Archinect - What's Your Story?

What's Your Story? :: Recent 2014 Graduate, Norma Fevrier

2014-09-09T14:02:00-04:00

What's Your Story? :: Recent 2014 Graduate, Norma Fevrier

Norma Fevrier graduated from the BAC in 2014 with a Bachelor of Interior Design degree. Norma has been a member of the BAC community since 2006 when she began the Summer Academy High School Design Exploration Program as a Houseman Scholar. The Houseman Scholarship Program aims to increase diversity among BAC students, graduates, and the design professions by making design education available to underrepresented groups in the profession.

As an active member of her church, Norma's passion for design and interiors was known throughout the community. Thanks to a church member who discovered the Summer Academy program; and thanks to the diligent support of her family, high school guidance counselor at Arlington Catholic, and Kara Peet, former BAC Summer Academy Director; Norma was able to attend Summer Academy with a full scholarship to explore the design profession.

"The best part of Summer Academy was the field trips around Boston....

Where are they now? :: Alumni, Wonnie Ru

2014-06-11T13:51:47-04:00

Where are they now? :: Alumni, Wonnie Ru

Wonnie Ru is a Bachelor of Interior Design graduate from the BAC. Originally from South Korea, she came to the United States during High School. Wonnie previously attended the University of Massachusetts, Amherst for Hotel Management but changed her career in pursuit of following a long time dream of being an Interior Designer. The BAC intrigued her based on the practice-driven program that enabled her to experience a more dynamic approach to Interior Design. Wonnie was involved in various Gateway community projects that helped her to learn and incorporate her skills outside of school.

Through the Gateway projects, Wonnie became interested in designing facilities that fully engage the community and she found it very rewarding. Wonnie is currently an Interior Designer at DRA Architects, which specializes in primarily educational and healthcare design. Her main focus is on designing educational facilities, from schematic design to construction, w...

What's Your Story? :: Cameron, Lucca, Daniel, and Unnumbered Sparks

2014-04-16T15:44:00-04:00

What's Your Story? :: Cameron, Lucca, Daniel, and Unnumbered Sparks
By Rose Brakesman, Master of Architecture Candidate

“When we find out about a project we let our minds’ wander about what should actually be there,” and the fun begins for three BAC students who are working in the studio of local sculptor Janet Echelman. The studio focuses on public art and urban transformation. Lucca Townsend says that her favorite part of the process is the brainstorming and idea generation. Somebody throws an idea out, then another and another, generating ideas and discarding them, finding what works for the particular place.

Likewise Daniel Zeese loves the iterative design process, and he has been working in Janet Echleman’s Studio for two years.

The Studio makes giant suspended net installations. Recently, Cameron Chateauneuf, Lucca Townsend and Daniel Zeese all contributed to the final design of the 745 foot installation that went on display in Vancouver, Canada in March 2014. Check out the video ...

What's Your Story? :: Julie Shapiro

2014-03-31T14:04:00-04:00

What's Your Story? :: Julie Shapiro - Testaccio Project Rome 2013
By Anastasia Lyons, Bachelor of Design Studies Candidate

Last summer, Dean of Students Richard Griswold and Instructor Jovi Cruces led a group of students on a study abroad trip based in Rome, Italy. The opportunity to travel and study the built environment in a place as ancient, as ripe with the evidence of its history as Rome is undoubtedly an invaluable experience for students. Recently I interviewed MLA candidate Julie Shapiro about her adventure in Rome, and what she discovered there.

Julie Shapiro went on the trip to Rome at the end of her first year of graduate studies in Landscape Architecture at the BAC. She earned her Bachelors from Oberlin College where she studied biology, and after finishing her undergrad she says that she explored a sequence of different options of career fields, from botany, horticulture and the arts, and was eventually drawn to study landscape architecture wherein she found an intersectio...

What's Your Story - Arlen Stawasz

2014-03-10T18:40:00-04:00

What's Your Story - Arlen Stawasz
By Gregory Lent, BDS Candidate

Arlen Stawasz (pictured above on left) is a recent graduate of the BAC, and recipient of the 2013 Ames Scholarship. I had a chance to sit down with Arlen recently and discuss his approach to the scholarship and how his project has affected his professional work.

What drew you to the Ames Scholarship?
The Ames scholarship is one of the capstone scholarships of the school, but the approach that I took, and I would hope that many people would, is that this is the beginning of a life’s work. It’s about understanding what you want to do with your life and how this scholarship can be a catalyst for that. So my general interest in the scholarship came from my degree project at the BAC.

What was your project?
My project was a library of climate change, and responded to rising sea levels. It served as a beacon to tell the story of how climate is changing, but also how we should really prepare ahead for these major emergencies ...

Where are they now? :: PLACETAILOR

2014-02-07T09:41:42-05:00

As an institution the BAC is always looking to see what our alumni are doing out in the world after they graduate. Here is a great story of where a degree from the Boston Architectural College can take you!

PLACETAILOR: Design+Build Innovators
By Rose Brakesman, Master of Architecture Candidate

BAC students. Architects. Designers. Construction Crew. Craftsmen. A Placetailor is someone who works at the firm as well as the firm’s name, and could be all of these at once and more!

Most design+build firms are companies where the architects and designers come up with ideas while the construction crew does the actual building. A Placetailor is both, and combining design work with construction craft gives these designers an edge. They think about the design while they build and refine it, strengthening the design to better suit the people, place, and site, through the entire process.

Using innovative technologies and design ideas focused on uber-efficient passive house design Placetailor also u...

Not Your Grandmother's BAC

2014-01-29T15:56:28-05:00

Once upon a time, back in the 20th Century, the Boston Architectural College had only one NAAB accredited bachelor of architecture degree. But really one size degree does not fit all. The B. Arch is not going anyplace but it has been joined by an onsite M. Arch, a Distance M. Arch, and a BDS to M.Arch track, so an undergrad can complete a Master’s degree in just a bit more time than the B. Arch. These degrees come in addition graduate and undergraduate degrees in Interior Design and Landscape Architecture.

The Bachelor of Design Studies degree has the flexibility to be shaped by the student. This non-professional degree has concentrations in Sustainable Design, History/Theory, Historic Preservation, Building Technology, and Design Computing. All of these new offerings have the student gaining real-world experience in practice while in school. For this reason 85% of BAC graduates are employed in their field at graduation.

Two new Master of Design Studies degrees allow students to study...

What's Your Story - Richard Griswold

2014-01-29T14:27:00-05:00

Richard Griswold - Staff & Instructor

Richard Griswold, Associate Provost and Dean of Students at the Boston Architectural College, holds a Master in Architecture from Harvard University's Graduate School of Design where he received the Alpha Rho Chi Medal. His BA is from Bennington College.

Formerly the Director of Foundation Studies, Rich was responsible for supervising beginning design courses in the BAC's concurrent program. He has taught design studios, visual studies courses, historic preservation and history/theory workshops, and has also been a thesis advisor and lead lecturer for the BAC's Summer Academy high school program. His lecture course, Design Principles, has been a threshold into design thinking for all BAC undergraduates. In spring 2006, Rich presented a paper entitled Intersections at the Beginning: the Choreography of Learners at a Practice-Based Design School at the Beginning Design Conference at the University of Iowa. In spring 2008, he taught "BAC-FH20", ...

What's Your Story - Anesu Dhliwayo

2014-01-28T13:10:00-05:00

Anesu Dhliwayo - Student

Anesu Dhliwayo is a Bachelor of Architecture candidate at the BAC and currently serves as Atelier's, the BAC's Student Government President (2013-2014). Born and raised in Zimbabwe, Anesu moved to the United States in 2004. Her relationship with design started soon after when she enrolled in the BAC's Summer Academy, a design exploration program for high school students. This experience connected her with the BAC and solidified her interest in studying architecture.

Awarded to a promising summer academy student with the goal to increase diversity among BAC students, graduates, and the design professions by making design education available to significantly underrepresented groups in the profession, Anesu is a Houseman Professional Program Scholarship recipient.

Anesu is likely to be found working at CBT Architects or at student events. Through her previous service with Atelier (Vice President, 2012-2013 and Secretary, 2011-2012), Anesu has helped shape the BAC'...

Welcome to What's Your Story?

2014-01-23T12:34:00-05:00

For this first post we just wanted to say hello to Archinect, and welcome to the Boston Architectural College's blog series, What's Your Story? Our initial post will be a brief explanation of why this blog exists.

So why did the BAC decide to create a blog about stories from student, faculty, and staff? It is quite simple, to share those stories. What is a major way that people learn about each other? It is the stories that are shared between them, right? Well that's what this blog is all about. It's the BAC sharing our stories with you, so you can better get to know us.

We, the writers of this blog, as well as everyone who shares their tales, hope that you enjoy and get a good bit of incite into Boston Architectural College.