<p>Just a little bit about me. </p>
<p>I am a freshman at University of Texas at Austin. Majoring in Architecture. Im PRETTY sure that I want to do architecture. I know that it's hard. I know that it is a lot of work and that it's a challenge and I like that about it. Im looking forward to it. </p>
<p>I would post this on the UT forum but I feel like you guys would help me more. </p>
<p>I've asked people and read things so Im not exactly clueless...Im just having trouble getting detailed information, especially about studio classes. I understand it's challenging and a great experience but what do you DO exactly? And what sort of assignments do you get? Groups? All nighters? Critiques? What exactly happens? How is your relationship with your fellow classmates? What sort of books would be good to read to prepare? I understand this might vary from school to school but Im still interested in hearing whatever you have to say about it. </p>
<p>I'd like to have a general idea of what goes on before the first day of class besides all nighters and lotsa work. =D</p>
<p>The most rigorous art class I have taken is AP Studio Art, just to give you an idea of what I am currently comparing studio classes to in my mind.</p>
<p>well, most schools start you out with two dimensional exercises- photographing things or making compositions that demonstrate a certain principal of design clearly. Then smaller three dimensional exercises that emphasize craft and spatial understanding. Some precedent studies where you draw, diagram, and build models of existing buildings again for spatial understanding and craft purposes. THEN you actually get to designing things that come close to architecture. A typical architectural assignment will give you a program (i.e. how many spaces of what type and approximate/suggested size), and a site, and the course is structured so that at the end of a semester you have a design solution for that problem. All nighters are not required persay, just a certain amount of work is required and however you manage to complete that is your business.</p>
<p>I did a master's program so the studios were somewhat compressed. I also graduated 25 years ago, but except for the switch to computers from what I can tell projects aren't that different. I think the first project might have been something where we were given elements and asked to make something sculptural. The first project I remember which was also first term was to design a one story house with parallel walls. There were certain parameters (I think perhaps no more than 12 ft. between walls and a given site size - that basically necessitated a town house solution.) We had to include space for the normal residential stuff and it was one story and you drew plans and elevations. Most (all?) of the spring semester was designing branch libraries for various awkward sites around New York City. (None of them were square.) In all these projects you had to draw plans, elevation, 3-D drawings and build a model. At the end of the project you have a "critique" where you present your ideas to a group of professors (some from outside the school - often quite well known architects) and had to explain your thinking. When I was a Columbia most of the projects were also projects that architects in the real world were tackling - so I remember for example projects for additions to the Whitney and the Freer, the Canberra capital, and the Vietnam Memorial. Studios were held three times a week for about three hours. The professor would make the rounds seeing students individually. Sometimes there were group critiques before the final critique. In addition to studio there was always a structures course of some sort, a course on something practical (lighting, HVAC, acoustics) and some electives (architectural history and theory). There were a couple of (bigger) projects that were done in pairs, though the divorce rate in those projects was fairly high. While I certainly pulled my share of all nighters, it was really only the last week of any term.</p>