Archinect - Features

Design, Incorporated; Unpacking the Myths of the SCI-Arc Panel

2022-04-20T10:58:00-04:00

At one point during the recent SCI-Arc panel discussion, “How to be in an office,” students were presented with a choice. They were presented, on one hand, Design Firms, and on the other hand, Corporate Firms. The ensuing discussion went on to describe the choice as inspiration and passion vs. a paycheck.

It’s not an either/or proposition. That’s a myth.

Debunking Architecture’s Mythological Work Culture

2022-04-04T14:36:00-04:00

After a recent panel hosted within SCI-Arc, called Basecamp: How to be in an office, sparked protest from students and alumni, a slew of events unfolded within the school that rippled into the architecture community, prompting passionate discourse about ethics within professional practice and academia, especially as it relates to internships and the treatment of students and young professionals. But this isn't an essay about SCI-Arc, or an account of what is going on at SCI-Arc. The events have already been well documented online and in Archinect's latest reporting on April 1.

Instead, I want to explore the deeper historical and philosophical concepts that I believe underlie what we’ll call the conservative view of architecture work culture: that long hours, toil and suffering, and low pay are inevitable realities of pursuing a rigorous design career. I see a disconnect between the traditional professional ethos and the advent of the current zeitgeist that has been born, particular...

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?”

Mónica Ponce de León on the Future of Architectural Licensure

2020-06-29T16:31:00-04:00

As schools of architecture around the country continue to focus on how they can make architecture more diverse and equitable, Princeton University School of Architecture Dean Mónica Ponce de León is on a mission to rethink the nature of architectural licensure as it exists in the United States.

Following the dean's recent statement in support of radically rethinking licensure, Archinect recently connected with Ponce de León to discuss the significant barriers to access created by licensure as currently designed, her efforts to bring diversity to the faculty and student populations at Princeton School of Architecture, and how licensure might change moving forward.

The New Wave of Female Powerhouses are Pushing the Boundaries of Professional Practice

2019-03-08T09:45:00-05:00

The gradually increasing presence of a diverse range of practitioners across the architectural profession has provided a stronger platform for women to showcase their work, leadership, and innovation. In remembering the past, pioneering female architects such as Denise Scott Brown and Norma Merrick Sklarek have paved the way for women like Kazuyo Sejima, Dame Zaha Hadid, and Jeanne Gang to push the boundaries of representation in the field. Further, architecture's new class of female architects are learning from their predecessors and making moves for what architecture will become in 2019. With discussions of the #MeToo movement, equitable labor practices, and diversity weighing heavily on the field, the profession still has a long way to go.

Archinect - Features

Design, Incorporated; Unpacking the Myths of the SCI-Arc Panel

Debunking Architecture’s Mythological Work Culture

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

Mónica Ponce de León on the Future of Architectural Licensure

The New Wave of Female Powerhouses are Pushing the Boundaries of Professional Practice

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