Introduction to Architecture is a five-week intensive summer program offering university credit to allow students to explore contemporary processes of architectural design. Students have the option to participate either in person or remotely. Contemporary practice in architecture has expanded the boundaries of an architect’s reach, anticipating that ‘everything is connected’ in our deeply networked world. While our discipline’s long-standing traditions of practice are rooted in the physical, the structure and space of a networked practice is much more closely tied to the ephemeral. As architects we design, communicate, and document primarily in digital space.

In this digital realm, an architect acts as a translator between virtual and physical environments. This negotiation requires the architect to engage standing questions: How do we merge the physical with the virtual, and how are our definitions of those changing? What is the role of making in a non-physical workshop? How do communities emerge around virtual design? And with new emphasis, how does the solitary creative act merge with the need for a collective effort and audience?

For some students, the course may function as an introduction to design a new method of thinking and working. For others, it may be an opportunity to develop their portfolios and gain inspiration from an array of professionals and thinkers. The program’s multiple studio courses are structured to accommodate all students regardless of skill level, from those without experience to those with significant prior experience or education.

Students attend optional classes five days a week for five weeks. In the mornings, students are invited to participate in optional lectures and discussions on making, technology, the environment, faculty firms, and portfolio workshops. In the afternoon or evening, students are required to attend the 3-credit design studio—an educational method unique to architecture—where they are given intensive training in the skills and critical thinking involved in architectural design. Students work in small groups directly with one studio instructor, toward studio goals.

In studio, students will engage with the means and methods of architecture that are made possible and essential by dwelling online. Here they will interrogate concepts of placemaking, the production of space, and the creation of community—with a virtual embodiment. They will learn about the role of the architect as a facilitator of connections between people, and as interpreter of the spaces both physical and nonphysical.

Design work, teaching, and reviews will occur in platforms conducive to live sharing and feedback—some established, some experimental. These forums will provide an opportunity for students to receive comments and criticism from invited architects, design professionals, and professors. Together, the studio, workshops, and lectures present an introduction to architecture as a venue for new forms, new places, and new approaches to our contemporary critical culture.

Students must apply online. An official transcript of the applicant’s most recent work and a resumé are required. Applicants should indicate on their application their preference for the Real Estate Development focus within Introduction to Architecture. When the application is complete, the Office of Admissions will notify the applicant of the admission decision.

In addition to Intro to Architecture, the Summer 2024 program options also include Intro to Historic Preservation, Intro to Real Estate, and Into to Urban Planning.