Architects with PhD cannot design or teach. They have usually spent too much time reseaching a subject which may be of little significance. What do you think? My best professors are those who are the architect-designers.
I would disagree. As an architect-designer-professor I've had and work with many PhDs who are more than capable. I think that in some cases being outside of the world of practice is refreshing and these people bring to the table issues that the rest of us teacher/architects might miss because we are too busy building.
I also disagree. At UF, there is at least one practicing architect with PhD who teaches and publishes etc. He is an excellent design professer, and his work with Jersey Devil in the past is testament to his ability to design and build.
bad generalization.
also, there are other PhD holding teachers that may not practice, but are excellent design professors.
I want my "teachers, "educators", and those I look up to / admire to know as much as possible...How they come to that knowledge isn't that important. Someone who's booksmart; great. Someone who's tool smart; great. Someone who's theory smart: great. I don't want one who knows all, or all who knows only one....Diversity...think about it, it's surprising...
'e' is right. Do you like it when contractors say that "architects are cartoonists" or planners accuse all architects of being impractical and naive?
I'm an architect just a few months from finishing my PhD (God and my committee willing). I've worked very hard for the degree, just as I did for my license. It's true that research is a big component of this process, but this doesn't automatically mean that one's teaching suffers as a result. At least I hope not.
As for obscure research topics, this is sometimes the case, but again, not always. My dissertation is about the importance of apartments and other forms of urban housing in the urbanization and growth of Los Angeles in the early 1900s. This runs counter to the mythology of LA as a place of little else but craftsman bungalows on suburban lots. It has implications for how architects, planners and developers struggle with an ongoing housing shortage in the region TODAY.
There are some PhDs out there who don't teach well, of course. Give the rest of us a break and don't lump everyone together. Again, "generalizations are always bad."
agree citizen. i still have 2 years til i finish phd but am currently doing architecture that is decidedly not shit.
better point, most of the profs at my school have phd (except ando, i think) and run very successful, even innovative, practices. my own prof used to be the assistant of maki fumihiko before starting his own office and is one of the most intelligent and knowledgeable people i have ever met. as a teacher he does alright and if there are any concerns it would be that he is distracted by the work of running an office, but that is likely true of any of the big-boys in the states.
as far as me being a bad teacher because of my education, i would have to say no. to the contrary doing phd has taught me to expect rigor from students (and from myself) that i was not so concerned with before. this is a good thing. and in any case it is ridiculous to think we didn't all go through the same process you are doing now and have no clue about the basic stuff. nah, you just happen to have some boring profs, but don blame it on their education...
metwo--no. I'm the only person in my PhD program who does not have a professional degree (I have a design degree, but not professional). There is no one in my PhD program without design/practice experience. I have design experience, and I have tons of teaching experience (which doesn't necessarily make me a good teacher, but still, I do try).
My favorite theory prof also teaches a design studio--she is an Architect who later earned her PhD. She can design *and* teach. I haven't taken her studio, but I did hear one of her former students the other day saying that it was a great studio because the professor brought something else to the table (ie, her research background) aside from design experience. It made it a more thoughtful experience.
If a PhD research is design based it would be very interesting. Unfortunately most of these reseaches are theoretical (e.g. historical, philosophical, etc.) or technical (e.g. building systems, sustainability, preservation, etc) and usually these professors cannot conduct a studio based on creativity but rather on data analysis and interpretation, which I find boring. There are always exceptions and I agree with some of the above comments.
In any case, an intelligent and creative professor (with nor without a PhD) will be a great teacher too.
then metwo you picked the wrong school to study at no?
i did March at a creative based school cuz it was what i wuz into, and enjoyed it. after working for about 4 years i went back to do PhD cuz i wanna do the structured stuff and not deal with archi-speak. the school i am at now is good at that. in fact, you would hate this, but the masters students here are not allowed to do a design for their thesis project (ando retired from full-time professoring here 2 years ago, but even in his lab it was not possible). Instead the students do research, analytical stuff, and all the rest. It is a good process as it teaches them to think rationally, to justify designs based on the real world and not on style or other such unexplainables (and it is a process not so different from the ones that UN studio and OMA use to some effect). They still do good designs and have studios not unlike the ones you are used to, but the balance is quite nice. And they go on to work for MVRDV, OMA, Ito, Sejima, Ando, etc. Who you gonna work for?
dude, get over your super-creative-self. or else go to a school that suits you better.
hahaha.
now we got some real cool professors here with a Phd.
we had one last year, who got his Phd from Iran's government
for burning down a library in london (for selling books from Salman
Rushdi) while he was there to study.
and he taught us architecture you'd all die to learn.
can u imagine how sweet is that?!?
Is your harangue mainly against theory-based studios or classes? Are you sure you are not really directing your ire against those professors that do not wholly navigate in the realms of architectural design? Because if you are, then maybe you should consider that your PhD-trained studio professor is just a poor professor, period. If so, then this is perfetly understandable. Everyone has run across people who have top-flight degrees who really are not pedagogues. Such is life.
And so, where do you go/have gone to school such that you have had bad experiences with PhD-trained professors?
And asking to name famous architects with PhD (which will deliver the answer that you are seeking -- i.e. "none" or "no") is making too facile of a point, for I am willing to bet that some type of PhD person lurks behind those books you and everyone likes to buy.
I am currently enrolled in a history/theory/criticism program based at an architecture school. I am not taking any design studios at the moment, but I feel that once I begin my doctoral studies, I will be able to navigate both the design and non-design based areas of architectural education. And keep in mind: I am not an architect. I am an attorney. My orbiting outside of the profession for years is precisely what will allow me to make some type of contribution to the discipline.
Doctoral work is intended to be interdisciplinary. There is absolutely nothing wrong with an academic discipline that strives for intellectual breadth. Specificity in what you think may be an irrelevant topic only equips the scholar with the analytical tools to grapple other important and topical issues.
alejandro was thinking of going on to do phd when rem called him over to oma, and if you think delirious isn't equivalent to a phd you got another think coming. it took 4 friggin years to research.
Yoshiharu Tsukamoto has a phd, and is as interesting as they come. he might even be creative. i could name more, but the point you are making is that phds suck creativity and ability to teach. i respectfully disagree and rather would suggest that your list of people above are all very critical and rational (except maybe gehry, and i mean that in a good way) designers who daily put to use the very same tools necessary to do a proper thesis in masters or a phd, and tools you will need to learn if you intend to play at their level. phd is not about losing sight of everything around you in order to examine a small thing, but rather to focus on a single area in order to understand the bigger things better. your school may have shitty profs but it has nothing to do with their phd-ed-ness. a phd is not a prerequisite for anything at all in my book, but it surely is not a detriment to anything either. only a fool would suggest it is.
"In any case, an intelligent and creative professor (with or without a PhD) will be a great teacher too." Thanks, Metwo. I think you've finally got it now.
Not to beat a dead horse, but the corollary of the original complaint is that anyone withOUT a PhD is a great studio teacher. Hmmm... Probably not the case.
Beta: When did you have Don Wall? I have talked to many older people in my office (who are all NJIT alums) who think he is a genius, but I just took his studio only to find that he is a hack, and cares more about his feared reputation than about his students' design growth. He rarely spends time with his students, and is not above calling students "retarded" because of vocabulary usage in the dozens of papers he made us write, which he openly admits he lets his wife read because he doesn't have the time to do it himself. He openly admits that he gives little thought to our studio, outside of the half hour he spends every other day, when he comes in a takes attendance. I've had better professors every semester of every year in studio. I honestly don't think he is the best NJIT has to offer. The man is walking ego. I am curious to know what he was like back in his genius days...
My favorite Don Wall Quote "Sean, I appreciate what you are trying to do, but I have a lot on my plate, and I don't have time to deal with studio right now" (this was hilarious, because he had just chewed another student out for spending too much time on other classwork)
metwo- "1. name your favourite (or most talented) architect
2. check who has got a Phd
3. make your own conclusions"
try it this way-
1. name your favorite (or most talented) architect
2. check who can teach
3. make your own conclusions
just as having a Ph.D does not necissarily make you a better designer, being a good designer does not necissarily make you a good teacher... I've seen a variety of designers (some great, some good) who just can't teach. Teaching is a separate skill, and while being a good designer will make your students respect you more from the outset, it doesn't speak to whether you'll help them much.
i tell you Sean, that you had that experience doesn't surprise me at all, many i've talked to before and after i had him said the same thing, and those i talked to after having him were those that had him much earlier than i did. i hate to say this, but if you don't get Don and doesn't get you he has no time for you, your work or what you have to say. it's not personal, it's that one, he is director of options studio, two he has been burned in the past by caring about every single individuals project and three it may just be that the level of student work, work ethic, attention to detail, initiative, and breadth of knowledge is sorely lacking. those that don't get Don don't do well. those that get Don work harder, read more, listen intently and tend to expand beyond their own comfort levels to look deep within themselves and find out what makes them, well them.
i have had talks with friends of mine after we left school - and we all had Don at one time or another, for studio and theory - and one friend said something to me that was particulary enlightening, he said, Don is not essentially a teacher, he is not there to teach you about anything, he is there to open some doors, ask a few questions and help those willing few try and find answers to probing and thoughtful problems, ideas, etc....he is not a teacher in the sense of an english teacher, or Jack Lebduska, he's almost like a shaman, or a psychiatrist - they won't answer lifes questions, but the will help point you in the right direction.
Don't take it from me, ask Peter Eisenman thinks of Don, read the interview of John Hejduk in Mask of Medusa, ask tons of teachers at NJIT - the ones that matter - and they will all tell you of Don's importance to that school.
Oh, in case you think i am one of those that drinks the Kool-Aid with Don, you should know, we haven't spoke in nearly ten years and i still love the man like a father and hold no animosity.
Oct 28, 05 1:51 pm ·
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Architects with PhD cannot design or teach.
Architects with PhD cannot design or teach. They have usually spent too much time reseaching a subject which may be of little significance. What do you think? My best professors are those who are the architect-designers.
I would disagree. As an architect-designer-professor I've had and work with many PhDs who are more than capable. I think that in some cases being outside of the world of practice is refreshing and these people bring to the table issues that the rest of us teacher/architects might miss because we are too busy building.
I also disagree. At UF, there is at least one practicing architect with PhD who teaches and publishes etc. He is an excellent design professer, and his work with Jersey Devil in the past is testament to his ability to design and build.
bad generalization.
also, there are other PhD holding teachers that may not practice, but are excellent design professors.
do you only take studios?
generalizations are always bad.
I want my "teachers, "educators", and those I look up to / admire to know as much as possible...How they come to that knowledge isn't that important. Someone who's booksmart; great. Someone who's tool smart; great. Someone who's theory smart: great. I don't want one who knows all, or all who knows only one....Diversity...think about it, it's surprising...
'e' is right. Do you like it when contractors say that "architects are cartoonists" or planners accuse all architects of being impractical and naive?
I'm an architect just a few months from finishing my PhD (God and my committee willing). I've worked very hard for the degree, just as I did for my license. It's true that research is a big component of this process, but this doesn't automatically mean that one's teaching suffers as a result. At least I hope not.
As for obscure research topics, this is sometimes the case, but again, not always. My dissertation is about the importance of apartments and other forms of urban housing in the urbanization and growth of Los Angeles in the early 1900s. This runs counter to the mythology of LA as a place of little else but craftsman bungalows on suburban lots. It has implications for how architects, planners and developers struggle with an ongoing housing shortage in the region TODAY.
There are some PhDs out there who don't teach well, of course. Give the rest of us a break and don't lump everyone together. Again, "generalizations are always bad."
agree citizen. i still have 2 years til i finish phd but am currently doing architecture that is decidedly not shit.
better point, most of the profs at my school have phd (except ando, i think) and run very successful, even innovative, practices. my own prof used to be the assistant of maki fumihiko before starting his own office and is one of the most intelligent and knowledgeable people i have ever met. as a teacher he does alright and if there are any concerns it would be that he is distracted by the work of running an office, but that is likely true of any of the big-boys in the states.
as far as me being a bad teacher because of my education, i would have to say no. to the contrary doing phd has taught me to expect rigor from students (and from myself) that i was not so concerned with before. this is a good thing. and in any case it is ridiculous to think we didn't all go through the same process you are doing now and have no clue about the basic stuff. nah, you just happen to have some boring profs, but don blame it on their education...
metwo--no. I'm the only person in my PhD program who does not have a professional degree (I have a design degree, but not professional). There is no one in my PhD program without design/practice experience. I have design experience, and I have tons of teaching experience (which doesn't necessarily make me a good teacher, but still, I do try).
My favorite theory prof also teaches a design studio--she is an Architect who later earned her PhD. She can design *and* teach. I haven't taken her studio, but I did hear one of her former students the other day saying that it was a great studio because the professor brought something else to the table (ie, her research background) aside from design experience. It made it a more thoughtful experience.
If a PhD research is design based it would be very interesting. Unfortunately most of these reseaches are theoretical (e.g. historical, philosophical, etc.) or technical (e.g. building systems, sustainability, preservation, etc) and usually these professors cannot conduct a studio based on creativity but rather on data analysis and interpretation, which I find boring. There are always exceptions and I agree with some of the above comments.
In any case, an intelligent and creative professor (with nor without a PhD) will be a great teacher too.
Me glad me dumb!
dude you're fucking stupid.
mmhh i knew once by a good friend of mine, that most of Winka Dubbeldam's (architectonics NY) staff are PhDs
then metwo you picked the wrong school to study at no?
i did March at a creative based school cuz it was what i wuz into, and enjoyed it. after working for about 4 years i went back to do PhD cuz i wanna do the structured stuff and not deal with archi-speak. the school i am at now is good at that. in fact, you would hate this, but the masters students here are not allowed to do a design for their thesis project (ando retired from full-time professoring here 2 years ago, but even in his lab it was not possible). Instead the students do research, analytical stuff, and all the rest. It is a good process as it teaches them to think rationally, to justify designs based on the real world and not on style or other such unexplainables (and it is a process not so different from the ones that UN studio and OMA use to some effect). They still do good designs and have studios not unlike the ones you are used to, but the balance is quite nice. And they go on to work for MVRDV, OMA, Ito, Sejima, Ando, etc. Who you gonna work for?
dude, get over your super-creative-self. or else go to a school that suits you better.
1. name your favourite (or most talented) architect
2. check who has got a Phd
3. make your own conclusions
example:
name Phd
Zaha no
Tschumi no
Ando no
Eisenman yes
OMA no
Gehry no
MVRDV no
FOA no
Asymptote no
Ito no
the best professor and studio critic i ever had, has a Phd from Catholic University - Don Wall.
hahaha.
now we got some real cool professors here with a Phd.
we had one last year, who got his Phd from Iran's government
for burning down a library in london (for selling books from Salman
Rushdi) while he was there to study.
and he taught us architecture you'd all die to learn.
can u imagine how sweet is that?!?
sorry that was a bookstore.
and the time was around 1990.
Is your harangue mainly against theory-based studios or classes? Are you sure you are not really directing your ire against those professors that do not wholly navigate in the realms of architectural design? Because if you are, then maybe you should consider that your PhD-trained studio professor is just a poor professor, period. If so, then this is perfetly understandable. Everyone has run across people who have top-flight degrees who really are not pedagogues. Such is life.
And so, where do you go/have gone to school such that you have had bad experiences with PhD-trained professors?
And asking to name famous architects with PhD (which will deliver the answer that you are seeking -- i.e. "none" or "no") is making too facile of a point, for I am willing to bet that some type of PhD person lurks behind those books you and everyone likes to buy.
I am currently enrolled in a history/theory/criticism program based at an architecture school. I am not taking any design studios at the moment, but I feel that once I begin my doctoral studies, I will be able to navigate both the design and non-design based areas of architectural education. And keep in mind: I am not an architect. I am an attorney. My orbiting outside of the profession for years is precisely what will allow me to make some type of contribution to the discipline.
Doctoral work is intended to be interdisciplinary. There is absolutely nothing wrong with an academic discipline that strives for intellectual breadth. Specificity in what you think may be an irrelevant topic only equips the scholar with the analytical tools to grapple other important and topical issues.
alejandro was thinking of going on to do phd when rem called him over to oma, and if you think delirious isn't equivalent to a phd you got another think coming. it took 4 friggin years to research.
Yoshiharu Tsukamoto has a phd, and is as interesting as they come. he might even be creative. i could name more, but the point you are making is that phds suck creativity and ability to teach. i respectfully disagree and rather would suggest that your list of people above are all very critical and rational (except maybe gehry, and i mean that in a good way) designers who daily put to use the very same tools necessary to do a proper thesis in masters or a phd, and tools you will need to learn if you intend to play at their level. phd is not about losing sight of everything around you in order to examine a small thing, but rather to focus on a single area in order to understand the bigger things better. your school may have shitty profs but it has nothing to do with their phd-ed-ness. a phd is not a prerequisite for anything at all in my book, but it surely is not a detriment to anything either. only a fool would suggest it is.
"In any case, an intelligent and creative professor (with or without a PhD) will be a great teacher too." Thanks, Metwo. I think you've finally got it now.
Not to beat a dead horse, but the corollary of the original complaint is that anyone withOUT a PhD is a great studio teacher. Hmmm... Probably not the case.
Beta: When did you have Don Wall? I have talked to many older people in my office (who are all NJIT alums) who think he is a genius, but I just took his studio only to find that he is a hack, and cares more about his feared reputation than about his students' design growth. He rarely spends time with his students, and is not above calling students "retarded" because of vocabulary usage in the dozens of papers he made us write, which he openly admits he lets his wife read because he doesn't have the time to do it himself. He openly admits that he gives little thought to our studio, outside of the half hour he spends every other day, when he comes in a takes attendance. I've had better professors every semester of every year in studio. I honestly don't think he is the best NJIT has to offer. The man is walking ego. I am curious to know what he was like back in his genius days...
My favorite Don Wall Quote "Sean, I appreciate what you are trying to do, but I have a lot on my plate, and I don't have time to deal with studio right now" (this was hilarious, because he had just chewed another student out for spending too much time on other classwork)
metwo- "1. name your favourite (or most talented) architect
2. check who has got a Phd
3. make your own conclusions"
try it this way-
1. name your favorite (or most talented) architect
2. check who can teach
3. make your own conclusions
just as having a Ph.D does not necissarily make you a better designer, being a good designer does not necissarily make you a good teacher... I've seen a variety of designers (some great, some good) who just can't teach. Teaching is a separate skill, and while being a good designer will make your students respect you more from the outset, it doesn't speak to whether you'll help them much.
i tell you Sean, that you had that experience doesn't surprise me at all, many i've talked to before and after i had him said the same thing, and those i talked to after having him were those that had him much earlier than i did. i hate to say this, but if you don't get Don and doesn't get you he has no time for you, your work or what you have to say. it's not personal, it's that one, he is director of options studio, two he has been burned in the past by caring about every single individuals project and three it may just be that the level of student work, work ethic, attention to detail, initiative, and breadth of knowledge is sorely lacking. those that don't get Don don't do well. those that get Don work harder, read more, listen intently and tend to expand beyond their own comfort levels to look deep within themselves and find out what makes them, well them.
i have had talks with friends of mine after we left school - and we all had Don at one time or another, for studio and theory - and one friend said something to me that was particulary enlightening, he said, Don is not essentially a teacher, he is not there to teach you about anything, he is there to open some doors, ask a few questions and help those willing few try and find answers to probing and thoughtful problems, ideas, etc....he is not a teacher in the sense of an english teacher, or Jack Lebduska, he's almost like a shaman, or a psychiatrist - they won't answer lifes questions, but the will help point you in the right direction.
Don't take it from me, ask Peter Eisenman thinks of Don, read the interview of John Hejduk in Mask of Medusa, ask tons of teachers at NJIT - the ones that matter - and they will all tell you of Don's importance to that school.
Oh, in case you think i am one of those that drinks the Kool-Aid with Don, you should know, we haven't spoke in nearly ten years and i still love the man like a father and hold no animosity.
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