I just have a few questions. I'm a transfer (junior) at the University of California, San Diego and I've decided to pursue a career in architecture. Other than some ceramics and painting classes in high school, I don't have much of an art background.
I just recently changed my major from Psychology to Urban Studies and Planning. I am also minoring in Visual Arts (Studio). So I am planning to aim for a M.Arch at SCI-Arc, USC or UCLA... I want to stay around my area.
So my questions are...
1) Are my undergraduate degrees in Urban Studies and Planning/Visual Arts the right choice for a school w/o an Architecture major?
2) Will not having any art experience at this point of my life going to affect my skills/portfolio?
3) Should I take the introduction classes after I graduate since I'm not majoring in Architecture right off the bat?
4) Any other advice would be appreciated... Thanks.
If not, I doubt Imagineering (I can't believe I just typed that) department needs that many architects. Go to their wiki. Most of their notable staff were stage designers, engineers, etc...
What Disney calls Imagineering (again, ew) is otherwise called Brandism in architectural circles. There are quite a number of companies that do that, and some of them do it quite well. But to go into architecture in order to end up working for a specific corporation is a waste of an education.
If you want to build for disney, then architecture school is not for you, you don't really need school, just good craftsmanship, nobody will take you seriously at architecture schools because disney design is considered the worst design of all.
i work in a lab with a grad student who has been interning as an imagineer for two summers and hopes to work fulltime for them when she graduates. She is an electrical engineer with great prototyping skills and a focus in robotics, specifically controls. Also, one of our human factors psychology professors consults with them on ride design to try to reduce rides making people sick.
Also, since this grad student I know first got an internship with them toward the end of undergrad, it means there is a way for you to try to start interning with them sooner than later. They seem accessible, at least for questions, so contact Disney and ask what they think.
My impression is that for that kind of work, architecture can help you gain visualization skills, rapid prototyping skills and maybe some basic sense of space programming. But you can gain these skills (other than space programming) in a number of majors, some of which may be cheaper, quicker and more fun and offer you more career options than pursuing an architectural education.
Perhaps an engineering or psychology undergrad + a masters in architecture or an mfa would be competitive. Or an undergrad or grad degree in industrial design or user experience design or computer science. Actually, that might work well. An undergrad in industrial design or experience design coupled with a grad degree in architecture.
But as far as architecture schools go, you should also consider california college of the arts and the cranbrook academy. Not as close as you seem to want, but perhaps very well suited to your intent.
Actually thought people in here would be helpful. I guess not.
This is your response after two individual posts on a site with several thousand users? More than little ungracious, dear. If you DO go to architecture school, you'll need to develop thicker skin.
But all the previous posters (ignoring the funny gifs) have given you spot-on advice. Architecture school isn't your best path. If you want to work for Disney, an architecture degree is going to lead you far afield into areas that won't help your chances to get a job there OR your desire to do that kind of work in the first place.
I mean, what led you to architecture in the first place?
Also, as a Cranbrook graduate myself, I'd steer you away from Cranbrook if you want to go work at Disney. The two occupy entirely different worlds.
a) One of my parents' best friends growing up was an Imagineer. His job in fact was to design the streetfront facade buildings on Main St (he worked at Disneyland and EuroDisney). He was not trained as an architect - I believe he may have held a graphic design degree but I can check.
b) A guy in the class above me at my undergrad (B.Arch program, strong conceptual & craftsman focuses) was determined to become an Imagineer as an architect. As far as I know, he did. Last I heard he had interned at Disneyworld after graduated. He spent his entire undergrad career specifically choosing projects & studying with that goal in mind. Our professors were tolerant of him and respectful, although he didn't always get the greatest grades, he did fine. He loved architecture and he loved Disney. I think it was a great career choice for him to follow. I might see if I can get any info on where he is now, maybe he could talk to you.
Wouldn't an engineering degree be a far more important skill? Don't really know much about their Imagineering division, but I thought it was mostly engineering, industrial design and I guess some graphics on top of it.
Architecture won't teach you any engineering, industrial design, and, arguably, not much graphic design.
Esquire had an interview with one of the lead guys there. Interesting, probably can be a super creative job, but also could be horribly boring (well, now that sounds more like architecture!).
Give them a call and talk to someone. Don't make life decisions based on assumptions or a few posts on an unrelated forum.
I can only hope that you have some sort of scholorship or your parents are paying for your education.......or somehow your tuition is free. However that ocurs, then you can go work for Disney. From a few people I know, Disney doesn't pay top dollar, in fact what I hear is they pay under average salaries. That is second hand rumors. I don't know anybody in the imageneering department (eeeicccck - there I typed it) but I can't imagine that it is different from the rest of Disney. Grain of salt time. So if this is true, and we all know how much traditional architecture pays, you can not afford to pay schools $150,000 and work for Disney. And just so people know, I like Disney and architecture, but I doubt they mix well.
Disney design is only considered "the worst design of all" if you accept the peculiar notion that Post-Modernism is, in fact, the work of Satan. There's actally alot to learn from how Disney World/Land are desinged and put together, especially when designing for the American public.
I love how arch schools beat Venturi and Brown into our heads with "Learning from Las Vegas" then tell us that if we ever draw anything even remotely po-mo that we will be taken out back behind the model shop storage shed and shot.
To the OP: If you really want to work for Disney like that, check what degrees they want they imagineer people to have then go for that. Engineering is probably a better call than architecture.
Do you mean you want to design the theme parks? Architecture is really perhaps only good for that aspect of Disney it seems, and most of it is probably more like set design. Everything else would probably be engineers of some kind, or industrial design
I imagine they have a few people doing almost all of the creative design and then pass it off to industrial designers/ engineers who build it all. To get to that level to be one of the designers i imagine is not easy at all, and very select
Thats a very narrow career goal to have if you are going to go to architecture school, given that a lot of the studying and work experience you get will most likely not be of interest to Disney
And if you do go to architecture school, I would be very hesitant to say that your goal is to work for Disney. That most likely wont go over very well
prodigy - email me offline. good friend from grad school has been at disney going on 18 years. i'll do my best to make the introduction - he might be able to tell you a better spectrum of what it is they do there. i'm sure, like any place, that it has some pros and cons, but my friend's enjoyed it overall. and it was definitely not what they would have picked as a career back in school...
outed, that's awesome. Your relevant contact and your willingness to share just put a smile on my face. Although I still suspect the original post was made by that unicorn fella for some hard-trollin' purposes.
OlgFogey: "Having a definitive dream for one's life is a waste of an education? I sat next to a guy at SOM who said his dream from a young age was to work for the people who did the Sears Tower"
Fair enough. But there is a huge difference between dreaming of working for a company that employs 1000's of architects and one that employs 8. Consolidation prize for not getting an SOM gig is still pretty good (go work for KPF and the likes). Consolidation prize for basing your education decisions on eventually working for Disney? Six Flags ADA compliance manager?
If my life's dream was to work as Disney's Imagineer, and if I was smart and ambitious (both are big ifs) I wouldn't think of an architectural degree of getting there. Just like I wouldn't go into architecture if all I wanted to do is to design bridges.
actually, greg lynn and ucla's suprastudio did a disney imageneering sponsored project couple of years ago.
so it is more to the picture than the name is bombarded. this year they have (disney) sponsored a studio in cal poly pomona. they will do that for next year as well with cal poly.
original poster is onto something.
I personally dont think there is anything wrong with going into architecture school with the interest of maybe going somewhere else later on.
if an architect plays their cards right they can work in production design, imagineering, conceptual art for movies, etc. You just have to keep in mind what you can bring to the table that is different from people that would specifically choose that career path.
I happen to know several extremely talented people (architects) that work at Disney Imagineering. I've toured the facilities and gotten a "behind the scenes" look at what they do and I have to tell you...it's damn fascinating. The model shop is a fantasy land (no pun intended) that would be the envy of any architecture firm in the world, and they build detailed models of everything, often at very large detailed scale. Disney views their theme parks as stage sets, but the technology that goes into making those stage sets is absolutely cutting edge. Having experienced a little time with these folks, I can tell you that it is an exciting blend of several disciplines, architecture being one. Their studio is exploding with creative energy. It may not be a place an architect would want to spend their whole career, but it's a real eye-opener experience.
While this is a dead post and the studio happened a while ago some of you might be interested in this actual architecture studio taught by a very well respected architect that focused on exactly what prodigy was talking about pursuing:
Prodigy, if your considering Scs-Arc, USC, and UCLA for graduate school I'm surprised you didn't come across this. It probably wouldn't hurt to continue doing some research and maybe track down some of the students in that studio who probably have accounts on archinect.
Oct 19, 11 12:50 pm ·
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Yet ANOTHER Aspiring Architect
Hey everyone
I just have a few questions. I'm a transfer (junior) at the University of California, San Diego and I've decided to pursue a career in architecture. Other than some ceramics and painting classes in high school, I don't have much of an art background.
I just recently changed my major from Psychology to Urban Studies and Planning. I am also minoring in Visual Arts (Studio). So I am planning to aim for a M.Arch at SCI-Arc, USC or UCLA... I want to stay around my area.
So my questions are...
1) Are my undergraduate degrees in Urban Studies and Planning/Visual Arts the right choice for a school w/o an Architecture major?
2) Will not having any art experience at this point of my life going to affect my skills/portfolio?
3) Should I take the introduction classes after I graduate since I'm not majoring in Architecture right off the bat?
4) Any other advice would be appreciated... Thanks.
Sorry to double post but...
My goal is to eventually become a Walt Disney Imagineer...
If anyone knows about this and how it ties to Architecture, please let me know
I'm assuming this post is a joke.
If not, I doubt Imagineering (I can't believe I just typed that) department needs that many architects. Go to their wiki. Most of their notable staff were stage designers, engineers, etc...
What Disney calls Imagineering (again, ew) is otherwise called Brandism in architectural circles. There are quite a number of companies that do that, and some of them do it quite well. But to go into architecture in order to end up working for a specific corporation is a waste of an education.
Actually thought people in here would be helpful. I guess not.
If you want to build for disney, then architecture school is not for you, you don't really need school, just good craftsmanship, nobody will take you seriously at architecture schools because disney design is considered the worst design of all.
i work in a lab with a grad student who has been interning as an imagineer for two summers and hopes to work fulltime for them when she graduates. She is an electrical engineer with great prototyping skills and a focus in robotics, specifically controls. Also, one of our human factors psychology professors consults with them on ride design to try to reduce rides making people sick.
Also, since this grad student I know first got an internship with them toward the end of undergrad, it means there is a way for you to try to start interning with them sooner than later. They seem accessible, at least for questions, so contact Disney and ask what they think.
My impression is that for that kind of work, architecture can help you gain visualization skills, rapid prototyping skills and maybe some basic sense of space programming. But you can gain these skills (other than space programming) in a number of majors, some of which may be cheaper, quicker and more fun and offer you more career options than pursuing an architectural education.
Perhaps an engineering or psychology undergrad + a masters in architecture or an mfa would be competitive. Or an undergrad or grad degree in industrial design or user experience design or computer science. Actually, that might work well. An undergrad in industrial design or experience design coupled with a grad degree in architecture.
But as far as architecture schools go, you should also consider california college of the arts and the cranbrook academy. Not as close as you seem to want, but perhaps very well suited to your intent.
This is your response after two individual posts on a site with several thousand users? More than little ungracious, dear. If you DO go to architecture school, you'll need to develop thicker skin.
But all the previous posters (ignoring the funny gifs) have given you spot-on advice. Architecture school isn't your best path. If you want to work for Disney, an architecture degree is going to lead you far afield into areas that won't help your chances to get a job there OR your desire to do that kind of work in the first place.
I mean, what led you to architecture in the first place?
Also, as a Cranbrook graduate myself, I'd steer you away from Cranbrook if you want to go work at Disney. The two occupy entirely different worlds.
a) One of my parents' best friends growing up was an Imagineer. His job in fact was to design the streetfront facade buildings on Main St (he worked at Disneyland and EuroDisney). He was not trained as an architect - I believe he may have held a graphic design degree but I can check.
b) A guy in the class above me at my undergrad (B.Arch program, strong conceptual & craftsman focuses) was determined to become an Imagineer as an architect. As far as I know, he did. Last I heard he had interned at Disneyworld after graduated. He spent his entire undergrad career specifically choosing projects & studying with that goal in mind. Our professors were tolerant of him and respectful, although he didn't always get the greatest grades, he did fine. He loved architecture and he loved Disney. I think it was a great career choice for him to follow. I might see if I can get any info on where he is now, maybe he could talk to you.
Wouldn't an engineering degree be a far more important skill? Don't really know much about their Imagineering division, but I thought it was mostly engineering, industrial design and I guess some graphics on top of it.
Architecture won't teach you any engineering, industrial design, and, arguably, not much graphic design.
Esquire had an interview with one of the lead guys there. Interesting, probably can be a super creative job, but also could be horribly boring (well, now that sounds more like architecture!).
Give them a call and talk to someone. Don't make life decisions based on assumptions or a few posts on an unrelated forum.
Okeedokey,
Well, my 2cents.
I can only hope that you have some sort of scholorship or your parents are paying for your education.......or somehow your tuition is free. However that ocurs, then you can go work for Disney. From a few people I know, Disney doesn't pay top dollar, in fact what I hear is they pay under average salaries. That is second hand rumors. I don't know anybody in the imageneering department (eeeicccck - there I typed it) but I can't imagine that it is different from the rest of Disney. Grain of salt time. So if this is true, and we all know how much traditional architecture pays, you can not afford to pay schools $150,000 and work for Disney. And just so people know, I like Disney and architecture, but I doubt they mix well.
Well, if you come to Cooper there's a page up on the wall in studio calling for Imagineers and the tuition is free– so, uh, bada-bing bada-boom, eh?
Disney design is only considered "the worst design of all" if you accept the peculiar notion that Post-Modernism is, in fact, the work of Satan. There's actally alot to learn from how Disney World/Land are desinged and put together, especially when designing for the American public.
I love how arch schools beat Venturi and Brown into our heads with "Learning from Las Vegas" then tell us that if we ever draw anything even remotely po-mo that we will be taken out back behind the model shop storage shed and shot.
To the OP: If you really want to work for Disney like that, check what degrees they want they imagineer people to have then go for that. Engineering is probably a better call than architecture.
Do you mean you want to design the theme parks? Architecture is really perhaps only good for that aspect of Disney it seems, and most of it is probably more like set design. Everything else would probably be engineers of some kind, or industrial design
I imagine they have a few people doing almost all of the creative design and then pass it off to industrial designers/ engineers who build it all. To get to that level to be one of the designers i imagine is not easy at all, and very select
Thats a very narrow career goal to have if you are going to go to architecture school, given that a lot of the studying and work experience you get will most likely not be of interest to Disney
And if you do go to architecture school, I would be very hesitant to say that your goal is to work for Disney. That most likely wont go over very well
With a psuedonym like 'The Prodigy', why do you even need help?
My advice is go to damn architecture school.
Before you follow those dreams, though, read this article and substitute "MArch" for "JD".
Dreams are great. But don't actually enter into them with your eyes closed.
prodigy - email me offline. good friend from grad school has been at disney going on 18 years. i'll do my best to make the introduction - he might be able to tell you a better spectrum of what it is they do there. i'm sure, like any place, that it has some pros and cons, but my friend's enjoyed it overall. and it was definitely not what they would have picked as a career back in school...
outed, that's awesome. Your relevant contact and your willingness to share just put a smile on my face. Although I still suspect the original post was made by that unicorn fella for some hard-trollin' purposes.
OlgFogey: "Having a definitive dream for one's life is a waste of an education? I sat next to a guy at SOM who said his dream from a young age was to work for the people who did the Sears Tower"
Fair enough. But there is a huge difference between dreaming of working for a company that employs 1000's of architects and one that employs 8. Consolidation prize for not getting an SOM gig is still pretty good (go work for KPF and the likes). Consolidation prize for basing your education decisions on eventually working for Disney? Six Flags ADA compliance manager?
If my life's dream was to work as Disney's Imagineer, and if I was smart and ambitious (both are big ifs) I wouldn't think of an architectural degree of getting there. Just like I wouldn't go into architecture if all I wanted to do is to design bridges.
ps,
I think it would be awesome if Rem Koolhaas ever did design a building called "The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror".
actually, greg lynn and ucla's suprastudio did a disney imageneering sponsored project couple of years ago.
so it is more to the picture than the name is bombarded. this year they have (disney) sponsored a studio in cal poly pomona. they will do that for next year as well with cal poly.
original poster is onto something.
I wouldnt try to shatter the OP's dreams, reminds me of my 1st posts and how cynical it gets here
Prodigy, you can be like the director from TRON legacy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Kosinski
I personally dont think there is anything wrong with going into architecture school with the interest of maybe going somewhere else later on.
if an architect plays their cards right they can work in production design, imagineering, conceptual art for movies, etc. You just have to keep in mind what you can bring to the table that is different from people that would specifically choose that career path.
I happen to know several extremely talented people (architects) that work at Disney Imagineering. I've toured the facilities and gotten a "behind the scenes" look at what they do and I have to tell you...it's damn fascinating. The model shop is a fantasy land (no pun intended) that would be the envy of any architecture firm in the world, and they build detailed models of everything, often at very large detailed scale. Disney views their theme parks as stage sets, but the technology that goes into making those stage sets is absolutely cutting edge. Having experienced a little time with these folks, I can tell you that it is an exciting blend of several disciplines, architecture being one. Their studio is exploding with creative energy. It may not be a place an architect would want to spend their whole career, but it's a real eye-opener experience.
While this is a dead post and the studio happened a while ago some of you might be interested in this actual architecture studio taught by a very well respected architect that focused on exactly what prodigy was talking about pursuing:
http://www.aud.ucla.edu/student_projects/suprastudio/suprastudio_greg_lynn_with_walt_disney_imagineering_23.html
Prodigy, if your considering Scs-Arc, USC, and UCLA for graduate school I'm surprised you didn't come across this. It probably wouldn't hurt to continue doing some research and maybe track down some of the students in that studio who probably have accounts on archinect.
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