Hi everyone. I am applying to Notre Dame for a 3-year M.Arch I whose focus as you may know is traditional architecture. I have no design background so please keep this in mind when judging the SOP/SOI. This is a first draft so feel free to point out any typos or grammatical errors you may find. I would love some specific pointers on how to improve "my professional goals" section and how Notre Dame can help.

I am a software developer right now so maybe any ideas how I can weave that into the SOI would be great. I do "design" software in a non-visual sense.

 Thank you all very much!

Btw ND explicitly says 3 to 5 pages so this SOI is in fact a bit short atm.
https://architecture.nd.edu/ac...

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     I do two things with my time mostly: waste it and daydream of a better world with more ornamented architecture. A cynical observer may say I really only do the former thing under which the latter may be subsumed. I object since wasting time has never spurred me to action whereas imagining a better life and more beautiful society has ultimately brought me here.

     I believe that the best way to design architecture even in this modern age is to study the classical principles of design even if one is to be a modernist. Since Notre Dame has arguably the best and most comprehensive program in traditional architecture, applying here is a natural choice for me. The seeds of my conscious interest in architecture began with an appreciation for modern and futuristic buildings. However, living in an architecturally diverse city like New York, my birthplace and current residence, I have had many years to live in, work, play, admire and critically observe many styles of architecture. It did not take long before I fell in love with the older styles.

     However, perhaps the seeds of my subconscious interest and that which informs my ideal of archetypal beauty may have been the neighborhoods of Kew Gardens and Forest Hills in the borough of Queens well known in the area for its architecture. I would often walk over a mile to school crossing through a Tudor and colonial style enclave called Forest Hills Gardens meticulously designed and landscaped by Grosvenor Atterbury and Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., respectively. This fantastic wonderland would forever set in my mind the standard for a planned suburban community. So impactful that nostalgia has brought me back now as an adult to this neighborhood just to live within walking distance of it again.

     As my tastes developed and my travels accumulated I developed a fascination with the forms of high gothic cathedrals. I think they are an inspirational gold mine for contemporary architecture. I have witnessed first hand how the art deco architects in New York City shamelessly took from this style and I have every intention of continuing this tradition of artistic theft. I realized then that I needed a good training in traditional styles of design if I wanted to understand this style. Although most programs do provide some basic instruction in the classics, I went to study the matter thoroughly at Notre Dame.

     I want to study architecture because I want to help build better cities by making the built environment more pleasing for everyone. It goes without saying that in the current social climate, getting projects like these built can be an uphill battle but I will be better prepared to fight it under tutelage of professors and alumni of Notre Dame. Specifically, I would look forward to taking a course with Professor Philip Bess given his focus on sacred architecture. I admire Duncan Stroik's work for similar reasons and would love to study under him. His chapel for the Jesuit High School in Tampa is very impressive. A third professor from whom I am hoping to learn is Paolo Vitti during the Rome Studies program because not only do I have a fascination with Ancient Rome and Latin but I actually want to understand urban planning from their perspective. I believe older civilizations often have much to teach us because they were closer to nature and had to conjure up clever solutions to deal with the elements using limited technology. The contrast between the experience of architects in one of the capitals of the ancient world and my own having grown up in a capital of the modern world would perhaps shed light on some gaps in our contemporary thinking.

     Building classical and traditional structures is a way of giving back to all members of the community because even people who do not work or reside in such structures reap the social and psychological benefits of their beauty. When I was in my early twenties I worked as an assistant to social workers serving low-income and immigrant communities in New York City. As a member of the Hispanic community being fluent in Spanish I was well suited to go visit these families and assist them with navigating the complex government bureaucracy and social support systems. One thing that struck me, whether these families were living in public housing or simply a less affluent part of town, was the feeling that these people had been relegated to forsaken and jilted architecture. The homes were in all very convenient parts of town; they had abundant social services willing to help them get public assistance; there were mass transit options, open spaces, public parks, schools and shopping areas all within walking distance. It was not a matter of location or even a lack of funds, but rather an attitude of society toward the design of their living conditions.

     At the time I did not think I could do anything about it as I assumed that was just how things were. Yet as I have become more educated I do not believe this anymore. Good architecture is not a luxury, it is a basic human right, a spiritual necessity. In the end improving the world does not come down to a simple choice between a Corinthian column or a concrete slab as both have their time and place but rather the willingness to listen to the voices of members of a community to provide them with the built environment that they need and more importantly that they want.

     A large part of what changed my attitude was the urban renovation that took place in Plessis-Robinson, a town in the suburbs of Paris. The city was renovated by replacing many decaying public housing apartment buildings in the generic modernist style with traditional architecture. The project was not just a superficial beautification; it genuinely demonstrated how traditional design could be affordable and also largely avoided the pitfalls of gentrification by allowing existing renters of public housing to purchase units in the new construction. I do not doubt that the "miracle" of Plessis-Robinson can be replicated in many other places. With the training I can receive from Notre Dame I would make it a career goal to replicate it elsewhere. This idyllic French suburb in many ways reminds me of Forest Hills Gardens I mentioned earlier that was influential in my upbringing.

     My immediate objective after graduation is to work at a firm that specializes in traditional architecture such as Peter Pennoyer Architects or at Robert M. Stern that blends both traditional and modern. Although a firm like Stern's is a lofty goal, the preparation and reputation of a school like Notre Dame would be instrumental in helping me achieve it. I want to be an architectural designer in a firm. More specifically I want to gain experience and specialize in designing houses and residential buildings. My medium term goal is to be licensed as an architect and to earn a second post-professional masters in either Urban Design or Urban Planning so I may design better communities based on my experience with social work. It is my dream to be able to have more community involvement in the architectural and real estate development process.

     In preparation for this master of architecture I have taken drawing classes in school and privately. I routinely practice sketching and painting on my own. I also took a course in color theory at The New York School of Interior Design to supplement my future design studies. I create modern art in part because I lack the skills and training to make classical art. But also because I like to blend the old and ornamented with the new and minimalist which is evident in the artwork in my portfolio. Most of the projects in my portfolio also have a distinct modernist look to them for similar reasons because I had to construct them myself and again my craftsmanship skills are limited. Nevertheless in the concept sketches I explore a fusion of abstract forms with traditional elements. The curriculum at Notre Dame would undoubtedly help further develop my style. The zeitgeist of most contemporary institutions is that old man architecture must not stand still. This is certainly true, but it can only keep marching forward because it has not thrown away the old legs upon which it stands. Perhaps no other institution in America embodies this wisdom better than Notre Dame.