Review:

1) Design studio is widely thought to be at the center of architectural education. Is this true in our times? Drawing, design, and studio appear to be the center of the curriculum for an arch major at Umich.

2) Should it be? I think it should because it gives students the experience of designing something, but I do think other skills like budgeting and social skills could be addressed more based on the current curriculum.

3) What skills does an architect need to acquire in order to conceptualize, coordinate and execute an architectural project today? An architect must have the skills not only to create, draw, and design a project, but to know how to work with a limited budget, interact with builders, engineers, and clients, and convey their art in a meaningful way without sidestepping the skills listed prior.

4) What other fields of study might be included in the architect’s contemporary education? Other fields of study might include: historical/cultural analysis of architecture, finding architectural form in the natural world, development of architectural tools (ex. computer design programs, architectural budgeting templates, etc)

Document: 8 perceived fields of study necessary to successfully conceive the design for the Burj Al Arab:

1. Design Studio

2. Structures

3. Engineering/Physics

4. Budgeting

5. Materials

6. Creative Ideas

7. Psych: working with clients

8. Presentation/Pitching

Innovate: ARCH: Creative Ideas

Course Description: One thing comes across in every building in varying degrees that seems correlate to the artistic quality of the building’s design: the idea. The creative idea is what makes architecture tick and makes what would otherwise be an art-less structure a piece of art that is accessible to the average person. Every iconic building has a central idea (whether in shape or function) that comes across in a simple, clear way to the consumer. In this course, you will learn how to create and vet ideas to stimulate your creativity and convey an accessible idea through the medium of an architectural project.

This course would have a lower and upper level to be taken 2^nd and 3^rd years with prerequisites of design fundamentals and basic drawing. Its purpose would be to help students to think creatively towards conceptualizing architectural ideas that are simple and accessible, yet rich and meaningful, as well as to integrate their design skills into the creative flow of ideas.