Archinect - Features

‘We Have To Get Much Better at Speaking To Wider and Wider Audiences:’ A Conversation With USC Architecture Dean Brett Steele

2024-10-09T12:03:00-04:00

In February 2024, Brett Steele took up the position of Dean of the University of Southern California School of Architecture. Since then, Steele has been busy capitalizing on the opportunities and responsibilities that come with leading a Los Angeles design school in a city known globally for its creativity; a landscape Steele also experienced in his past roles at fellow Los Angeles school UCLA and at the AA in London.

Steele's mission at USC centers not only on preparing students for unpredictable futures but also on "speaking to wider and wider audiences." In that spirit, USC architecture students forge links with their peers in landscape, building science, and beyond, led by a faculty of diverse practitioners. "This isn't a place to just show up for courses; you've got to want to absorb everything around you," Steele notes.

In September 2024, Archinect's Niall Patrick Walsh caught up with Steele as part of our Deans List series to gain an insight into USC Architecture's approach t...

Climate, Justice, and Collaboration in Academia: A Conversation with Tyler School of Art and Architecture's Director Kate Wingert-Playdon

2024-09-23T12:25:00-04:00

At Temple University's Tyler School of Art and Architecture, Kate Wingert-Playdon is building an academic culture grounded in collaboration. As Senior Associate Dean and Director of Architecture, Wingert-Playdon is engaged in a mission of encouraging cross-disciplinary interaction between architecture, planning, landscape, and beyond, in addition to encouraging and cultivating the views of communities beyond the profession.

For Wingert-Playdon, this emphasis on collaboration takes on a heightened sense of urgency when preparing students to tackle challenges of the present and future, from climate change to social justice to the demographics of the profession.

In September 2024, Archinect's Niall Patrick Walsh spoke with Wingert-Playdon as part of our Deans List series, to gain an insight into Tyler's approach to education, the student experience, and building a holistic curriculum. The conversation, lightly edited for clarity, is published below.

A Conversation with SCI-Arc's Undergraduate Chairs Kristy Balliet and Marcelyn Gow

2023-12-26T09:00:00-05:00

Archinect's Deans List series allows us to connect with architecture's academic leaders (deans and chairs) to learn more about their pedagogical stances, academic perspectives, and what they envision for the school during their tenure.

SCI-Arc is an institution known for its historic and influential presence within Southern California's architecture and pedagogy. This legacy of progressive pedagogy continues with the appointment of Kristy Balliet and Marcelyn Gow as SCI-Arc's Undergraduate Chairs. During the Fall 2023 term, in an exclusive interview, I spoke Balliet and Gow, to discuss their new role and the observations they see for this incoming wave of undergraduate students.

Quilian Riano at Pratt: 'Believing in the Power of an Architectural Education' for the Next Generation

2023-12-05T08:01:00-05:00

Archinect's Deans List series offers readers an exclusive glimpse into the minds shaping the future of architectural education. This series not only delves into the unique programming of each school but also uncovers the philosophies and approaches that define their educational landscape.

In our latest installment, we explore the vision of Quilian Riano, the newly appointed dean at Pratt Institute's School of Architecture. Riano, an architect known for his innovative approaches to social engagement and urban design, brings a fresh perspective to Pratt. His career, marked by a blend of practical experience and academic prowess, positions him uniquely to lead the school into its next chapter.

At Pratt, Riano faces the dual challenge of honoring the school's storied legacy while steering its curriculum toward the evolving demands of the architectural profession. Known for his commitment to collaborative and inclusive design processes, Riano's leadership is anticipated to infuse Pratt's...

'Leadership Is Not Linear': A Conversation with Mary Anne Alabanza Akers, the New Dean of Cal Poly Pomona's College of Environmental Design

2023-03-27T10:00:00-04:00

The fabric of architectural academia is changing. As leadership turnover is more apparent than ever before, I wondered if the demands of an academic leader have outgrown the stereotypical "profile" of what qualifies a dean or department chair. Is there room for deans to lead and make changes beyond their bureaucratic administrative duties? How much experience is enough experience to be "qualified to lead?"

I discussed these questions when I got the opportunity to connect with Cal Poly Pomona's new dean for their College of Environmental Design, Mary Anne Alabanza Akers. She joins the institution after heading Morgan State University's School of Architecture + Planning as its dean for 14 years. Not only has Akers served at a prominent HBCU — she was also its founding dean.

During our conversation, for our latest Deans List series, we unpacked her childhood in the Philippines, her journey to attending school and working in the United States, her commitment to academia, and what it m...

Embracing New Pathways for Architectural Expertise: A Conversation With Heather Flood, Woodbury School of Architecture Interim Dean

2022-04-21T09:12:00-04:00

Academic leaders have the demanding task of steering and shaping a school's educational culture and pedagogy. Not only are they responsible for overseeing an institution's administrative affairs, but they are also charged with shaping both learning and teaching environments for students and faculty. While prerequisites for a Dean or Department Chair may differ from institution to institution, their goals are to provide a place that will nurture a student's architectural curiosities by providing an environment where they can gain skills and expand their design knowledge.

For Heather Flood, the path to architecture and academia may not resemble the typical 'academic dean.' Her commitment to education and attitude towards building more robust pathways for students pursuing a career in AEC and design industries sets her apart.

For Archinect's latest Deans List conversation, I connected with Heather as she embarks on her role as Interim Dean at Woodbury University School of Architectur...

Architecture Deans on How COVID-19 Will Impact Architecture Education

2020-04-29T12:45:00-04:00

In an effort to gather more information regarding how schools of architecture are adapting to the COVID-19 crisis, Archinect has reached out to a collection of architecture deans and program chairs for specific insight into how each institution is responding to the crisis individually.

The first installment of a three-part COVID-19-specific Deans List update explored the fast-paced changes that are taking place at these institutions as uncertainty and rapid-response approaches become a matter of daily life. For the second installment of this series, we asked architecture directors to convey cover how COVID-19 has impacted traditional end-of-the-year activities like final reviews, thesis exhibitions, and other events. Our final installment, we asked these architecture leaders to share what they view as potential long-term impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on architectural education.

School of Architecture Deans Detail COVID-19’s Impact on End of the Year Activities

2020-04-28T12:00:00-04:00

The first installment of a three-part COVID-19-specific Deans List update explored the fast-paced changes that are taking place at these institutions as uncertainty and rapid-response approaches become a matter of daily life. For the second installment of this series, we asked architecture directors to convey cover how COVID-19 has impacted traditional end-of-the-year activities like final reviews, thesis exhibitions, and other events. Part three will focus on the potential long-term impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on architectural education.

School of Architecture Deans Voice Institutional Responses to the COVID-19 Crisis

2020-04-27T12:49:00-04:00

The first installment of a three-part, COVID-19-specific Deans List update explores the fast-paced changes that are taking place at these institutions as uncertainty and rapid-response approaches become a matter of daily life. We asked the architecture educators below to provide a general statement regarding how their institutions are handling the pandemic. The second installment of this series will cover how COVID-19 has impacted traditional end-of-the-year activities like final reviews, thesis exhibitions, and other events. Part three will focus on the potential long-term impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on architectural education.

UPenn Weitzman School of Design Architecture Chair Winka Dubbeldam on Architectural Education for the Future

2020-04-06T09:00:00-04:00

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, we spoke with Winka Dubbeldam, Miller Professor and Chair of Architecture of the Weitzman School of Design at the University of Pennsylvania. The Weitzman School is home to a range of academic design programs—including focuses on architecture, city and regional planning, fine arts, historic preservation, landscape architecture, and urban spatial analytics—and to a collection of think-tanks and research centers, including the Green New Deal and landscape urbanism-focused McHarg Center.

In our conversation, Dubbeldam, who is also a founding principal at Archi-Tectonics, highlights some of the latest research and academic endeavors at the Weitz...

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

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

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...

Deans List: Stephen Phillips on Complementing Architectural Practice With Academic Discourse and Vice Versa

2020-01-06T14:18:00-05:00

For our latest installment, and in conjunction with Archinect’s Spotlight on Los Angeles, Archinect spoke with Stephen Phillips, Director and founder of the Cal Poly Los Angeles Metropolitan Program in Architecture and Urban Design. The 30-student program offers fourth-year undergraduate students at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo “an urban experience highly suited to an advanced architecture education” that compliments SLO’s more traditionally collegiate educational offerings while also offering an integrated design curriculum that includes a 20-week internship experience at some of the city’s top architecture firms. Phillips writes: “We position our students within the profe...

Deans List: Sarah Whiting on Taking The Helm of Harvard's Graduate School of Design

2019-12-10T13:23:00-05:00

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 this installment, Archinect spoke with Sarah M. Whiting, Dean and Josep Lluís Sert Professor of Architecture at the Graduate School of Design (GSD) at Harvard University. The school is home to over 900 students and offers an expansive set of programs and degrees at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral levels in architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning, and design studies. Whiting, who is a design principal and co-founder of WW Architecture arrived at GSD in July 2019. The last time we spoke to Dean Whiting, she was the Dean at Rice University.

We caught up with Whiting once again as she arrives at Harvard to discuss the school's reputation for years-long curric...

"Even Sound Changes in Darkness," PSU's Jeff Schnabel on Seizing Opportunity Where It Exists

2019-12-02T09:00:00-05:00

For this installment, Archinect spoke with Jeff Schnabel, Director of the School of Architecture at Portland State University, a 400-student program offering undergraduate and Master of Architecture degrees, including the possibility of an Integrated Path to Architectural Licensure track.

We caught up with Schnabel to discuss the school's ties to local design practices and initiatives, the importance of designing with darkness and night, and how the school is working to make architectural education more affordable for PSU's sizable first-generation student population.

"Decolonization Is a Gift"—CCNY's Lesley Lokko on Questioning Architecture's Inherited Futures

2019-11-25T10:00:00-05:00

For this installment, Archinect spoke with Lesley Lokko, a multi-talented architect, best-selling novelist, architectural educator, and now, Dean of the The Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture at the City College of New York (CCNY), New York City's premier public architecture school. The 420-student school offers a keen focus on "the urban environment as the most important generator of ideas" and offers professional undergraduate degrees in architecture and graduate degrees in architecture, urban landscape architecture, urban design, and sustainability in the urban environment.

We caught up with Lokko as she prepares to move to America from South Africa—where she has b...

Deans List: University of Calgary's Dr. John Brown Discusses the Importance of Fostering Design Innovation and Entrepreneurship

2019-11-05T06:00:00-05:00

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 Dr. John Brown, dean at the University of Calgary School of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape. A seasoned architect and academic, Brown's background has allowed him to explore how academia can not only teach students but foster a level of thinking. From running a practice filled with people-centric design, research, and entrepreneurial spunk, Brown expresses for students to "look at what it is they want to do and how they can do that most effectively without being constrained by conventional practice."

A supporter of design innovation and entrepreneurship, Brown shares the challenges the program has faced and how the blending of research and multidisciplinary has led t...

Deans List: Berkeley's Vishaan Chakrabarti on Rejecting the False Choices Embodied by Recent Architectural Pedagogies

2019-10-09T13:02:00-04:00

The 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 this installment, Archinect spoke with Vishaan Chakrabarti, the founder of New York City's Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU) who was recently selected as the incoming dean for the College of Environmental Design at the University of California, Berkeley. The school boasts a long history of nurturing multi-disciplinary approaches to improving the built environment while offering a slate of degree programs that include focuses on architecture, real estate development, urban design, and landscape architecture. As Chakrabarti prepares to assume deanship over the school in 2020, he offers a preview of what his tenure might hold, speaks out against the "false choices" ...

Deans List: University of Detroit Mercy's Dan Pitera and the Three Questions That Drive His Career

2019-08-30T09:00:00-04:00

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 Dan Pitera, newly appointed dean at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Architecture. An influential leader in architectural academia, social justice practices, and community engagement in the city of Detroit, Pitera brings a passion for education and dedication to creating "practice-ready graduates." According to Pitera, "design is really an issue of social justice, which our School defines as the distribution of both advantages and disadvantages across the full cross-section of society."

"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."

Deans List: UW's Renée Cheng on How Comprehensive Design Can Engender Inclusivity

2019-07-11T12:01:00-04:00

For this installment, Archinect spoke with current University of Washington College of Built Environments dean Renée Cheng. A licensed architect with years of experience working at firms like Pei, Cobb, Freed and Partners and her personal practice, Cheng-Olson Design, Cheng has specialized in researching the application of new technologies within the design and construction process while also helping to pioneer innovative project delivery approaches. In our interview, Cheng shares how these approaches can be applied to the wide-ranging curriculum of an integrated design program.

Deans List: Pratt's Dr. Harriet Harriss on Academia's Role in Preparing Architects of the Future

2019-06-24T12:07:00-04:00

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 incoming dean Dr. Harriet Harriss. Deemed a trailblazer for her leadership and design innovation in architecture and academia, Harriss shares her vision for Pratt Institute's School of Architecture, and for academia's role in students' life, and the architectural community overall.

As New Director of Kent State's Architecture School, Ivan Bernal Looks to Expand its Role in the Mid-West and Beyond

2018-10-25T10:26:00-04:00

Kent State University recently completed a dazzling new $43 million building for its College of Architecture and Environmental Design, a welcome addition to the campus and a big boon for architecture in Ohio. An award-winning LEED Platinum building, the facility marks a new era for the school looking to push a national and international profile. It's also ushered in a series of changes for the Ohio school, which started out the 2018-2019 school year with Ivan Bernal as the program's new director.

As Incoming Dean of the College of Architecture, Art and Planning of Cornell University, Meejin Yoon Shares Her Insights From Her Own Experience as an Architecture Student

2018-09-11T10:00:00-04:00

At the beginning of the upcoming Spring semester, Meejin Yoon is the newly minted dean of the College of Architecture, Art and Planning of Cornell University. According to the Cornell Chronicle, Yoon is the first woman named to the position since the college was formed in 1896.

UCLA's A.UD Places Architecture at the Heart of Contemporary Culture, Says New Chair of the Department, Heather Roberge

2018-04-03T09:00:00-04:00

The UC system's Los Angeles location has long been one of the United States' leading public universities, consistently ranking as one of the best public schools for higher education in the country. The Department of Architecture and Urban Design—offering one professional graduate program, a post professional program and granting three additional academic degrees—is no exception. Their graduate program recently placed sixth, and first among public institutions, by Design Intelligence’s 2018 annual survey on the top Architecture Graduate Programs.

Deans List: Amidst Many Moves, Signy Svalastoga and Andrew Stone Discuss the Future for the Cass School of Art, Architecture and Design

2017-11-30T09:00:00-05:00

For this Deans List feature, we spoke to Andrew Stone, Head of the Cass School of Art, Architecture and Design at London Metropolitan University, and Signy Svalastoga, who is Head of Architecture, about how they continue to nurture the school’s philosophy, their impressive staff members and just what the future holds for the ‘Aldgate Bauhaus.’

Martin Bressani, Director of McGill's School of Architecture, Talks About Recent Landmark Gift and What it Means for the School

2017-11-22T09:00:00-05:00

In September, the School of Architecture at McGill University received a landmark $12-million gift and a new name from Canadian-Chinese architect and alumnus Peter Fu. Now the Peter Guo-hua Fu School of Architecture, the department looks forward to continuing the university’s legacy of world-class research while strengthening its global position, increasingly appealing to students worldwide.

Deans List: Jonathan Massey Discusses his new Position at University of Michigan's Taubman College

2017-11-16T12:00:00-05:00

In our Deans List series, we speak with the leaders of architecture schools worldwide, offering insights into the institution’s unique curriculum, faculty and academic environment. Following our recent discussion with Jonathan Massey for our podcast, Archinect Sessions, we have expanded our conversation with the architect and historian to talk more about his new appointment at the Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning and his plans for the school.

Deans List: Milton Curry shares his vision for the future of the USC School of Architecture

2017-10-05T11:45:00-04:00

For this edition of the Deans List we spoke with incoming dean Milton Curry at the University of Southern California. Dean Curry told us about his vision for the school, what it means to be a citizen architect and the commitment of architecture thinking to public good.

Deans List: Heather Woofter discusses the future direction of Sam Fox School of Design

2017-08-01T13:34:00-04:00

Heather Woofter is already a familiar face around the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis, where she's been teaching since 2005. She also practices what she teaches, having continued working with her design partner Sung Ho Kim at the firm Axi:Ome since she joined in 2003. Now that she's been appointed director of the respected design school's architecture programs, what are her pedagogical goals? She discusses her approach toward taking a school with one of the oldest established urban design programs in the country into the future in the interview below.

"The future belongs to Woodbury": an interview with Ingalill Wahlroos-Ritter, the University's brand new Dean

2017-07-13T12:00:00-04:00

For this installment of Deans List we talk to Ingalill Wahlroos-Ritter, one month after starting her new post as Dean of the School of Architecture at Woodbury University, about the importance of economic diversity and the school's commitment to egalitarian and practical education.