The University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture believes in the value of the design studio model. Studio learning encourages dialogue, collaboration, risk-taking, innovation, and learning-by-doing. The studio offers an environment where students can come together to ask questions and make proposals, which are developed and discussed among classmates, faculty, visiting professionals, and the public at large.
Studio learning offers intensive one-on-one instruction from faculty members and provides the opportunity for each student to develop their critical thinking skills and spatial and material sensibilities. The design studio offers a synthetic form of education, where project-based learning becomes the foundation for developing an understanding of and commitment to the school's core values — broadmindedness, interconnectivity, professionalism, exploration, and activism — all in service of our fundamental mission: to improve the quality of the built and natural environments.
Open-ended questions
The school encourages students to embrace studio-based learning as a unique and valuable educational model. Studio creates an environment which allows open-ended questions, for which there may be no "right" answers.
Balance
The school supports its students and faculty in leading balanced lives.
Time-management
Students are encouraged to work smarter, not necessarily longer in studio.
Design process
The school affirms the value of design intention, design process, as well as design product, thus both encouraging and evaluating (1) the student's understanding of the ideas that motivate and the forces that inform the project at hand ("grasp"), (2) the student's assiduousness in the development of ideas and use of information in the process of design ("process" or "effort"), and (3) the material and graphic quality of the studio's final products — be they models, drawings, or representations in other media — as well as the appositeness of the proposed design in its real-world context ("product").
Grades
Grades are but one measure of a student's performance in studio. Advising and counseling are considered integral to a student's studio evaluation.
Collaboration
In addition to individual design projects, the school values partner and group projects at every level of design research and development.
Interdisciplinary opportunities
To become effective designers of and advocates for a quality built environment, the school supports community-based research and design opportunities through which students can acquire a broad range of skills and experiences.
Faculty development
Faculty who teach studio are selected for their ability to inspire students to learn, to engage students in critical thinking, to bring forward their particular expertise, and to convey a sense of optimism about the field of architecture.
Critiques/Reviews
Public presentation and display of the work of the design studio is valued, and is essential in developing skills for effective verbal communication. The school supports considered and respectful dialogue—whether spirited debate or sober discussion — during public presentations.
Diversity
The school supports active, open dialogue and the studio must be a place where diverse life experiences and opinions are shared. A culture of respect and open inquiry supports the life-long learning process that begins in architecture school.
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@utsoaIn response to Austin’s density initiative and in consideration of the city’s rich natural resources, students in Danelle Briscoe’s (@danellebriscoe) “Other Nature” studio are proposing habitations for both human and non-human species to counter the effects of development that put fauna at risk.
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@utsoaLooking for something to do this weekend? Kory Bieg’s (@kory_bieg) and Clay Odom’s (@studiomodo) latest public art collaboration is on display this week at the Waterloo Greenway for the 2024 Creekshow.
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@utsoaJoin an interdisciplinary community of designers, planners, and scholars committed to creative exploration, ambitious scholarship, and critical practice.
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@utsoaCongratulations to Assistant Professor Tara Dudley, Lecturer Mark Wolfe, and the Hogg Memorial Auditorium renovation team on their 2024 Preservation Austin Merit Awards!
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@utsoaOne of our favorite days every year: Masonry Day. With the help from local contractors and suppliers, students get to work hands-on with building materials and construction practices that will be essential to any future project.
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@utsoaTomorrow, Master of Historic Preservation student Elizabeth Edwards (@ribo.flavin) is taking over our Instagram to share what she’s learning about material conservation during a site visit from Izabella Nuckels' (@IzNuckels) Lab Methods course.
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@utsoa📍In the Technology Lab demonstrating how to use the KUKA robotic arms to first-year M.Arch students.
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@utsoaTo close out our fall 2024 lecture series, French architect and urban planner, Odile Decq (@decqodile), will present “Horizons” this Monday in the Goldsmith Lecture Hall.
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@utsoaHard at work in Austin’s urban laboratory, Urban Design students are reenvisioning the I-35/UT cap for @_liangwang ’s advanced studio.