University of Maryland School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation

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The Architecture Program

The initial years of the curriculum have been designed to provide a solid foundation for an architectural education.  The introductory studios introduce students to the elements and principles of architectural design. The initial series of studio projects that are intended to build skills, encourage critical thought and discourse, and serve as a vehicle for the integration of knowledge gained in courses outside of studio.  The curriculum is structured to expose students to the comprehensive theoretical, historical, technological, professional, and social issues that play a role in the design of the built environment.  The initial year in design studio challenges students’ preconceptions about architecture while setting directions for continued intellectual development.  The "Cube Project," an abstract three-dimensional composition exercise, is a typical beginning design studio exercise.  More advanced projects will serve to develop spatial-compositional skills while introducing thematic issues of context, promenade, use, and meaning. In both years of the foundation studio sequence, students learn that architectural significance is dependent on context.  In the first year studio, analysis and design within a small town forms a significant component of the curriculum. In the second year studio, students focus upon design problems in nearby Baltimore and Washington.

A synthesis of aesthetic, theoretical, historical, practical, and technical issues form the underpinning of the teaching-learning philosophy in design studio at the School of Architecture.  Maryland's reputation as a leader in design education has been built upon a solid conviction that the intellectual processes of design are inextricably interwoven with and informed by knowledge of building and construction.  Maryland has maintained a long-standing tradition of stressing personal competence and excellence in both design and technology.

The Comprehensive Design Studio, which forms the gateway semester between the Foundational Studios and the Advanced Graduate Studios, received national recognition in 1995 from the American Institute of Architects Education Honors Program.  The AIA award recognizes significant achievement in the formulation, implementation, and outcome of architectural instruction.  

The Comprehensive Design Studio provides an innovative approach to the study of architectural design. Students explore the relationship between the conceptual and technical aspects of architectural form and its assembly.  In concurrence with the design studio, students are enrolled in an Advanced Technology course that focuses upon building systems integration.  In the studio, the projects are elemental enough to allow students to progress through advanced stages of design development, yet the projects are complex enough to require a systematic exploration of building systems.  One of the unique components of the Comprehensive Design Studio are the large scale models and drawings that students use to further explore the reality of their design intentions.  Through the crafting of a series of large-scale models and the integration of state of the art digital media students gain a vivid impression of the interaction between building elements and their assembly ultimately bringing students closer to the material reality of a final work of architecture.  Throughout this process, students are guided by faculty members whose experience in both design and building have gained national recognition.  Students are challenged to synthesize knowledge gained from diverse areas of their educational experience.

The pedagogical agenda of the Comprehensive Design Studio is complemented by the faculty's expertise in Urban Design.  Relationship between the building, its context, and urban conditions is thematically woven throughout the curriculum at Maryland.  It is hard to imagine a better educational environment in which to study the architecture of the city.  Baltimore, Washington, and the whole of the Northeast Corridor form a laboratory for the exploration of issues related to the design of cities.  Maryland's faculty, who have gained an international reputation for their practice and research in the field, select projects that illuminate both the historical and contemporary issues of design in an urban environment.  Student and faculty work have been recognized by numerous national awards including an unprecedented number of Charter Awards from the Congress of the New Urbanism (CNU) for student projects, as well as an impressive collection of CNU and American Institute of Architects awards for faculty work.  The publication, New Urban News, ranked the School’s urban design programs one of the top in the nation in 2006, and noted that it was the only program located in a context that had Planning, Preservation, and Real Estate Development all in one school.  Students enrolled in the Master of Architecture Program can pursue a Certificate in Urban Design, or post-professional degree students can enroll in an advanced Master of Science in Architecture program with a focus in urban design.  Experts from government, business, and planning, readily available within the region, serve to enrich the studio courses.

Upper level graduate studios focus upon topical issues that include housing, urban design, international and regional architecture, theoretical topics, and architectural competitions.  In 1994 and again in 1995, Maryland students, participating in competitions administered by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, won more honors than any other school of architecture nationally or internationally -- a testament to the quality of design education at the School of Architecture.  Students also make use of the Digital Media Lab to study and present their architectural designs.  This resource is located  adjacent to the architectural studios and provides students with state of the art workstations that are capable of running the latest imaging software.  Students who wish to explore the heritage of our built environment gain hands-on experience at continuing preservation programs in Cape May, New Jersey, and at Kiplin Hall, in England, while earning credit towards a Certificate in Historic Preservation.  The Masters Thesis is the culmination of graduate studies at the School of Architecture.  This two semester individually authored project begins with background research, site selection, and preliminary design in consultation with a faculty committee.  The second semester entails an extensive design process that requires students to demonstrate their competence in dealing with issues of context, use, technique, and symbolic form.  The final thesis reviews are the culmination of the professional program at the School of Architecture.  Professionals and academics of national and international acclaim participate in the review of completed thesis projects.

About the Program

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