Explore Architecture gives current college students and graduates who are interested in a career in architecture an intensive introduction to the field. Throughout this three-week course of study, participants benefit from the resources of the Graduate School of Architecture & Urban Design, known for its seven-semester graduate program for students from non-architecture backgrounds.
Full-time Sam Fox School architecture faculty deliver instruction in topics such as drawing, digital representation, architectural analysis, sustainable design, and design theory. Course work takes advantage of the School's facilities, including architecture studios and digital fabrication labs, as well as the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum. Students develop high-quality work for inclusion in their portfolios, preparing them to apply to professional degree programs.
Explore Architecture is limited to a maximum of 24 students, ensuring close interaction with faculty, who serve as mentors, and graduate architecture students, who serve as teaching assistants. Students are given full access to the School's studios, computer labs, and digital fabrication labs, as well as the Kenneth and Nancy Kranzberg Art & Architecture Library and other University libraries and services.
Curriculum
The curriculum is broken down into two daily sessions, held Monday through Friday: Digital Lab and Design Studio. These sessions give you the opportunity to develop new proficiencies through a combination of hands-on work and lectures/workshops by faculty and distinguished practitioners that support assignments and broaden your exposure to architecture education.
In Digital Lab, students learn to articulate visual ideas through a variety of representational modes. Through seminars and lectures, you are introduced to computer programs used by architects, including Rhino, Maya, and MasterCam.
In Design Studio, students work on a sequence of design exercises, culminating in the development of a final, small-scale architectural project. You receive feedback from instructors and peers during informal seminars and group reviews. In the process, you create work for your portfolio, which is required for admission to most Master of Architecture degree programs.
Questions about Explore Architecture? Contact:
Belinda Lee
Assistant Director of Special Programs
Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts
Washington University in St. Louis
Campus Box 1031
One Brookings Drive
St. Louis, MO 63130-4899
314.935.4643
lee@samfox.wustl.edu
