Final reviews June 17-June 19 include design presentations from NSAD collaborations with global firms Gensler and Bjarke Ingels Group

San Diego—June 14, 2013—Students from NewSchool of Architecture and Design’s (NSAD) specialized design studios have some big ideas for San Diego’s future. They will present their Spring term projects the week of June 17-June 19. Among the topics  they have been working on are design proposals for San Diego’s Balboa Park as well as comprehensive San Diego regional design solutions through studio collaborations with the global firms Gensler and Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). 

The specialized design studios that are focused on San Diego  include:

BIG-NSAD Studio: Students in the BIG-NSAD studio focused on large urban systems and infrastructure to consider ways to better connect the San Diego region’s transportation hubs and integrate a sense of community.  NSAD instructor: Frank Wolden in conjunction with Kai-Uwe Bergmann, visiting professor from Bjarke Ingels Group. The BIG firm, based in Copenhagen and New York, is considered to be one of the leading companies in innovative, contemporary architecture, and the firm has won international awards and recognition for its projects. Studio presentation Wednesday, June 19, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Gensler-NSAD Professional Studio, “Emergent Futures”: This studio challenges students to identify future opportunities for San Diego’s existing urban fabric. For the Gensler-NSAD professional studio, students research the downtown area, then select already-developed sites to explore how the urban fabric might be “hacked” to reveal a dynamic, livable and sustainable urban core. Gensler, a global design firm with 43 offices and 3,500 employees worldwide, is a multiple winner of the BusinessWeek/Architectural Record Awards, the U.S. benchmark for business design innovation. NSAD instructor: Kurt Hunker in conjunction with Gensler designers Darrel Fulbright, Tom Heffernan, Marin Gertler and Ben Regnier. Gensler advisors Kevin Heinly, managing director of Gensler San Diego, Dan Robinson and Nick Alanen also contributed. Studio presentation Monday, June 17, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The Future of Balboa Park: This studio challenges students to come up with architectural strategies to create a new vision and future for San Diego’s Balboa Park, the nation’s largest urban cultural park. Students developed solutions for specific sections of the park and outlying areas that collectively provide a design approach to rethinking Balboa Park. NSAD instructor: Michael Stepner. Studio presentation Wednesday, June 19, from 4-8 p.m.

Other design studio projects being presented during this timeframe, primarily by fourth year architecture undergraduate students, are focused on the following topics:

·          Urban Mixed-Use Residential High-Rise Adaptive Reuse: NSAD Instructor Gil Cooke

·         Work Environments: NSAD Instructor Linda Bui

·         Competition for a Port Facility: NSAD Instructor Leigh Pfeiffer

·         High School Performing Arts Center: NSAD Instructors Robin Brisebois and Raul Diaz

·         Open Marketplace in Tijuana from a Materials Perspective: NSAD Instructor Adriana Cuellar

Students from the specialized design studios represent fourth year undergraduate architecture students and other graduate level students. The projects are critiqued during the presentation by outside professional jurors as part of the academic evaluation process. These studio presentations are separate from the June 21 Student Thesis Exposition that features the final thesis projects of the school’s graduating students. The Exposition is free and open to the public.

About NewSchool of Architecture and Design
NewSchool of Architecture and Design (NSAD), founded in 1980, is located in San Diego, California. For the past two years, DesignIntelligence has ranked NSAD among the top 10 undergraduate architecture schools in the western United States in its publication “America’s Best Architecture & Design Schools.” NSAD is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS), a national accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. NSAD’s Bachelor of Architecture, Master of Architecture and Executive Master of Architecture programs are accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB). NSAD also offers a pre-professional Bachelor of Arts in Architecture, along with a Bachelor of Science in Digital Media Arts, a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management, a Master of Construction Management and a Master of Science in Architecture. The school’s expanding global design education offerings include a new Bachelor of Interior Design program available in 2013–2014. For more information, visit www.NewSchoolArch.edu.