Architecture Program Report Tulane University New Orleans ...

ut directs design. In essence, the purported disjunction between theory and
practice is regarded as a specious argument; the former is the conceptual
understanding of the latter while the latter represents the concrete manifestation
of the former.
Taken together, history and theory enable a broad awareness of architecture as a
knowledge-based discipline conditioned by the cultural contexts in which it is
located―the prevailing definition of a traditional university-based discipline. In
these courses, students are made aware of the ethical and social dimensions―
and in certain respects, the economic dimensions―of architectural production.
Along with the technology and structures courses, it is through history and theory
that a student understands the objective nature of architecture which is, that
architecture exists in the world for others to put to use. The design studios both
capitalize on these efforts and reinforce them.
Third-year
The first semester of the Third-year curriculum is regarded as a continuation of the
core semesters, with the second semester of third year being the Comprehensive
Semester. This semester is understood not only a consolidation of previous design
experience, but as an extension of that experience. Projects are of longer duration,
permitting cycles of documentation and self-criticism. The possibilities of design
operating simultaneously at several interrelated scales are explored. There is a
concomitant emphasis on the interaction of the project within its social and
environmental context. Essentially, it is in this studio that the acquisition of basic
skills and procedures as a pedagogical intention is superseded by the application of
these skills and procedures in a synthetic manner. Concurrently, the role of the
faculty begins to shift from that of teacher to critic.
All courses are integrated in the second semester of Third Year, thereby ‘capturing’
the students for an intensive experience. While implied in earlier curricula, this
approach is radical and innovative, presenting the students with a rigorous
application of history/theory, technological systems, computer technology and
professional practice to the design studio. Students experience four consecutive
full-day studios (Monday-Thursday)—a rehearsal of a full day of practice—and
continuously regroup throughout the course of the semester with specific instructors
to concentrate on unites of instruction that “plug into” the core studio project. The
same design instructors take the lead in presenting problems framed within these
“plug-in” unites of complementary instruction (i.e. architects become experts in
digital technologies, structures, professional concerns, and historical precedents).
Concurrently, the role of the faculty is likewise presented as generalist and
specialist.
At the conclusion of the Third-year Comprehensive Design Studio, the Third-year
faculty reviews student work in order to assess the capacity of students to profit
from the Fourth-year experience. Students may be advised to enroll in specific
studios to reinforce areas of weakness or to continue with the advancement of
identified skills and areas of specialization.
Fourth Year