Final Thesis Design Review for Jan 2011 Graduation Cohort

On Sunday, October 31st, we had our final design review for the current Thesis Students who are headed for graduation in January 2011. The review was conducted with the students located individually in Los Angeles, Columbus, Houston. One student who lives in New Hampshire was able to join the critics and advisors who were on-site in Boston. Given the distance, we utilized web-ex for the design review between student presenting and critics with a secondary layer of communication through google chat to help with translations, interpretation of comments and technical difficulties between students and advisors.

Our critics were: Robyn Reed, Landscape Architect Jane Galli, Architect Shana Shevitz Cohen, Architect (shown left to right)


The advisors for this group of students were Michael Wolfson and Denise Dea.










Here are some of the more compelling parts of the students presentations. They all have worked really hard in these last few weeks of design. The next step is to reduild linkages to the ideas and concepts that they began with and do a few more weeks of design to reveal these connections to the thesis and make them overt in their design interventions, then create a book which similarly is a reflection of their thesis ideas in the final documentation.



Stacey's work has to do with the spatial implication of recall and notions of memory in a site in Houston. Her work is very engaged with ideas in relationship to layers of experience and fluidity of space which is dominated by a clear interest in material engagement.




Jason Jordan is working on a bus station with a variety of smaller programs/events which support an idea of movement and creating spatial linkages in the from the larger city into and through this transportation hub in Columbus, Ohio.




Mike Vala is working on creating a suburban awareness within the urban city of Columbus, Ohio. His work has been testing the ideas of layers of publicity and privacy needed to create a unique and working balance to create a sense of neighborhood.









LouAnn Fornataro's work deals with cross culturalization within a master plan effort for Nashua, New Hampshire. Given the population distributions in her focus area, she is bring the spatial qualities of certain Latin American architecture and weaving those ideas into the specific location of her master plan.



We wish all our student good luck for the last part of the Thesis process and we thank all of our guest critics throughout the whole year for the help and support of our students!

ACSA Poster!

Mike Wolfson and Denise Dea submitted this poster for the Montreal ACSA conference.
And here is the explanatory essay abstract that goes along with it:

The Thesis Curriculum in the Distance M.Arch program at the Boston Architectural Center spans three courses over three semesters: Thesis Prep, Thesis 1 and Thesis II. Our program is different from other M.Arch programs in that our virtual studio environment integrates aspects of traditional “face-to-face” studios, as well as some aspects of on-line programs. We have drawn heavily on the emerging body of knowledge that spans academic disciplines in regards to the mechanisms of on-line learning. In our curriculum, design becomes an ideal vehicle for testing, making, and thinking on-line because it allows students to actively engage in learning that transforms the passive activities of reading or responding to digital content into a synthesized form that changes a student’s relationship to the academic content.

The pedagogy encapsulated by our thesis course has a dual emphasis: (1) on the physical act of making and (2) the more cerebral aspects of research and writing. There is nothing new to the mind/body dualism within architecture. However, distance learning requires that we constantly challenge students to test their ideas physically in order to engage and remain in dialogue with their advisors and peers. At the very core of our pedagogy is Making + Thinking = Dialogue.

The emphasis on making artifacts comes out of a direct need for students to create an individual process that is clearly anchored in material reality. By focusing on design, we push them to demonstrate in form making and therefore, ground and contextualize the spatial possibilities they imagine. Pointing to a model or drawing suddenly creates a realistic immediacy to the dialogue. The challenge is to carefully construct a series of sketch problems that elucidate the issues for students while opening the door to further research.

Making as an initial output of the conceptual idea is paramount to the development of methods of inquiry. This is encouraged at many levels through a variety of modes: drawing, model and words. We recognize that there are different kinds of drawings and models that serve a variety of purposes Diagrams can convey abstract or partially developed ideas and values, as well as having an analytic or interpretive purpose. Representations such as perspectives, collages or sketches can reveal many aspects of the qualities of space. Models that exhibit exquisiteness in quality of “craft in process” are favored over finely finished ones. In general, sectional spatial relationships are favored over plan or program development. Words and text have a specialized function within the pedagogy – they can be used as a supplement to drawings and models, because often, they fall short of being able to express the full intention of the designer. Therefore, text is used as a supplement to the process of making. It is intended that words can take a position of inquiry, annotation, argument or documentation – all important and crucial aspects within the thesis process. Modulation of these working methods are balanced through careful discussion with each individual student in the development of a series sketch problems or assignments over months.

August Intensive

From the 14th through the 22nd of August students came from all over the country to participate in Fall semester intensive. Typically, the intensive starts two weeks after the official start of the semester. Two weeks of online work introduce the course work and lay the groundwork for the intensive.

Last week was our August 2010 Intensive!

Everyone (students and faculty) had an amazing time with our students. We welcomed our students from all over the country! There were many lectures by guests and faculty, time spent in studio with cohorts and peers, field trips, and lots of student presentations. From the 14th through the 22nd of August students came from all over the country to participate in Fall semester intensive. Typically, the intensive starts two weeks after the official start of the semester. Two weeks of online work introduce the course work and lay the groundwork for the intensive.

By semester, here is the run-down:


Semester 3: These 20 students had an amazing week of idea exploration and thesis formation. Their advisors (Kerri Frick, Susan Morgan, Julia Nugent and Michael Shanbacher) encouraged lots of studio work to spur sketch problems which explored the students ideas for thesis into initial testings of the architectural issues. Mike Wolfson led the development of their ideas through daily exercises in writing and thinking to conceptually challenge their thesis idea development. We are very encouraged by the work that was done and we look forward to watching the development of the ideas over the next 12 months!

Semester 5: These 5 students, who have Denise Dea and Mike Wolfson as Advisors, are getting very close to the end of their thesis time! They gave their final on-site Thesis Presentations to a panel of thesis advisors and guest critics last Sunday. They will complete their designs at the end of October with the final thesis books scheduled to be completed at the end of this year. We wish them lots of luck!

Orientation

To give you a sense of what an intensive is like the following images are snapshots of the week.

Intensives begin with an orientation which is a good time for the various cohorts to meet each other. All students introduce each other and we get a sense of the real diversity of where Distance M.Arch students come from. It is always fun for students to meet new friends and fellow students who come from their hometowns they didn't realize were in the program.

Semester One studio

Semester One - Enno Fritsh gave a talk on ways to represent concepts.

Semester 5 presentation

On Sunday night the Thesis students made their presentations. This is the last time they will be presenting in person. Here Jason Jordan is describing his work in a combination PowerPoint and drawing presentation. We have found having tangible drawings alongside of digital images makes for a richer discussion.

Thesis Instructor Michael Schanbacher discusses a project with a student

The Semester Three Thesis Prep students concluded their week on Saturday with a review. The format was informal with outside critics working one-on-one with the students to discuss their potential ideas and thesis directions.

Translating Suburban Spatial Experiences into Urban Environments

Mike Vala, one of our current Semester 4 students, has been working towards creating a new spatial configurations by inserting suburban ideals back into urban environments. One of the ways in which he is studying this is through a methodology of testing through collage. At the moment, the work above is focused on gaining some programmatic understanding of mixing different types of uses with housing to create a dynamic impetus for urban living. In the next few weeks, Mike will be creating new collages which develop the facades in relationship to the existing site conditions and working on integrating his intervention into the urban fabric of the city.

Preparing for the August Intensive

Process work by Stacey Poppel


Our next Intensive begins in about three weeks and the current Semester 4 students (one semester left!) are busily preparing for their August 16 review. Yesterday we held a review utilizing web-ex: all the critics were on location at the BAC and the students were all able to attend, wherever they were in the States. The students prepared PPT presentations describing the framework for their thesis work, their design process/design development and the current state of their schemes. The critics for the day were Luis Carranza, Professor, Roger Williams University and Robyn Reen, ASLA, Senior Associate, Sasaki Associates. The criticism was TOUGH - many holes were identified that suggest their are some conceptual holes in the relationship of the design testing to the thesis and some disconnects between the choices of site or program to the thesis idea. But, in terms of preparing for August, we could not ask for better ideas from our critics and we thank them for their help in forcing better relationships between design/process/idea! We are going to be posting in the next few days, some of the student work so everyone can see what is happening in design process.

Winner of Green Prize in the Raise the Roof Design Competition

We are very honored to announce that our Semester 5 Thesis Student, JOSEPH THOMPSON, won the GREEN PRIZE in the Raise the Roof Design Competition! Here is the video of his submission: Responsive Architecture (based on his current thesis work).

Reviews! Thesis 1 On-Site...

We are very pleased that our Thesis 1 Students did so well at presenting their thesis ideas and design concepts for their first design review. Here is a sampling of what we saw.



Jason Jordan, CONTROLLED TRANSIT: Directing Urban Chaos
Architecture can re-focus the urban experience through designed interventions strategically placed within and throughout the city.




Stacey Poppel, RECALL: Spatiality that creates Connections for Memory
Architecture as a series of experiences that are remembered. The act of forgetting is too common so this thesis explores the creation of spaces that allow for spatial connections - establishing points through a series of spaces that can spatially reference past experiences -> creating the RECALL of the journey and so that the experience can make connections.



Mike Vala, A NEIGHBORHOOD: Community Development with Families in Mind
Exploring the transitions from public to private, commercial to residential, city to family and how architecture can effect those thresholds.


We are grateful to the following critics who shared their time and insights about the work and formed the basis of our thesis panel:

Jane Galli, Architect, Shepley Bulfinch
Michael Hinchcliffe, Associate, Payette Associates
Rachel Loeffler, Landscape Architect, Hargreaves Associates
Susan Morgan, Faculty, Boston Architectural College
Riki Nishimura, Architect, Sasaki Associates
Paul Paturzo, Paturzo Design