Studio Mexico

Instructor: Juan Miro

1.- Objectives
Studio Mexico provides students the opportunity to have first hand experience of Mexican culture and architecture through traveling, drawing, architectural research and design work. 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. During Studio Mexico 2002 we will work with the School of Architecture of the prestigious UNAM University in Mexico City.

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 20th Century.

3.2. Second Part. (Mexico)
Duration: 4 weeks + 1 week optional.

We will spend the first part of the trip in Mexico City and vicinity. It will include visits to museums, pre-Columbian sites (Tenotchtitlán and Teotihuacan) historical buildings (churches and palaces in the historic district) and contemporary works including the University Campus and buildings by architects like Barragán, Legorreta, Félix Candela. The next part of our trip will include visits to cities around the Central part of Mexico. In these towns and cities you will be exposed to different scales of colonial city making strategies. You will also study in situ numerous plazas, the very active communal spaces that still constitute the heart of city life all over Mexico. We will head to Yucatan for the last part of our trip. 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. The main focus of this part will be the design of a project to be located in Mexico. Mexican students from the UNAM will be working on the same project and will come to Austin for the final review.

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 the Studio Mexico is $ 1,650 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 $600 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 $400 by November 6th. Make checks payable to Juan Miro and put them in my mail box. 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 telephone (471 0182) or via e-mail at jmiro @ mail.utexas.edu.