Archinect - Features

Echoes and Requiems: Reflecting on the Legacy of Woodbury University School of Architecture in San Diego

2024-06-21T01:48:00-04:00

In the summer of 2006, I received a call from my friend and colleague Catherine Herbst, who had recently become the head of Woodbury University School of Architecture in San Diego (WUSD) following the departure of the previous chair, Geraldine Forbes, to New Mexico. During our conversation, Herbst shared a memorable detail: "I have a list in front of me of people I need to hire and people I want to hire." This moment marked the beginning of my tenure as an instructor at WUSD. The school was established in 1998 at Liberty Station, which was formerly the Naval Training Center in San Diego. It had recently relocated to a converted bank building in downtown San Diego, marking a significant transition from its original location. This move positioned the school in a more central urban setting, enhancing its accessibility and presence within the city.

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...

Fostering Civic Engagement in Architecture School With Jeanine Centuori, Director of Woodbury’s ACE Center

2022-02-23T10:46:00-05:00

How can architecture schools better engage with the communities surrounding them? For faculty and students at Woodbury School of Architecture, the words civic engagement are more than just umbrella terms used as curriculum aides for student learning. Instead, they are pillars to facilitate ongoing discourse and action towards helping underserved communities in Southern California. Through architecture, design, non-profit work, and business initiatives, the school's Agency for Civic Engagement (ACE) program uses a multidisciplinary approach to designing for the public.

ACE stemmed from an idea led by a group of dedicated Woodbury faculty members. What began as a visionary project has become an essential public interest program. To learn more about ACE's history and the community-driven projects born out of the program, I spoke with its Director, Jeanine Centuori, FAIA. During our conversation, we also discussed public art and its relationship to architecture, the importance of exposi...

Barbara Bestor Reflects on the Julius Shulman Institute and Woodbury University's Commitment to Celebrating Architectural Photography Through Exhibition

2021-10-29T10:13:00-04:00

Architecture and photography are two disciplines whose relationship has blossomed into visual documentation used repeatedly for reference, inspiration, and research. While there are many architectural photographers whose work has been exemplary in presenting the public with a glimpse into the world of architecture, Julius Shulman remains an industry icon and pioneer in the field. Since 2005, the Julius Shulman Institute (JSI) has acted as an important bridge for Woodbury University to connect the public with the disciplines of architecture and photography. To learn more about the JSI, its history, and its mission, I spoke with Woodbury University's Julius Shulman Distinguished Professor of Practice and Executive Director of the JSI, Barbara Bestor.

"Our goal is to change the way Architecture and photography of the built environment are understood and presented in our culture and museums," shared Bestor. "It's rare for there to be an architecture department in any given museum. On t...

Woodbury M.Arch Student Highlights Armenian Culture by Using Architecture as a 'Tool to Reconstitute, Protect and Expose' Its History

2021-08-30T13:57:00-04:00

Continuing with Archinect's ongoing Thesis Review series, connecting with recent graduates allows us to amplify student voices as they share their experiences and final thesis projects. For this iteration of Archinect's 2021 Thesis Review, we connected with M.Arch student Maneh Tahmasian. A recent graduate of Woodbury School of Architecture, Tahmasian's thesis project "Through Thick and Thin" propels architecture's cultural and historical implications by highlighting the importance of recognizing "the old" to inform "the new" in Armenia.

She explains, "'Through thick and thin' is looking at the spatial aspect of the dome as a historical and cultural element of Armenian architecture. It does not describe the dome as it is, or have been understood, but as it could be reconstituting the matter into something: more powerful." Together we discuss the architectural and cultural themes found in her thesis. She unpacks the importance of heritage and how it can be used to challenge architect...

Woodbury Graduate Addresses the Importance of Water Infrastructure for California Droughts in Their Thesis WATER INFRA-CULTURE

2021-08-04T17:42:00-04:00

The Summer of 2021 has proven to be another challenging season. However, during this time, architecture students have continued to persevere. By adjusting, exploring, prototyping, and expanding their architectural perspectives, students have used the events taking place in their daily lives to push and challenge the issues facing the industry today. To learn more about these students and the work produced, we continue with our ever-so-popular Archinect Thesis Review series.

We begin our Summer 2021 iteration by connecting with Woodbury School of Architecture B.Arch graduate Khun Hein where he discusses his thesis, WATER INFRA-CULTURE. "Droughts are a significant concern in the present and future, which is exacerbated by ongoing climate change," shares Hein. "Extracting underground water from aquifers in desert conditions is necessary for humans to adapt to the changes we are experiencing in our climate [...] My thesis raises ethical questions and challenges our assumptions about it...

Woodbury Graduate Isabel Rodriguez Explores Hybrid Housing Options for Los Angeles

2020-10-13T13:20:00-04:00

B.Arch graduate Isabel Rodriguez of Woodbury University explored alternative housing possibilities for Los Angeles in her thesis, E-Hauze. Rodriguez explains her project "explores the positive effects of hybridizing housing and an industrialized facility [...] The typical way we live in Los Angeles needs to change. The way we design our build environment should reflect our intention to integrate."

Students across the globe have persisted during a year filled with challenges due to the pandemic. To highlight their work, we connected with students like Rodriquez to learn about her thesis project and how it responds to Los Angeles's housing crisis, her perspectives on the industry, and her experience with hunting for a job after graduating.

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-year celebra...

"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.

What is the Value of Historic Drawings for the Future? The Exhibition ‘Liminal Forms’ Wants to Find Out

2017-06-29T16:44:00-04:00

If you had to guess when some of the most pioneering and groundbreaking architectural drawing techniques were developed, it’s unlikely your first choice would be the 17th century.