Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc)
Pratt Institute
University of Southern California (USC)
Tulane University
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
Temple University
University of Oregon
Cranbrook Academy of Art
New York Institute of Technology (NYIT)
Kansas State University
Email resources--Architects Newspaper, Dezeen and ?
I'm teaching studio in the US for the first time and I'm realizing my students don't look at a lot of architecture. I'm working on showing them more in studio and giving them specific precedents.
I'd like to find some resources that will essentially appear in their inboxes. I'm a bit out of touch but am wondered what I can suggest they sign up for or follow on Insta. The obvious ones to me are The Architect's Newspaper and Dezeen. Are there other's you would recommend? I mostly want them to regularly see good architecture from all over.
Honestly I'm not sure if students check email? Do y'all? The more appropriate recommendation would probably be Instagram... I haven't seen much architecture on TikTok or YouTube. Maybe ask them to bring in websites/accounts to share with the class as an assignment. "How to learn through media consumption... etc."
A different pedagogical approach would be to differentiate studio learning, rather than trying to interfere in their social media consumption. Bring in a bunch of books and magazines from the library. They probably haven't spent time appreciating the depth that monographs and the like offer. Heck, they could probably use help learning how to use a library. Institutions should offer students something they can't get anywhere else, IMO, so physical media and slower research skills would be great to introduce. They should know what different kinds of stuff they'll find in GA versus Casabella versus A+U versus El Croquis.
This is one site I'll always recommend: https://usmodernist.org/
US Modernist's online historic magazine library is a phenomenal resource.
Really good point. There is a general lack of curiosity in the school that I'm swimming up stream against. They do precedent studies and are good at them. I just want them to see more things so they are inspired.
We had to do like weekly "book reports" on a different building or office every week. I don't remember if it was for studio or another class but the curriculum was all well planned and integrated so it always made sense.
Even now that I'm a professional, I don't gain much by passively looking at social media or Dezeen (or even project here on Archinect) it was always much more interesting to dive into a project, even for an hour, and come up with an analysis or discussion points about it. Maybe you can have a weekly 30 minute discussion about a common building/ studio/ movement?
Or you could do it more individually in like desk-crit mode as well.
archdaily.com is always a go-to
I always thought that the 1st year lecture course that I think every US school is supposed to have (usually called something like Intro to Architecture) was intended to orient incoming students to the state of contemporary architecture. In my school, the intro course failed to do that as the teacher instead used the class as a platform to broadcast their personal aesthetic biases.
In response, some studio instructors would assign students to do the book reports and presentations to the class like archanonymous describes.
A school's lecture series should also be a way to introduce students to current practitioners. In recent years, however, I have see a real shift away from architects lecturing about their work in favor of talks about political and environmental themes by persons with little to no built work.
A studio teacher could possibly overcome that that arranging with a good local architect to present some of their projects to the class. If the campus itself or the surrounding city has interesting architecture, touring them with the students can be another way to get them looking at things.
I've mentioned this before - all but two of the professors (including the dean) had been practicing architecture outside of acidemia for at least 20 years before they began teaching. Even then we would still have guest studio professors that were practicing architecture.
The two professors who hadn't been practicing for 20+ years were heavily involved in real world research into materials, daylighting, green design, and software development in architecture.
I was very fortunate to be taught by these people.
I'm new to teaching but in this case, the school is, IMO, much too practical. The students are amazing and very adept but they think to small. This is a refreshing change from some schools where the students are clearly not doing architect! But the rest of their careers are going to be practical. I want them to think a little more expressively and to learn from great designers. That will influence the offices, stores, and homes they design in the future.
We've had great lectures by outside practitioners, which have been great. But my spontaneous "let's look at beautiful things" class was well received.
I don't know if there is such a thing as being 'too practical'. You can be 'uncreative' or not willing to 'take risks'. For my education, studio was where you could be creative and takes risks while still have some degree of practicality.
Budget - unlimited.
Functionality - required to a degree
Able to be built - you better have a rough idea how.
Structurally feasible - it needs to be within the realm of possibility
Is that how you design? Precedented Architecture? Copy paste? That's what you will get. Instead of encouraging this inspiration imagery bullshit, why don't you teach them how to THINK about space and MAKE precedent rather than emulate it?
I don't think the OP is saying to emulate anything. Just exposure to different buildings / case studies. I think this is a great way to inspire and learn.
It has been my experience that this is the effect that showing precedents has on inexperienced students. They emulate and often copy/paste. Not a great way to think originally.
Really? Hejduk's works were largely efforts at examining, interrogating Corb, Mondrian and others, was he derivative?
Not with the advent of pinterest...
Tell me something: what precedent did Henry use to create his buildings? What image did he look at? How about Thom Mayne? How about Zaha Hadid?
The point: looking at prevents is definitely “a way” of drawing inspiration for design, but not only does it impregnate one’s mind with a preconceived approach and idea, it is also a much less original, and yet profitable methodology. Many firms out there are “service” oriented firms that don’t really do that much original or novel work and architecture programs that train designers for that type of design approach will most-likely not be good fits for firms that are after doing the really novel projects out there.
@BB - It is more important than ever to expose students to canonical works of architeture and ensure they understand why they were exceptional and have the ability and experience to analyze and understand them.
The deeper analysis is the only defense against the pintrest-ification of practice.
Sure - that's why you have architectural history and theory classes. But if you look at how studio is taught in many schools these days, its exactly the way interior design departments are run- full pin up boards with "inspiration imagery"
Zaha? Did you really ask that? Perhaps you've heard of Russian Constructivism?
Mayne's inspiration was apparently Rossi, Venturi, and Stirling. I can see that in his early work.
@beta great point - lest we (meaning BB) forget, they were all "contemporary practice" that Mayne would have seen in journals and magazines while finishing school and starting practice - at the time that work was far from "canonical" though it has since become so.
Also just found this website: http://www.archipicture.eu/Ver...
andrew maynard's reels are fun.
FWIW, I find my students have more than enough to look at. Our media culture is tough though. We don't really look twice at very much anymore. And that aint good.
Look no further than the platform you're already on: Archinect provides lots of resources for your students — right here on the site, via newsletters, and through our social media channels.
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.