek To Create an Escape From Everyday Life’; A Conversation With Ma Yansong of MAD Architects

2022-10-15T07:16:00-04:00

Much has changed for Ma Yansong since Archinect last spoke to him in 2014. From their roots in Beijing, China, Yansong’s firm MAD Architects has expanded to offices in Los Angeles and Rome, employing over 160 people on major architectural commissions. In 2022 alone, our editorial has offered updates on the firm’s work across continents, be it the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles, the Cloud Center in Aranya, China, or the commercial MoLo complex in Milan. Added to this list in October was the Quzhou Sports Park, whose newly-completed stadium marks the first step in what will become the world’s largest earth-sheltered complex.

Following news of the stadium’s completion, Archinect’s Niall Patrick Walsh spoke with Ma Yansong for an insight into the project, and how it represents MAD’s architectural philosophy. We also use the discussion to reflect on Yansong’s own journey through architecture, his role in MAD, and his thoughts on nature, cities, and history. The discussion, ...

Incorporating Culture Into Design: How Lessons Learned From Tribal Clients Shaped the Architecture of the Choctaw Nation Headquarters

2022-10-10T14:13:00-04:00

As architects, we are charged with creating spaces that not only meet our clients' functional needs but also present an aesthetic that embodies who the client is and what matters to them. When determining that aesthetic, a client's culture often becomes a key consideration. And while it may be tempting these days to rely on Google searches about the history of a certain heritage to save time, the most successful designers that incorporate culture respectfully and artfully take the time to listen and learn directly from their clients as they begin each new project.

Celebrate Coffee and Architecture With These Stand-out Brewing Spaces

2022-10-01T09:00:00-04:00

October 1st is International Coffee Day, and to celebrate, we’re taking a look at some superlative projects that showcase the unique qualities and considerations involved in the design of different cafés across the world.

Los Angeles Reckons with a Dark History by Asking the Public How to Memorialize the 1871 Chinese Massacre

2022-09-30T18:40:00-04:00

Architects and artists are frequently asked to contribute their ideas for proposed memorials and other works of public art. The City of Los Angeles recently issued a Request for Ideas (RFI) that many designers may find compelling at a time when America's history of race relations and violence are top of mind for many Americans.

Michael Pinto, Principal at NAC Architecture in Los Angeles, discussed the new L.A. RFI with two figures deeply involved in laying the groundwork for a new memorial to the 1871 Massacre of 18 Chinese in Los Angeles that was the largest mass killing in the city's history. Pinto, an advisor to the memorial process, spoke with Christopher Hawthorne, Chief Design Officer for the City of Los Angeles (and former L.A. Times architecture critic), and Michael Woo, an urban planner who is a former city council member and dean emeritus of Cal Poly Pomona's College of Environmental Design.

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).

Op-Ed: A Unique Moment for Landscape Architects

2022-09-21T13:38:00-04:00

I recently joined American Society of Landscape Architects President Eugenia Martin, FASLA, and hundreds of other global leaders in landscape architecture in Gwangju, South Korea, at the International Federation of Landscape Architects World Council Meeting. IFLA represents landscape architects worldwide, with 77 member associations globally, including ASLA in the United States.

The time together was a reaffirmation that the global community of landscape architects share goals to promote and diversify the profession, set high professional standards, and exchange knowledge and best practices across cultures and communities.