NAAB Architecture Program Report (APR) 2013 - Tulane School of ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Tulane UniversityArchitecture Program ReportSeptember 2013D. Architectural Education and the Profession.Tulane School of Architecture blends instruction in the traditional practice ofarchitecture with attention toward emerging opportunities and “non-traditional” careerpaths that students increasingly choose to pursue. For example, Public Interest Designis a national trend for students who wish to operate in the public realm, just as lawyershave moved into public policy and advocacy roles for many years. Tulane’scommitment involving community engagement inspires students to think about howthey are broadly preparing themselves for the fast-changing nature of practice in aglobal economy, including an awareness of the role of clients both traditionallyconceived and the community as client. Understanding the multiple needs of diversepopulations is fundamental to any community-based practice, and our students arefortunate to gain tangible experience in this area while they are in school. Given thefragile ecosystem of our region and the challenging climate, students are attuned to theimportance of design in relation to environmental conditions. They are also aware ofthe interplay between built and natural environments through design and infrastructuralinterventions.E. Architectural Education and the Public Good.Civic engagement has been the hallmark of Tulane University from the moment theinstitution re-opened after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Just over four monthsafter August 29, 2005, the University resumed instruction dedicated to more than justrebuilding the campus itself. Tulane embraced the proposition of helping to create abetter city as the largest private employer in New Orleans – to come back better andstronger than before the storm. The School of Architecture has been a highly visibleexemplar of the value of the “Tulane Recovery Plan”, with heroic work on the part ofmany students and faculty over the past seven and a half years. Real worldexperiences through community engagement and public service are fundamental in ourprogram, and we believe that this positions students uniquely for importantcontributions throughout their careers. Many faculty members are tremendous rolemodels for these values and have gained local and national recognition for theircontributions in this regard.I.1.4. Long Range PlanningThe School of Architecture has been engaged in planning as a continuous process. Faculty input hasbeen key to the progress we have seen over the past five years. The most recent iteration of thisprocess can be seen in the adopted Strategic Plan 2.1.STRATEGIC PLAN 2.1 (April 18, 2013)Tulane School of Architecture“The trouble with our times is that the future is not what it used to be.” Paul Valéry, OeuvresIntroductionThe Strategic Plan 2.1 is an update of the strategic plan from the summer of 2008 with substantialfaculty input led by Associate Dean Wendy Redfield during 2012-2013. These contributions werecollected and compiled into the extant document. The original 2008 plan also received extensive inputand refinements during the fall semester of that year by the faculty and Board of Advisors. Theprevious 2008 plan included three main priorities and a number of tactics for their attainment:• Strengthen the core• Raise the profile• Engage the community9
Tulane UniversityArchitecture Program ReportSeptember 2013Over the course of five years, this helped in guiding and explaining our direction during a time ofsignificant change within the School of Architecture. The current update involves a re-assessment ofwhere we are heading as an institution and addresses the question of where we want to be in fouryears and beyond.The Next Four Years – Dean’s Vision StatementI envision a School that will be recognized among the top ten programs in architecture, real estatedevelopment and preservation, and a national leader in social innovation and social entrepreneurship.We will accomplish this through a series of strategic steps that leverage our current strengths andfurther distinguish our programs at both graduate and undergraduate levels. By focusing on theessential role of “design thinking” and innovation while expanding our students’ range of consideration,the School will continue to be widely recognized as a leader in community engagement and as aprogram that increasingly exemplifies the extraordinary power of social entrepreneurship to create abetter and more engaged community. Key to this agenda is the way the School will continue toembrace excellence through diversity. We aim to have an intellectually, ethnically, racially, andgeographically diverse faculty with increasing diversity, including economic diversity among the studentbody as well. Issues of diversity connect directly to our relevance to contemporary society, in whicharchitects, preservationists, and real estate developers contribute their professional expertise.As a framework, we will uphold three primary concepts in our academic mission and in the values weinstill in our students:1. Educating students in the abiding cultural and social roles of architecture, preservation, andreal estate development by providing a well-rounded, humanities-based education withdiscipline-specific coursework;2. Preparing future professionals through continually assessed and updated coursework indesign, building technology, and professional concerns, with an emphasis on critical thinking;3. Instilling a sense of responsibility and ethical conduct through civic engagement.By upholding these three concepts, student work will be more fully recognized for its excellence, bothnationally and internationally. Faculty productivity and measurable influence will increase dramaticallyin various forms, including traditional academic scholarship, excellence in design and creative work,teaching, and locally-based community engagement and public service. The narratives describing thisprocess will be compelling tools in raising awareness and in attracting students to Tulane. New Orleanswill continue to be a major laboratory for the School’s work both in terms of pedagogical focus andtangible community engagement, and there will be increasing opportunities to explore issues beyondNew Orleans as well.In four years, the School will see a major expansion in resources to support the ambitions of studentsand faculty more vigorously. This will be the result of robust and sustained “development” efforts,including a Capital Campaign for Innovation and Tulane Sustainable Strategies totaling $30 million ormore. It is hoped that the Richardson Memorial Hall renovation and addition will be completed by 2018.This project will become an exemplar for our students and faculty as a learning laboratory that willinclude traditional functions of an architecture school and an added role as the symbolic center forinnovation and entrepreneurship under the rubric of Tulane Empowers. The project will also serve asroad map for other historic projects on Tulane’s campus and beyond, demonstrating ways to buildprogressively with ambitious, sustainable goals and with deep respect for a structure’s physical, historicand cultural significance.“Every time a student walks past a really urgent, expressive piece of architecture that belongs to hiscollege, it can help reassure him that he does have that mind, does have that soul.”Louis Kahn10
Page 4: Tulane UniversityArchitecture Progr
Page 7 and 8: Tulane UniversityArchitecture Progr
Page 13: Tulane UniversityArchitecture Progr
Page 51 and 52: 46Tulane UniversityArchitecture Pro
Page 65 and 66:
Tulane UniversityArchitecture Progr
Page 67 and 68:
Page 69 and 70:
Page 71 and 72:
Page 73 and 74:
Page 75 and 76:
Page 77 and 78:
Page 79 and 80:
show all

NAAB Architecture Program Report (APR) 2013 - Tulane School of ...

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?