Archinect - Features

NYIT School of Architecture & Design's M.Arch Graduate Studio Explores 'Designing (Inter)Scalar Domains'

2023-08-01T15:05:00-04:00

Continuing with our Archinect Studio Pin-Ups series, we connect with Archinect Partner School New York Institute of Technology to learn more about its Fall/Spring semester M.Arch studio led by Marcella Del Signore, the school's Associate Professor and Director of the Master of Science in Architecture, Urban and Regional Design.

The ARCH 802 Design-Research Studio "Designing (Inter)Scalar Domains" built upon the preceding M.ARCH 801 Studio from Fall 2020/21 and continued to focus on "interscalar design processes, translating research and design scenarios into the development and production/fabrication phase," asking students to "explore the continuity and interdependence of scales in their project proposals while emphasizing strategies that address micro and macro scales." The concept of 'interscalarity' served as a "methodological framework, investigating scalar relationships and the co-dependency of material, spatial, social, cultural, political, and environmental concerns."

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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.

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."

Exploring Methods of Resiliency in Society, Ecology, and Design with Kevin Mojica, Sam Fox Ambassadors Graduate Fellow at Washington University in St. Louis

2022-04-27T09:07:00-04:00

Continuing with our spotlight on architecture fellowships and the individuals behind the work and research, we present Part Two of our special (2020–2022) Sam Fox Ambassadors Graduate Fellow at Washington University in St. Louis features. Last week, we highlighted the work of fellow Nathan Stanfield. Here, we share our interview with Sam Fox Ambassadors Graduate Fellow Kevin Mojica about his research.

Mojica's path to studying architecture was influenced by his upbringing in Mexico and the architectural disparities he observed growing up in Southern Florida. During our in-depth interview, Mojica identifies the stark realities immigrant families face when it comes to housing and challenges in climate change. He discusses how his experiences influenced his design perspectives and focus on climate resiliency projects and design's impact through a social and cultural lens. "To understand my interest in design and architecture, I feel it is important to share my background as a first-ge...

Investigating the Histories and Futures of Water-Based Crises with Nathan Stanfield, Sam Fox Ambassadors Fellow at Washington University in St. Louis

2022-04-15T17:43:00-04:00

While highlighting fellowships has been a regular editorial topic on Archinect, we developed a special series (starting in 2018) to understand what these positions offer for both the fellows themselves and the discipline at large by presenting their work and experiences through an in-depth interview. Archinect's Fellow Fellows series is about bringing attention and inquiry to academia's otherwise maddening pace while also offering a broad view of the exceptional and breakthrough work done by people navigating the early parts of their careers.

For this Fellow Fellows feature, we'll be connecting with participating fellows from the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis. In this special two-part feature, we speak with Nathan Stanfield, Sam Fox Ambassadors Fellow (2020–2022) and Divided City Graduate Fellow (2021). He is a graduate of Sam Fox School at Washington University in St. Louis where he received his B.S. in Architecture as well as an M.Ar...

Bridging Research and Real Estate: MIT's Center for Real Estate Offers a Master's Program That Balances Theory and Practice

2021-10-11T13:05:00-04:00

Pursuing a Master's program is no simple feat. Besides finding the right program and weighing its financial costs, choosing a graduate program also requires time. With plenty of traditional Master of Architecture programs, MIT and its Center for Real Estate offer a unique one-year Master of Science program in Real Estate Development (MSRED).

This intensive graduate program provides a comprehensive approach to traditional real estate and MBA programs. The Center prides itself in preparing its students to "compete in the global market with superior qualifications — providing the research-based expertise necessary to solve complex problems in contemporary real estate." Its 33-year history not only investigates real estate as a practice but also brings a multidisciplinary approach to the field from "design and development to construction, management, finance, and law."

To provide more insight into the program, we connected with MIT's Center for Real Estate to learn more.

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Academia and Professional Practice: Cal Poly Pomona's Graduate Architecture Program Fosters Architecture Leaders

2021-03-03T14:53:00-05:00

While applications for graduate programs have passed, there are a handful of schools whose application deadline extends into April. In preparation for their Fall 2021 term and its prospective applicant pool, Archinect dives into the graduate program at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona Department of Architecture (CPPARC)

According to Department Chair and Professor George Proctor AIA, "The learning environment at CPPARC cultivates both individual skills and knowledge while providing the context and tools for collaboration [...] The learn-by-doing methods and collaborative components of every CPPARC studio have produced leaders who run many of the region's largest and most successful firms." Newly appointed Graduate Coordinator Victor Jones shares, "our graduate students are outfitted to harness architecture’s potential to address the many of environmental, political, social, and economic challenges that face our communities and cities."

To further expand on their gradua...

Discussing Technology and 'Architecture as Transient Media' With Güvenç Özel and Benjamin Ennemoser of UCLA's IDEAS Technology Studio

2021-02-19T13:39:00-05:00

Architecture is currently at the cusp of a paradigm shift, where the environments we occupy are becoming increasingly virtual and mobile. Considered as an ecosystem of technologies rather than a tectonic assemblage of materials, architecture is shifting toward a non-static and non-physical form of experience. This opens up the potential for it to be considered as a transdisciplinary medium that merges the worlds of fabrication, gaming, and media design.

The IDEAS Technology Studio, one of four studios offered as part of UCLA Architecture and Urban Design’s Master of Science in Architecture and Urban Design (M.S.AUD) program, investigates the design of new media in digital and physical forms and its potential to radically transform the human experience. Recognized as a leading research institution UCLA Architecture and Urban Design is also a part of the UCLA School of Arts and Architecture. This unique blend and integration of departments allow both students and faculty "to connect ...

Academia and Social Responsibility: A Closer Look at Tulane School of Architecture's Graduate Programs

2020-10-22T11:47:00-04:00

Located in New Orleans, Louisiana, and the heart of the Gulf Coast, is Tulane University's School of Architecture. Rooted within the institution is an academic environment that houses its architecture, preservation, and real estate development graduate programs. In this feature, we take a closer look at the school's mission, its goals for its students and faculty, and how it aims to foster an environment of socially responsible learning.

According to Director of Graduate Architecture Benjamin J. Smith, Ph.D., the school's graduate programs share a "commitment to design excellence and social responsibility. With studio, seminar, and lecture courses that bridge intellectual, technical, social, and physical areas, our graduate students examine architecture by understanding its discipline and its consequence. To impact culture in positive ways, our students use architecture to ask challenging questions and deliver meaningful responses."

To learn more about the school's graduate programs...

Unpacking Adaptive Reuse, Professional Practice, and Interior Architecture with RISD's Adaptive Reuse Program

2020-08-11T15:56:00-04:00

Unique to RISD's Interior Architecture Department (INTAR) is its one-year post-professional Master of Arts in Adaptive Reuse program. In this feature we take a closer look at the mission and goals for the students of Archinect’s newest School Partner. According to Interior Architecture Department Head Liliane Wong, "The program emphasizes the importance of understanding and respecting the context of the existing structure and making design interventions that contribute to the layers of history embedded in our built environment."

To learn more Archinect spoke with Wong, Graduate Program Director Stefano Corbo, and several current students and alumni from the MA Adaptive Reuse program to learn about their experiences and program takeaways. Together we explore the program's mission and how students are prepared to develop expertise in adaptive reuse, historic preservation, and architectural interiors.

Kate Katz and Ryan Shaaban, Tulane University MArch graduates, Consider the Urban Grid's Relationship to Sea Level Rise

2020-06-26T12:00:00-04:00

Kate Katz and Ryan Shaaban are recent graduate students from Tulane University's 5-year M.Arch program. Together the two explore the impact of rising sea levels and alternative approaches to coastal city infrastructure. According to both students, their thesis "strives to change the perception of how we as humans relate to nature by accommodating the dynamic qualities of water into the urban grid network."

Archinect connected with Katz and Shaaban to learn more about their final thesis project, their experience transitioning to remote learning, and their thoughts on graduating during a global pandemic. Their project was selected to be featured in Tulane's 2020 Thesis Show and chosen as one of the top four presentations in their graduating class.

Archinect's Spotlight on 2020 Thesis Projects: 2020 has been an extraordinarily challenging year for architecture graduates. Students were displaced as schools shut down, academic communities had to adapt to a new virtual format, end-of-yea...

University of Toronto M.Arch Graduate Jessica Ying on "Reading Between the Lines" of Architectural Drawing

2020-06-24T12:15:00-04:00

Jessica Ying is a recent M.Arch graduate from the University of Toronto John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design. Archinect connected with Ying to learn more about her final project and its focus on architectural drawings' power. According to Ying, "digital design culture places great importance in the design process for emerging architects; our method of generating new possibilities in architecture depends on how we are using our digital design tools. Yet, drawing remains the primary instrument to realize our imagination into reality, a form to express our visual thought in the process."

Ying talks of her process behind her thesis project, Reading Between the Lines, and her inspiration to explore line drawing geometries due to Giovanni Battista Piranesi and his Carceri drawing series. Ying also shares her thoughts on what she hopes the future will bring as a recent graduate during the pandemic.

Archinect's Spotlight on 2020 Thesis Projects: 2020 has been an ex...

Using Optimism to Guide Online Education with Karl Daubmann, Dean of Lawrence Technological University College of Architecture and Design

2020-05-13T09:00:00-04:00

Archinect's Deans List is an interview series with the leaders of architecture schools, worldwide. The series profiles the school’s programs, pedagogical approaches, and academic goals, as defined by the dean–giving an invaluable perspective into the institution’s unique curriculum, faculty, and academic environment.

For our latest installment, Archinect spoke with Karl Daubmann Dean of Lawrence Technological University College of Architecture and Design (LTU CoAD). What makes the university unique is it is one of four American universities that is accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) to offer an online Master of Architecture degree.

During our conversation, Daubmann unpacks the program's decade-long experience in providing an online master's education. Together we discuss common misconceptions about choosing an online degree, online studio culture, and building trust with students. According to Daubmann, the beauty of the school's programming is in its ...

How To Choose Between Architecture Schools

2020-05-12T16:06:00-04:00

One of our most popular questions in the Archinect Discussion Forum is how to choose between architecture degree programs. Some students might already be accepted to multiple programs and are uncertain which to choose while others may have yet to apply and are unsure of which to pursue. The question is usually along the lines of, “which school is better?” or, “which school should I go to?” and even sometimes, “can someone give me insight into these programs?”

It’s a tough position, and candidates want to make the right decision for their future, so they turn to the Archinect community for guidance only to be met with conflicting opinions or harsh feedback. When it comes to this crossroad, one that will influence the trajectory of the next 2 to 5 years of your life, turning to strangers isn’t always the best idea. In this article I hope to provide prospective students with some essential techniques in making a good decision about which school to attend and how to decide between diff...

Demystifying SCI-Arc's M.Arch I Program With Rebecca Fitzgerald

2020-01-16T14:00:00-05:00

Pursuing a graduate degree in architecture can be a daunting task for any prospective student. Earning an M.Arch I degree requires that individuals undergo a "crash course" in architecture, for one. But before that can happen, they must also find the right institution, typically one that not only provides them with the support, tools, and resources they need to foster their sense of architectural exploration but that also helps nurture a critical disciplinary perspective.

To learn more about the journey of an M.Arch I student, Archinect spoke with recent Southern California Institute of Architecture's (SCI-Arc) graduate Rebecca Fitzgerald. Part reflection, part interview, we unpack the journey of an individual whose robust liberal arts background and passion for architecture's multifarious nature activated a desire to chart out her own architectural trajectory. Together, Rebecca and I discuss her academic journey, how research furthered her architectural thinking, and her interests ...