Course Catalog 2006–07

Southern California Institute of Architecture

Course Catalog 2006/07

SCI-Arc’s Course Catalog is a living document, and as such, SCI-Arc reserves the right to revise, add or delete information in this catalog at any time.

Therefore, changes to the Course C atalog may be distributed after this initial printing. In addition to the Course Catalog, students should consult the Student Handbook and the IT Handbook.

CONTENTS

Section 1

PROCEDURES AND ACADEMIC POLICIES 6 introduction 7 SCI-Arc history 9 Director’s statemenT

1.11 Admissions 1.12 Advanced placement for transfer students 1.12 Application procedures 1.14 International students 1.15 Reading/writing competency test 1.15 Accreditation 1.16 Housing 1.16 Registration policies 1.16 Online registration 1.17 Add/drop procedure 1.17 Leave of absence/Withdrawal 1.17 Course and credit system 1.17 Transfer of credit 1.18 Waiver of required courses 1.18 Residency 1.18 Vertical studio procedure 1.19 Grading and academic progress 1.19 Grading 1.20 Academic counseling 1.20 Portfolio review 1.20 Ownership of student work 1.21 Archiving 1.21 Attendance 1.21 Incomplete work 1.21 Appeal of a grade 1.22 Academic standing 1.22 Academic warning 1.22 Termination 1.23 Access to records 1.24 Equal opportunity 1.26 Standards of conduct 1.29 Financial information 1.29 Privacy of personal information 1.29 Tuition and expenses 1.31 Tuition refunds 1.32 Delinquent payments 1.32 Financial aid 1.38 Scholarships 1.38 Employment 1.39 Safety rules 1.40 Security 1.41 Student IDs 1.41 parking

Section 2

Section 3

COURSES AND DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

SCI-ARC RESOURCES, PUBLIC PROGRAMS AND PEOPLE

2.1 Undergraduate degree program 2.7 Graduate degree programs 2.8 M.Arch 1 2.12 M.Arch 2 2.15 SCI-Fi 2.16 Design studios 2.16 Core studios 2.16 Undergraduate 2.18 M.Arch 1 2.19 M.Arch 2 2.20 Vertical studios 2.24 Graduate thesis 2.26 Cultural Studies 2.26 Core CS seminars 2.26 Undergraduate 2.29 M.Arch1 2.30 M.Arch2 2.31 Recurring CS electives 2.33 Recent special project CS electives 2.36 Hardtech/Applied Studies 2.36 Core AS seminars 2.36 Undergraduate 2.39 M.Arch 1 2.40 M.Arch 2 2.41 Recurring AS electives 2.43 Recent special project AS electives 2.45 Softech/Visual Studies 2.45 Core VS seminars 2.45 Undergraduate 2.46 M.Arch 1 2.47 M.Arch 2 2.48 Recurring VS electives 2.50 Recent special project VS electives 2.52 Study abroad/Exchange programs 2.53 Community Design Program 2.54 Summer at SCI-Arc 2.55 Making + Meaning

3.1 SCI-Arc resources 3.1 Kappe Library 3.2 Wood and metal shop 3.2 CNC/Digital fabrication facilities 3.3 Computer resources 3.4 Print center 3.4 SCI-portal 3.5 Supply store 3.5 Student union 3.5 Psychological counseling program 3.6 Public Programs 3.6 Lecture series 3.7 SCI-Arc Gallery 3.8 Kappe Library exhibitions 3.8 SCI-Arc Press 3.9 DEVELOPMENT AND ALUMNI RELATIONS 3.9 Development office 3.9 Public relations 3.10 Alumni relations 3.11 People 3. 11 Faculty 3. 14 Staff 3. 16 Board of Directors

INTRODUCTION

The Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) is an independent, degree-granting educational laboratory that tests the limits of Architecture in order to transform existing conditions into the designs for the future. With its location in a quarter-mile-long former freight depot in the intensely urban Arts District in downtown Los Angeles, SCI-Arc provides a uniquely inspiring environment in which to study Architecture.

It is distinguished by the vibrant atmosphere of its studios, where some 500 students and 80 faculty members—mostly practicing architects—re-examine assumptions, and explore and test new ideas through making. During the fall and spring terms, design studios are offered along with seminars and workshops—taught by visiting instructors as well as SCI-Arc faculty—to students enrolled in SCI-Arc degree programs.

During the summer term, these courses are also open to upper-level students from other Architecture programs and to members of the general public.

SCI-ARC HISTORY

SCI-Arc was founded in 1972 as a radical alternative to the conventional system of architectural education. Architect and educator Ray Kappe—formerly the chair of Architecture at Cal Poly Pomona, and director of SCI-Arc until 1987—leased an industrial building in Santa Monica, and, with a group of six faculty members and 75 students, started what they initially called the ‘New School,’ based on the concept of a ‘college without walls.’ Shelly Kappe, Ahde Lahti, Thom Mayne, Bill Simonian, Glen Small and Jim Stafford were among the founding faculty.

United by their commitment to an alternative to the more rigid, hierarchical structure they had encountered at other institutions, they established SCI-Arc as a mechanism for invention, exploration, and criticism. The school grew rapidly and quickly developed an international reputation, ranking among the best schools of Architecture in the country. SCIArc attracted motivated students and faculty from all over the world who were interested in pursuing their own independent ideas about the built environment and who enjoyed SCI-Arc’s emphasis on process—the synthesis of thinking, analyzing and making.

In 2000, SCI-Arc moved to the freight depot building in downtown Los Angeles, where it plays an important cultural role in the area while engaging in the local community on various levels. The school continues its energetic commitment to experimentation and to examining of the social, as well as the formal aspects of architecture.

L.A. Architect to Lead SCI-Arc Los Angeles Times, January 23, 2002

There is so much in architecture that has to do with the creation of opinion as opposed to the creation of the thing, the making the thing. Making the thing and commenting on the thing are very much about developing a meaning of the thing that lasts.

I would like to create an environment at SCI-Arc that would enable faculty, students, and everyone associated with the school to have enough confidence in what they know and in what they do to be able to distinguish the importance of those things from all the noise and promotion. We need at SCI-Arc a sense of critical durability that enables us to make real contributions that resonate over a long period of time in artistically, poetically, intellectually meaningful ways. And this relates directly to what it means to be an architect. One of the really charming things about SCI-Arc initially was that it had no idea of itself as SCI-Arc. What mattered was not an image of SCI-Arc; what mattered was the different ways of making space and objects, ways of discussing, presenting and building those objects. The discussion was intimate and about small buildings and houses that were scattered all over LA. And the discussion related to building. The building process involved a precise connection between the conception, design and implementation for one very simple reason: there was not a lot of money. The success of SCI-Arc was related to this process and to the success of some practitioners who were speculating and delivering those small-scale projects. People started to notice and get interested. SCI-Arc was not concerned with its place in some kind of academic pantheon, and that gave it a naive quality. It focused on what anybody who does anything meaningful has to focus on: what goes on between the hand, the eye and the table. The feeling was: ‘Don’t worry about who thinks what. Over a period of time, what you do will work or it won’t. If it works it has durability; if it does not, you move on to the next thing.’ That, I think, is what today endures at SCI-Arc. — Eric Owen Moss, Director

Procedures and academic policies The academic year at SCI-Arc is divided into three terms: fall, spring, and summer.

Important deadlines are printed in the academic calendar but students should check regularly for official notices posted on SCI-Portal (SCI-Arc’s intranet) and around the school. Important school-related information is also sent out via email, and it is the student’s responsibility to check his or her SCI-Arc email on a regular basis.

Procedures and Academic Policies

The Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc)—accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)—seeks applicants who demonstrate interest, ability, and academic achievement that reveal potential for the study of Architecture. SCI-Arc admits students both into a particular degree program or as visiting students who do not wish to matriculate.

Undergraduate admission The undergraduate program at SCI-Arc is a five-year (ten-term) professional Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch) program, accredited by the the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB).

The first two years of the undergraduate program are sequential by term. Students are admitted into 1A or 2A in the fall term only, while admission into 1B and 2B is in the spring term only. Students seeking to enter SCI-Arc at the 3A, 3B, or 4A level may apply for admission in either the fall, spring, or summer terms.

The undergraduate program admits approximately seventy students per year. Students may apply directly from high school or may transfer from two- or four-year colleges.

Applications for first-year placement are accepted for the fall term; applications for advanced placement are accepted for the fall and spring terms. Admission to the undergraduate program is competitive, and applicants must generally have a GPA of 3.0 or higher, in addition to a distinctive portfolio of work. Students who have completed general, non-architecture courses at other two- or four-year colleges may apply for placement in the first year of the B.Arch program. These include students who have completed associate degrees (A.A. or A.S.) in disciplines other than Architecture.

Admission is based on the applicant’s personal statement, creative portfolio, academic record, and letters of recommendation.

Graduate admission Students are admitted into the graduate programs in the fall term only. Admission is determined by a review of the applicant’s personal statement, letters of recommendation, academic record, and portfolio of architectural and creative work. SCI-Arc offers three graduate programs: — M.Arch 1 A three year (seven term) professional Master of Architecture program, accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) and open to applicants who hold a bachelor’s degree or equivalent in any field of study. This program requires attendance for the fall and spring terms of the first two years, and the fall, spring and summer terms of the final year.

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ADMISSIONS

Procedures and Academic Policies

Recommended preparatory course for M.Arch 1: Making + Meaning: The Foundation Program in Architecture, offered at SCI-Arc in the summer term. Completion of

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this program may be required for admission to the program.

—M.Arch 2 A two year (five term) professional Master of Architecture program, accredited by the the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) and open to applicants with a minimum of a four-year degree in Architecture, or its equivalent abroad. This program requires attendance for the fall and spring terms of the first year, and the fall, spring and summer terms of the final year.

Prerequisite course for M.Arch 2: Introduction to Digital Design, offered in the summer term prior to entering the program.

—SCI-FI (Southern California Institute of Future Initiatives) A one year (three term) post-graduate program leading to a non-professional Master of Architecture degree, open to students with a professional degree in Architecture or a bachelor degree or equivalent in any field. This program requires attendance for the fall, spring and summer terms.

It is recommended that students entering the SCI-FI program are familiar with the following software: InDesign, Final Cut Pro, Photoshop, Maya, Rhino, Illustrator, After Effects, Flash, and 3D Studio Max.

Advanced placement for transfer students Advanced placement for transfer students from other Architecture programs is not guaranteed, but is determined on a case-by-case basis on review of the applicant’s portfolio of architectural and creative work, the number of architectural design studios completed, their personal statement, academic standing, and letters of recommendation.

Students who begin their studies in the B.Arch program with advanced standing (1B studio placement or higher) may be required to complete additional prerequisite seminars at SCI-Arc before advancing to the next studio level. Advanced placement is not applicable to the M.Arch 2 and SCI-FI programs.

Also see Transfer of Credit section.

Application procedures Inquiries and requests for application, as well as completed application forms, should be sent to: SCI-Arc Admissions Office 960 East 3rd Street Los Angeles, California 90013 T: 213.613.2200 x320 admissions@sciarc.edu

Procedures and Academic Policies

Application deadlines Applications for admission to the B.Arch program are accepted for the fall and spring students applying for first year placement. May 1 is the deadline for transfer students applying from other two- or four-year colleges. Applications for the spring term are handled on a rolling basis, but students are encouraged to apply for spring admission no later than early November.

Applications for admission to the M.Arch programs are due by January 15. Late applications may be considered on a case-by-case basis. Applications for admission to the SCI-FI program are due by May 1. Application for financial aid should be made to the financial aid office.

Application materials All applications must include the following materials: — Completed application form — $60 application fee —Statement of purpose —Three letters of recommendation —Official transcripts —Test scores, if applicable (SAT or ACT, GRE) —TOEFL (for international students only) —Resumé or curriculum vitae, if applicable —Portfolio of work.

For more information on application materials, refer to the SCI-Arc Application for Admissions, available at www.sciarc.edu or from the admissions office.

Application materials will be stored in the admissions office for up to a year. After a year, application materials, including unclaimed portfolios, will be discarded if not picked up by the applicant.

Notification of acceptance Graduate applicants will be notified of their admission status by mail in early April; undergraduate applicants will be notified on a rolling basis between the months of April and June. Students who accept SCI-Arc’s offer of admission are required to submit a nonrefundable deposit of $500 which reserves them a place in the entering class. This deposit is applied toward tuition for their first semester at SCI-Arc. (International students are required to submit an additional tuition deposit in order to begin the I-20 process. Refer to the International Student Handbook for more information.) If the enrollment deposit is not received by the appropriate deadline, the applicant may forfeit their place in the entering class.

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terms. The fall semester deadline is February 1 for international students and for

Procedures and Academic Policies

Waiting list placement If an applicant is placed on the waiting list, the applicant will be notified as places open in 1.14

the entering class or as information becomes available. Portfolios belonging to applicants on the waiting list may need to be retained after the notification date for admission purposes.

Admission deferment Admission deferments are granted on a case-by-case basis for up to one year (two terms).

Applicants must petition the school in writing to defer their admission. Petitions are reviewed by the Admissions Committee and the applicant receives written notification of the decision. If an applicant fails to enroll in the following year, he or she must reapply for admission.

Admission appeals Applicants who wish to appeal an admission decision or studio placement must make their requests in writing. Appeals should be addressed to the Admissions Committee and should include applicable support materials (additional portfolio work and/or additional letter of recommendation, resume, etc.). Appeals are reviewed by the Admissions Committee and may require a personal interview with one or more committee member.

The applicant receives written notification of the decision.

Reapplication for admission Reapplication within one year: Accepted students who have paid their deposit and who have not deferred, and former students who did not receive an authorized leave of absence, must submit the following when reapplying: — New application form — New application fee — New portfolio (with recent work, if applicable) — At least one new letter of recommendation pertaining to work or study done since the last application was filed.

Reapplication after one year: If an applicant wishes to reapply for admission after one year of absence from the program, he or she must resubmit all application materials specified for the initial application.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS Admission Citizens from other countries are admitted to the school on exactly the same basis as citizens of the United States. All application materials must be submitted in English.

Transcripts in English translation are accepted.

English proficiency All international students, with the exception of those who have completed their

Procedures and Academic Policies

secondary education in an English-speaking school or those who have completed at least two years of study at an English-speaking university, must submit the results of the Test of who score below 560 on the paper-based exam or below a 230 on the computer-based exam will not be admitted to SCI-Arc. All entering international students are required to take an English language competency exam during orientation.

Also see Reading/writing competency test, below.

Finances for international students To ensure that students from other countries will not have financial difficulties after they have begun their studies at SCI-Arc, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) requires that international students certify that they have the necessary funds available to cover tuition and living expenses while studying the US. The I-20 will be issued when the completed certification form is submitted and the required tuition deposit is paid. Certification is required for each continuing year of study, based upon current tuition and living expenses.

READING/WRITING COMPETENCY TEST All entering students, as well as returning students, are required to take a language placement exam to determine their level of fluency in reading and writing English. Entering students unable to demonstrate competency in English language skills will be enrolled in English writing classes (ESL/ELL) in their first semester at SCI-Arc. Students who have continuing language difficulties may petition, or be required, to repeat ESL/ELL .

Accreditation The professional degrees awarded by SCI-Arc, the B.Arch and M.Arch (offered through the M.Arch1 and M.Arch2 programs), are accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB).

The NAAB states that In the United States, most state registration boards require a degree from an accredited professional degree program as a prerequisite for licensure. The National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), which is the sole agency authorized to accredit US professional degree programs in architecture, recognizes three types of degrees: the Bachelor of Architecture, the Master of Architecture and the Doctor of Architecture. A program may be granted a six-year, three-year, or two-year term of accreditation, depending on the extent of its conformance with established educational standards. Masters degree programs may consist of a pre-professional undergraduate degree and a professional graduate degree, that, when earned sequentially, constitute an accredited professional education. However, the preprofessional degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree.

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English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) to the admissions office. International applicants

Procedures and Academic Policies

The NAAB Conditions of Accreditation, including Student Performance Criteria, are

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accessible at www.naab.org.

SCI-Arc is also accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), 985 Atlantic Avenue, Suite 100, Alameda, CA 94501, 510.748.9001, www.wascweb.org.

Housing SCI-Arc students engage with the city of Los Angeles by seeking living accommodation independently of the school. Some choose to live within walking or biking distance of the school in downtown LA; others live in nearby communities and commute.

Roomshares and sublets are listed on SCI-Portal. Listings for available housing can also be found on the following websites: www.losangeles.craigslist.org www.downtownnews.com/classifieds www.latimes.com/classified/realestate/rentals www.apartments.com www.westsiderentals.com (membership fee required) SCI-Arc provides housing listings as an accommodation to students and does not endorse or independently investigate the quality or safety of such housing.

Registration policies Online registration Registration for classes is done over the internet. Students must enroll in at least a full load of classes—one studio and three seminars—during the core sequence. Once the core sequence is completed, they may enroll in studios and seminars individually and pay tuition accordingly, with the approval of the program director. Enrollment must be completed during the prescribed enrollment period. All core graduate students (1GA to 2GB) and all undergraduate students (1A to 5B) must see the academic counselor at their appointed times before they will be allowed to register online. (In the summer term only, students should see the academic counselor with questions as needed.) Typically, registration opens approximately thirty days prior to the beginning of each term.

Students must print and keep a copy of their registration for verification purposes. Online registration is binding. Students will not need to fill out an enrollment sheet. By enrolling online, the student agrees to comply with and accept the policies and procedures as described in this catalog.

Procedures and Academic Policies

Add/drop procedure Students can change courses by completing the add/drop process online during the first course load by using their PIN (personal identification number) and student ID number. If the student fails to drop a course within the prescribed time limit, a permanent no credit (NC) for that course will be recorded on the student’s transcript. Students may continue to add courses during this time with approval of the instructor and clearance from the finance office. After the second week, and up until the thirteenth week of the term, students may withdraw from a course. To withdraw from a course, students must obtain an add/drop form from the registrar, have the instructor approve it, and return it to the registrar by the thirteenth week of term. A withdrawal (W) is recorded on the transcript.

Students are eligible for a partial refund of their tuition fees* only if they drop to below the full-time load—9 units per term for graduates and 12 units per term for undergraduates— and if they have approval to do so from the undergraduate or graduate program directors prior to the 38th day of term. Refunds are pro-rated as set forth in the tuition refund policy.

During the core sequence, students are expected to maintain a full course load. * Also see Tuition refunds section.

Leave of absence/ Withdrawal Upon the satisfactory completion of any term, a student who is in good standing is eligible to take a leave of absence for up to two years with the approval of the registrar, academic counselor, and program director. Students on leaves of absence are assured readmission to resume their studies from the point at which they were interrupted. The registrar must receive notification no later than the seventh week of the term that precedes the term in which students intend to resume their studies.

Students who fail to register for the next regular academic term following a leave of absence will be withdrawn automatically at the end of the term in which the leave of absence expires. A student who has withdrawn must reapply.

Course and credit system Academic study at SCI-Arc is recorded in course units. In order to complete degree requirements on time, students should take a minimum of one studio (6 units) and three seminars (3 units each) per term. Workshops (units vary) are offered periodically.

Completion of the B.Arch degree requires 162 units plus an additional 21 transfer units in General Studies, which are generally taken at other institutions. Students need 111 units to complete the M.Arch 1 degree , 78 units to complete the M.Arch 2 degree, and 45 units to complete the SCI-FI program.

Transfer of credit Undergraduate students who wish to receive transfer credits for courses completed at other institutions should be prepared to provide the academic counselor and the

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two weeks of each term. (This period is subject to change.) Students may access their

Procedures and Academic Policies

faculty member teaching the equivalent course at SCI-Arc with transcripts and course descriptions or syllabi for these courses. Credit for coursework completed at other 1.18

colleges with the grade of C+ or better will be granted for seminar requirements after review of the student’s prior academic record, with the approval of the appropriate study area coordinator, and in consultation with the academic counselor. Students who wish to receive veteran’s benefits must submit a statement of previous training to the school for consideration. Credit for the General Studies portion of the B.Arch degree requirements is awarded after the academic counselor reviews the student’s prior academic record.

SCI-Arc also accepts credits for advanced placement examinations (with scores of 3 or better) and CLEP subject examinations (with grades of 500 or better) for General Studies requirements.

Waiver of required courses A course required for a particular degree program may be waived upon determination that the course material has been adequately covered by previous college work. Graduate students must replace waived courses with either core or elective classes approved by the academic counselor and study area coordinator. Course waiver forms are available from the registrar or academic counselor and must be approved by the study area coordinator under which the required course is classified, or in some instances by the instructor offering the required course. Students must be prepared to present such evidence of course work as catalog descriptions, course syllabi, and transcripts. Course waiver requests must be filed with the academic counselor by the third day of the term.

Residency The undergraduate program consists of ten terms of full-time study*. Applicants accepted with advanced placement are individually placed according to previous academic and design work. A minimum of four terms of full-time study or residency must be completed at SCI-Arc to receive a Bachelor of Architecture degree. A minimum of seven terms of fulltime study is required to receive a Master of Architecture degree in the three-year graduate program. A minimum of five terms of full-time study is required to receive a Master of Architecture degree in the two-year graduate program. A minimum of three terms of fulltime study is required to receive a Master of Architecture in the postgraduate program *Also see Courses and Degree Requirements section.

Vertical studio procedure Vertical studios are open to upper division students from the undergraduate and graduate programs, that is, students in 4B, 5A, 3GA and 3GB. Acceptance into a vertical studio is based on completion of core studio and seminar prerequisites. Following presentations by the vertical studio instructors, eligible students complete a vertical preference sheet, listing their top three choices of studio. Priority is given to 3GB students, then to 3GA and 5A students. Vertical studios are strictly limited to fifteen students. A lottery system—or portfolio review in the case of traveling studios—is used when demand for a studio is greater than the number of spaces available.

Procedures and Academic Policies

Students may petition to do independent coursework at the vertical studio level, but a limited number of such requests is granted. A written proposal should be submitted to approved by the program directors.

Placement in vertical students is final.

Grading and academic progress Currently under review, the grading system and GPA equivalents are subject to change.

GRADING SCI-Arc employs a narrative grading system, as follows: credit with distinction (CR+), credit (CR), marginal credit (CR-), conditional credit (CCR), no credit (NC), incomplete (I) and withdrawal (W). The grade of no credit (NC) is given whenever cumulative work, final work, or attendance are unsatisfactory. It is also given when a student fails to submit a final project or fails to take a final examination without prior approval from the instructor. No credit (NC) grades cannot be altered.

GPA equivalents Grade

Point equivalent

CR+

4.0

CR

3.35

CCR

2.7

CR–

2.0

NC

0.0

I

0.0

W

0.0

Minimum requirements Studios If a student’s studio GPA (grade point average) drops below 2.7, he or she must meet with the program director, who will review his or her portfolio and determine whether or not the student can continue to the next studio level. Students who receive two consecutive CCR or CR– grades must repeat the most recent studio and receive a grade of CR or better.

Students who receive two consecutive NCs in studios will be dismissed from SCI-Arc. Seminars Students who receive two NCs in seminars will be placed on academic warning. If the grades do not improve, the student’s portfolio and transcript will be reviewed by the program director to determine whether he or she will be permitted to continue at SCI-Arc.

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the academic counselor no later than six weeks before the beginning of the term and

Procedures and Academic Policies

Cumulative 1.20

Students with an overall GPA of 2.7 or below will be placed on academic warning. If the student does not raise his or her GPA during the next semester, he or she must meet with the program director to determine whether or not he or she will be permitted to continue at SCI-Arc. Academic counseling SCI-Arc maintains an academic counseling service for the benefit of all students. The academic counselor is available for advice about general program requirements and help with academic problems. After acceptance, each student receives a degree checklist from the academic counselor. This form states the individual requirements for each student’s degree. Since programs are being continuously updated, the individual degree checklist in effect at the time of the student’s admittance establishes each student’s requirements for completion. Graduate core and undergraduate students must meet with the academic counselor at least once a semester to update their checklist to ensure satisfactory academic progress. Other students must meet with the academic counselor at least once each academic year. One term prior to expected graduation, the student must submit an Application for Graduation form to the academic counselor. Upon receipt, the student’s record will be reviewed and he or she will be advised in writing as to which, if any, courses remain to be completed for the degree.

Portfolio review Students are required to maintain a comprehensive portfolio of their design studio work as well as selected work from other courses. This portfolio is submitted for review at the end of the 2B and 4A studios for undergraduates, and at the end of 1GB and 3GA for graduates.

Portfolios are reviewed by a faculty committee including studio and seminar faculty. During the review, faculty will assess the work documented for its capacity to give a clear sense of each individual student’s progress in all areas of their education at SCI-Arc. The portfolio is also used for admission into special programs, exchanges, and for special petitions.

Students whose work does not meet the standards of the program may be given the opportunity to resubmit a portfolio, to enable them to better articulate their knowledge and skills. If the required standard is still not met, students may be asked to repeat their studio or enroll in an independent tutorial seminar.

Students who submit their portfolios after the review date are charged a $100 late fee.

When necessary, the faculty meets to review late submittals. Students who miss the late review will not be allowed to enroll in studio.

Ownership of student work Student material—including digital files, papers, drawings, and models submitted to the school to satisfy course requirements—becomes the physical property of the school, although the student retains all rights to the intellectual content of the material. SCI-Arc

Procedures and Academic Policies

assumes no obligation to safeguard such material and may, at its discretion, retain such

Archiving Students are required to submit examples of their work, on a clearly labeled CD, no later than one week after the end of term, to their instructor, for archiving and, at SCI-Arc’s election, posting on the SCI-Arc website. By enrolling at SCI-Arc, each student grants SCIArc a license to reproduce and display his or her work. This is a chance for students to have their work shown online and potentially featured in forthcoming school publications.

Images should be organized into two folders: Print—Images in tiff format, 300 dpi and minimum 7inches wide Web—The same images as jpgs. 72 dpi, 7 inches wide Image file titles should include the term, year, studio (or instructor’s last name in the case of a vertical), and student name, and a number for each image submitted.

For example: Sp_05_1GB_Doe_1.tiff Please also include on the CD, in Microsoft Word format: The course outline and a 100-word paragraph describing the project, with the student’s full name, image titles, and a caption for each image submitted.

Failure to submit work will result in the witholding of grades.

Attendance Any student who is absent without an acceptable excuse more than three times during a fifteen-week term will receive a grade of no credit (NC) for the course. Instructors may impose more stringent attendance requirements and should make them clear at the beginning of the term. It is legitimate for the instructor to view unexcused lateness or departures from class as full absences.

Incomplete work A student may receive a grade of incomplete (I) by requesting permission from the instructor prior to the date of the final examination or presentation. Permission will be granted only under extraordinary circumstances and usually for medical reasons.

Incompletes must be fulfilled to the satisfaction of the instructor no later than six weeks after the end of term. The student is responsible for providing the instructor with the ‘Request for Credit’ card used for this purpose. This card must be signed by the instructor and returned to the registrar’s office. Failure to do so will result in the incomplete (I) being changed to a no credit (NC). No credit grades cannot be altered.

Appeal of a grade Evaluation of a student’s performance in each course is the responsibility of the instructor for that course. In most cases, the instructor’s decision is final, but if the grade is disputed, a student may appeal to the instructor for a review. If, after the review, the

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material, return it to the student, or discard it.

Procedures and Academic Policies

student still believes that a grade has been assigned unfairly, the student may submit a written petition with a copy of the transcript and portfolio, if necessary, to the academic 1.22

counselor. The petition must clearly state the reasons for the appeal. The academic counselor will gather such information and records as the academic counselor deems necessary and submit them to the appropriate program director who will then review the circumstances of the appeal and make a decision. The program director’s decision concerning such an appeal is final.

Academic standing Students are considered to be making satisfactory academic progress if they follow the designated program of study, receive credit for coursework, and receive favorable portfolio reviews. Students must not only complete courses successfully, but also maintain an up-to-date portfolio that includes the best work of their choice and a minimum of one document from each studio project for all terms they are enrolled.

In order to maintain their academic standing, students must receive a credit (CR) for a majority of the courses taken in any given term. In addition, students with a pattern of marginal grades—including CCR, CR–, NC or W—are reviewed for academic warning.

Students who receive no credit (NC) in a required seminar must repeat the course the next time it is offered in order to stay in the studio sequence. Students who fall behind their studio level by three or more required courses will not be permitted to enroll in design studio during the subsequent semester and will be required to enroll in seminars only. Financial aid is dependent on satisfactory academic progress.

Also see Financial aid section.

Academic warning At the end of each term, students who have not satisfactorily maintained their academic standing will be sent an academic warning. The record of a student who has received an academic warning will be reviewed by the academic counselor and discussed with the student at the end of the subsequent term.

Students receiving an academic warning are expected to improve their record so there will be no further question about their ability to complete the coursework required in the degree program. Students who do not improve satisfactorily during the term they are on academic warning will be required by the academic counselor to have their overall record, including their portfolio, reviewed by the program director. Students may be asked to withdraw if the program director determines that their work does not meet SCI-Arc standards.

Termination Cause for dismissal is based on the accumulation of unsatisfactory grades and overall performance. Two consecutive no credits (NC) in design studio, or failure to comply with the terms of academic warning, are grounds for dismissal. Registering for studio and/or seminars without regard for prerequisite course requirements results in suspension from design studio. A termination letter is sent to the student from the academic counselor’s office. Readmission to SCI-Arc is not guaranteed to a student who has been asked to

Procedures and Academic Policies

withdraw. The school insists on a strong record of performance in successful completion of courses at another school for a minimum of two terms. This, however, may not be used 1.23

to waive no credit grades at SCI-Arc. Access to records Official student records are housed in the registrar’s office. Student records are accessible to faculty members, the director, and staff who have legitimate educational interest in examining them. These individuals have specific responsibilities in connection with the campus’ academic, administrative, or service functions and have reason to use student records connected with their campus or other related academic responsibilities.

Information is not released to any other party (including relatives of the student) without the knowledge and written consent of the student. Students have automatic access to all parts of the records except as follows: Financial records and statements of their parents or any information contained therein.

Information from the Parents’ Confidential Statement or equivalent information may be released to the student on condition that the proper authorization has been signed by the parent(s).

Confidential letters and statements of recommendation which were placed in student records prior to January 1, 1975, provided that: (A) The letters and statements were solicited with a written assurance of confidentiality, or sent and retained with a documented request for confidentiality, and (B) The letters and statements are used only for the purposes for which they were specifically intended.

Confidential letters and statements of recommendation placed in a student’s records after January 1, 1975, with regard to admission, employment, or the receipt of an honor, if the student has waived the right to inspect those recommendations.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), with which SCI-Arc complies, was enacted to protect the privacy of educational records, to establish the right of students to inspect and review their educational records, and to provide guidelines for the correction of inaccurate or misleading statements. FERPA governs access to students’ records maintained by the school and the release thereof. The law provides that students are entitled to certain access to records directly related to the student, as well as an opportunity, should it be necessary, for a hearing to challenge such records if they are inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise inappropriate. If a student believes there is an inaccuracy in the college records, the student should write to the college official responsible for the record, clearly identify the part of the record(s) the student wants

Procedures and Academic Policies

changed and specify where it is inaccurate or misleading. If the college decides not to amend the record as requested, the college will notify the student of the decision and 1.24

advise the student of his or her right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment.

Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the student when notified of the right to a hearing. The right to a hearing under this law does not include any right to challenge the appropriateness of a grade as determined by the instructor.

SCI-Arc is authorized under FERPA to release public ‘directory information’ on its students. The term ‘directory information’ includes the student’s name, address, telephone listing, date and place of birth, major field of study, dates of attendance, degrees and awards received, and the name of the most recent previous educational agency or institution attended by the student. At any time, SCI-Arc can and will release to interested parties the above information unless it has received prior written objection from the student. This notification is required annually and must be renewed at the start of the fall term.

According to FERPA, students also have access to the ‘completion or graduation’ rate data. The information is available from the registrar and can be accessed with ten days’ prior notification.

A student has the right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failure by the College to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the office that administers FERPA is: Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20202-4605

equal opportunity SCI-Arc promotes an open and ethical environment in which to work, teach, and study.

SCI-Arc expects all members of the SCI-Arc community to uphold the values of honesty, respect, trust, tolerance, and civility in dealing with one another.

Commitment to opportunity SCI-Arc does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, amnesty, medical condition, handicap or disability, creed, religious belief or non-belief, military status, age, marital status, gender, sexual or transgender orientation, domestic partner status, or sexual preference with regard to any of its policies and practices, including, but not limited to admissions, financial assistance, education programs, academic counseling, activities, or employment. If you believe you have been discriminated against on such basis, you should notify the registrar.

Procedures and Academic Policies

Special accommodation policies SCI-Arc complies with federal regulations concerning access for physically challenged with disabilities who require any special accommodation in the application and preadmission process should provide notification and make a written accommodations request to the admissions office. Applicants who do not need accommodations during the application process, but who anticipate the need for accommodations during their education, need not submit a request for accommodations until after admission to the college.

Current students and newly admitted students who require special accommodations because of a disability, a serious health condition or a personal or family emergency must submit a written request for accommodation to the academic counselor as early as possible after the need for an accommodation becomes known. Students with disabilities who require accommodations will be required to obtain and submit a completed Request for Disability Accommodations and Certification Form to the academic counselor. This form must be completed by the student’s health care provider. The college reserves the right to require proof of the reasons underlying a student’s request for special accommodations.

International students requesting accommodations must meet with the international student advisor to discuss immigration issues and to have any medically authorized reduction in course load documented on the student’s SEVIS 1-20.

Students with disabilities should not wait until they are struggling with coursework or facing academic probation before notifying the college of their disability and seeking special accommodations. The academic counselor should be notified of disabilities and requests for accommodations as soon as a student is admitted, or as soon as the student’s need for accommodations becomes known to the student.

If a student’s request for special accommodations is denied by the academic counselor, the student may ask that his or her request be reconsidered by the program director.

The program director will review the accommodations request and the decision of the academic counselor, and will notify the student within three business days whether the decision will be changed.

If the program director does not grant the requested accommodations, the student may file a written appeal with the director. The director will convene an appeal panel of at least three administrators and/or faculty members to review the request and the decision of the program director, and to recommend to the program director whether the accommodation should be granted or denied. The program director has final authority to grant or deny the requested accommodation, but will generally be guided by the recommendations of the appeal panel.

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students. Reasonable efforts will be made to accommodate individual needs. Applicants

Procedures and Academic Policies

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STANDARDS OF CONDUCT All students are expected to comply with all laws and to respect the rights and privileges of other members of the SCI-Arc community and its neighbors. Unacceptable behaviors include, but are not limited to, those described herein. These descriptions should be read broadly and are not designed to define misconduct in exhaustive terms.

Academic infractions SCI-Arc believes strongly in the integrity of the work of individuals. Student work that presents the ideas or words of others as the student’s own adversely impacts the whole school and may lead to immediate dismissal. Academic dishonesty, including cheating, plagiarism, commissioning academic work by others, or performing academic work on behalf of another student, is strictly prohibited.

Harassment Sexual and gender harassment, as well as harassment due to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, is strictly prohibited. It is impossible to define every action, all words, or all situations that could be interpreted as sexual harassment. Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature are defined as sexual harassment when submission to or rejection of such conduct is used as a basis for decisions affecting an individual’s education, employment or participation in school activity; when such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work performance; and when such conduct could reasonably be construed as intimidating, hostile or demeaning. The following descriptions are not meant to be a complete list of objectionable behavior, nor do they always constitute sexual harassment.

Sexual harassment can be verbal, non-verbal, or physical. It can be overt or can be implied from the conduct, circumstances and relationships of the individuals involved. It can range from unwelcome sexual flirtations and inappropriate put-downs of individual persons or classes of people, to serious physical abuses such as sexual assault and rape. Examples include, but are not limited to unwelcome sexual advances; repeated sexually-oriented kidding, teasing, joking or flirting; verbal abuse of a sexual nature; graphic commentary about an individual’s body, sexual prowess or sexual deficiencies; derogatory or demeaning comments which are gender-directed, whether sexual or not; leering, whistling, touching, pinching or brushing against another body; blocking movement; offensive crude language; or displaying objects or pictures which are sexual in nature and would create hostile or offensive work and learning environments.

Relationships of a sexual or amorous nature between faculty members and students are inappropriate when the faculty member has professional responsibility for the student, or could have such responsibility in the near future. SCI-Arc will not tolerate faculty members engaging in relations of a sexual or amorous nature with students enrolled in

Procedures and Academic Policies

any of their classes, or whose academic work (including work as a teaching assistant) is being supervised by the faculty member at SCI-Arc, even when both parties consent to the 1.27

relationship.

Relationships of a sexual or amorous nature between faculty and students occurring outside the instructional context may also lead to difficulties. Relationships that the parties view as consensual may appear to others to be exploitive. Furthermore, in such situations (and others that cannot be anticipated), the faculty member may face serious conflicts of interest and should be careful to distance him or herself from any decisions that may reward or penalize a student with whom the faculty member has or has had an amorous relationship.

Relationships of a sexual or amorous nature between staff and students are also inappropriate. SCI-Arc’s policy in regard to amorous relationships between staff and subordinates is the same as its policy regarding relationships between faculty and students, as stated above.

Drug-free education SCI-Arc strictly prohibits the unlawful manufacture, distribution, possession, sale, or use of any controlled substance, including illegal drugs and alcohol, in any of the school buildings, while on school property, while acting on behalf of the school, or while operating a vehicle or potentially dangerous equipment leased or owned by the school. Violation of this policy may result in disciplinary measures, termination and expulsion from SCI-Arc. Information on the health risks of drug use and addiction, legal consequences, counseling and treatment services is provided at orientation.

This information is also available on an ongoing basis in the Kappe Library. The college’s Drugs, Alcohol and Illegal Drugs Policy can be viewed on SCI-Portal.

Common sense, integrity and personal responsibility Although it is not possible to provide a complete list of all types of impermissible conduct, the following are some examples of conduct that may result in disciplinary action, including termination or expulsion: • Cheating, plagiarism, commissioning academic work by others, or performing academic work on behalf of another student, and misrepresenting facts.

• Dishonesty, including, but not limited to falsification or making a material misrepresentation or omission on forms, records, or reports or any other school record.

• Misusing, mutilating, defacing, destroying, damaging of or unauthorized possession of school information, materials, equipment, or property.

• E xcessive absence.

Procedures and Academic Policies

• Hazing, sexual and gender harassment, and actual or threatened physical violence

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toward another.

• Unlawful possession, distribution, sale, use or being under the influence of illegal drugs or alcohol while on school property, while acting on behalf of the school, or while operating a vehicle or potentially dangerous equipment leased or owned by the school.

• Unauthorized possession of school property or the property of a SCI-Arc student or staff member, or visitor.

• Violation of SCI-Arc’s IT policy, including infringement of patents, trademarks, trade secrets, or intellectual property rights, software piracy, unauthorized network/ computer access, illegal export, spamming, email/news bombing, email/message forging, virus distribution, Ponzi schemes, chain letters, pyramid schemes, access to pornography, and the inappropriate use of software or hardware.

• Conducting oneself in a manner that endangers the health or safety of oneself, other members or visitors within the SCI-Arc community or at SCI-Arc sponsored or related events.

• Tampering with or damaging fire and life safety equipment.

• Bringing or possessing dangerous or unauthorized materials, such as weapons, explosives, firearms or other similar items to SCI-Arc or to SCI-Arc sponsored or related events.

Reporting harassment Faculty members and students should address complaints to any of the school directors.

Staff members should address complaints to the chief of staff.

Disciplinary measures Disciplinary measures, if necessary, may consist of any of the following: verbal warning, written warning, probation, suspension with or without pay and/or termination, suspension and/or expulsion from the school.

Rights of the accused A person formally charged has the right to receive immediate notification that a complaint has been filed, the name of the complainant, and the nature of the harassment alleged.

During the process of investigation, the accused will have an opportunity to offer evidence, including the names of witnesses or any other supporting documentation, to the investigation process. Disciplinary proceedings are intended to be informal, fair and expeditious. The procedures of criminal and civil courts shall not govern disciplinary proceedings, and formal rules of evidence shall not be applicable.

Procedures and Academic Policies

Retaliation policy It is against SCI-Arc policy to retaliate against any person who has filed a complaint or to retaliate against anyone who has testified, assisted, or participated in any manner in such processes. These policies regarding retaliation also apply to the accused and third parties siding with the accused. Violations of these policies regarding retaliation are subject to disciplinary measures, termination or expulsion.

Grievance procedure The college has adopted a grievance policy for accepting informal and formal complaints that it, or members of its community, have acted in violation of its policies or failed to comply with applicable legal requirements. The college’s Grievance Procedure can be viewed on SCI-Portal.

Disclosure of campus security policy and campus crime statistics The college’s security and law enforcement policies and programs, and statistics regarding crimes on campus, can be found on SCI-Portal or obtained fromthe facilities manager.

Financial information Privacy of personal information SCI-Arc complies with state and federal regulations concerning use of personal information. Information collected from and about students, faculty, staff and business associates is shared only to meet government requirements and conduct business within SCI-Arc. Personal information is acquired and used on a limited basis to comply with government requirements, fulfill service requirements, and provide effective coordination of academic and administrative operations. To maximize the protection of personal information, SCI-Arc urges everyone to be cautious in sharing personal information with others. In particular, social security numbers should be guarded carefully. Each student is assigned a Student Identification Number to link information to individuals.

Tuition and expenses Tuition (including fees) per term for the academic school year is currently $10,190, subject to change. Students attend an average of two terms per year. While every effort is made to keep tuition costs low, phased periodic increases do occur, and students should budget accordingly.

The following additional estimated expenses are calculated for an unmarried student for a one term (four month) period. These figures should be used only as a guideline. Travel to and from Los Angeles is not included.

Tuition covers a maximum of five seminars and one studio (21 units) per term. Students are charged for any additional courses above 21 units.

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sought advice through the processes described above. It is also against SCI-Arc policy

Procedures and Academic Policies

Degree Programs

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Tuition and fees (fall and spring)

$10,190

(subject to change)

Course supplies and books

$989

Living and personal expenses

$5,320

Auto expenses

$770

Total

$17,269

Summer Programs Tuition for the summer 2007

$10,130 (full-time students)

academic term Design workshops

$850/ 1 workshop $1,700/ 2 workshops $2,540/ 3 workshops

Individual seminar

$2,540 each

Individual studio

$7,209

Please note that these figures are subject to change and do not include student union, academic service or lab fees.

Making+Meaning: The Foundation Program in Architecture Tuition and fees

$2,600

Materials and lab fee

$225

Administration fee

$15

Total

$2,840

Please contact the admissions office for application deadlines.

Payment schedule Tuition and fees are paid in three installments for new students, and two installments for continuing students. For new students, a nonrefundable deposit of $500 is due no later than thirty days after notification of acceptance. Under special circumstances, this deposit can also be used to defer a place in the program, upon acceptance, of up to one year if a written request is received. The first payment for continuing students, which establishes enrollment priority, is 50% of tuition and fees: $5,095 for fall 2006. This deposit is due at the time of enrollment.

Students may not enroll for a term unless one of the following is met: a) payment in full b) 50% deposit and promissory note for the remaining amount c) a letter of award for recipients of financial aid

Procedures and Academic Policies

There is a $50 set-up fee for a promissory note. Only students with qualifying needs are if the promissory note is paid after its due date. Payment plans not in place at the start of term are subject to a $100 late payment fee.

If a student expects to receive financial aid, the difference between the awarded amount and total tuition must be paid in two equal installments on the designated due dates.

Students must be enrolled by the last day of the add/drop period. If registration occurs after this, it is considered late and a $100 late registration fee applies.

Payment methods All payments must be made in US dollars. (Cash, MasterCard, VISA, American Express and checks are accepted.) A $25 returned-check fee is charged each time a check is returned by the bank. Students whose checks are returned by the bank are moved to the end of the priority list for choosing studios or seminars. They also lose their place in studio if it is full.

Tuition refunds A student is considered enrolled when registration is completed. Up to the first day of class, the student may be refunded all monies paid to SCI-Arc except for the $100 registration fee for continuing students and $500 for new students. Written notice must be received prior to the start of the term if the student is to receive the maximum refund.

Pro-rated refunds will be issued according to the following schedule: Degree programs 90% refund

1–10 weekdays from the first day of classes

50% refund

11–19 weekdays from the first day of classes

25% refund

20– 37 weekdays from the first day of classes

0% refund

After 37 weekdays from the beginning of classes

All requests for refunds must be made in writing and dated. This refund policy is subject to change without prior notice. This policy pertains to the full tuition after the first day of class. When a student withdraws from school or is granted a leave of absence, the refund is calculated based on the total tuition due for that term. Tuition is assumed to have been paid in full by the first day of class, at which time students begin receiving services for the term. The refund policy also applies to federal loans received.

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eligible for a payment plan. A default fee of $100 (as well as applicable interest) is charged

Procedures and Academic Policies

Making + Meaning: The Foundation Program In Architecture

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80% refund

1–2 weekdays beginning the first day of classes

0% refund

After the second day of classes

Delinquent payments Payment plans or promissory notes are monitored monthly. In addition, statements are sent to students at the end of each month, and the appropriate fee is charged to the account. Any account left unpaid 90 days after the end of the term, or after the end of the payment arrangement, will be placed on financial hold and may be sent to collections. Students shall be responsible for all collection costs and interest charged by the collection agency. A student may not reenroll until balances have been cleared, or payment arrangements have been made with the finance office.

Financial aid Also see the Guide to Applying for Financial Aid.

Admission to SCI-Arc is determined without regard to a student’s ability to pay the full cost of his or her education. The school’s financial aid policy is designed to maximize assistance to all admitted students who demonstrate financial need. The financial aid office offers information on many programs to incoming and continuing students. All students who wish to receive financial aid must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and SCI-Arc’s financial aid application.

Students must reapply for financial aid and scholarships every year. It is recommended that students reapply for financial aid by completing the FAFSA on-line at www.fafsa.ed.gov in January. The SCI-Arc Application for Financial Aid is made available each November for students wishing to receive financial aid in the following academic year. It is recommended that all students complete their applications by the priority deadline to ensure funds are disbursed on time.

Application priority deadline for new and continuing students: March 2nd Final deadline: September 2nd

School participation SCI-Arc participates in various state and federal programs: the Federal Family Student Loan, Federal Work-Study, Pell Grant and SEOG programs, the Cal Grant program, institutional scholarships, and alternative loan programs.

Private loans An alternative loan or private loan is a private educational loan made through a lender.

The SCI-Arc preferred lender list for private loans may be found on the financial aid

Procedures and Academic Policies

page of the SCI-Arc website. Private loans generally include processing fees and higher interest rates, so carefully evaluate the total cost including repayment before deciding to cannot exceed the student budget. The financial aid office certifies enrollment for most alternative loans.

Further information regarding various available loan programs can be found in the Guide to Applying for Financial Aid and on the college’s financial aid webpage.

Exit counseling Loan exit counseling is required: 1. Prior to graduation 2. If a student withdraws entirely from classes 3. If a student transfers to another school, or 4. If a student drops below half-time enrollment.

Students may complete their loan exit counseling at one of the sessions offered at the end of each semester or by visiting www.collegexit.com. Exit counseling is also available on the lender’s website. It is advisable to learn about managing repayment obligations and options before repayment begins.

Forms and publications Students may download most forms from www.sciarc.edu. The financial aid office supplies paper versions of forms and publications upon request. Faxed forms and/or documents are accepted.

Students who apply after the March 2nd deadline may endanger their eligibility for grants, work-study, and scholarships. Students who plan to enroll for the summer term and wish to receive financial aid must complete all parts of their financial aid application by April 15.

The FAFSA will be available for completion on January 1. Students may complete the FAFSA prior to filing their federal income tax by selecting the ‘Will Complete’ option on the tax information page of the FAFSA and estimating your tax information. Students may use their W-2s or federal income tax forms to assist them with their estimation. They will need to update their tax information on the FAFSA and submit a signed copy of their recent federal income tax forms to the financial aid office once the return has been filed.

Standards for satisfactory academic progress (sap) for financial aid purposes For federal, state, and institutional aid, SCI-Arc is required by the US Department of Education to define, for all aid applicants, qualitative and quantitative standards for ‘satisfactory academic progress’ toward the completion of the degree. These academic standards apply for all periods of enrollment at all colleges attended, regardless of whether or not financial aid was received.

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borrow. The combination of an alternative loan and all other financial aid or scholarships

Procedures and Academic Policies

Minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) to be maintained The GPA is based on grades for credits earned at SCI-Arc and does not include grades 1.34

transferred from another institution. An undergraduate student must maintain a 2.0 cumulative GPA. A graduate student is required to have a 3.0 cumulative GPA for graduate level coursework.

Minimum unit/studio requirement A student receiving aid must earn a minimum number of units each semester, applicable to his/her degree, and consistent with his/her enrollment/funding status. Students are encouraged to register for more than the minimum number of units so as not to jeopardize progress. Failure to complete a studio or continue on to the next studio level, and falling behind in seminar requirements will result in academic disqualification for financial aid.

Enrollment/Funding status

Undergraduate

Graduate

Full time

12 + units

9 + units

¾ time

9–11 units

7–8 units

½ time

6–8 units

5–6 units

Dropping units Once classes begin and financial aid is disbursed, a student may have a unit deficiency if he or she drops below the minimum unit requirement. During the 100% refund period, aid will be reduced to reflect the new enrollment/funding status. If there is a unit deficiency, funds will have to be repaid and the funds restored to the aid program(s). After the 100% refund period, dropping units below the minimum unit requirement creates a unit deficiency. Students should consult with a financial aid advisor before dropping units.

Dual enrollment Students may only receive financial aid from one college, even if they are concurrently enrolled. Enrollment status at SCI-Arc only includes coursework that is listed in the class schedule for that term. An exception may be made for undergraduate students who must take courses to complete their B.Arch that are never offered at SCI-Arc, such as the General Education requirements. In cases such as this, completed coursework at another institution may be used to make up a prior unit deficiency.

SAP probation for unit/studio deficiency A student who earns at least one unit in the fall term and maintains the required cumulative GPA may continue to receive aid for the spring semester. At the end of the spring semester, the total number of deficient units for the two semesters must be made up before further aid can be offered. During the probationary period, the student must meet with the academic counselor to develop a plan of action to get the student back on track. A revised copy of the student’s degree checklist must be submitted to the financial aid office.

Procedures and Academic Policies

Financial aid may be terminated for any of the following reasons: — Failure to make satisfactory academic progress — Cumulative GPA is lower than the required minimum standard — Enrollment status at the end of the add/drop period is less than half time — Withdrawal or leave of absence from SCI-Arc — Failure to earn units.

Work study awards and eligibility may be revoked for unsatisfactory performance or violation of the standards of conduct and student responsibilities in this catalog.

Students may regain eligibility by: Raising the GPA Only SCI-Arc coursework is included in the calculation of the GPA. To increase the GPA, a student must enroll and complete coursework at SCI-Arc. Transfer coursework is not included in the GPA calculation.

Correcting a unit deficiency If a student’s GPA is at the required standard or above and he or she only needs to make up units, the student may take additional courses at SCI-Arc. Undergraduates may also take General Education courses at another institution. All coursework must be applicable toward the degree objective and not exceed the number of units that are transferable to SCI-Arc. Aid may NOT be received from any college while making up the deficiency to regain aid eligibility. Students who have not maintained satisfactory academic progress must be prepared to pay their own fees for the following term.

SAP appeals A written appeal may be made, which must include documentation. The student must prove that the circumstances that created the academic problem were unavoidable and beyond his or her control. Factors considered in reviewing an appeal include, but are not limited to: the student’s entire academic history; level of borrowing in relation to units completed; class standing; number of terms of aid; previous deficiencies and appeals; and extenuating and unavoidable circumstances.

Chronic medical problems are not considered extenuating circumstances. If the condition existed at the time aid was offered, it should have been taken into consideration when the classes and unit load were planned. Between terms, time is limited for review.

Students who have not maintained satisfactory academic progress must be prepared to pay their own fees. Reinstatement and appeals are reviewed in the order received.

Withdrawal and leave of absence If a student begins class attendance in any term and then withdraws completely from SCI-Arc or earns no units after financial aid has been disbursed, that student may be

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— A unit deficiency exists for more than two semesters

Procedures and Academic Policies

required to return all or part of the funds received, including funds credited to pay tuition and fees. Since financial aid must be used solely for educationally related expenses 1.36

during periods of enrollment, federal regulations require SCI-Arc’s financial aid office to calculate the amount of aid the student ‘earned’ for the number of days he or she attended. ‘Unearned’ aid, that covered periods of the semester when the student did not attend classes or were not enrolled, must be repaid. If the student withdraws prior to the start of the semester or never attended any classes, 100% of aid disbursed to that student account and/or disbursed to the student must be repaid.

If a repayment is owed, the student will be billed by the finance office and will have 45 days to arrange satisfactory repayment. The student will not be eligible for further aid until repayment is made in full. The student may also be reported to the US Department of Education or to a collection agency representing SCI-Arc for collection. If a student must leave SCI-Arc for any reason, they should withdraw officially by contacting the registrar’s office.

Student responsibilities: 1. Students must be officially accepted into a degree-seeking program at SCI-Arc and make satisfactory academic progress toward that degree objective.

2. Students must report any additional resources and/or changes. Such changes include, but are not limited to, additional financial resources such as veteran’s educational benefits; scholarships; stipends; graduate teaching assistantships; fee waivers; vocational rehabilitation payments; residence hall assistantships; or changes in enrollment, housing plans and/or residency.

3. Students must be enrolled in and earn the minimum number of units required by their enrollment/funding status each semester.

4. Students must maintain ‘satisfactory academic progress’ as defined for all applicants and recipients of aid.

5. Students must activate their SCI-Arc email address and use their official email address to receive important financial aid notifications and information.

6. Students must immediately report any change of address to the registrar’s office.

7. Students must notify the financial aid office in writing if they will not be attending.

8. Students must officially withdraw if they must leave SCI-Arc for any reason. Contact the registrar’s office for additional information.

9. Student loan borrowers who are graduating, transferring to another college, or dropping below half time must participate in exit counseling. This can be completed at www. collegexit.com.

Procedures and Academic Policies

10. Students must read the SCI-Arc Guide to Applying for Financial Aid and all other financial aid and scholarship information that they may receive. Advisors are available to 1.37

assist those with have questions or do not understand what is required.

11. Students must meet all published deadlines.

12. Students should come to campus with enough funds to pay for books/supplies, incidentals, and initial living expenses.

What students can expect from student financial aid, employment and scholarship services: 1. Students may request an appointment with a financial aid advisor to discuss any questions or concerns regarding financial aid.

2.Students who have unusual circumstances that they feel may impact their ability to contribute may contact their financial aid advisor for further information. Unusual circumstances could include loss of a benefit or non-taxable income, separation/divorce, death of a parent or spouse, or economic hardship such as elementary or secondary school tuition for children, major medical or dental expenses not covered by insurance or natural disaster. Documentation is required.

3. If an independent student or parent(s) of a dependent student have a substantial reduction in taxable income/benefits, the student may contact the financial aid office regarding the reevaluation process.

4. Students will be notified by mail about their eligibility and if changes are made to your offer letter during the year.

5. Students may reduce the amount or decline any program on the offer letter.

6. Students should speak with staff to review the options and consequences of dropping credits or withdrawing from SCI-Arc prior to making a final decision.

7. Students can expect to be treated courteously and with civility; the staff expects that in return.

8. All information is held in confidence. The Family Education Right to Privacy Act (FERPA) restricts SCI-Arc’s financial aid office from releasing confidential information to anyone without proper identification and only to the student or the parent of record of a dependent student.

9. Students can generally expect phone calls to be returned within one business day.

However, delays should be expected during peak processing periods.

Procedures and Academic Policies

Scholarships

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Institutional scholarships Funded by endowments, SCI-Arc scholarships are awarded on the basis of merit, financial need, and service to the school. They are available to all continuing students who are enrolled full-time in any program at SCI-Arc at the time they apply and who will have completed at least 24 units prior to the summer term that follows their application.

Scholarship applications, available in March for the following academic year, require the following: 1. A completed scholarship application form 2. A brief statement (250 words or less) stating academic and career goals 3. A SCI-Arc Financial Aid form and/or the International Student application and the FAFSA (domestic students only) 4. One letter of recommendation from the student’s most recent SCI-Arc studio instructor 5. Portfolio (SCI-Arc work only) 6. Transcript.

Applications are reviewed by graduate and undergraduate scholarship committees.

Awards are made based on portfolio review, academic standing, service to the school, and financial need. The deadline is in April. Consult the academic counselor, who acts as the scholarship coordinator, for the exact date. Failure to meet the deadline will result in disqualification. Applications and further information are available from the financial aid office or the academic counselor.

Admissions scholarships A limited number of scholarships are awarded to entering undergraduate and graduate students. These scholarships are awarded on the basis of the applicant’s potential to succeed at SCI-Arc, overall merit of his or her application submissions, and financial need.

Applicants are required to complete all necessary financial aid forms and applications in order to be eligible for scholarships.

Employment Students are advised that full-time employment while at SCI-Arc is not recommended.

The curricular workload requires a substantial and ongoing investment of time.

Teaching assistantships Paid teaching assistantships are available to graduate students who have demonstrated a level of excellence in their studies. Time commitment varies from five to seven hours

Procedures and Academic Policies

per week for seminars to fifteen hours per week for studios. Interested students should approach faculty members or program directors. All teaching assistantships must be human resources office, must be completed and turned in to the financial aid office prior to the start of work.

Work-study The financial aid office and the human resources office coordinate the work-study program. A listing of on-campus part-time job openings is posted outside of these offices at the beginning of each semester. Also posted is a list of off-campus community service opportunities. Students should speak with the manager of the department in which they are interested in working. Work-study packages are available from the financial aid office and should be returned to the financial aid office upon completion. Employment may begin only after the completed work study packet has been approved by the financial aid office. All state and federal equal opportunity employment practices are upheld.

International students are not eligible for federal work-study, but may be eligible for institutional work study with a work permit. All employees must provide a valid social security number and be prepared to establish eligibility to work in the United States within three business days of being hired.

Student workers at SCI-Arc are expected to treat work study jobs as they would any job. Students are expected to show up when scheduled and on time, not to conduct personal matters during work hours, to perform assigned duties competently, and generally contribute to the smooth running of the school. Unsatisfactory performance in work study may result in termination of employment and/or termination of work study. Unsatisfactory performance includes, but is not limited to absenteeism; falsification of records; unauthorized possession of equipment, materials or information; harassment of any kind; violence; illegal consumption of alcohol and the illegal possession or consumption of controlled substances; and working in any condition that may impair the safety of yourself or others.

safety Rules SCI-Arc’s safety rules are based on respect for each other, respect for facilities, common sense, and personal responsibility. Safe work conditions, safe practices, safety training, guidelines and procedures are provided in several ways. The woodshop and CNC operations have their own safety training programs that must be completed before use of these facilities. Safety signs and notices are posted throughout the school. Other areas may have safety rules specific to that area. The following rules are not intended to encompass every situation in which safety is an issue because safety is always important.

Safety is more important than speed or convenience. No job will be considered done well unless it is done safely. Violations of these and any other safety rules may result in disciplinary action, expulsion or termination.

—Encourage others to work safely.

—Unauthorized alterations to life safety systems are strictly prohibited.

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approved by the appropriate program director. Employment packets, available from the

Procedures and Academic Policies

—Nothing may be hung from or placed on the sprinkler system.

— No thing may be placed in walkways, hallways, on steps, near entrances, or near exits 1.40

that might impede passage through, in or out of the building.

—Fire corridor doors may not be propped open.

—Motorized transport may not be used in the building.

— Facilities use policies must be followed at all times. This includes safety training provided by the woodshop and CNC milling operation.

—Read, understand and follow the labels on all materials and equipment.

—Unauthorized use of equipment or materials is prohibited.

—All tools should be used only for the purpose for which they were intended.

— Wear personal protective equipment, gear and clothing that is appropriate for the work being done.

— Dispose of all hazardous materials properly in the appropriate containers provided.

—Dispose of trash in the appropriate containers.

— Glass, aluminum, plastic, and paper should be disposed of in the designated blue recycling containers.

— Smoking is not allowed anywhere in the building or outside the building near entrances and exits unless specifically designated as a smoking area.

—No one is allowed to live on school premises. This is illegal.

— Report all unsafe conditions, practices and hazards to the director’s office immediately.

Information may be reported without fear of reprisal.

— If students alter the facility in any way, they are responsible for restoring it to the original condition.

— The maintenance crew makes every effort to provide clean studios and classrooms without disturbing student work. For their own protection, students should keep materials clearly marked and off the floor. At the end of every term, they should remove their materials so that the maintenance crew can prepare for the next term.

Security Security cameras have been positioned around the campus. In addition, SCI-Arc has two security guards on duty 24 hours a day, every day of the year. The guards can be reached at any time at 213.220.3084. Please do not hesitate to contact them for assistance.

For everyone’s security, SCI-Arc students, staff and faculty are required to present the guards with their SCI-Arc ID card upon request. Failure to provide such proof will result in being escorted off the property.

Visitors to the school must be accompanied by a SCI-Arc student or representative or have made prior arrangements through the administrative offices.

Personal property brought into the school is the responsibility of the owner. Please take precautions to secure and lock all valuables.

Procedures and Academic Policies

Student IDs Students are issued with a magnetic ID card that provides access to the building and to the ID card is distributed within the week. Student are required to carry their ID with them at all times.

24-hour security | Tel# 213.220.3084

Parking Registration of vehicles All student vehicles parked on campus must be registered with SCI-Arc. Permits may be obtained from the front desk and paid for in the finance office. In addition to any fines which may be levied by governmental police agencies, SCI-Arc may impose additional penalties for violations of the vehicle regulations.

Parking violations — Parking in a restricted zone will incur a $50 fine.

— Vehicles parked in areas blocking entrance ramps, dumpsters, delivery areas and doorways will be towed.

— Vehicles parked in a fire zone will be towed.

— Parking in a handicapped space will incur a $50 fine.

— Blocking a handicapped space or crosswalk will incur a $35 fine.

— Students committing a parking violation for the second time in an academic year will be booted and will incur a $75 fine.

— Tampering with a parking boot will incur a $300 fine.

—The fine for all other parking violations is $30 unless otherwise noted.

Moving violations — Reckless driving will incur a $75 fine.

— Driving on campus under the influence of drugs or alcohol will incur a $300 fine.

Paying fines Parking fines may be paid at the finance office. Unpaid fines will automatically be charged to the registrant’s campus bill and can be paid in the business office during regular office hours. Additional fines will accrue for tickets not paid within the allotted time.

Boot When a vehicle has two outstanding (unpaid) parking violations, SCI-Arc Security will apply the boot to the vehicle along with a notice warning to the owner not to move the vehicle until the boot has been removed. The registrant will need to pay all outstanding parking violations in addition to a $75 charge before the boot will be removed. If the

1.41

the computer lab. A schedule is posted for new students to have their photo taken, and

Procedures and Academic Policies

registrant has not contacted SCI-Arc Security to have the boot removed within 24 hours, the vehicle could be towed. The registrant will be responsible for paying the towing charge.

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Tampering with, damaging or removing a parking boot will subject the registrant to a $300 fine.

Towing SCI-Arc reserves the right to immediately tow vehicles which are in dangerous positions or are creating a hazard. In addition, SCI-Arc reserves the right to immediately tow any vehicle which, through its reckless operation, has created a danger to the SCI-Arc campus community. Vehicles may also be towed immediately from tow-away zones, fire lanes and roadways or driveways which they are blocking. Furthermore, vehicles may also be towed when registrants refuse to identify themselves.

Banishment After five offenses, the driver may be ‘banned’ and not permitted to park or drive any vehicle on campus for the remainder of the academic year. Drivers with fewer than five violations may be banned if any one violation is serious enough to warrant immediate suspension of all vehicle privileges.

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Procedures and Academic Policies

2.44

COURSES AND DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

Courses and Degree Requirements

Undergraduate degree (B.Arch) 5 YEAR (10 TERM) program Professional Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch) program, accredited by the the National Architectural

Chris Genik Undergraduate Program Director SCI-Arc’s undergraduate program integrates knowledge of a wide range of conceptual and practical skills, from critical thinking to technical expertise, to create a fluid and holistic approach to the education of the contemporary architect. Throughout the program, emphasis is placed on the development of a thorough knowledge of architectural design issues, including theoretical constructs and advancements in building technology, and ranging from applications of high-performance ‘intelligent’ materials to considerations for sustainable practices. Throughout the course of study, students are challenged to find innovative means of engaging the discipline and paradigms of architecture. The undergraduate curriculum is built around an integrated sequence of design studios, Visual Studies, History and Theory, Media and Technology courses, into which interdisciplinary seminars in the Arts, Sciences, and Humanities are woven. Following the foundation and core sequence, upper-division courses are offered in Professional Practice and related subjects. Over five years of study, students become conversant with digital environments, as well as the material and physical worlds. Upon graduation, students are prepared to enter leading architectural practices, independent practice, as well as other designrelated fields.

General Studies requirements In addition to SCI-Arc’s 162 required units, students must complete seven General Studies courses with a grade of ‘C’ or better in order to graduate: at least four one-term courses at college level in the area of Social Sciences and Humanities, and at least three courses in the area of Natural Sciences and Mathematics (see below). Students are given until the end of the third year of the program to complete General Studies requirements, but it is recommended that transfer students complete as many of these requirements as possible before coming to SCI-Arc.

2.

Accrediting Board (NAAB).

Courses and Degree Requirements

Choose three courses from the Social Sciences and Humanities:

Choose two courses from Natural Sciences and

2.

Mathematics: Anthropology

Astronomy

Classics

Biological Sciences

Comparative Religion

Chemistry

Economics

Computer Science

Geography

Earth Sciences

Philosophy

Mathematics

Political Science

Physics

Psychology Sociology

Required

Required

History of Western

Trigonometry

Civilization or History of Eastern Civilization

Courses and Degree Requirements

Course structure

First term — 1A

Second term — 1B

DS1010 ­— 6 units

DS1011 ­— 6 units

Material Strategies for the

Conceptual Strategies for the

Physical World Ð

Physical World Ð Prerequisite: DS1010

CS2010 ­— 3 units Fields and Practices:

CS2012 — 3 units

Introduction to Design Cultures *

History of Architecture 1: Prehistory to Middle Ages*

CS2011 — 3 units Writing in Architecture: ESL/ELL

CS2013 — 3 units

1 (as required)*

Humanities 1: Antiquity to Middle Ages*

AS3010 — 3 units Introduction to the Physical

CS2014 — 3 units

World: Materials, Behaviors,

Writing in Architecture: ESL/ELL

Forces*

2 (as required)*

VS4010 — 3 units

VS4011 — 3 units

Fabrications and Delineations 1:

Fabrications and Delineations 2:

Introduction to Fabrication and

Introduction to Fabrication and

Drawing Techniques: Perception/

Drawing Techniques: Projection/

Translation

Description Prerequisite: VS4010

Ð Studios: One unit can be applied toward General Education studies requirements. * Courses that can be taken for General Education studies credit

Students who fall behind their studio level by three or more required courses will be required to enroll in seminars only during the subsequent term.

2.

I. Foundation program

2.

Courses and Degree Requirements

Third term — 2A

Fourth term — 2B

DS1020 — 6 units

DS1021 — 6 units

Formworks: Sites and Contexts Ð

Frameworks: Programs Ð

Prerequisite: DS1011

Prerequisite: DS1020

CS2020 — 3 units

CS2022 — 3 units

History of Architecture

History of Architecture 3:

2: Renaissance to the

Industrial Revolution to

Enlightenment*

Contemporary Discourses*

Prerequisite: CS2012

Prerequisite: CS2020

CS2021 — 3 units

CS2023 — 3 units

Humanities 2: Renaissance to

Humanities 3: Modernism in

Romanticism*

Literature, Art and Film*

Prerequisite: CS2013

Prerequisite: CS2021

AS3020 — 3 units

AS3021 — 3 units

Introduction to the Environment

Structures 1: Forces and Vectors

and Climate VS4021 — 3 units VS4020 — 3 units

Technologies of Description 2:

Technologies of Description 1:

Analog and Digital Practices

Analog and Digital Practices

Prerequisite: VS4020

Prerequisite: VS4011

Students are required to submit a portfolio at the completion of the 2B studio prior to advancing into the fifth term.

Courses and Degree Requirements

Fifth term — 3A

Sixth term — 3B

DS1030 — 6 units

DS1031 — 6 units

Field Operations: Static

Dynamic Architectural Systems:

Architectural Systems Ð

Anabolic, Metabolic, Catabolic Ð

+ Integrated Hardtech/ Applied

+ integrated Hardtech /Applied

Studies component — 1 unit

Studies component — 1 unit

Prerequisite: DS1021

Prerequisite: DS1030

CS2030 — 3 units

CS2031 — 3 units

Introduction to Urban Systems*

Philosophy of Technology*

Prerequisites: CS2022

Prerequisites: CS2030

AS3030 — 3 units

AS3032 — 3 units

Structures 2: Long Span and

Smart and Sustainable Systems

Lateral Systems Prerequisite: AS3021

AS3033 — 3 units Tectonics: Construction, Assembly

AS3031 — 3 units

and Detail

Tempering the Environment: Light, Air and Sound VS4030 — 3 units Technologies of Description 3: Analog and Digital Practices Prerequisite: VS4021

Students are required to submit a portfolio at completion of the DS1040 (4A) studio before advancing into the eighth term. Students are also required to complete all core courses prior to advancement.

2.

II. Core program

Courses and Degree Requirements

2.

III. Advanced studies

Seventh term — 4A

Eighth term — 4B

DS1040 — 6 units

Vertical studio Ð — 6 units

City Operations: Architecture in

Prerequisite: DS1040

Critical Settings Ð + integrated Cultural Studies

Cultural Studies elective* — 3 units

component — 1 unit Prerequisite: DS1031

AS3041 — 3 units Design Documentation: Construction Documents

CS2040 — 3 units Introduction to Critical Studies*

AS3042 — 3 units

Prerequisite: CS2030

Professional internship (by approval: full-time summer)

AS3040 — 3 units

or

Design Documentation: Analysis

Elective — 3 units

and Development Elective — 3 units

Ninth term — 5A

Tenth term — 5B

Vertical studio Ð

DS1051 — 9 units

— 6 units

Thesis studio Prerequisite: CS2050

CS2050 — 3 units Thesis studio preparation*

Elective — 3 units

AS3050 — 3 units

Elective — 3 units

Practice Environments: Contracts, Liability, Business Models Elective — 3 units

Courses and Degree Requirements

graduate degree PROGRAMS Hsin-Ming Fung

SCI-Arc’s graduate studies foster the school’s open-ended spirit of inquiry, responding to shifts in society, technology, and culture with a constantly-evolving learning environment in which faculty and advanced-level students work together to advance to the next generation of the Architectural discipline. The programs are led by a faculty of practitioners and scholars that is actively engaged in contemporary architectural discourse and production worldwide, working in fields ranging from design and engineering to visual and cultural studies. Through the feedback they provide from their own practices, the graduate curriculum is continuously and dynamically shaped in a manner only available to an institution entirely devoted to architecture. The graduate programs promote cross-pollination from other fields of study in a critical manner, with a practice that derives from an emphasis on process and a synthesis of thinking, inquiry and execution. With a diverse and international student body, the graduate programs at SCI-Arc provide a rigorous architectural education that promotes experimentation and creative freedom, and is at once global and local, comprehensive and current. In pursuit of these goals, the graduate programs offer three study options: the three-year M.Arch 1 program, the two-year M.Arch 2 program and the one-year SCIFI and MediaSCAPES programs.

2.

Graduate Programs Director

Courses and Degree Requirements

M.Arch 1 3 YEAR (7 TERM) PROGRAM A three year (seven term) professional Master of Architecture program, accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) and open to applicants who hold a bachelor’s degree or equivalent in any field of study.

2.

This program requires attendance for the fall and spring terms of the first two years, and the fall, spring and summer terms of the final year.

Architectural experimentation and learning through making lie at the core of the M.Arch 1 program. The curriculum is horizontally integrated and vertically progressive, starting with a four-semester core sequence in which students develop a framework for the discipline of Architecture, as well as a strong foundation for critical inquiry and experimentation. By integrally linking each semester’s design studio with courses in visual, cultural and applied studies, students are offered an immediate instruction in the depth of the relationship between architecture and technological advances, representation, and social change. With each progressive semester increasing in sophistication, students acquire a unique ability to address a breadth of complex architectural issues while testing their own intellectual and design convictions. Upon completion of the core sequence, students are encouraged to pursue their vision, investigating design through the latest innovations in technology, advancing new praxes of design analysis and innovating through applied research with a choice of advanced studios and seminars. Students complete their studies with the presentation, in a public exhibition, of a thoroughly researched independent architectural thesis. Throughout the M.Arch 1 program, particular emphasis is placed on the production of architecture, and the ways in which making produces a unique intelligence for the field. M.Arch 1 graduates are therefore prepared to further this intelligence through significant contributions in the profession.

This program requires attendance for the fall and spring terms of the first two years, and the fall, spring and summer terms of the final year.

Courses and Degree Requirements

First term— 1GA (fall)

Second term — 1GB (spring)

DS1100 — 6 units Fundamental Architectural Principles 1: Elements of Space

DS1101 — 6 units Fundamental Architectural Principles 2: Organizational Systems

CS2100— 3 units Architecture Culture 1 AS3100 — 3 units Material Properties, Industrial Processes and Structural Principles VS4100 — 3 units Strategies of Representation 1: Analysis, Translation and Communication

Prerequisite: DS1100 CS2101 — 3 units Architecture Culture 2 Prerequisite: CS2100 AS3101 — 3 units Structures 1: Forces and Vectors Prerequisite: AS3100 VS4101 — 3 units Strategies of Representation 2: Diagramming and Spatial Construction Prerequisite: VS4100

Students are required to submit a portfolio at the completion of the 1GB studio prior to advancing into the third term.

Students are encouraged to become familiar with the following software: — First year/first term: Photoshop, Illustrator, and AutoCAD — First year/second semester: Rhino, Maya

2.

Course structure

2.10

Courses and Degree Requirements

Third term — 2GA (fall)

Fourth term — 2GB (spring)

DS1120 studio — 6 units

DS1121 — 6 units

Architecture’s Intervention 1 :

Architecture’s Intervention 2:

Context and Territory

Urbanism, Landscapes and

Prerequisite: DS1101

Infrastructures Prerequisite: DS1120

CS2120 — 3 units The Rise and Fall of Theory

CS2121 — 3 units

Vanguardism

Urban Studies: History, Theory,

Prerequisite: CSS2101

Criticism Prerequisite: CS2120

AS3120 — 3 units Structures 2: Techniques and

AS3122 — 3 units

Implementation: Connections

Design Documentation: Analysis

and Systems

and Development

Prerequisite: AS3101

AS3123 — 3 units AS3121 — 3 units

Advanced Building Systems:

Tempering the Environment:

Sustainability and Complex

Light, Air and Sound

Envelopes

VS4120 — 3 units

VS4121 — 3 units

Strategies of Representation 3:

Strategies of Representation 4:

Advanced Digital Tools, Modeling

Advanced Digital Tools, Modeling

and Fabrications

and Fabrication (optional)

Prerequisite: VS4101

Prerequisite: VS4120

Students are required to complete all the above courses prior to advancing into the fifth term.

Fifth term — 3GA (fall)

Sixth term— 3GB (spring)

Vertical studio — 6 units

Vertical studio — 6 units

Cultural Studies elective — 3

CS2410 — 3 units

units

Thesis Preparation: Research Strategies

AS3130 — 3 units Practice Environments:

Elective — 3 units

Contracts, Liability, Business Models

Elective — 3 units

(Note: can also be taken in the 3GB term)

Elective — 3 units

Students are required to submit a portfolio at the completion of the 3GA studio prior to advancing into the thesis prep (3GB) term.

Students are required to complete all the above courses prior to advancing into the graduate thesis term.

Seventh Term— 4GA (summer) DS1420 — 9 units Graduate thesis Prerequisite: CS2410

Elective — 3 units Elective — 3 units

2.11

Courses and Degree Requirements

Courses and Degree Requirements

M.Arch 2 2 YEAR (5 TERM) PROGRAM A professional Master of Architecture program, accredited by the the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) and open to applicants with a minimum of a four year degree in Architecture, or its equivalent abroad. This

2.12

program requires attendance for the fall and spring terms of the first year, and the fall, spring and summer terms of the final year.

The M.Arch 2 program has as its aim the reappraisal of the discipline of Architecture, and is specifically designed to build upon and reconsider knowledge gained from a prior undergraduate degree in Architecture. Students are introduced to an advanced critical perspective on contemporary architectural issues—both theoretical and designrelated— as a tool with which to examine the complex and shifting relationship between architecture and cultural, political, economic and social change. Architectural conventions and standards are challenged through the rigorous examination of other models of design and production. The program investigates the contemporary architectural platform and operates as a laboratory with which to identify new possibilities for the integration of a wide range of emerging techniques and technologies. Students are provided with a knowledge of the latest developments in fabrication, as well as an understanding of design methodologies and their historical and contemporary contexts. On completing the first year core sequence, students are able to choose from vertical studios and elective seminars that either continue the focus of their core studies or broaden the scope of their education. Students complete their studies with the presentation, in a public exhibition, of a thoroughly researched independent architectural thesis.

This program requires attendance for the fall and spring terms of the first year, and the fall, spring and summer terms of the final year.

Courses and Degree Requirements

Required courses The academic counselor reviews the transcripts of students entering the M.Arch 2 program to verify that they have completed courses comparable to the following core Hardtech/Applied Studies classes offered at SCI-Arc: AS3101: Structures 1: Forces Systems; AS3121: Tempering the Environment: Light, Air and Sound and AS3130: Practice Environments: Contracts, Liability, Business Models. Students who have not passed these classes are required to do so. M.Arch 2 students who have passed a sequence of courses on structures during their undergraduate courses at other insititutions, but have not been introduced to seismic issues, are required to take a course on that subject before the end of their second term at SCI-Arc. Course structure First term — 2GAX (fall)

Second term — 2GBX (spring)

DS1200 — 6 units

DS1201 — 6 units

Indeterminate Architecture

On Forms of Tectonics and Cellular Aggregation

CS2200 — 3 units

Prerequisite: DS1200

Modern, Postmodern, Supermodern

CS2201 — 3 units Design Intelligence

AS3200 — 3 units

Prerequisite: CS2200

Reflexive Formal Assemblies: Material to System

AS3201— 3 units Optimization, Performance and

VS4200 — 3 units

Implementation: System to Building

Delineation and Dynamic

Prerequisite: AS3200

Systems AS3122 — 3 units Design Documentation: Analysis and Development

Students are required to complete all the above courses prior to advancing into the third term.

2.13

and Vectors; AS3120: Structures 2: Techniques and Implementation: Connections and

Courses and Degree Requirements

Third term — 3GAX (fall)

Fourth term — 3GBX (spring)

Vertical studio — 6 units

Vertical studio — 6 units

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or DS1210— 6 units XLAB

CS2410 — 3 units

Prerequisite: DS1201

Thesis preparation: research strategies

Cultural Studies elective — 3 units

Elective — 3 units

Prerequisite: CS2121

Elective — 3 units AS3230 — 3 units Practice Environments: Contracts, Liability, Business Models (Note: can also be taken in the 3GB term)

Elective — 3 units

Students are required to submit a portfolio at the completion of the 3GA studio prior to advancing into the thesis prep term.

Students are required to complete all the above courses prior to advancing into the graduate thesis term.

Fifth Term — 4GAX (summer) DS1420 — 9 units Graduate thesis Prerequisite: CS2410

Elective — 3 units Elective — 3 units

Courses and Degree Requirements

SCIFI 1 YEAR (3 TERM) PROGRAM (SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE FOR FUTURE INITIATIVES) Postgraduate program leading to a non-professional Master of Architecture degree, open to students with a professional degree in Architecture or a bachelor degree or equivalent in any field. This program requires attendance for 2.15

the fall, spring and summer terms.

Jeffrey Inaba and Paul Nakazawa Program Directors SCIFI trains graduates to shape the physical environment through urban design using advanced contemporary media. In each of the three one-semester SCI-FI studio courses, students develop proposals for urban districts, whole cities, regions, or countries with the purpose of influencing future values, policy goals, and design opportunities for the physical environment. After researching the urban, economic, political, and cultural circumstances of a study site, students are encouraged to prepare radical proposals that challenge the conventional wisdom that underlies existing urban planning decisions. By identifying potential economic and future benefits for the place of study, students are required to produce formal and spatial approaches that exceed the current expectations that urban design and architecture currently offer. The experience of working on these projects is intended to empower graduates with a set of skills founded upon a working process that combines creativity and rigorous strategic thinking to create opportunities for urban and architectural development.

Course structure First Term (fall)

Second Term (fall)

Third Term (summer)

DS1500 — 9 units

DS1501 — 9 units

DS1503 — 9 units

Design studio

Design studio

Design studio

VS2500 — 3 units

VS2501 — 3 units

VS2503 — 3 units

Introduction to Video and

Advanced Video and Motion

Graphic Design of the Book

Motion Graphics

Graphics

Elective — 3 units

Elective — 3 units

Elective— 3 units

Courses and Degree Requirements

MEDIASCAPES 1 YEAR (3 TERM) PROGRAM Postgraduate program leading to a non-professional Master of Architecture degree, open to students with a professional degree in Architecture or a bachelor degree or equivalent in any field. This program requires attendance for

2.16

the fall, spring and summer terms.

Ed Keller Program Director In the five years between 2007 and 2012, the world will experience greater technological advances in the mediascapes which form our everyday life than the entire previous fifty years of progress. The SCI-Arc MediaSCAPES program has been established as a response to these massive changes, as an academic platform defining a new paradigm in curriculum, research and design that critically responds to contemporary technologies and emergent geopolitical systems.

MediaSCAPES focuses on media production and theory in the context of today’s highly technologized cities, landscapes and architecture. The program leverages significant emerging relationships within technology, software, media, film and game spaces to produce new content and ideas in a “thinktank R&D” environment. The program curriculum blends an intensive design studio culture with theory, research and practice.

A cutting edge faculty team—with critics, lecturers, workshop leaders and guests drawn from academia and professional practice worldwide—provides students with training and a vital global network in both academic and professional contexts.

The MediaSCAPES program prepares students for thought leadership in positions in design, research and theory work across the fields of new media, architecture, landscape, and digital film. As well as providing a cutting edge curriculum that tests the limits of media today, MediaSCAPES functions as a research, design development and IP launching platform, creating an incubation environment for projects that work as seeds for the start of new companies across a range of commercial/industrial venues.

MediaSCAPES blends the mandates of a school, a think tank and a research lab with commercial sponsorship to push the boundaries of the relationship between culture and technology.

Course structure

Courses and Degree Requirements

Second Term (fall)

Third Term (summer)

DS1600 — 9 units

DS1601 — 9 units

DS1603 — 9 units

Design studio

Design studio

Design studio

VS2600 — 3 units

VS2601 — 3 units

VS2603 — 3 units

Elective — 3 units

Elective— 3 units

2.17

First Term (fall)

I Elective — 3 units

Courses and Degree Requirements

DESIGN studios

2.18

Core studios Undergraduate DS1010 // 1A studio // Material Strategies for the Physical World This first studio in a sequence of four foundation studios introduces the student to spatial problem-solving. A sequence of increasingly complex problems charge the students with working within two opposing knowledge-based fields: analytical and intuitive operations are applied to the study of materials, their potential for transformation, their capacity to suggest ideas and intentions, organizational concepts and abstract spaces. The interrelationship between the act of making and the process of execution are studied.

The studio begins with an examination of two-dimensional problems, then focuses on problem-solving in three dimensions.

Skills: Craft in drawing and model building/ plan, section, elevation drawing/ self-organization in work/ use of shop.

Concepts: Syntax of architecture/ seriality/ repetition/ fields.

DS1011 // 1B studio // Conceptual Strategies for the Physical World The premise of the second studio in the foundation sequence is that ideas, when deliberately assembled, become intellectual structures for conceptual strategies that direct notions of spatial ordering systems and architectural form. The relationship between the conceptual and the circumstantial will be examined in a series of evolutionary and interrelated projects which guide the student towards an understanding of sophisticated notions of spatial structures and material considerations.

Skills: Communication of spatial concepts/ projection drawing/ craft in model building and drawing.

Concepts: Abstract programming/ complex ordering systems/ matrices.

DS1020 // 2A studio // Formworks: Sites and Contexts Projects work within the variable conditions that determine the characteristics of a site, whether conceptual (eg.musical score, text, painting, idea) or physical (eg.location, geometrically described piece of property, legal boundary condition). Students explore the various conditional relationships that affect the reading and description of sites, and understand circumstance and environment as complex systems of information.

Skills: Analysis of data/ photographic depiction of information.

Concepts: Context/ conditions/ circumstance/ environment/ data sets/ geographies.

DS1021 // 2B studio // Frameworks: Programs Students examine the structure of information that organizes a project. Consideration for varying weaves of interrelationships is studied through increasingly complex data sets.

Students are challenged to work within specific conditions, as well as develop working

Courses and Degree Requirements

processes which yield their own ideas for organizational operations regarding space, site and context.

Skills: Familiarity with AutoCAD and hand drafting/ verbal presentation.

DS1030 // 3A studio // Field Operations: Static Architectural Systems The first studio of the core studio sequence locates the idea of architecture at the intersection of various systems of information: from technical to cultural, from visual to tactile. Students consider the uses of precedent and antecedent in their work, while the main investigation examines the impact of structure and material systems on site and building form, and the capacity to use transformation as a methodological tool to guide a rigorous approach to decision making.

Skills: Methodological decision making.

Concepts: Transformation and behavior alteration of simple systems.

DS1031 // 3B studio // Dynamic Architectural Systems: Anabolic, Metabolic, Catabolic This studio introduces students to the comprehensive development of a building, from conception to large-scale detail, with an emphasis on the assimilation of building systems. Students examine interrelated systems which are able to both modify the spatial structure of a building, and articulate expectations of their performance structurally, thermally, acoustically and environmentally.

Skills: R esearch, working process and design methodology/ technique (precision and purposefulness)/ 3D modeling.

Concepts: Performativity.

DS1040 // 4A studio // City Operations: Architecture in Critical Settings The premise of this studio is that cities and buildings are largely shaped by a dynamic flow of interrelated cultural, social, political and economic forces. During the course of the term, students test the nature of possible interfaces between architecture and its various settings within the contemporary city. This studio has two formats: in the fall term, it focuses on the development of a single project, while in the spring term, students work with a member of faculty to submit entries to significant architectural competitions.

Both terms are structured in such a way that theoretical assumptions are tested and developed as an integral part of the building design process.

4B // 5A // Vertical studio Students develop projects which explore particular interests and focus. They have the opportunity to work with architects visiting the school, and gain insight into a broad range of issues concerning approaches to building, the environment, technology, theoretical stances, and personal interests.

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Concepts: Analytical processes/ work process/ scenario planning.

Courses and Degree Requirements

DS1051 // 5B // Thesis studio The intent of the thesis studio is for student to demonstrate proficiency in making proposals for buildings that integrate knowledge from the principle disciplines represented within the program. Building Design, History, Theory and Humanities, 2.20

Technology, and Visual Studies weigh into the execution of a synthetic work of architecture. Students work with a committee consisting of representative members of each academic discipline, and design a project from proposals developed in the prior semester.

M.Arch 1 DS1100 // 1GA studio //Fundamental Architectural Principles 1: Elements of Space The first studio in a sequence of four foundation studios, this course introduces the student to fundamental issues of architecture. Through the study of the interrelationship of geometry, form, tectonics, and materiality, students are asked to continually develop and reconsider strategies for the production of architecture. The studio aims to endow students with a range of fundamental working methodologies. Through generative drawing, iterative material studies, generative modeling, descriptive drawing and analytical mapping and diagramming, students are expected to develop an intellectual framework as well as productive techniques for the development of spatial organizations, architectural forms and structural systems.

DS1101 // 1GB studio // Fundamental Architectural Principles 2: Organizational Systems This course is a continuation and expansion of the fundamental issues of architecture introduced in the first studio of the core sequence. The interrelationship between geometry, form, tectonics, and materiality is explored as it relates to overarching organizational systems and emergent systemic behaviors driven by programmatic content, structural logics and physical setting. Program and structure are considered to be creative components of design rather than fixed entities. The working methodologies introduced in 1GA are expanded and refined to allow each student to continue developing conceptual frameworks and productive techniques for the creation of architecture.

DS1120 // 2GA studio // Architecture’s Intervention 1: Context and Territory The first term in the second year of the core M.Arch 1 sequence builds upon the awareness of the discipline and knowledge of architectural production by focusing on issues of context. The studio is structured to hone each student’s awareness of the complex and layered issues involved in an architectural problem. Elemental spatial constructs and organizational systems are seen as resulting from and reacting to forces of site, context and territory. These influences are considered physical and virtual, permanent and ephemeral, situational and circumstantial. Qualities of site, situation and environment, as well as cultural contexts, are considered as potential tools with which to challenge conventional approaches to architectural design.

Courses and Degree Requirements

DS1121 // 2GB studio // Architecture’s Intervention 2: Urbanism, Landscapes and Infrastructures This studio examines the interrelationship between architecture and the city, deepening students’ understanding of the ways in which architecture can both inform, and be resources and research on various scales of operation—from housing to institutional and commercial building types that contribute to the formation of neighborhoods and public space—students are encouraged to design into existing urban conditions with a full understanding of the dynamic and interdependent forces of economics, ethnicity, culture, society, politics and infrastructure that have shaped the contemporary city.

M.Arch 2 DS1200 // 2GAX studio // Indeterminate Architecture Programmatics, geotechnics, structure, mechanics, commerce and environment are among the many fields which enable architecture to operate and perform. These technologies react to create an Architecture of Indeterminacy that favors multiple and temporal approaches to design over planning and orchestration, and allows architecture to participate in and reorganize our constantly shifting culture. This studio looks at the contemporary architectural platform and operates as a laboratory for finding new possibilities of integrating a wide range of techniques and technologies. Conventions and standards in architecture are challenged through a rigorous examination of other models of design and production, such as fashion, art, film and industrial design, creating a nonlinear process that can respond to a number of parameters, while exposing the disparate strategies and technologies inherent in the production of architecture. Students are also exposed to issues concerning the relationship of the part to the whole, repetition and structure, as well as the notion of variation and systemic manipulation through topological evolution.

DS1201 // 2GBX studio // On Forms of Tectonics and Cellullar Aggregation This studio explores topological evolution and systems of design intelligence, with an emphasis on the broader infrastructural role that architecture can play in the city. With its ability to both perform and organize at the same time, architecture, it is argued, is able to have an effect that is felt at the scale of the urban landscape.

DS1210 // X LAB Optional studio (M.Arch 2) The M.Arch 2 program at SCI-Arc is developing and expanding the domain of emerging technologies in the design and production of architecture. With this in mind, M.Arch 2 students are given the opportunity to continue their explorations and research into the future of architecture into their second year of study through XLAB, an optional studio offered in the third term of the program. Working in a laboratory environment, students

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informed by, the urban fabric into which it is woven. Through a full integration of design

Courses and Degree Requirements

develop the knowledge acquired in the first two semesters of the M.Arch 2 program, investigating and applying the possibilities of emerging technologies, theories and model production, and testing new design territories such as scripting, biogenetics, codes, new materials, biomimicry and cellular systems. This studio is offered as an alternative— 2.22

exclusive to M.Arch 2 students—to the vertical studio requirement at the 3GA level.

Vertical studios SCI-Arc’s upper level studios brings students into contact with renowned architects from all over the world whose work has placed them firmly at the forefront of the discipline. Visiting instructors have included Raymond Abraham, Lise-Anne Couture, Bill MacDonald, Sulan Kolatan, Brendan MacFarlane, Monica Ponce de Leon, Michael Malzan, Odile Decq and Andrew Zago, among others. Students from both undergraduate and graduate programs who have completed their core sequence work together in groups of fifteen or fewer.

Recent vertical studios include: DS1301 // LA Sky-High Raimund Abraham I shall tell you what I dreamt last night’ he says to Marco. ‘In the midst of a flat and yellow land, dotted with meteorites and erratic boulders, I saw from a distance the spires of a city rise, slender pinnacles, made in such a way that the moon and her journey can rest now on one, now on another, or sway from the cables of the cranes.

— Italo Calvino, Invisible Cities

This studio examined the interface between gravity and architecture in the city on an imaginary new plane like a wolkenkukuksheim—according to Aristophanes, ‘a city built by birds into the sky.’

DS1302 // Bahia Balandra Eric Owen Moss, John Enright Students developed proposals for an urban-scaled vacation resort that is actually planned for an area north of La Paz, Mexico, located on the Balandra Bay in the Sea of Cortes. Visiting critics included faculty from the Stanford University Humanities Lab and the Iberoamerica University in Mexico City, and professional structural engineers from Ove Arup, who also provided engineering reports for each of the final designs.

Students traveled to the site and researched the area in terms of physical, biological, and environmental conditions. They also investigated large-scale infrastructural typologies including marinas, piers, canals, tunnels, and bridges, and catalogued state-of-the-art sustainable systems such as desalination facilities, water reclamation projects, solar electric power, water purification, waste management, and power generation systems.

Courses and Degree Requirements

This research formed a basis for the more specific investigations of the final schemes, which presented solutions that addressed larger environmental issues specific to the site and region. The projects were presented to the developer in Mexico City and one of them is

DS1303 // New Cultures…Specters of the Spectrum Jean-Michel Crettaz New Cultures is an architectural design essay based on the investigation of current, yet unassimilated, initially invisible energies of cultural and scientific progress subsequently informing speculative concepts and scenarios of new Western life forms and architectures. The studio agenda invites speculative visions for new cultures. The program evolves from an interest in socio-cultural and political text—and sub-textures informing new generative processes of architectural design. The topic ‘new cultures’ initiates a critical discourse on contemporary Western cultures and technological progress subsequently defining the foundation of the design program and life form: specters of the spectrum. Quests and experimentations are initially sited within the framework of the human experience. The subject, reflecting new human needs, provides a field for coded, immersive and subversive phenomena, expressiveness and articulacy located the body/subject/material/space.

DS1304 // Pre-Fab: China Evan Douglis Targeting recent advancements made in parametric design, emergent materials and fabrication technology, the Pre-Fab: China studio attempts to reassess masscustomization by issuing new proposals for alternative prefabricated houses for a global marketplace. Inspired by an ever-increasing trend for variation and difference as typified within our current design and consumer culture, as well as a call for action due to a continuous worldwide shortage of housing due to ongoing environmental and economic instability, pre-fab architecture holds great promise as a compelling agent for change.

Structured as an experimental research laboratory, our intention is to highlight new and emerging practices and their corresponding effects for the first pre-fab LUNIT home.

Proposed as a universal system of interchangeable and adaptive building components, this revolutionary modular house is conceived as a multi-national fleet of domestic vehicles capable of accommodating a variety of cultural, site, program and spatial applications.

DS1305 // Fleshology, ‘Becoming Animal’: The Horrific and the Grotesque Hernan Diaz Alonso Flesh/organs are the two components that are scrutinized in this studio. By means of tall structures and adjoining parts, the studio reveals design procedures as dynamic relationships. If skyscrapers are primarily intervened by means of their typological strength, we grow them by means of their topological intensity. Assuming what is at stake is tall buildings’ vertical vertigo, we concentrate on their interior, not in the manner of

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likely be developed for future construction.

Courses and Degree Requirements

structure, core or repetitive stacks. Instead we develop active nesting techniques where the inner body is not a sequential vertical proliferation but rather a discontinuous organic growth; at the same time, this inner mass stretches in and out of the outer flesh. Flesh differs from surface for its layered nature; it cannot be detached from the inner organs, 2.24

it is just one more coat, it is deeply attached, it stretches and compresses for the sake of smoothness, porosity and voluptuousness.

DS1306 // Vertical Studio Coy Howard The objective of the studio is to broaden students’ intellectual understanding of aesthetics and increase the range of students’ skill sets in order to promote a more robust personal aesthetic. Through readings, exercises and projects, the studio challenges the current dominance of reductive abstraction in architectural education, developing ideas and sensibilities in areas that include the beautiful, the iconic, the symbolic, the decorative, the mysterious, the transrational, the frivolous and the humorous, as well as in the more pragmatic aspects of architecture. Central to these explorations is the arousal and stimulation of the student’s personal curiosity and open-mindedness to the possibility of a richer range of architectural expression than is currently in vogue.

DS1307 // SCI-FI: South China Jeffrey Inaba, Paul Nakazawa, visiting faculty In China, the southern part of the country has been considered crude and unsophisticated. Wildly independent and unselfconscious of their northern counterparts, the southern Chinese are notoriously inventive and entrepreneurial. This is evident in south Chinese cities. Pearl River Delta cities like Guangzhou, Zhuhai, and Zhongshan exemplify the extreme accomplishments and surprising failures of efforts to create a contemporary city. Unlike the American or European city, its infrastructure, patterns of growth, and architecture do not fit previous paradigms. Instead, they represent the blueprint for the 21st century city. The studio studies urban growth in South China and makes design proposals for ‘failed’ cities.

DS1308 // Riverfront Housing and Mixed-use Development Ray Kappe and Sam Hall Kaplan The Los Angeles River has the unique potential of being both an engaging public amenity and a catalyst for complementary development. What is needed is a vision that addresses this challenge to mark it as the eastern gateway to downtown and an anchor for contiguous, nascent neighborhoods. Such an opportunity exists east of SCI-Arc across Santa Fe, on a site bounded by the First Street and Sixth Street bridges and the river.

The studio demonstrates an exciting use of the river for market-rate housing, loft-work, student housing, and affordable housing, that also includes commercial use, offices and riverfront restaurants and entertainment. Interested citizens, council members, river advocates, developers and present landowners interact with the studio. Urban concerns, environmental response, sun access, energy consumption, green architecture and

Courses and Degree Requirements

building systems are discussed in the development of viable architectural solutions to entice developers and the city to seriously consider the efficacy of student proposals.

DS1309 // Water, Infrastructure, Geopolitics: Urban Systems Ed Keller, Juan Azulay, Moji Baratloo Contemporary urban design has to deal with an ever more complex network of landscapes. Water as a resource is of global concern. Control of water, protocols for its use, and an evaluation of the overall influence of water infrastructure on urban morphology are key factors for socio-political formations over the coming decades. The impact of these factors on urban use patterns, as well as developing architectural, urban and political morphologies has not been adequately studied. This studio undertakes a groundbreaking study of current urban, technological and political paradigm shifts and proposes new urban morphologies based on a range of networks coming into being in this decade.

DS1310 // Tangled Structure/Fiber Space Peter Testa, Ian Ferguson This studio is based on the idea of tangled structures—massively distributed networks made up of relatively weak cross-linked fibrous elements that are the basic building blocks of structures in nature. There are also many precedents for this idea within architecture, from gothic interweaving to arabesques; textile techniques from twoto three-dimensional weaving; Fine Arts from Pollack to Eliasson; Mathematics from topology to tangle theory; and science from topological enzymology to tissue engineering. A key characteristic of this structural morphology is that patterning, form, and organization are an informal or emergent effect. Studio projects explore in depth the aesthetics and performative parameters of tangled and patterned surface structures as an alternative to modern assembled structures. Design research is conducted into the material basis for this idea in the context of advanced engineering and contemporary construction methods.

DS1311 // Architectural Research Program: Sustainable Architecture in the New Millennium, Nader Khalili Students gain hands-on construction experience and participate in sustainable design development as they camp out in the Mojave Desert at Hesperia, California. Projects include Earth One, a sustainable model house; Moon Cocoon, a very small house prototype; and UN emergency shelter and reconstruction.

DS1312 // Tall Buildings in Flat Spreads Robert Mangurian, Mary-Ann Ray The studio tackles real situations within a place and culture where much of the world’s construction is taking place. One of these situations, related to city making in new urban Asia, is the required production of density (to partially face the reality of limited energy in

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Management, Resource Flow, and the Networked City-State

Courses and Degree Requirements

the future/present). This requirement results in the mandate of the tall building (stand tall, and sometimes wiggle, slide, squirm, and hide). Add this requirement to social and spatial aspects of urban life in China that have always been present, and what occurs is a new alchemy begging for new architectures. The standard studio within schools 2.26

of Architecture seems to avoid this project—projects are usually clever lumps, fields of stuff, smaller widgets fitting into the cracks, and other rather interesting programs and forms. Some programs don’t seem to be addressed. One is suburban housing and another is high rise construction— office, hotel, housing, and ..... In Beijing today, there are probably 250 high rise buildings in various states of construction. Multiply this by a hundred large Chinese cities. Our estimates could be low. In our city, Los Angeles, we have not built a tall building for about twenty years.

DS1313 // Conservation / Development in Hawai’i Ian Robertson, Nels Hefty This studio examines conservation development opportunities presented by an ahupuaa in Hawaii. The ahupuaa is a Hawaiian form of land division extending from the mountain to the ocean. In Western terms, it may be viewed as an intact 10,000 acre watershed. Hawaii is chosen for the study site because it is the most remote place on earth; has the largest number of distinct ecosystems of any place of similar size; has a unique sociological background in that it was settled by ocean voyaging Polynesians 800 to 2,000 years ago; has a unique background of land use laws (the laws of the Kingdom of Hawai’i are expressly included by the state constitution as part of the legal system); all the while being part of the United States. Students examine the characteristics of the site and the geopolitical aspects of Hawai’i. Each student is asked to develop a proposed project that is responsive to the economic, sociological, and environmental constraints of the site.

Students are required to address the concerns of the land owner, the land use dictates of the County of Hawaii, and the customs and practices of native Hawaiians.

GRADUATE THESIS Hernan Diaz Alonso, Coordinator DS1420 (M.Arch 1 and M.Arch 2) Since its founding, SCI-Arc has maintained a proud tradition of graduate design theses.

In addition to a consistent stewardship of the thesis within the architectural discipline, SCI-Arc has been dedicated to the empowerment of individual design vision on the global stage. The graduate thesis program at SCI-Arc represents a culmination of the graduate curriculum and a significant test of the students’ ability to synthesize and produce critical and rigorous architecture.

For M.Arch 1 students, preparation for the thesis begins at the end of the first year, when they submit portfolios of their work to a graduate review committee, who review their

Courses and Degree Requirements

strategies of representation and ability to communicate effectively. Prior to entering the Thesis Research and Preparation class (thesis prep), all graduate students submit their portfolios, which provide immediate feedback on their particular design vision and serve as a solid foundation for the development and direction of each individual student. In their argument and the research and materials necessary for an intelligent thesis.

Upon successful completion of thesis prep, students are encouraged to strengthen their thesis arguments through the selection of a thesis advisor of their choice with whom they will work independently on their design thesis. Thesis advisors are not limited to SCI-Arc faculty: students may select advisors from outside the school in order to foster an intellectually challenging relationship. During the thesis term, students undergo a series of public reviews, with their advisor present, to evaluate progress and develop their projects in the light of the collective intellect of the reviewing body.

The SCI-Arc graduate thesis program culminates in a public two-day event in which students present their thesis projects to critics from all over the world. A celebration of academic achievement, the SCI-Arc thesis weekend is widely regarded as a major forum for the discussion of fresh insights and innovative concepts among noted theoreticians and practicing architects.

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thesis prep, students work in small, topical workgroups, led by a thesis advisor, to prepare

Courses and Degree Requirements

CULTURAL STUDIES

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Dora Epstein-Jones, Coordinator Cultural Studies at SCI-Arc is uniquely tailored to meet the educational needs of emerging architects and designers in the contemporary field. As a necessary step in their enculturation, ‘Cultural Studies’ at SCI-Arc refers to the study of architectural cultures: design cultures, building cultures, disciplinary interiority and exteriority, canons and traditions, critiques and avant-gardisms. In this manner, it is both fundamental and interdisciplinary: the core program at both the undergraduate and graduate levels is comprised of courses in Urban Studies, Visual Culture, Philosophy, New Media, Critical Theory, and all aspects of Architectural History, Theory and Criticism.

After completion of their core studies, students may enroll in a series of advanced seminar electives which represent the most current conceptualizations, discourse and production in architectural studies. In addition to courses offered by regular faculty, the Cultural Studies program seeks authors and critics worldwide to share their recent work in this forum. Many courses are offered in conjunction with publications and conferences, or enlist the active participation of students in research endeavors. Therefore, while some elective courses do recur, all are subject to shifts in content and attention.

CORE CULTURAL STUDIES SEMINARS Undergraduate CS2010 // Fields and Practices: Introduction to Design Cultures This course serves as an introduction, overview and preview of the SCI-Arc curriculum, and as an introduction to the immense variety of pathways available to students as they move ahead in the world as a designer and, possibly, as an architect. The aims of the class are to expose students to a broad range of design work in the fields of furniture, architecture, interior space, set design, exhibition design, product design, and landscape, and to develop in them the eye and senses of the curious and critical observer of the products of design culture.

CS2011, CS2014 // Writing in Architecture: ESL/ELL The class helps undergraduates improve their English language usage and composition skills. Students read literary and architectural theory, and respond to the work in their writing. Goals for the course are to develop a vocabulary to discuss studio projects; conduct research based on primary and secondary sources; compose and rewrite an essay in preparation for upper-division Cultural Studies assignments; and draft a basic proposal to fund projects. These are supplemented by in-class creative writing assignments to better perceive writing ‘off the page’.

Courses and Degree Requirements

CS2012 // History of Architecture 1: Prehistory to Middle Ages This course introduces students to the history of world architecture by examining the origins and elaboration of human settlements and architecture from prehistory to the medieval era. Particular attention is given to the evolving status and role of the architect category of cultural artifact.

CS2013 // Humanities 1: Antiquity to the Middle Ages This introductory survey course addresses ancient cultural production with a framework that extends beyond a normative Western trajectory with an interest in tracing parallel histories in disparate geographical and cultural locales. The course addresses art,architecture, music and literature in ancient Greece, Rome, Africa, Egypt, Asia, Europe and beyond. The task of this course is to survey historical cultures as well as to reframe historical conditions of culture through the lens of contemporary discourse.

CS2020 // History of Architecture 2: Renaissance to the Enlightenment History of Architecture 2 covers the development of architecture and urban culture from the Renaissance to the end of the 19th century. It surveys developments of the 15th century, including the revival of architecture and the rise of a new attitude toward the aesthetic and civic potential of the built domain; the emergence of architectural practice from the traditional workshop system and the establishment of the ‘discipline’ in the modern sense; the advent of new representational practices; the rise of the institution of the academy in the 16th and 17th centuries; the invention of new building technologies and materials in pace with the aesthetic, scientific and social theories of the 18th and 19th centuries; and the increased awareness of an urban subjectivity and the rise of a science of urban planning in the industrialized era.

CS2021 // Humanities 2: Renaissance to Romanticism This seminar looks at the early modern age of Western civilization, along with developments in non-Western cultures, from the end of the ‘dark ages’ to the advent of modernism in the mid 19th century. Assumptions about the period are examined critically, along with texts and art works that preceded and influenced the modern age, and which to a large extent define the way we think and behave today. The role of the arts in society and their relation to socio-economic, political, and religious conditions are examined, along with the relationship of artists to their own times and to the classical past. The course presents wider contexts as well as looking closely at strategies and techniques used in works from The Song of Roland to George Büchner’s Woyzeck.

C S2022 // History of Architecture 3: Industrial Revolution to Contemporary Discourses This class presents a history of 20th century architecture and urbanism, from 19th century tectonics and structural rationalism to the emergence of deconstruction and the contemporary avant-garde. The course examines critical moments in the creative and

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in the ancient world as well as to the development of architecture as an autonomous

Courses and Degree Requirements

intellectual discourses that have arisen over the course of the century, a time in which the discipline of Architecture has endured innumerable theoretical debates that forged an ever-greater reliance upon theoretical sources and visual knowledge. Among the issues

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discussed are the rise of industrial production of new technologies and mass urbanization.

CS2023 // Humanities 3: Modernism in Literature, Art and Film This seminar looks at the background, nature, evolution and multiple facets of modernism, and how these connect through the arts. The ways in which artists in all fields have responded to modernity is discussed, along with the impact of new technologies, art forms, and social and economic conditions. Students develop a faculty for literary, film and art criticism, and an awareness of the ways in which similar themes, techniques and world outlooks have recurred at different times in different media since the advent of modernism. The course operates at two scales, presenting the wider context for each topic as well as looking closely at strategies used by writers, artists and film-makers from Baudelaire to Wong Kar-Wai. CS2030 // Introduction to Urban Systems This course examines the city as a dynamic process composed of so-called ‘open systems’—infrastructural, economic, environmental and socio-cultural—that interact with each other. Through an exploration of their interrelationship, these systems are understood as historically determined, and are presented in the class in rough chronological order, from water and sewage systems to fiber optic and wireless technologies.

CS2031 // Philosophy of Technology With an emphasis on social theories of agency, network and production, this course provides a focused survey of classical and contemporary debates surrounding the philosophy of technology. This seminar emphasizes issues of particular importance for architects; namely technologies of form, embodiment, representation, modeling and structure, and the ways in which their attendant problematics have been addressed by different philosophical and critical traditions. Readings range from Lucretius to Leibniz and from Frankenstein to Foucault. Students are required to write a midterm paper, a final paper, and to produce a seminar research topic according to the annual seminar theme.

CS2040 // Introduction to Critical Studies This course explores the relationship between critical and cultural theory and architecture—a relationship that is seen to be both co-constructive and precarious— and introduces the basic conceptual frameworks of contemporary critical and cultural theory, with an emphasis on their intersections with architecture, either as material fact or theoretical discourse. Students are asked to read primary texts from fields of study including Marxism, Freudian psychoanalysis, structuralism, semiotics, feminism, deconstruction, and post-structuralism. In addition, readings from architectural culture and analysis of built projects will be considered.

Courses and Degree Requirements

CS2050 // Thesis preparation Thesis prep is built around preparing students to take on independent research, with specific techniques and critical approaches through which to develop their work. The course is coupled with the thesis in a year-long effort which results in the presentation of develop their projects through collaborative teams with consultants from each of these study areas (cultural, visual and applied studies).

Thesis prep and thesis studio are seen as a comprehensive project and students are required to undertake them at SCI-Arc, not while studying abroad.

M.Arch 1 CS2100 // Architecture Culture 1 This course introduces students to the history of the discipline of Architecture in Western culture from the Vitruvian tradition as instantiated by Alberti to the beginning of the industrialized modern period. The course considers architecture as both a profession and a discipline, and explores its relationship to the society, economy, politics, and cultural developments of this time period. Theories of aesthetics and space are covered, as well as the rise of the academy, the inclusion of landscape and other arts in architectural studies, and the subsequent fragmentation—from the Enlightenment onwards—of Classical ideals into broad questions of origin, type, and identity. In the last section of the course, emphasis is placed on the 19th century debates of historicism and style that have impacted the development of an identifiable architectural culture in the modern era.

CS2101 // Architecture Culture 2 This course introduces students to their more immediate heritage in the emergent architectural discipline, and to its concomitant problematics in the modern and postmodern eras. In the first section of the semester, the discipline is considered in relation to the radical changes brought about by social, political and economic events from the Industrial Revolution to the Second World War. The linkage of architecture and morality, the rise of the metropolis , the development of urban design, and the adoption of the machine as model and metaphor are key themes of investigation. In the second section, the consequences of the transition from the modern to the postmodern is considered in architecture. Emphasis is placed on the canonization of modernism into high modernism following the Second World War and its subsequent critique and decline.

Throughout the course, issues of race, colonization, class and gender are understood as constituent factors of global—and hence architectural—culture.

CS2120 // The Rise and Fall of Theory Vanguardism This course concentrates on the ways in which the shift from philosophy to ‘theory,’ following the events of 1968, directly affected the intellectual life of architecture from the 1970s to today. Through an examination of scholarly journals, school curricula, and

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an integrated building proposal that incorporates the three major study areas. Students

Courses and Degree Requirements

intellectual discourse and debate in architecture, students are introduced to the rise and fall of these theory vanguards —their continuous critique and the influence it has had on the work of architects. Furthermore, given the significant challenges to critique in recent work, students are asked to consider its influence on the rapidly changing nature 2.32

of contemporary architectural practice.

CS2121 // Urban Studies: History, Theory, Criticism This semester of study presents students with a range of contemporary research methods for understanding the complex, multivalent and dynamic set of systems and pressures known as ‘the city.’ In order to provide rigor and intensity, the urban studies course is divided into three small seminars that align exactly with the sections of the 2GB studio. Through various methods and theories—from market research to scenario analysis to historiography—students are asked to formulate interpretations of urbanism and apply these to their studio projects. Because SCI-Arc innately understands the shifting nature of this discourse, the courses in Urban Studies endeavor to represent the most current paradigms and orientations.

M.Arch 2 CS2200 // Modern, Postmodern, Supermodern This seminar tracks the short but intense history of architecture’s transition from modernism to postmodernism to supermodernism. Within the context of the last three decades of the 20th century, it is argued that contemporary architectural practices have been dominated by, and characterized by, different modes of communication. Through the rigorous study of architectural practices that have moved from an emphasis on meaning to one of immersive experience, this seminar focuses on the communicative potentials and critical explorations of contemporary architectural design.

CS2201 // Design Intelligence This seminar focuses on an emergent form of post-vanguard design practice that employs testing and prototyping to create design knowledge, or design intelligence. This seminar details the emergence of this new intelligence paradigm through readings drawn from a variety of contemporary debates in philosophy, science, strategic gaming and other areas, before turning to a series of firm-specific case studies that explicitly address the role of intelligence in contemporary design practice.

Courses and Degree Requirements

Recurring Cultural Studies electives Please note that these courses are not offered every semester and are subject to change. Check the latest course schedule for current course offerings, and visit SCI-Portal for each semester’s course descriptions.

Tulay Atak The primary objective of this course is to introduce the cultural and historical background of current theories on form. It intends to distinguish between different approaches to form in architecture, especially between form generation and formalism as sets of practices that involve the social and cultural aspects of architecture. Rather than attempting global definitions of form and formalism, this course focuses on a number of themes linked to formal organizational concepts and analyses of selected case studies in contemporary architecture.

CS2302 // Urban Planning and Development David Bergman This course provides a basic background in the planning and land use system in California as well as providing exposure to elements of the land development process. Students gain an understanding of the land use and regulatory environment in which architecture and urban design takes place. The course centers on a weekly lecture along with an assignment related to interpretation of a zoning code.

CS2303 // Terrorism and Architecture Benjamin Bratton This seminar focuses on the interrelations of architecture-as-politics and politics-asarchitecture. Following a proposition that 9/11 has made terrorism a key factor in late modernity, terrorism is examined as an architectural phenomenon. With an inherently spatial program, political and cultural institutions are reconsidered as embodied explicitly by their architectural manifestations.

CS2304 // Video-City Jeffrey Inaba This course presents video as an alternative to the book as a medium for generating urban hypotheses and speculation. A hands-on workshop, students produce short planning manifestoes for Southern California’s Inland Empire, exploring the unique ability of video to readily integrate visual information, while attempting to exacerbate video’s capacity to seamlessly document and fictionalize its subject matter.

CS2305 // Discipline & Reward Dora Epstein Jones This course examines the critique of discipline (following Foucault) and the effects of that critique on the theories, profession and practice of architecture. Dedicated to the idea that the discipline of Architecture is far more agile and accepting than critique has figured, this course urges students to explore and use its standards, norms, techniques and habits

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CS2301 // Form to Informe

Courses and Degree Requirements

in new and rewarding ways. The course is conducted in two parts: as a seven-week survey of the discipline and its critical engagement in architectural discourse, and as a sevenweek investigative study into the possibilities of a transformative, rather than restrictive,

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architectural discipline.

CS2306 // Active Time in Landscape, Architecture and Cinema Ed Keller Cinema has compressed into just over one century all the representational and philosophical themes that our built environment has been driven by for over a thousand years. This evolution of film has been informed, in many ways, by the history of landscape theory: moving from the primarily visual, to the compositional and symbolic, to the compositional and material, to the active landscape, and the discovery of network systems on macro and microscopic levels. This course tracks this catalog of time landscapes through several dozen films. A wide range of film genres and periods give cinematic illustrations of each concept of landscape, and are joined with selected examples from landscape, urbanism, and architecture.

C S2307 // Parallel Worlds: The Imaginary Twentieth Century and Other Architectural Myths Norman Klein In 1876, both the light bulb and the telephone—new inventions of immense importance to architecture—were given spectacular architectural premieres. Afterwards, hundreds of illustrations, utopian and sci-fi novels and films caricatured what the new industrial century might look like. None of these guesses were accurate; but almost all remain eerily familiar today, like bizarre facelifts that resemble someone you knew. Students are invited to design 3D versions of parallel worlds—on the computer, and as maquettes.

These will become part of a large database novel in DVD-ROM, to be exhibited from 2006 onward. Visits from various guest artists and scholars are included in the course, to sharpen what is possible.

CS2308 // Non-Creative Writing Bruna Mori In this course, focused on the craft of writing, students are encouraged to be as experimental and disciplined with text as they are with their architecture in this workshop-style class. Featured guests include fiction writer Aimee Bender (author of The Girl in the Flammable Skirt and An Invisible Sign of My Own) and poet David Hernandez (author of Man Climbs Out of Manhole and A House Waiting for Music). Techniques for writing poetry, prose poems, short stories, fiction, and hybrid forms are reviewed. Weekly presentations of student writing and assigned literature are supplemented with live readings, videos, recordings, and attendance at a spoken word event.

Courses and Degree Requirements

CS2309 // Architectural Education in the 21st Century Michael Speaks The seminar reviews many recent attempts to ‘take stock’ of contemporary architectural education in an effort to discern how schools have addressed and are addressing new educational paradigm or model is required, and if so, how and where it might be developed. The seminar is divided into two seven-week sessions, one each in the fall and spring. The spring session focuses on SCI-Arc: on its educational mission, past, present and future. Interviews are conducteed and responses solicited from those who have played an important role in shaping the institute from its foundation to the present.

CS2310 // Near Futures Michael Speaks The English novelist J.G. Ballard is one of the most important innovators of speculative fiction in the latter half of the 20th century. Breaking with normative Science Fiction, set on other planets in the far distant future, Ballard inaugurated a form of speculative fiction, or ‘near future’ writing that continues to influence novelists, filmmakers, and urbanists today. Through close readings and film screenings, this course examines many examples of speculative near-futures. In each case, students are asked to reflect on the plausibility of these scenarios, and their role as future architects.

recent special project Cultural Studies electives Please note that these courses are not offered every semester and are subject to change. Check the latest course schedule for current course offerings, and visit SCI-Portal for each semester’s course descriptions.

CS2311 // Hydrotectonics: An Ethical Survey of Urbanism and Water Juan Azulay and Ed Keller The control of any vast, networked system requires both a conceptual power to think and see the extents to which it is interconnected over time with other systems—some visible and some hidden—and also a conceptual and technical rigor to understand the practical techne of ‘systems control’ and engineering. This seminar merges those two modes of thinking to develop a contemporary model of geopolitical ethics based on examples and theories of urban water systems control chosen throughout history.

CS2312 // Triple A: Angelino Art Ascendant Howard Fox This lecture/seminar course traces the emergence and ascendance of Southern California as an international focal point for the creation of contemporary art from the 1960s to the present. It investigates a mix of historical directions, major figures, significant followers, and some outsiders through a continuum of art that ranges from the light-and-space movement to assemblage, to SoCal’s unique contribution to the development of conceptual, video, performance, and new media art. Sessions also focus on such politically radical movements as chicano, black, feminist, and gay art.

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the challenges facing architecture today. Specifically, the course asks whether a

Courses and Degree Requirements

CS2313 // Cross-Cutting: Fashion in Architecture Brooke Hodge This seminar explores the common threads and underpinnings of fashion and architecture. It asks ask how they affect each field, and how fashion has influenced 2.36

architecture and vice-versa. In addition to in-depth study of the work of individual fashion designers, it looks at stylistic tendencies shared by the worlds of fashion and architecture, including deconstruction, minimalism, and post-modernism. For their final project, students are asked to design a garment based on a work of architecture that engages space as well as the body.

CS2314 // The History of Cities: From Origins to the Ephemeral City Joel Kotkin The purpose of the class is to understand the evolution of cities from the earliest periods to the contemporary scene. The first half of the class deals largely in conceptual and historical issues. The second half of the class deals with contemporary urban issues, such as urban poverty, the role of suburbia, downtowns and ‘urban villages’.

CS2315 // Deleuze and New Scientific Thinking Neil Leach This course draws upon the work of Gilles Deleuze, a philosopher who was himself deeply influenced by scientific theories, and whose philosophy has been described as a ‘biophilosophy’. It also draws upon a range of new scientific thinking which engages with topics like emergence, chaos theory and complexity. The aim is to draw connections between Deleuze’s philosophical thought, new scientific thinking, and recent developments within the digital realm, especially the use of cellular automata, genetic algorithms and other generative tools. In so doing, the course investigates an influential new strand of thinking that is having an increasing influence on architectural production.

CS2316 // Urban Design in the Middle East: Space and the Politics of Development Ali Modarres This seminar provides an overview of urban development in the Middle East. Focusing mostly on the last two centuries, the class examines the political economy of urban design and the socio-spatial restructuring of cities in this region. Through case studies that portray the confluence of political, economic, and cultural structures with design, students analyze how urban morphology and urban aesthetics were affected by the forces of colonialism, nationalism, and modernism.

CS2317 // Digital Architecture: Fabricating Ideology Joseph Rosa This seminar traces the trajectory of digital pedagogy and practice of architecture, from early, rarely realized, 20th century precursors of non-Cartesian aesthetics, to its formation and evolution from deconstructivist ideology. By examining the evolution

Courses and Degree Requirements

of digital architecture from its inception in the early 1990s to the present, the course shows how these new frontiers are widening as practices fuse with other media to carry forward varying aesthetic explorations, embodying diverse ideologies and generating new typologies that are changing the way architecture is fabricated, aestheticized and 2.37

perceived in the 21st century.

CS2318 // Incarnate Urbanism—A Symposium Paulette Singley The ability of food production and consumption to generate urban communities remains central—and yet surprisingly peripheral within the mainstream discussion—to any understanding of urban design. From urban gardening and the need to make our cities more sustainable, to public markets or grocery stores, and on to the places where we eat, the culinary axis of urbanism is a dominant dimension of public space and performance.

Topics include a brief history of public space and public dining, the grotesque and carnivalesque in urban design, an inquiry into the aesthetics of eating, the city as a table, dining as performance, slow and fast spaces, still life painting as food formalism, the status of figuration and ‘body-blobs,’ and the idea of the urban recipe or menu.

CS2319 // Whatever Happened to LA? Peter Zellner This seminar examines the genesis of Los Angeles as a physical and ideological site for experimentation between 1970 and 1990. It focuses on the post-Case Study period, in which Los Angeles was ‘re-discovered’ as a contemporary city and became defined by the emergence, from its unique set of urban circumstances, of the ‘LA School’ of architects, including Gehry, Morphosis, Eric Owen Moss and Studio Works.

Courses and Degree Requirements

HARDTECH/ APPLIED STUDIES

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Marcelo Spina, Coordinator Architecture is about the way we make worlds, worlds populated with subjects and objects, the definitions of which are always mediated by their cultural significance.

Embedded in that act of ‘making’ as the transposition and materialization of abstract ideas into spatial form, is the conception of technology as the necessary means by which that complex process takes place. The continuous definition and challenge of the multiple ways we make the world and its physical environment constitute the fundamental motivation of the Hardtech /Applied Studies program at SCI-Arc. The program offers a range of courses that critically engage technology and its spatial and social consequences. Foundation courses are offered in Physics and other sciences, building systems, structural analysis, tectonics, material development, acoustics, lighting and environmental control. Advanced courses explore the design consequences of the continued material and technical development of architectural proposals in the physical world. Elective courses offer the unique opportunity to further research and experiment with highly specific technologies that constantly redefine the conventions of architecture as a discipline and as a practice.

Recent courses explore topics as diverse as parametric design, structural optimization, advanced geometry, composite tectonics, material research and development, complex assemblies, as well as ecology, biomimicry and solar performance.

CORE HARDTECH/APPLIED STUDIES SEMINARS Undergraduate AS3010 // Introduction to the Physical World: Materials, Behaviors, Forces This course introduces students to the physical properties governing works of architecture and their material making. Drawing upon Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Philosophy, the class examines concepts relating to energy and forces. These include gravity and thermal forces, material qualities such as brittleness and flexibility, reactions between forces and materials such as tension and compression. Properties and performance of materials are investigated through the development of a series of physical models and a final term paper.

AS3020 // Introduction to Environment and Climate Context and environment are the two fundamental terms examined in this course.

Beginning with an understanding of what constitutes the experience of place, the class develops a series of arguments with which to evaluate environments, the relationship between man and nature, and the architectural notion of what constitutes comfort. The course investigates to what extent the understanding of the environment is culturally and biologically determined. Students conduct their own research into a chosen area of

Courses and Degree Requirements

climatology and develop schematic buildings proposals for various climactic conditions while making design decisions that conserve natural and built resources.

AS3021 // Structures 1: Forces and Vectors

as force and unit stress, equilibrium and span, stiffness, and the reasons materials change shape when subjected to loads. Through a number of assignments, which include exercises in shear and bending moment diagrams and the calculation of equilibrium and internal forces in trusses, students are provided with a practical basis for understanding structures and their behavior.

AS3030 // Structures 2: Long Span and Lateral Systems This course offers an insight into methods of lateral load resistance within structures.

The class examines concepts and definitions of lateral loads and the structural systems used to resist those loads, as well as it considers the influence of various load resisting systems on architectural design projects. By focusing on loads caused by wind and seismic forces within long span buildings, the class introduces students to building code requirements pertaining to loads, lateral load-resisting systems and moment-resisting reinforced concrete structural systems.

AS3031 // Tempering the Environment: Light, Air and Sound This course introduces students to the basic physical principles, design implications and performance of environmental systems by focusing on the behavior of lighting, acoustical and climate modification systems within the built environment. The course relies upon the assumption that a careful integration of these elements within an architectural project, especially in the impact these elements have on building envelopes, can contribute significantly to improving the quality of our environment. Life-safety systems are also discussed, with a special emphasis on movement systems and egress.

The class is divided into three independent modules, each of which addresses a single environmental system and is taught by a professional engineer specializing in the field.

AS3032 // Smart and Sustainable Systems This class examines principles of sustainability by providing students with criteria for making decisions in architecture and urban design based on the preservation of natural and built resources­—including important building and sites­—and the creation of healthful communities. The course introduces a range of models and philosophies pertaining to a ‘sustainable’ approach to architecture. Each session takes one notion of sustainability and explores it through a series of presentations, readings and assignments.

Case studies are used to examine the practical application of abstract ideals, and of more technical aspects such as water and sewage management, thermal transfer strategies in buildings, and embodied energy in materials and construction processes.

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Beginning with a broad understanding of the ways in which materials work at the molecular level, this course introduces students to principles governing structure such

Courses and Degree Requirements

AS3033 // Tectonics: Construction, Assembly and Detail This course explores the considerations and concepts that govern architecture within a tectonic tradition of craft, construction, detail and assembly. The class examines techniques and technologies through contemporary precedents as well as through their 2.40

application in current designs and studio projects. By focusing on various construction principles, materials and their particular use, different methods of fabrication, assembly and detail, and the integration of mechanical and electrical systems within the building envelope, the class focuses on their design impact in the overall conception and experience of a building. Exercises are carried out in model form, both physically and digitally, and simultaneously documented in CAD. AS3040 // Design Documentation: Analysis and Development This course investigates issues related to the implementation of design: technology, the use of materials, systems integration, and the archetypal analytical strategies of force, order and character. The course includes a review of basic construction methods, analysis of building codes, the design of structural and mechanical systems, the development of building materials and the integration of building components and systems. Students are asked to select their studio project from the previous semester to develop, focusing on a detailed design of a single component of the building and the resolution of its structural system and building envelope as a whole.

AS3041 // Design Documentation: Construction Documents The goal of this course is to provide students with a comprehensive knowledge of the perfectible craft of construction documentation, a standardized language developed to clearly communicate complex designs to a third party. Students refine their skills through the production of a full construction documentation package, drawn in 2D and 3D CAD, for a small to medium-scale single story residence. In doing so, they also develop an understanding of what types of technically precise documents and outlined specifications need to be produced and in what sequence, and of the languages of other disciplines, such as mechanical, electrical, and acoustical engineering. This class also introduces students to the basics of cost analysis and construction management.

AS3050 // Practice Environments: Contracts, Liability, Business Models This course examines critically the role of professional architectural practices in the development and direction of architectural design, production and pedagogy. As its basis, the course comprises a survey of the architectural profession—its licensing and legal requirements, its adherence to the constraints of codes and budgets, and its place among competing professions and financial interests. Students gain an understanding of the architect’s administrative role, and of issues relating to obtaining commissions, selecting and coordinating consultants, negotiating contracts, and project management.

They also develop the skills necessary to effectively communicate to clients and user groups. Trends such as globalization and outsourcing are analyzed in their capacity to substantially affect the practice of an architect.

Courses and Degree Requirements

M.Arch 1 AS3100 // Material Properties, Industrial Processes and Structural Principles This class introduces students to fundamental structural principles with a strong investigation into the anatomy of material and its potential use in architecture. The goal of the class is to provide students with a thorough understanding of materials, and of the design methods, techniques, and industrial processes by which they acquire meaning in an architectural and building context. By means of direct testing and experimentation, the class explores technical and rational manipulations of traditional as well as novel materials, aiming to develop an expansive understanding of their physical nature, environmental impact and possible reuse.

AS3101 // Structures 1: Forces and Vectors Beginning with a broad understanding of the ways in which materials work at the molecular level, this course introduces students to principles governing structure such as force and unit stress, equilibrium and span, stiffness, and the reasons materials change shape when subjected to loads. Through a number of assignments which include exercises in shear and bending moment diagrams and the calculation of equilibrium and internal forces in trusses, students are provided with a practical basis for understanding structures and their behavior.

AS3120 // Structures 2: Techniques and Implementation: Connections and Systems Based on a series of lectures, this course aims to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of structural engineering and of the architect’s role in the creative application of engineering principles. During the first part of the term, the class examines concepts and definitions of lateral loads and the structural systems used to resist those loads, and also considers the influence of various load resisting systems on architectural design projects. By focusing on loads caused by wind and seismic forces within long span buildings, the class introduces students to building code requirements pertaining to loads, lateral load-resisting systems and moment-resisting reinforced concrete structural systems.

AS3121 // Tempering the Environment: Light, Air and Sound This course introduces students with the basic physical principles, design implications and performance of environmental systems by focusing on the behavior of lighting, acoustical and climate modification systems within the built environment. The course relies upon the assumption that a careful integration of these elements within an architectural project, especially in the impact these elements have on building envelopes, can contribute significantly to improving the quality of our environment. Life-safety systems are also discussed, with a special emphasis on movement systems and egress.

The class is divided into three independent modules, each of which addresses a single environmental system and is taught by a professional engineer specializing in the field.

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emphasis on materials, material properties and industrial processes. This course is an

Courses and Degree Requirements

AS3122 // Design Documentation: Analysis and Development This course investigates issues related to the implementation of design: technology, the use of materials, systems integration, and the archetypal analytical strategies of force, order and character. The course includes a review of basic construction 2.42

methods, analysis of building codes, the design of structural and mechanical systems, the development of building materials and the integration of building components and systems. Students are asked to select their studio project from the previous semester to develop, focusing on the detailed design of a single component of the building and the resolution of its structural system and building envelope as a whole.

AS3123 // Advanced Building Systems: Sustainability and Complex Envelopes This course focuses on advanced building systems and technologies. With a special emphasis on high rise construction, students investigate issues pertaining to vertical movement systems, advanced structures and their relation to surface and building envelopes. The course also covers other building services such as plumbing, electrical, security and fire protection systems and their effects on architectural design. Through a series of lectures, group presentations and individual assignments, current typologies and specific architectural precedents are researched and discussed, with a special focus on glass, curtain wall systems, sustainable, energy efficient systems, and technologies of construction and assembly.

AS3130 // Practice Environments: Contracts, Liability,Business Models This course examines critically the role of professional architectural practices in the development and direction of architectural design, production and pedagogy. As its basis, the course comprises a survey of the architectural profession—its licensing and legal requirements, its adherence to the constraints of codes and budgets, and its place among competing professions and financial interests. Students gain an understanding of the architect’s administrative role, and of issues relating to obtaining commissions, selecting and coordinating consultants, negotiating contracts, and project management.

They also develop the skills necessary to effectively communicate to clients and user groups. Trends such as globalization and outsourcing are analyzed in their capacity to substantially affect the practice of an architect.

M.Arch 2 AS3200 // Reflexive Formal Assemblies: Material to System This course looks at the new ability of architects to design, develop and produce structural assemblies for highly specific performances and applications. The course explores new materials, as well as the integral manner in which building systems and structures are produced—from design idea to fabrication and erection—to precisely fit designers’ specifications and to provide optimized performance.

Courses and Degree Requirements

AS3201 // Optimization, Performance and Implementation: System to Building This course introduces students to innovative methods of construction, fabrication, structuring and assembly enabled by the advent of new technologies. The class focuses on issues pertaining to structure and its relation to surface and building envelope, with representation and documentation, to three-dimensional systems based on material performance and force flow simulation and their consequent impact on architecture’s relation to the building industry. Current typologies and specific precedents of architectural realization—and their integration of geometry and ordering systems with systems of construction and assembly—are discussed through a series of lectures, group presentations and individual assignments.

See M.Arch 1 section for other core seminar descriptions.

Recurring HARDTECH/APPLIED STUDIES ELECTIVES Please note that these courses are not offered every semester and are subject to change. Check the latest course schedule for current course offerings, and visit SCI-Portal for each semester’s course descriptions.

AS3301 // Ecological Elements of Site Analysis and Design Rosie Dagit Architecture and the physical environment into which it is placed are often seen as two separate, not necessarily connected, aspects of a project. Integrating a design into the existing landscape has been embraced by a few practitioners, but the more common process is to design first and then modify the site to accommodate the proposed design. The conflicts this generates are becoming increasingly intense, pitting ‘Nature’ against the ‘built’ environment. This class explores the resulting tension between the environmental community and the architectural community. The class meets at numerous locations throughout Los Angeles, visiting sites ranging from single family homes to large sub-divisions, commercial, and recreational/educational facilities. The focus is on analysis of the ecological constraints of each site, ways to incorporate or enhance environmental assets, and evaluation of proposed or actual developments for compliance with environmental regulations.

AS3302 // Advanced Structures: Shells, Membranes and Structural Surfaces Bruce Danziger The course examines how architectural concepts can be enhanced with appropriate structural systems. The class content includes structures in nature, the modern history of structural engineering and engineers, structural models, and demonstrations of analysis techniques. Lectures are based on structural engineering as a form generator.

Established structural systems such as membranes, shells, tension structures, space frames, folded plates, grid shells, pneumatics, cable nets, etc. and new approaches are discussed in depth through evaluations of built projects, current designs, studio projects and class assignments.

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an emphasis on the instrumental and conceptual shift from two-dimensional forms of

Courses and Degree Requirements

AS3303 // Composite Tectonics: Modulating Monocoques Marcelo Spina Rooted in the technical and theoretical need to continue a rather holistic and integral approach to form, structure, construction and assembly, this class examines complex 2.44

structural surfaces known as ‘monocoques’ or unibodies and their possible application.

Whilst an infrequent approach to construction and design since its inception, these structures imply a uniquely integrated process of fabrication, production and assembly capable of streamlining construction processes while at the same time allowing for an advanced degree of technological, formal and material innovation. Under this framework, the class investigates the potentiality of shells and modulated surfaces in the production of small size proto architectures that inventively challenge the overly assumed notions of hierarchy and separation between structure and skin.

AS3304 // Biomimicry: Innovation in Architecture Inspired by Nature Ilaria Mazzoleni This seminar takes inspiration from the animal world and, through the analysis and understanding of specific examples such as spider webs, termites, polar bears, bees, birds, etc., translates the learned principles to the built environment. The class positions the question of how the environment interferes with the behavior and physiological evolution of animals and human constructions by learning lessons from the analysis and observation of the animal world. Today, we design and engineer dynamic systems to mediate the interaction between man and nature. This course illustrates how, by learning from nature, we can greatly enhance our design abilities and interference with the environment in a more sophisticated and less invasive way, creating a more sustainable form of living.

AS3305 // The Parametric Affect: Design Research through Variational and Associative Geometry David Gerber Intended to position itself as a critical ground for exploring the value and potential of parametric design in architectural practice, this class offers design exploration experience in how to structure, visualize, and prototype variation, associations, and change propagation. Given the prevalence of the topic in current architectural discourse this class looks to situate the existing value and to critically expand upon its current potential. Utilizing software technologies such as CATIA, Generative Components, or MAYA, the emphasis of the class is to develop a design project through the use of parametric logic(s), variational technique(s), and digital prototyping. Ultimately the seminar looks to bring an understanding of the value, limitations, possibilities and expansions of parametric design to the conceptual thinking, formal and material production.

Courses and Degree Requirements

Recent special project Hardtech/Applied Studies electives Please note that these courses are not offered every semester and are subject to change. Check the latest course schedule for current course offerings, and visit SCI-Portal for each semester’s course descriptions.

Bridging Geometry, Performance and Fabrication Tom Wiscombe The intention of this seminar is to introduce ways of linking issues of geometry, performance and fabrication into larger design processes. With the intention of defining a complex structure through the use of patterns of simple surface patches defined by their mathematical economy and adaptive potential, the geometrical point of departure of the class is that of warped surfaces. The logic afforded by these surfaces offers both high tech and low tech solutions for production and fabrication, which are an ongoing theme in the class. Issues of materiality, structural patterning, unitization, thickness, and span are used to increase the overall coherence and intelligence of the proposals. Structural performance is used in articulating curvature, volume, material and depth.

AS3307 // Solar Tech: Design and Technologies for Solar Performance Jose da Veiga Solar Tech is aimed at exploring the relationship between solar performance and the design of building envelopes. Students accomplish several small design and formmaking exercises through the use of software analysis tools, which allow them to explore the relationships between form and solar energy. With the goal of creating conceptual designs with optimal solar performance, students explore form-making and solar analysis methodologies along with basic concepts of building envelope performance and energy efficiency. The class begins with an overview of existing projects, key concepts relating to performance based design, concepts relating to the representation of technical information in design, and an overview of existing and future solar building technologies. For their final projects, students design and present their own conceptual designs of solar performance based building envelopes.

AS3308 // In/discrete Materials Roland Wahlroos-Ritter In/discrete Materials seeks to establish an understanding of the often complex relationship between materials, architectural concepts, production and design processes. The seminar is structured in three parts. Following discussions of materials and architectural practice, students research new materials in design. Students then design and build, in groups of three, full-scale installations which incorporate selected materials. Workshops include material detailing and construction, and material and fabrication techniques based on an investigation into boat-building, automotive design, aeronautical and other industries.

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AS3306 // Warped Surfaces:

Courses and Degree Requirements

AS3309 // Form Finding and Optimization in Lightweight Structures Patrick Teuffel The application of lightweight systems is necessary for mobile, deployable and long spans structures. However, its propagation is also desirable for other building projects in 2.46

order to achieve economical or ecological performance using minimum weight and energy solutions. By using high performance materials or employing various experimental and numerical structural optimization techniques, this course investigates the principles of lightweight structures and seeks to expand students’ insight into the complex relationship between structural form and force.

AS3310 // Green Urbanism: Nature’s Services and Urban Design Ted Bardacke and Walker Wells Modern cities stand at the critical nexus of the many of the most pressing issues of our time: rapid population growth, unbalanced resource consumption, growing air and water pollution, climate change, and the relentless destruction of natural habitats.

The premise of this course is that creating sustainable urban systems is the 21st century’s most crucial design challenge. In responding to this challenge, it is critical to reassess traditional notions about the interrelationship between the built and natural environments. Green Urbanism, in contrast to conventional regional planning approaches, works to identify a number of small-scale interventions that can be applied to urbanized locations, which, in aggregate, lead to an overall shift towards sustainable neighborhoods, districts, and regions.

Courses and Degree Requirements

SOFTech/ visual studies

The practice of architecture relies on systems of communication to conceive, develop, and subsequently represent and communicate architectural ideas, where the breadth of the work is reflected in the implied proficiencies of technical skills and visual culture.

The Softech/Visual Studies program takes a central role in the education of communications techniques and required skills sets offered across the SCI-Arc course curriculum. It includes drawing tools ranging from generative diagramming to representation, project communication and project production documents. Students become familiar with established and emergent technologies and fabrication processes.

The program sets the foundation for understanding the implications of working within the framework of communication systems. It fosters excellence, precision and critical engagement, and encourages highly creative work in which working methods, tools and their interfaces are interlaced.

The Softech/Visual Studies curriculum responds to the constantly evolving paradigms of architectural communication, introducing new tools within a progressively structured program. New media instruments—ranging from advanced digital modeling and animation to the equipment for computer-controlled fabrication processes— complement established methods of drawing, such as planimetric and sectional representations, constructed perspective and freehand drawing and sketching.

CORE SOFTECH/VISUAL STUDIES SEMINARS Undergraduate VS4010 // Fabrications and Delineations 1 Introduction to Fabrication and Drawing Techniques: Perception / Translation The first course in the Visual Studies series introduces students to the principle skills and disciplines of making and drawing. Through various assignments, employing a range of conventional media—including scale drawing, plan/section, model and object work and photography—students develop skills for detailed observation and to-scale translation of visual and spatial ideas. The fabrication of physical prototypes is emphasized to instill an ethic of hands-on making and to initiate the instincts for 2-D and 3-D representation of physical form and structure.

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Jean-Michel Crettaz, Coordinator

Courses and Degree Requirements

VS4011 // Fabrications and Delineations 2 Introduction to Fabrication and Drawing Techniques: Projection / Description The second stage of Fabrications and Delineations emphasizes the conventions of 2.48

architectural projection for the description of form and space. The exercises build on the understanding of the logic inherent to deployed techniques, physical modeling and manually constructed geometry. This includes the fundamentals of Euclidean and nonEuclidian geometric principles, the construction of plan/section/elevation, axonometric and perspective drawing.

VS4020 // Technologies of Description 1 Analog and Digital Practices This course introduces the principles of digital drawing tools essential to 2-D architectural representation. Working with primary digital representation tools, students learn both the application of projective techniques for architectural subjects and the conventions of operation and interface. Of central importance is instilling in students a critical sensitivity for the inherent bias and nature of each deployed medium.

VS4021 // Technologies of Description 2 Analog and Digital Practices This course examines and extends the analytical techniques and strategies for the study of architecture evolving from programmatic and structural systems to external factors affecting site or building. Work is centered on advanced digital 3D drawing and modeling techniques for the construction and evaluation of spatial conditions. Students develop techniques for manipulating 3D data that include rapid modeling, texture mapping, lighting and rendering, and analog drawing.

VS4030 // Technologies of Description 3 Analog and Digital Practices The last course in the Technologies of Description sequence is an introduction to advanced techniques in digital modeling and processes of fabrication. The work focuses on digital tools that enable the development of complex surfaces, procedural and parametric forms, and basic animation. Projects include work and production of digital models and material output using computer numerical control (CNC) devices as integral tools for the development of architectural conceptions.

M.Arch 1 VS4100 // Strategies of Representation 1 Analysis, Translation and Communication The course examines the theories and practices of representation and analysis of architectural ideas. It is structured to introduce the primary and auxiliary tools necessary

Courses and Degree Requirements

to analyze and translate spatial concepts into two-dimensional representations.

Students generate descriptive work using planar, plan/section and axonometric projections as well as freehand and digital drawing tools and develop an understanding of

VS4101 // Strategies of Representation 2 Diagramming and Spatial Constructions The course forms the continuation of Strategies of Representation 1 by expanding on the conceptions of representational tools, emphasizing diagramming and spatial representations, and incorporating site analysis, topography and three-dimensional realizations. The program focuses on developing the precision of intentions in the production of architectural drawings and instilling a critical sensitivity for the inherent bias and interface of each deployed medium of representation.

VS4120 // Strategies of Representation 3 Advanced Digital Tools, Modeling and Fabrications This course provides an introduction to advanced techniques in modeling and fabrication processes by focusing on digital drawing and production tools that enable the development of complex and dynamic surfaces, procedural and parametric forms, and the development of the relationship between architecture and geometry. Projects include prints of digital models using CNC and laser cutter devices.

VS4121 // Strategies of Representation 4 Advanced Digital Tools, Modeling and Fabrications (optional) The course forms the continuation of Strategies of Representation 3 furthering the knowledge of digital modeling and fabrication techniques by incorporating animation as a dynamic mechanism that extends the spectrum of representational tools. Students are encouraged to explore the sequencing of tools and interrelations between idea and fabrication and space/time related architectural processes.

M.Arch 2 VS4200 // Delineation and Dynamic Systems This course explores new software technologies that allow variables of time, reproduction, variation and repetition. The intention is to question the relationship of architecture to geometry and the idea of representation as a static organization of concepts. Students are encouraged to search for the possibilities offered by tools of representation and simulation as active mechanisms for the production of design, thought and products.

Geometry is considered no longer as a static Cartesian system, but as encompassing an array of articulated geometrical variations, affected by new instrumental abilities.

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the specific characteristics and application potentials.

Courses and Degree Requirements

RECURRING SOFTECH/VISUAL STUDIES ELECTIVES Please note that these courses are not offered every semester and are subject to change. Check the latest course schedule for current course offerings, and visit SCI-Portal for each semester’s course descriptions.

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VS4301 // Photography Lane Barden This class combines fundamental skills in black and white photography with an inquiry into photographic ‘seeing’ and photographic space. Students learn to shoot using natural light and camera controls. Addressed are digital processes and work with Photoshop, density, contrast and image manipulation. Projects typically include framing and the construction of photographic space; sequencing and serial editing; the interpretation of motion in still photography; and projects which address cinematic constructs and framing. Classes consist of lectures on technique, slides of contemporary and historical photographic work, and occasional field trips. Students realize and resolve the skills and concepts covered in this class through the production and installation of an exhibition at the end of the semester.

VS4302 // Intelligent Systems tba This course introduces modes of computation as a design tool. The first part covers a general introduction of the theory and implementation of the tool set using Maya’s MEL (Maya Embedded Language). Topics include visual mathematics theory, functions to produce form, linear and non linear time-based systems, and methods of producing mutation and representational techniques. The second part addresses specific research into structure, skin, and form. Students are asked to explore the potential of scripting, where the Maya software becomes a platform to either launch robotics or to open up to ‘speak’ to other programs or proceed in base programming language outside the interface.

Lastly, non-linear generative systems are introduced, including emergent flocking conditions, cellular automata, eugenic and evolutionary logics.

VS4303 // Architecture Drawing Advanced Architectural Drawings with AutoCAD tba This course is an in-depth, hands-on exploration of the fundamentals of AutoCAD from the beginner to intermediate level. Through in-lab sessions, combined with assignments, student are exposed to the concepts and strategies of AutoCAD, including basic to advanced drawing and editing commands and an introduction to 3D. VS4304 // Graphic Space April Greiman This workshop is about finding the appropriate visual hierarchy of words and images to match the content of a publication or presentation. From the onset, students are required to generate a mission or intent statement for their publication/presentation. From this initial overview concept presentation, the course format is in a general critique format. The

Courses and Degree Requirements

focus is on the ‘making’ of a future — or revising of an existing — presentation, portfolio, or thesis publication and/or presentation boards. The course also includes lectures on typography and letterform development, as well as the construction of a grid system.

Florencia Pita By means of computation, design has expanded its expertise to a larger frame of work, intensifying the disciplinary boundaries into more continuous transferences from design processes to fabrication. New techniques have succeed in expanding the possibilities for innovation in design, innovation that is at the same time a return to an organic base, with a direction towards continuity instead of fragmentation as the influential mechanism. From surface to body to detail, organic matter has territorialized a new vocabulary of mutating form; transformative and active form is more and never less. Through the combination of two active media such as Maya and Flash, students develop dynamic processes of design, where not only the basis of animated tools produce new forms, but those forms also evolve as active narratives with the use of web-based interfaces.

VS4306 // Japanese Aesthetics and Sumi Ink Painting Yoshio Ikezaki The purpose of this course is to introduce and elaborate on three important elements and traditional Japanese aesthetics, using Japanese art and literature as examples. Those three key words are Wabi-Sabi, Ma, and Kan. Wabi-Sabi describes a spiritually richer way of life, which was considered to be achievable through the self-imposed isolation and the voluntary poverty of the hermit’s life which were previously viewed as negative. Ma is linguistically translated as the distance between two objects, two spaces or a break in modern meaning. Ma determines the balance and unification of the composition for Sumi ink painting, tea ceremony, flower arrangement, Haiku poetry and many other Japanese art forms. Kan can be loosely translated as ‘sixth sense,’ or intuition, that Japanese artists and craftsmen trust and upon which they rely for their inspiration.

VS4307 // Synthetic Drawing Sean Sullivan The objective of this course is to develop perceptual skills as a basis for acquiring information to facilitate accuracy in drawing; to reckon with the precision of line and shape as it relates to the representational and imagined form; to methodically layer the visual vocabulary of the student and, in the process, create options in terms of what is recorded; to deal with those options constructively and creatively; to explore the possibilities of mark making and its relevance to the student’s studio practice as a designer; and to couple technical skill with research and sound conceptual thinking.

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VS4305 // Interactive Communication

Courses and Degree Requirements

Recent special project Softech/Visual Studies electives Please note that these courses are not offered every semester and are subject to change. Check the latest course schedule for current course offerings, and visit SCI-Portal for each semester’s course descriptions.

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VS4308 // Synthetic Scapes Alexis Rochas This design build course studies the generation and production of synthetic objects as active economies resetting the formal, physical and ecological attributes of the domestic environment. Defining a self-sufficient micro-ecology, and setting future parameters for object use, transformation and interaction, the course addresses the design and implementation of a prototypical object that challenges established furniture design.

VS4309 // Wearable Architecture Elena Manferdini This class researches core properties of effect and aesthetic common to architectural and fashion design and formulates a theory of exoticism as it applies to both fields. The seminar focuses on understanding these disciplines within the context of a body in space.

This interaction is discussed from a visceral, systemic, material and social perspective.

An intimate knowledge of design requires an understanding of underlying software and hardware technologies. Students develop new skills for communicating and realizing their ideas, and are given the opportunity to construct physical, analog and digital artifacts and develop their own concepts within the context of garment design and video making.

VS4310 // Cinematic Space Jean Michel Crettaz with Norman Klein The perception and ideas of architectural and cinematic space have played an ongoing role in the history and cultures of visual representation. The contemporary discourse of architectural space incorporates ideas of cinematic space by engaging with time, narrative structures, scale, frame and cut—investigating new interrelating layers and perceptive modes of different kinds of time and space. The seminar examines hypotheses presented in questions of evolving functions of time and space within architecture and the filmic media. Students examine, and in return produce cinematic constructions as means to explore, observe, experience, and deploy time-based conditions as integral systems of space and time embodied in the representation of architectural ideas.

VS4311 // Showtime Heather Flood and Rob Ley This course explores contemporary means for the dissemination of architectural content. Specifically, the class uses the world wide web to produce and broadcast architecture media. This workshop operates on multiple levels. Throughout the course are a series of in-class discussions regarding the role of media in architecture. The class investigates historic and contemporary examples as well as generating ideas for future possibilities. Additionally, the class actively engages in the production of architectural media by broadcasting live over the internet. Each show includes an on air pre-broadcast

Courses and Degree Requirements

introduction to the work of the lecturer, live coverage of the lecture, and a post-broadcast editing of the event into a digital archive. Showtime is a media initiative that combines the technical resources of the library and the media center with the intellectual content generated by the lecture series to make free and unedited architectural information 2.53

available to a global audience.

VS4312 // Articulation, Communication and Intervention Jeff Cain Articulation is a class designed to examine creative communication practice set in the context of site-specific works. Students examine the work and writings of architects, artists and designers to locate employed strategies of communications, media and techniques and discuss their practices and impact. Students are expected to make two presentations articulating their own practice, make proposals for articulated interventions, and work collaboratively to actualize tangible site specific projects.

VS4313 // Architecture Visualization Aaron Bocanegra A series of workshop are designed to provide basic to high-level skill sets for the construction and visualizations in still and time-based formats. This includes photography, animation, image construction and manipulation, using Photoshop, FinalCutPro and AfterEffects tools. The aim is to gain in-depth understanding of these essential tools for the production of architectural visualizations and animation.

Assignments and exercises complement the workshop structure.

VS4314 // Freeze / Soundbodies Perry Hall Moving well beyond the metaphor that ‘Architecture is frozen music’, we propose that sound can literally be frozen in order for it to then be populated; but really should be thawed... cooked and digested. This ‘Soundbody’, once visualized, delivers awareness of the structure, dynamics, and concepts within sound/music that ask to be more fully inhabited and translated. The emphasis is on sound as encoded, embodied, cinematic and conceptual material, as well as the strategies, tactics, instrumentation and techniques for deployment of these materials within design and architecture.

VS4315 // Interactive Media Fiona Whitton with Sean Dockray This class looks at a variety of quasi-architectural practices that have developed between art and architecture (media art, installation art, relational art, interactive art, sound art, etc.) and is primarily interested in how technology and social relations are integrated into design to produce different forms of spatial experience, particularly fluid, temporary, and fictional ones. Weekly workshops provide hands-on introduction to ‘physical computing’ through materials (switches, sensors, speakers, motors, lights, radio, and microcontrollers) and methods (simple circuit design, hacking, circuit bending).

Courses and Degree Requirements

Study abroad/ Exchange programs Every year, SCI-Arc students are offered the opportunity to participate in one-semester

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traveling studios. As well as experiencing European architecture while studying at SCI-Arc’s school in Vico Morcote in Switzerland, students have studied in India, Holland, Mexico, China, Japan, Egypt, and Turkey. In addition, the faculty frequently lead students on field trips to destinations that have included Marfa, Texas, California’s Owens Valley, Detroit, Michigan, and a desert site in Utah.

As well as regular exchange programs with Seika University in Kyoto and the Universidad Ibero-Americana in Mexico City, SCI-Arc also offers exchange programs with the Aarhus School of Architecture in Denmark, Delft Technical University in the Netherlands, RMIT in Melbourne, SIT in Tokyo, the Stadelschule in Frankfurt, the University of Applied Arts in Vienna, the Ecole Speciale d’Architecture in Paris, and the Belazel Academy in Jerusalem.

To participate in off-campus visits or field trips, students must complete and sign a Release and Waiver of Liability and Indemnity Agreement.

SCI-Arc: Kyoto Japan Studio, Seika University, Kyoto The Japan study program introduces students to the urban and architectural circumstances of the contemporary Japanese city. The four month program consists of two parts. The first is a one-month travel segment, during which students are introduced to traditional Japanese crafts including calligraphy, paper-making, sword-making and flower arranging. It serves as a primer in the arts and crafts of traditional Japanese design. Students spend the second part of the semester in residence at Seika University in Kyoto, where they undertake a studio project based on an intervention in an urban site.

The studio is accompanied by a History course and a seminar on Professional Practice, focused on the work of contemporary Japanese architects.

SCI-Arc: Vico European Program: Vico Morcote, Switzerland SCI-Arc’s European program is taught in a restored villa overlooking Lake Lugano in the medieval hill town of Vico Morcote in Ticino, the Italian-speaking canton of southern Switzerland renowned for its modern and post-modern architecture. Started twenty-five years ago, SCI-Arc:Vico offers a congenial setting for the intensive study of Architecture under the daily guidance of teachers and architects from all over Europe as well as from America. The program takes full advantage of its location in the center of Europe: guided architectural tours to destinations including Berlin, Rotterdam, Vienna, Prague, Barcelona, Paris, Urbino and Siena form an essential part of the curriculum, along with guest lectures, panel discussions and films. SCI-Arc:Vico lecturers have included Dagmar Richter, Andrew Zago, Lebbeus Woods, Lars Lerup, Matthias Sauerbruch, Andrew Benjamin, Aaron Betsky, Luigi Snozzi, Suzanne Zottl, Ludovica Molo and Jachen Koenz.

For more information on this program, open to upper-level students from SCI-Arc and any European school of Architecture, please visit www.sciarc.edu.

Courses and Degree Requirements

SCI-Arc: Ibero The Universidad Ibero-Americana in Mexico City (UIA) is one of the outstanding universities in Mexico, and their participation in an exchange program with SCI-Arc provides the opportunity for SCI-Arc students to study in Mexico and look closely at Conversely, it allows students from the Ibero Institute to study at SCI-Arc and examine the urban condition of Los Angeles.

SCI-Arc Community DESIGN PROGRAM Since moving to downtown Los Angeles, SCI-Arc has sought opportunities to engage various local communities by spearheading a number of tactical, action-based projects, which enable students to collaborate directly with community agencies and undertake design/build projects. Each project deals with some form of practical and urgent problem solving circumstance. This might involve the creation of built structures or functional implements, or the imparting of vital skills to community members or at-risk groups.

Drawing upon the professional expertise of architects, urban planners, computer designers, visual artists, social scientists, cultural theorists, and others, SCI-Arc faculty and students have demonstrated a powerful capacity to impact specific social problems, working with intentionally short lead-times and reacting quickly to address immediate conditions. Whether coordinating with local government, city or community agencies, private industry, educational or philanthropic institutions, or local residents, SCI-Arc’s Community Design Program is known for applying solutions that are at once uniquely innovative and personally felt.

SCI-Arc’s Community Programs are made possible in part by a grant from the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.

Recent and upcoming projects include: Playing in Traffic: Glassell Park Bus Shelter Michael Pinto The relationship between people waiting for the bus and the car commuter is the subject of this course. Watching others and being watched is a quintessential function of the public realm. The situation of the site, between two high traffic boulevards, makes this an ideal site to test these relationships. The SCI-Arc Community Design Program developed a serial structure, at once a point of rest and a representation of vehicular movement. The steel structure was fitted with unistrut and polycarbonate sheeting.

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problems or organization, architecture and planning in an economy adjacent to the US.

Courses and Degree Requirements

Surphase, LINC Housing Alexis Rochas, Michael Pinto The two LINC Housing projects near Chinatown, constructed in 1985, are typical of affordable housing in Los Angeles. The stuccoed courtyard complex sits above a parking 2.56

garage, detached from the street by a series of metal fences and gates. Students were faced with a piecemeal courtyard within the fences, which did little to foster community activities. To remedy this, the courtyard was unified with an undulating plane of recycled rubber that creates room for play, barbecues, Tai-Chi, and other community gatherings.

Aeromads Alexis Rochas Aeromads, designed by faculty member Alexis Rochas, was an itinerant housing prototype installed in various locations throughout Los Angeles over six weeks. It incorporated a range of programs and ideas, hosting children’s art workshops at Slanguage, Canoga Park Youth Arts Center and the Watts Tower Arts Center; becoming a house within a house at the MAK Center for Art and Architecture at the Schindler House; and finally serving as a surrealist projection surface and bar for the closing party at the Telic gallery in Chinatown.

LAMP Community: Frank Rice Safehaven Sun Shelter Alexis Rochas In August 2004, a group of ten SCI-Arc students completed a new façade for the LAMP Community project, a drop-in and crisis center for the homeless with mental illnesses at 627 St Julian Street, between 6th Street and 7th Street in downtown Los Angeles. The team was led by Alexis Rochas, who designed the wall out of recycled polyurethane panels, fabricated by students in the SCI-Arc woodshop and assembled on site. It took six months to complete, and provides a shaded courtyard with seating and planters, as well as a sculptural presence on the downtown street.

Summer at SCI-Arc Summer at SCI-Arc offers a broad range of studios and courses for undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate students, as well as graduate thesis. Students in advanced studios construct their own curriculums by selecting studios and/or seminar courses. Seminars offered include Cultural Studies, Visual Studies and Applied Studies courses, professional development seminars and SCI-Arc’s Community Design Program. SCI-Arc core students are able to enroll for full- or part-time studies at the level for which they qualify.

SUMMER WORKSHOPS Summer at SCI-Arc offers students the opportunity to work for a concentrated period of time with experts in the fields that include Architecture, Engineering, Art, History, Theory.

The workshops involve an intense and full-time effort. This program is open to both SCIArc students and students visiting from other institutions.

Courses and Degree Requirements

SUMMER TUITION Please note that these figures are subject to change and do not include student union, academic

Tuition for the summer 2007

$10,130 (full-time students)

academic term Design workshops

$850/ 1 workshop $1,700/ 2 workshops $2,540/ 3 workshops

Individual seminar

$2,540 each

Individual studio

$7,209

MAKING+MEANING THE FOUNDATION PROGRAM IN ARCHITECTURE SCI-Arc’s Foundation Program in Architecture addresses a broad range of educational needs, catering for anyone with an interest in architecture and providing a head start for students preparing an application for, or about to embark upon a degree in Architecture or other design-related fields. The curriculum continuously evolves to incorporate the latest developments in materials and fabrication technologies. Students learn about the language of architecture, develop a design process, and hone representational and model-making skills in a studio atmosphere that fosters creativity, innovative thinking, and a flexible design process. Construction and model-making are introduced early on as means with which to visualize and test three-dimensional ideas. Throughout these explorations, students learn to balance initial intuitive responses with the need to clearly present their work to a jury.

Making+Meaning tuition Please contact the admissions office for application deadlines.

Tuition and fees

$2,600

Materials and lab fee

$225

Admin. fee

$15

Total

$2,840

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service or lab fees.

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sci-arc resources, public events and people

SCI-Arc Resources // Public Event // People

SCI-ARC Resources Kappe Library The Kappe Library supports SCI-Arc’s curriculum and the study of Architecture with a focused collection maintained by experienced staff. Since the library began in 1974 the school, the wider SCI-Arc community, and various foundations. The only academic library in Southern California focused on Architecture, the Kappe Library welcomes all architectural researchers.

The Kappe Library is located on the second floor of the north end of the SCI-Arc building and provides a comfortable environment for research. The collection is made up of 20,000 books in 97 subject areas, with Architecture and related technical and design subjects accounting for most of the collection. Some 1,500 titles are added each year.

Books are arranged on open stacks according to the Library of Congress alpha-numeric system. The library maintains 106 subscriptions, and has over 2,800 bound volumes of back issues. The slide collection consists of 35,000 architectural history images, mostly from the 20th century.

Reference services and research tools can be found at the entrance: Patrons can navigate through the collections by searching in the Educational Resources of SCI-Arc (EROS) database, the Avery Index, the Art Index, and others. The Kappe Library Guides provide additional orientation, offering tips on research methods and resources, and recommending books, articles and websites on selected topics in Architecture, the Fine Arts, History and Cultural Studies, and Science and Technology. Web versions of this and all other library guides are available at http://www.silverlakeblvd.com/arch.html. Email questions directly to the library manager at kevin@sciarc.edu.

The library is wired via airport and maintains six public workstations, including scanning workstations and one for VHS video-to-digital transfer.

Media Center The library loans audio-visual equipment to students and faculty, including darkroom equipment, digital projectors, digital still cameras, digital video cameras, DVD players, monitors, slide projectors, and VCRs. Reserving equipment in advance is highly recommended. Contact the A/V manager for reservations or technical help.

Archive The SCI-Arc archive consists of several collections to document SCI-Arc activities.

Archive materials do not circulate and access is by appointment only.

— The student work archive includes a chronologically organized digital and slide archive of student work and events.

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with donations from faculty, students and staff, it has grown through the support of

SCI-Arc Resources // Public Event // People

— The video collection contains 2,500 videos documenting SCI-Arc lectures and events from 1974 to the present.

— The print archive consists of forty linear feet of books, catalogs, posters, and other printed materials illustrating SCI-Arc activities from 1972 to the present.

— Press articles: Electronic files of news articles relating to SCI-Arc and SCI-Arc students,

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faculty and alumni from 1990 to the present.

Materials Library Currently under development, the Materials Library offers a collection of samples and related specifications of new and innovative materials.

Wood and metal shop The 5,000-square-foot wood and metal shop plays an integral role in student work, supporting hands-on experimentation with materials and construction. It includes a machining room, a model-making shop, bench room, metalworking area, and assembly spaces. Students have access to a wide variety of hand and power tools, and to instruction and facilities for model-making, furniture making, industrial design, and aluminum foundry casting. The facility enables and encourages experimentation with materials such as concrete, metal, and plastics, and allows for the creation of substantial projects. Recent additions to the SCI-Arc shop include a 4’ x 10’ panel saw, a plasma cutter, and an improved covered exterior metal working lab. Though the facility is primarily for student use, it is available to faculty and staff depending on availability.

See the Student Handbook for further information regarding the use of the shop.

CNC/Digital fabrication facilities SCI-Arc is equipped with some of the most advanced digital fabrication machines available. Tools include computer numerically controlled (CNC) machinery—directed specifically towards architecture and design —, a laser cutter, a vacuum-former, a 3-axis milling machine and a 3-D printing station, capable of sculpting surfaces in a variety of materials, including wood, plastic and aluminum, from CAD and CAM files. All of the CNC machinery interfaces with the most current industry standard software and protocols.

Students are able output and fabricate their work using all the most popular design software.

Equipment available — 3-axis CNC mill — Work area: 4' x 8' with a maximum depth of 12" — 15 hp vacuum hold down system — 3.3hp high torque Perske router — Supplied bits: ½" and ¼" for cutting patterns. Some jobs may require the purchase of specialized bits.

— Machineable materials: Foams, plastics, woods, and nonferrous metals

SCI-Arc Resources // Public Event // People

3D printer — Work area: 4' x 8' with a maximum depth of 12" — T-clamp and 15 hp vacuum hold down systems — 3.5hp high-speed low torque Perske router — Supplied bits: ½" and ¼" high-speed hollow bits, for cutting all softer materials. Some jobs may require the purchase of specialized bits. nonferrous metals w/ standard bits — Controller has optimized internal hardware and software, for use with high speed machining.

CNC laser cutter — Work area: 4' x 8' with a maximum depth of 1" — 100W laser — O xygen and nitrogen assisted — Red dot alignment — Machineable materials: Paper, fabrics, foams, plastics, woods, light gauge ferrous metals. No nonferrous metals.

Thermoformer — Work area: 4’ x 9’ x 2" with a 3’ maximum depth of draw — Can pull up to ¼" extruded acrylic — Formable materials: Any thermoformable plastic.

Software — Millit (3D printer software): this package will subdivide forms at their undercuts, perform optimized layout of slices, generate alignment holes and appropriate machining tool paths.

— Surfcam: this software is used to generate the final output files for all of the CNC machines.

Computer resources SCI-Arc’s IT Department includes four computer labs, email, networked file, print, web and ftp servers.

There are a variety of software compatibility issues. Students should consult a member of staff before starting any project.

The following IT services are available to all students at SCI-Arc —T1 internet access at your desk and from the computer labs —10/100 network access at your desk —File servers —FTP server —Free email account

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— Machineable materials: foams w/ high speed hollow bits only, plastics, woods, and

SCI-Arc Resources // Public Event // People

—24/7 access to the computer labs —Free black and white network printing/plotting —On-site large format color printing at a nominal cost.

Hardware available in the computer labs — Dual 2.3 GHz Mac G5s or Dual 1.25 GHz Mac G4s, 1GB of RAM and digital video editing 3.

capabilities including DVD±RW and CD-RW drives — Dell Precision workstations based on Dual 1.80 GHz or Dual 2.0 GHz Intel Xeon processors with 1GB of RAM, CD-RW and Zip 250 drives. WinXP —Large format slide and flat art scanners —High volume tabloid size laser printers.

Mac lab software

PC lab software

Adobe Acrobat Pro 7

3DS Max 8

Adobe After Effects 6.0

Adobe Acrobat Pro 7

Adobe CS

Adobe CS

Microsoft Office 2004

AutoCAD 2005

Cinema 4D

Maya 7

Final Cut Pro 5

Microsoft Office 2003

Garage Band

Rhino 3

i-Life

SurfCam 2005

Macromedia Dreamweaver MX Macromedia Flash MX Print Center SCI-Arc’s Print Center provides students and faculty with access to large-format high resolution color plotters and laser-jet printers at a fraction of typical service center prices.

SCI-Portal The SCI-Arc ‘SCI-Portal’—located at http://sciportal.sciarc.edu—is the central source for campus information ranging from news to enrollment information to studio postings, keeping the SCI-Arc community informed with up-to-the-minute details. Areas include For Sale, Jobs, Course Descriptions, Financial Aid and the SCI-Arc message board.

The SCI-Portal is not a read-only tool. Contribution to public areas is greatly encouraged.

You may log into the SCI-Portal from any internet connection. All you need is a valid network ID. Please see the IT department for a quick handout describing the login procedure.

See the IT Handbook for detailed information.

SCI-Arc Resources // Public Event // People

Supply store 811 Traction Avenue, Unit 1A T/F: 213.687.0854 Located near the school on Traction Avenue, the SCI-Arc supply store was created by students to support the SCI-Arc curriculum, providing the tools and materials necessary to allow students to experiment with model making and drawing. It also provides books community by offering low prices for architecture and art supplies. The extensive inventory of model-making materials includes a wide selection of bass- and hard-woods, as well as plastic, metal, and wood structural shapes.

Student union Students actively participate in all aspects of the operation of the school through the Student Union, made up of representatives from each studio. Among the events organized by the Student Union are Fridays at Five, a weekly pary open to the entire SCI-Arc community, and a yearly Halloween social. Students have also been actively engaged in the SCI-Arc Gallery exhibitions. The Student Union helps with orientation, the graduation ceremony, and, with funds collected from students, has been involved in shaping and organizing the lecture series, creating a publication class, and organizing student exhibitions and student design competitions. It also purchases supplemental resources for departments such as the woodshop and the IT department. The Student Union voices the concerns of students. In turn, these can inform academic policy and affect administrative issues. The Student Union holds meetings according to a regular and predetermined schedule, open to the whole school and dealing with issues ranging from specific student concerns to long-term planning issues. A student representative sits on the SCI-Arc Board of Directors for a two-year term—reporting directly to and from the student community—and on committees that advise the Academic Council such as the Curriculum Committee. Two student representatives sit on the Academic Council, which meets monthly to advise the director on school policy matters. It provides the student body with a formal arena in which to voice their concerns to the director, faculty and staff, who can also provide feedback on any student-initiated policies.

Psychological counseling program Any student enrolled at SCI-Arc is offered up to three free counseling / personal consultation meetings with Dr. Michael Shaw, a licensed clinical psychologist.

Students generally use this service for one of the following reasons: — Work quality/productivity level below usual baseline — Experiencing excessive stress/pressure/loss of perspective — Questioning where they are/what they are doing — Problems with relationship(s) or relating to others — Experiencing major transitions or losses — Confidence/self esteem difficulties — Thesis stress.

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and readers for seminars. The store serves both the student body and the downtown

SCI-Arc Resources // Public Event // People

These meetings are held off campus. Dr. Shaw’s website (http://www.workpsyche. com)provides a summary of how he works. The best way to reach him is to call 310.581.1076. His email address is drshaw@workpsyche.com. Being short-term in nature, this service is not designed to address severe psychological problems or medicationrelated issues. In case of a psychiatric emergency, students should call the police and ask

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for the Psychiatric Emergency Team (PET), or visit a hospital.

PUBLIC PROGRAMS Lecture Series All SCI-Arc lectures are free and open to the public and are followed by a dinner in honor of the speaker, allowing students and faculty to interact more personally with the invited speaker. Speakers are selected by a forum of students, faculty, alumni, and administration. As a result, each semester’s lecture series promises to be an eclectic selection of lecturers from multiple disciplines, including architects, artists, filmmakers, engineers, theoreticians, and performers. SCI-Arc lectures are broadcast live for simultaneous viewing on the internet at www.sciarc.edu/live.

Recent lecturers have included graphic designers John Maeda, Michael Worthington, and 2 x 4’s Michael Rock; Archigram members Peter Cook and Dennis Dollens; artists Char Davies, Taft Green and Julie Bargmann; Arquitectura Viva editor Luis Fernandez Galiano, and architects Momoyo Kaijima of Atelier Bow Wow, Günther Domenig and Shigeru Ban. Other recent lecturers include: —Peter Swinnen; 51N4E space producers, Brussels —Lise Anne Couture; Asymptote, New York —Mark Dytham; Klein Dytham Architecture, Tokyo — Keller Easterling; Associate Professor, Yale University School of Architecture, Princeton University — Vladislav Kirpichev and Luidmila Kirpicheva; EDAS DESIGN KOMMUNALKA, Moscow — Andrea Deplazes, Vittorio Magnago Lampugnani, Oya Atalay Franck; ETH, Zürich —Sean Griffiths and Charles Holland; FAT, London — Ricardo Legorreta and Victor Legorreta; Legorreta + Legorreta, Mexico City —Erik Lewitt & Jordan Williams; plexus r+d, Atlanta —Julien De Smedt and Bjarke Ingels; PLOT, Copenhagen —François Roche & Stéphanie Lavaux; R & Sie, Paris —Brett Steele; Director, Architectural Association, London —Stanley Tigerman; Tigerman McCurry Architects, Chicago —George Yu; George Yu Architects, Los Angeles

SCI-Arc Resources // Public Event // People

SCI-ARC GALLERY SCI-Arc Gallery exhibitions are an intersection between the various communities in which the institution participates: architecture, urban planning, design, and art. The gallery provides a space where practitioners, professionals, faculty, students, and the public can learn about and experience provocative architecture.

Museum and the Chinatown galleries, the SCI-Arc Gallery is the only cultural institution in Los Angeles committed to exhibiting experimental projects by contemporary architects.

The gallery program allows exhibitors to experiment with new materials, concepts or fabrication methods, reflecting SCI-Arc’s encouragement of an experimental approach to construction materials and its emphasis on learning through building. Less concerned with identifying design trends, the SCI-Arc Gallery aims to exhibit work that provokes critical discussions of current building practices. Each of the six yearly exhibitions is executed as a workshop in which students work closely with the invited architect to assist in the fabrication and installation/de-installation of the exhibit.

Many exhibitions have been published nationally and internationally, and two recent SCIArc Gallery exhibitions, by Griffin Enright Architects and Darin Johnstone + Scott Parker, received the 2006 Los Angeles AIA Design Award. For their exhibition, Keep Off the Grass, Griffin Enright Architects suspended an undulating 1000 square foot plane of sod over pools of water on the gallery floor. The installation developed an ironic tension regarding our cultural relationship to the lawn, while subtly commenting on its negative impacts on our larger environment. Darin Johnstone + Scott Parker’s Drop: Hi-Lo Fielding featured identical three-dimensional asymmetrical units set within the common ‘drop ceiling’ framework. Each unit had four simple variables (drop-up, drop-down, drop-normal, droprotated) that were changed throughout the duration of the exhibit.

In the exhibition POROSITY, Steven Holl Architects invented a new material—a digitally perforated skin of a walnut and composite laminate—that exploits the possibilities offered by new, digitally driven techniques for a previously unattainable degree of porosity in membranes, surfaces and solids. Recognizing the phenomenological power of natural light and shadow, and mimicking the variegation of sunlight projected through trees, the exhibition staged a series of spatial sequences within, around, and between eight-foot tall towers.

New York-based a|Um Studio created an expanded cinema installation entitled SUTURE. The concept of suture, a key term in film theory, was reconfigured in this installation to propose a new architectural body created through event, gesture and temporality.

Informed by a contemporary reconsideration of cinematic and architectural affect, SUTURE created new forms of sense and agency through autonomous feedback loops within a media assemblage, allowing the visitor to actively reshape space and event.

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Located within the school and in the same vicinity as the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), the Disney Concert Hall and REDCAT theater and gallery, the Japanese American

SCI-Arc Resources // Public Event // People

KAPPE LIBRARY EXHIBITIONS In 2004, SCI-Arc inaugurated the Kappe Library exhibitions as a complement to the SCIArc Gallery exhibitions. The program has included exhibitions of built projects, design proposals, and student work, fabricated and installed by SCI-Arc students and faculty as well as architects and students from around the world. These formal, didactic exhibitions are often accompanied by a public panel discussion or presentation to further investigate 3.

the work.

Examining the Museum’s Role featured projects by SCI-Arc faculty for competitions for new museums. A panel discussion, moderated by LACMA curator Howard Fox, explored the idea of the museum as a catalyst for civic development.

Improbabilities: Riding the SUR, examined the construction and design of SUR, the installation at PS1 in New York by Hernan Diaz Alonso’s Los Angeles-based architecture firm Xefirotarch, winner of the MoMA/PS1 Young Architects Program. A series of drawings, films and animations were used to critically autopsy the installation as well as the various processes used to translate digital form to physical form. The exhibition was accompanied by a discussion with those who worked on the project.

The Los Angeles River: Fifty-Two Miles Downstream featured a sequence of fifty-two low altitude oblique aerial photographs, taken by photographer Lane Barden from a helicopter, of the Los Angeles River and the landscape it travels through. The exhibition provided a comprehensive visual tour from the river’s source at the west end of the San Fernando Valley to its mouth in Long Beach, fifty-two miles to the south.

Raimund Abraham’s JingYa Ocean Entertainment Center in Beijing, China, was the subject of another recent exhibition. For this building, due to be completed in 2006, the architect devised a new type of curtain wall that surrounds and veils its interior structure. A panel discussion, including Pritzker Prize-winner Thom Mayne and architect Pafford KeatingeClay, addressed the contemporary city and building processes.

Exhibitions of student work from the Bartlett in London and the Architecture department of the Polytechnic University of Turin, Italy, assessed both the possibilities and limitations of teaching Architecture.

SCI-Arc Press As a leader in the investigation of the merging of creative thought with society and politics, the SCI-Arc Press publishes works engaging in the current discourse of architecture and design. The program provides a forum for new voices and ideas that affect and pertain to the architectural education of its students and the continuing education of its alumni and community.

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Recent publications include Pafford Keating Clay: Modern Architect(ure)/Modern Master(s) by Eric Keune, the first monograph on the Bay Area architect; Sessions, featuring the work of SCI-Arc faculty members George Yu, Marcelo Spina, Marta MaleAlemany, Benjamin Bratton, and Hernan Diaz Alonso; and Zago Architecture and Office dA: Two Installations, which considers the work of Office dA and Andrew Zago, including their

The SCI-Arc Press is also responsible for all printed material relating to SCI-Arc, including invitations, lecture posters, academic program posters, exhibition brochures and inschool publications.

Development and alumni relations Development office SCI-Arc’s development office is responsible for raising funds and in-kind contributions from foundations, corporations, individuals, and government sources to support the school’s mission. Working closely with board members, the Alumni Association, and the SCI-Arc Development Committee, the development staff welcomes volunteer participation in all facets of fund development, including event planning, securing in-kind contributions, and the identification and solicitation of potential donors.

The department produces grant proposal submissions for faculty projects and SCI-Arc Press publications, updates donor and alumni contact information, and develops an annual development plan and calendar. This includes a strategy for direct mail appeals, and events that highlight the work and accomplishments of the SCI-Arc community.

The department also produces a bi-annual newsletter that provides a means of communication with the people and organizations that SCI-Arc is trying to reach, and manages the stewardship program, ensuring that donors are thanked and recognized for their philanthropy.

In addition, in an effort to enhance and expand SCI-Arc’s Board of Directors, the development office works with the SCI-Arc Development Committee to identify and recruit new board members.

The development office welcomes all students to take part in SCI-Arc’s development opportunities.

Public relations The public relations team at SCI-Arc is responsible for correspondence with the news media and the public to promote the school’s curriculum, student work, publications, and public events. With a focus on student recruitment and public exposure, the public relations firm works with SCI-Arc staff, faculty, and administration to effectively communicate SCI-Arc’s philosophy and mission. Public relations also supports the development office in its fundraising efforts.

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installations in the SCI-Arc Gallery.

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Alumni relations Established in 1998 by a group of twenty alumni from a range of graduating classes, the SCI-Arc Alumni Association works to identify and meet the needs of the alumni, and to serve the larger interests of the school. The Alumni Association seeks to build the alumni community, to promote the work of alumni, to educate alumni and current students, and to support SCI-Arc. Among the association’s various activities and projects are alumni3.10

driven publications; the establishment of the SCI-Arc Alumni Association Scholarship Fund, which awards two scholarships each year (one to an undergraduate and one to a graduate student); the production of the Main Event scholarship fundraiser; the sponsorship of an alumni lecturer in the SCI-Arc lecture series; a career open house for alumni firms interested in hiring SCI-Arc graduates; and regular friend-raising and networking events, including the Moveable Feast, designed to bring the alumni community together. The Alumni Association also works closely with SCI-Arc to maintain an updated database of alumni contact information, so that both the school and the association can remain in close contact with alumni as they pursue their careers in all parts of the world.

The Alumni Association is a completely volunteer-based and -run organization. Activities and undertakings are funded by annual membership dues and other fundraising efforts.

The association meets quarterly. Meetings and participation are open to all alumni, as well as current students. Alumni also participate in the governance of the school by electing an at-large alumni representative to serve a three-year term on the SCI-Arc Board of Directors.

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PEOPLE FACULTY SCI-Arc’s faculty represents a wide range of contemporary approaches to Architecture and related disciplines. Among its members are renowned theorists, critics, and their careers to investigating how broad aesthetic, social, and cultural concerns can be integrated into an overall understanding of the built and natural environments.

Director Eric Owen Moss

Margaret Griffin, Griffin Enright Architects, Los Angeles

Graduate Program Director Hsin-Ming Fung

Coy Howard, Coy Howard & Company, Los Angeles

Undergraduate Program Director Chris Genik

Jeffrey Inaba, HOLA, Los Angeles, New York Darin Johnstone, Johnstone Parker, Los Angeles

DESIGN STUDIO FACULTY Juan Azulay, AiB Matter Management / Osborn, Los Angeles

Wes Jones, Jones: Partners, Architecture, Los Angeles Eric Kahn, COA, Los Angeles

Dana Bauer, ground up LLC, Los Angeles Nader Khalili, Calearth, Victorville, CA Nathaniel Belcher, Assistant Dean, Florida International University

Ray Kappe, Ray Kappe Architects, Los Angeles

Aaron Bentley, ALBAs, Los Angeles

Ed Keller, a|Um Studio, New York

Joe Deegan Day, Deegan-Day Design, Los Angeles

Andy Ku, Organized Crime Collective, Los Angeles

Hernan Diaz Alonso, Xefirotarch, Los Angeles

Kam Ku, Organized Crime Collective, Los Angeles

Ramiro Diazgranados, Los Angeles Perry Kulper, Los Angeles Tim Durfee, Durfee Regn Sandhaus, Los Angeles

Rob Ley, Urbana, Los Angeles

Jean-Michel Crettaz, Los Angeles

Mike MacDonald, Honey dp, Los Angeles

John Enright, Griffin Enright Architects, Los Angeles

Elena Manferdini, Atelier Manferdini, Los Angeles

Mike Ferguson, Space International Ltd, Los Angeles

Marta Male, Marta Male Architecture, Barcelona/Los Angeles

Heather Flood, Los Angeles, New York

Ilaria Mazzolini, Los Angeles

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historians and some of Los Angeles’s leading architects, practitioners who have devoted

SCI-Arc Resources // Public Event // People

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Robert Mangurian, Studioworks, Los Angeles

Edward Dimendberg, PhD, University of California, Irvine

Paul Nakazawa, Nakazawa Consultants, Wellesley Hills, Massachusets

Neil M. Denari, Los Angeles

Dwayne Oyler, Oyler Wu Collaborative, Los Angeles

Evan Douglis, Evan Douglis + Associates, New York

Gary Paige, GPS Studio, Los Angeles

Julie Eizenberg, Koning Eizenberg, Los Angeles

Florencia Pita, fpmod, Los Angeles

Howard Fox, Curator of Contemporary Art, LACMA, Los Angeles

Mary-Ann Ray, Studioworks, Los Angeles Alexis Rochas, I/O, Los Angeles

Simon Herron, Bartlett School of Architecture; Velvetair, London

David Ross, Los Angeles

Craig Hodgetts, Hodgetts+Fung, Los Angeles

Michael Rotondi, RoTo Architects, Los Angeles

Brooke Hodge, Curator of Architecture and Design, MOCA, Los Angeles

Marcelo Spina, PATTERNS, Los Angeles Steven Holl, Steven Holl Architects, New York Peter Testa, Testa & Weiser, Los Angeles Russell Thomsen, COA, Los Angeles Roland Wahlroos-Ritter, WROAD, Los Angeles

Susanna Isa, Bartlett School of Architecture; Velvetair, London Seth Jameson, University of California, Los Angeles

C. Gregory Walsh, Architect, Los Angeles Sam Hall Kaplan, Writer, Los Angeles George Yu, George Yu Architects, Los Angeles Joel Kotkin, Writer and Critic, Los Angeles Devyn Weiser, Testa & Weiser, Los Angeles Tom Wiscombe, EMERGENT, Los Angeles

Amy Kulper, PhD, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Jenni Wu, Oyler Wu Collaborative, Los Angeles

Neil Leach, Writer and Theorist, London

Peter Zellner, Zellner Plus Associates, Los Angeles

Carla Leiato, a|Um Studio, New York Lev Manovich, New Media Theorist, San Diego

RECENT VISITING FACULTY

Mike Mills, Filmmaker, Los Angeles

Raimund Abraham, Atelier Raimund Abraham, New York

Peter Noever, Director, MAK Center, Los Angeles, Vienna, Austria

Moji Baratloo, Los Angeles

Guy Nordenson, Guy Nordenson and Associates, San Francisco/New York

Craig Borum, PLY Architecture, Michigan Chris Perry, servo, Los Angeles Lise Anne Couture, Asymptote, New York Monica Ponce de Leon, Office dA, Boston Kevin Daly, Daly Genik Architects Inc., Los Angeles

Paul Preissner, Qua’virarch, Chicago

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Wolf Prix, CoopHimmelb(l)au, Vienna

Clare Phillips, Writer, Los Angeles

Mark Robbins, Architect, New York

Marcos Sanchez, Critic and Media Artist, Los Angeles

Joseph Rosa, Curator of Architecture and Design, SFMoMA

Michael Speaks, PhD, Writer and Critic, Los Angeles

Michele Saee, Architect, Los Angeles

SOFTECH/VISUAL STUDIES

John Sueda, Stripe, Los Angeles

Jean-Michel Crettaz, Softech/Visual Studies Coordinator

Nader Tehrani, Office dA, Boston Lane Barden, Photographer, Los Angeles Sandrine von Klot, ESCAPE*spHere, Vienna Guillermo Banchini, Los Angeles Wim de Wit, Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles

Jeff Cain, Los Angeles

Lebbeus Woods, New York

Josh Coggeshall, Los Angeles

Li Xiangbei, China

Sean Dockray, Los Angeles

Andrew Zago, Andrew Zago Architecture, New York

April Greiman, Made in Space, Los Angeles Mike Hill, servo, Los Angeles

Susanne Zottl, Vienna Yoshio Ikezaki, Artist, Los Angeles, Kyoto CULTURAL STUDIES

Elena Manferdini, Atelier Manferdini, Los Angeles

Dora Epstein Jones, PhD, Cultural Studies Coordinator

Nancy Montgomery, Reform, inc., Los Angeles

Tulay Atak, PhD, Historian and Critic, Los Angeles

Steve Ormenyi, Steve Ormenyi and Associates, Los Angeles

David Bergman, Economic Research Associates, Los Angeles

Diego Petrate, Gehry Partners LLP, Los Angeles Afsheen Rais-Rohani, NULLAB, Los Angeles

Benjamin Bratton, The Culture Industry, Los Angeles

Yanina Spizzirri, Los Angeles

Laurie Firstenberg, PhD, LAXArt, Los Angeles

Fiona Whitton, Los Angeles

Jeffrey Inaba, Los Angeles HARDTECH/APPLIED STUDIES Ed Keller, a/Um Studio, New York and Lisbon Norman Klein, Writer and Critic, Los Angeles

Marcelo Spina, Hardtech/Applied Studies Coordinator John Bencher, AGA Architects, Los Angeles

Ali Modarres, PhD, California State, Los Angeles Bruna Mori, Writer and Poet, Los Angeles

Bruce Danziger, Ove Arup Engineers, Los Angeles

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Dagmar Richter, Architect, Los Angeles/Berlin

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Jan Dougalas, KPFF Consulting Engineers, Los Angeles Michael Brown, Martin Newson & Associates LLC

Patrick Teuffel, Teuffel Engineering Consultants Stuttgart, Germany Susan Ubbelhode, Loisos + Ubbelhode Associates, Oakland Jay Vanos, Vanos Architects, Los Angeles

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Phyllis Dubinsky, PDK Urban Strategies Michael Folonis, Folonis Architects, Los Angeles Michael Fox, Ocean Design Collaborative, Los Angeles

Christian Williamson, CT Williamson Engineers, Los Angeles

COMMUNITY DESIGN PROGRAM

John Gautry, IBE Engineers, Los Angeles

Michael Pinto, Community Design Program Coordinator; Osborn Architects, Los Angeles

Augis Gedgaudas, AGA Architects, Los Angeles

Alexis Rochas, I/O, Los Angeles

David Gerber, Doctoral Candidate, Harvard University GSD

Finn Kappe, Kappe Architect Planners, Los Angeles

Margaret Griffin, Griffin Enright Architects, Los Angeles

STAFF

William Hogan, Los Angeles

Administration

Heather Libonati, Horton Lees Brogden, Los Angeles

Director Eric Owen Moss directors_office@sciarc.edu x327

Alan Locke, IBE Engineers, Los Angeles Christine Magar, Greenform, Los Angeles Erin McConahey, Ove Arup Engineers, Los Angeles Diego Petrate, GIGO, La Plata, Argentina Ian Robertson, Robertson Company, Los Angeles Janet Sager, Sager Design Research + Communication, Los Angeles Nathan Sevener, Acoustical Engineer, Arup LA Peter Simmonds, IBE Consulting Engineers Michael Skura, CTEK, Los Angeles Linda Taalman, Taalman Koch Architecture, Los Angeles

Director’s Assistant Sara McLachlan sara_mclachlan@sciarc.edu x327 Undergraduate Program Director Chris Genik chris@sciarc.edu x315 Graduate Programs Director Hsin-Ming Fung ming@sciarc.edu x318 Academic Programs Coordinator Paul Holliday paul_holliday@sciarc.edu x348 Academic Services

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Admissions Director John Jackman john_jackman@sciarc.edu x321 Admissions Assistant Brigid McManama admissions@sciarc.edu x321 Academic Counselor x316 Student Services Front desk Marisela de la Torre x310 Facilities Manager Brian Luce brian_luce@sciarc.edu x355

x323 Media Assistant Greg Wilken greg_wilken@sciarc.edu x323 Woodshop/Metalshop Coordinator Katsumi Moroi kmoroi@sciarc.edu x335 Shop Assistant James Peterson james@artcontraptions.com x335 CNC Milling Coordinator Jeff Mckibban jmckibban@sciarc.edu x337 CNC Milling Assistant Dan Riley driley@sciarc.edu x337 Supply Store Manager Chris Broadstone 213.687.0854

Information Technology Director of Information Technology Vic Jabrassian vic@sciarc.edu x317

Assistant Store Manager Marsha Liske

Financial Services

Network Administrator Charles Han charles_han@sciarc.edu x311

Financial Controller Sue Ali sue@sciarc.edu x330

IT Assistant Zuma Arechiga zuma@sciarc.edu x313

Senior Accountant Jessie Zhan jessie_zhan@sciarc.edu x331

Print Center Staff x363

Staff Accountant Cynthia Dizon cynthia_dizon@sciarc.edu x333

Library/Media Center Manger Kevin McMahon kevin@sciarc.edu

Financial Aid Manager Marylisa Navarro

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Chief of Staff/ Registrar/International Advisor Lisa Russo lisarusso@sciarc.edu x314

SCI-Arc Resources // Public Event // People

marylisa_navarro@sciarc.edu x346

Board of Directors Joseph Deegan Day, Deegan-Day Design

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Financial Aid Assistant Cathy Hines cathy_hines@sciarc.edu x326 Human Resources Julie Emmorey julie_emmorey@sciarc.edu x350

William Fain, Johnson Fain Partners Hsin-Ming Fung, Director, SCI-Arc Graduate Programs; Hodgetts+Fung Frank O. Gehry, Gehry Technologies, LLC Chris Genik, Director, SCI-Arc Undergraduate Program; Daly Genik Architects, Inc.

Development and Alumni Relations John Geresi, JP Morgan Securities, Los Angeles Director of Development x319 Development and Alumni Relations Coordinator Suzy Parker suzy_parker@sciarc.edu x312

Tom Gilmore, Secretary; Gilmore Associates Elyse Grinstein William Gruen Harrison Higgins, Florida State University

Public Programs Scott Hughes, SHARC Public Programs Coordinator Wendy Heldmann wendy@sciarc.edu x328

Darin Johnstone, Faculty Representative Ray Kappe, Kappe Architect Planners

SCI-Arc Press Coordinator Julianna Morais julianna@sciarc.edu

Lionel Lambourn, Student Representative

Director of Design Brian Roettinger brian_roettinger@sciarc.edu x357

Eric Owen Moss, Director, SCI-Arc; Eric Owen Moss Architects

Editor Martha Read mread@sciarc.edu x347

Carlos Madrid, Alumni Representative, DMJM

Jerry Neuman, Allen Matkins Merry Norris, Merry Norris Contemporary Art Michael Poris, McIntosh Poris Associates Ian Robertson, Chairman of the Board of Directors President, Robertson Company Michael Rotondi, ROTO Architects Howard Sadowsky Nick Seierup, Perkins + Will Architects Daniel Swartz, Quadrangle Development Company

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