Architecture Program Report Tulane University New Orleans ...

in architecture, landscape, and urban design, including vernacular
traditions, is a particular strength of the Tulane School of Architecture. The
Master in Preservation Studies Program and the Certificate in Preservation
Studies component of the M.Arch curriculum have had a significant impact
on the program. Several of our faculty are noted scholars on New Orleans
and the region, including Dr. Eugene Cizek and Dr. Ellen Weiss. Among the
Design and Preservation Faculty, Professors John Klingman, Grover
Mouton, Mark Thomas, and Scott Bernhard have done significant research
on building and design within the vernacular traditions associated with the
nation and region. This knowledge is exhibited in not only Design (DSGN)
and History/Theory (AHST) courses, but in the Technologies and
Integrated Systems (ATCS) components of the curriculum. Two required
courses in the Masters of Historic Preservation curriculum, History of the
Architecture of the Americas I and II (PRST 661-01-01, PRST 662-01-01)
showcase the national and regional traditions and heritage. In addition,
other PRST courses—including electives and field trips sponsored by this
area of study—contribute substantially to student’s awareness of national
and regional traditions.
As mentioned throughout the Architecture Program Report, a salient
feature of the Tulane School of Architecture is its location. The history of
the City of New Orleans and Louisiana—in all its facets—is a
preoccupation throughout the program. Material regarding regional
traditions is presented across the curriculum; aspects of the history of the
region, couched within the national tradition (Louisiana and New Orleans
are notable exceptions to the “rule” of American culture and its architectural
heritage) are reinforced in the Design studios during the core years (DSGN
110, DSGN 120, DSGN 210, DSGN 220).
Material pertaining to national traditions and local regional heritage is also
evident in the required Technology courses (ATCS 110, 310, 320). The
landscape, architecture and urban design of New Orleans and its environs
is a critical component of the student’s understanding of the cultural
significance of architecture as well as the impact of climatic, geographic,
and economics on the fabric of the city and the tout ensemble nature of its
architecture. The vernacular—an extension of the “romanticism” and
technological expertise of the city’s inhabitants—is pervasive. The subject
of several courses and Design studio programs, the vernacular is
celebrated and maintained as a distinct part of the city’s identity. The
School of Architecture participates in the University-wide TIDES program.
This program is set up to allow the student’s to not only to understand the
nature of campus life, but to engage New Orleans and its environs.
The History sequence presents a significant section on the scope of
American architecture, specifically the development of its traditions in the
17 th , 18 th , 19 th , and 20 th centuries (AHST 110, 312, 320, 322).
Specific courses that recognize the scope of national and regional
traditions, and are supplements to the required History sequence, are
several Platform studios (Professor McNaughton’s Comprehensive
Community-based design platform, Studio in the Woods [ATCS 332] is a
prime example) and seminars on the local and regional culture. RBST
(Urban Studies) courses supplement this as well.