Archinect - Features

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...

Brooklyn and New Orleans-based ALAO on Engendering Humanist Design With a Dispersed Team

2020-07-10T09:00:00-04:00

Operating as a networked outfit with offices in Brooklyn, New Orleans, and the Philippines, ALAO-founders Aya Maceda and James Carse and their team strive to create architecture that goes beyond four walls and a roof. Creating generous spaces filled with light as well as buildings that often work to advance social goals, the designers strive, as Maceda explains, to "work intimately with [the] clients and communities we serve" to produce human-centered designs. To which Carse adds, "Rather than seek a specific project-type we are always seeking clients and collaborators who are open to the idea that the legacy of an architectural project should be established by how it serves and inspires the community."

For our latest Studio Snapshot, we caught up with Maceda and Carse to learn more about how their office has navigated the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic, how the firm is approaching acquiring new projects, and what they look for when adding to their team.

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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...

"We urgently need to change the way in which we are inhabiting the planet," an interview with Tulane University's new dean, Iñaki Alday

2019-08-05T10:12:00-04:00

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

For this installment, Archinect spoke with Iñaki Alday, the new dean at the Tulane School of Architecture. The school hosts a variety of degree and specialized programs that combine architecture, real estate development, historic preservation, and community-driven focuses to provide a holistic design education. Dean Alday recently took the reins of the school with the aim of leading the Gulf Coast region and country, overall, in terms of "what it means to live with water."

Emerging Firm Farouki Farouki Taps Into New Orleans' Vibrant Restaurant and Hospitality Scene

2018-09-17T14:40:00-04:00

With its thriving restaurant and hospitality scene, New Orleans was the perfect place for husband-and-wife team Farouki Farouki to set up their full-service architecture and interior design practice. Since its recent founding, Caroline, with a background in interior design, and Sabri, whose CV includes stints at BIG and DS+R, have made their mark on the historic yet continuously emerging city with a variety of interior projects that have tapped into the influx of new restaurants, shops, and landmarks opening their doors. Here, the two talk about their expanding practice.

At home in a changing climate: strategies for adapting to sea level rise

2016-08-03T10:09:00-04:00

For most of us, ‘home’ conjures a sense of safety and security. But a home is a fragile thing: vulnerable to quaking ground, rushing water, violent winds—not to mention, the volatility of finances and health. This has never been more true than in the time of climate change. The global thermostat of the home in which we build our homes is on the fritz.

Deans List: Kenneth Schwartz of Tulane School of Architecture

2015-10-02T08:38:00-04:00

The Deans List is an interview series with the leaders of architecture schools, worldwide. The series profiles the school’s programming, as defined by the head honcho – giving an invaluable perspective into the institution’s unique curriculum, faculty and academic environment. For this issue, we spoke with Kenneth Schwartz, the Dean at Tulane University's School of Architecture.

The Pink Project

2007-12-03T07:25:00-05:00

While filming on a set in New Orleans, actor Brad Pitt became seduced by the powerful image of a pink-clad CGI house within the lush Louisiana surroundings. He saw the pink structure as a metaphor, representing the future of renewed housing for those displaced by the recent disasters.