1.- Objectives

Studio Mexico is a comprehensive traveling studio that provides students the opportunity to experience Mexican culture and architecture by complementing the design studio with traveling, drawing and architectural research.

The program is structured to allow students a rigorous exploration of the rich legacy of Mexican pre-Columbian, Colonial and Modern architecture, as well as an enriching interaction with Mexican students.

2.- Prerequisites

Studio Mexico participants must be eligible for Advance Design Studio. The program offers in addition to the Advanced Design Studio, a Visual Communication class, and a History of Mexican Architecture class. Students joining Studio Mexico are expected to participate in all the requirements set out for the entire semester, regardless of the specific classes they are registered for.

Students must clear with Jeanne Crawford or Rosemin Gopaul their eligibility for the studio and establish their registration needs prior to joining the Studio.

3.- Structure

3.1. First Part. (Austin)

Duration: 4 weeks.
History of Mexican Architecture
The first four weeks of the semesters will be intensively devoted to the study of Mexican Architecture and culture. There will be extensive reading requirements as well as a series of lectures complemented with class discussions and presentations by the students. We will cover the main periods of Mexican architecture: pre-Columbian, Colonial and Contemporary.

3.2. Second Part. (Traveling in Mexico)

Duration: 4 weeks + 1 week optional.
A detailed itinerary will be provided at the beginning of the semester. We will start the trip in Mexico City, in addition to the site of our project, we museums, pre-Columbian sites, Colonial buildings and contemporary works like the University Campus and buildings by Barrag.n, Legorreta, F`Elix Candela and many others. We will also visit the ancient city of Teotihuacan and other cities around Mexico where you will be exposed to different scales of colonial urban planning. You will also study in situ numerous plazas, the very active communal spaces that still constitute the heart of city life all over Mexico. Students may extend their stay in Mexico for one week on their own during the Spring Break.

Sketch Book. All students will be required to produce an organized and well-documented sketchbook.

3.3. Third Part. (Austin).

Duration: 7 weeks
Design Project. This year the studio project will deal with a hacienda located in the vicinity of the ancient city of Teotihuacan. Details of the program and nature of the intervention are still being defined with the owners of the hacienda.

Paper. There is one paper due at the end of the semester on a topic chosen by each student. You will select possible topics during the first four weeks in Austin and have a chance to have first hand experience on issues relevant to your topics during the trip. Back in Austin, you will develop the essay in the final seven weeks.

4.- Cost

The total cost of Studio Mexico is $ 1,875 per student, to be paid in full prior the departure to Mexico. It includes the following:

• Accommodation
• Two meals a day (except alcoholic drinks)
• Entrance to all museums and sites
• Transportation within Mexico

It does not include:

• Transportation back and forth from Austin
• Personal expenses (phone calls, film, etc.)

The school can provide scholarships of up to $800 for each student. Any money still available at the end of the trip will be refunded to the students.

To reserve a spot in the studio students must pay $200 by November 11th. Make checks payable to Juan Mir^U and put them in my mailbox.

Twelve is the maximum number of students that can be admitted in the program.

5.- Questions?

If you have any questions, you can contact me via e-mail at jmiro @ mail.utexas.edu.