Archinect - Features

Present Realities: Teaching Design Studio Online

2021-05-05T08:00:00-04:00

Since my university moved all of its coursework online in March of 2020, like most professors, I have taught my class on Zoom. Forced to adopt new tools and methods, teaching design studio online has allowed the (relatively) seamless flow between different media in a way that would never be possible in person. With a few clicks of my mouse, I can annotate a PDF of my student’s floor plan, post a link to a precedent on Divisare.com, and drop it into Google Streetview. That is, while we’ve lost face-to-face interactions, physical models, and trace paper, I can still easily provide verbal and graphic feedback to my students’ designs and expose them to new ideas.

X-WORLDS: UCLA's 2020 IDEAS Summer Studio Transforms Their Summer Programming Into an Incubator for Remote Exploration

2020-11-15T12:59:00-05:00

Summer 2020 proved to be a season of tackling the unknown as the pandemic impacted architectural academia. With nearly all summer programs pivoting and transitioning to remote learning, popular summer programs aimed to find a way to motivate students during such challenging times with online experiences that allowed them to explore digital possibilities within architecture.

UCLA's IDEAS Summer studio shares with Archinect, "This year's IDEAS Summer Studio "X-WORLDS" marked the first entirely virtual introduction to the one-year Master of Science in Architecture and Urban Design (M.S.AUD) program at UCLA Architecture and Urban Design. The six-week program provided an immersion into the intersecting worlds of each of the four M.S.AUD research studios: Entertainment, Mobility, Technology, and Urban Strategy."

Archinect connected with the team from UCLA's IDEAS Campus Summer Studio to learn about the program's goals and highlight the work of student participants created during their s...

Are We Digital #6: Make it Delightful

2020-05-04T16:16:00-04:00

In the Fall of 2018, all incoming, on-campus, freshmen at The Ohio State University received an Apple iPad from the school. Referred to as the Digital Flagship initiative, this program aimed to level the technological playing field for incoming students of all backgrounds. It was a kind of simplified response to William Gibson’s often-rehearsed claim that the future is already here, however, not evenly distributed. Students were now equipped with a portable screen (and camera), carrying case, and Bluetooth stylus, and faculty were introduced to a new world of teaching opportunities afforded by the common denominator of the Apple iPad.

USC Architecture Faculty Share Insights on Virtual Learning

2020-03-27T12:24:00-04:00

As institutions of higher learning round out the shift to online instruction, architecture schools also have had to address the pivot. However, the tactile nature of architectural education lends itself to the curious case of duplicating the tactile benefits of studio digitally. There's no doubt schools of architecture across the country have risen to the task at hand. Archinect has even reached out to educators and students across our international community to learn more about the diverse experiences and approaches to this unorthodox learning model.

In this piece, I had the pleasure to connect with the faculty over at the USC School of Architecture to discuss everything from how they mobilized so quickly, solving this debacle of online learning in design to the challenges they faced along the way. While only a perspective of one institution, this exploration should prove valuable to students, professionals, and educators alike.

Earning an M.Arch Online: Learning from Karen Nelson, Dean of Boston Architectural College

2020-03-26T12:20:00-04:00

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, and in conjunction with Archinect’s Spotlight on Boston, Archinect spoke with Karen Nelson, Dean of Boston Architectural College (BAC), one of just a handful of American universities that is accredited to offer an online Master of Architecture degree by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB).

In our conversation, Nelson highlights the history and specifics of BAC’s online masters program, the make up of the program’s student body, and how this unique academic offering has found increased relevance in recent weeks as distance learning and self-quarantining measures make online education a larger part of the experience of becomin...