Architectural Education in the Lower Division

General

Florida Atlantic University’s School of Architecture offers lower division Pre-Architecture courses on the Boca Raton campus. These courses are required for admission to the Bachelor’s of Architecture program at FAU. Students will be able to complete their general education along with their Architecture courses on one campus. [Please be aware that after completion of these courses and acceptance into the School of Architecture, all Architecture courses will be taught on the Downtown Fort Lauderdale campus.]

Studios

Currently, the Lower Division Architectural Design Studios are located in the Social Sciences Building (SO) on the Boca Raton Campus of FAU, in rooms SO 206 and 308. Each student will be assigned a personal desk and locker to work efficiently in their studio. This ensures short convenient distances between other non-architectural classes, students’ facilities and dormitories. Students have access to the studios seven days a week.

The studio is a collective learning environment. Studio discussions, critiques and pin-ups occur in theses spaces.  Informal exchanges between the various studio sections in each year and between the students of the first and second year also take place in the studio.

01 - FAU, School of Architecture Studio at Boca Raton Campus

Application

Freshmen and sophomores looking to enter Architectural Design 1 at FAU must submit the required drawing and writing exercises. Click on the School of Architecture Applications to the left to obtain the exercises. The School of Architecture accepts about 30 students in two studio sections of Architectural Design 01 each fall.

Educational Approach

The first two years of the architectural design education at FAU, School of Architecture set the foundations for students to design architecture, understood as space for human beings. The educational approach in the studios trusts in experience as a primary source of learning, taking place in a guided process of making and reflection.

Sustainability, location and climate are one conditional base of architecture, which is addressed through out all studios and design projects as much as applicable.

Learning Process

The faculty of the FAU School of Architecture believes that architectural design is strongly dependent on the methods implemented in the design process. During the first two years of the program, students become aware of the interaction of design processes and the resulting products, by directly engaging in the making of various projects in studio. The fundamental conditions for this collective learning environment are:  critical dialogue; in-group discussions; desk critiques; pin-ups; and the informal exchange as elements of a lively studio culture.

The design process is a highly valued asset in the studio. Process work is part of final presentations and the sketchbook is kept as a treasure book of development. Acquired abilities of each studio are revisited in the following semester to enhance learning results.

Expectations:

After two years of successful education students will be able to manifest an architectural idea in models, drawings and analytical notes. Students will have the ability to discuss simple projects in basic terms of idea, site, space, material, construction, structural system, program, and are able to place their project in a historical and theoretical context. Students will have experience in two- and three-dimensional composition, in the design of space in relation to the human being, in construction techniques relating to space and form and in visual communication to convey an architectural idea and its entire project.

Each student gains a solid base to continue the architectural education and will be prepared to submit a solid portfolio for the application to the Upper Division at FAU, School of Architecture.

02 - Exhibit of Lower Division – First Year Student Work

Faculty

The School of Architecture is proud to offer a wide range of instructors with different expertise from all over the world (see faculty bios). Currently nine Professors are involved in teaching at the Lower Division: Visiting Assist. Prof. Carol Buhrmann, Assist. Prof. Jean Martin Caldieron, PhD, Adjunct Prof. Cecilia Catizone, Adjunct Prof. Christian Feneck, Adjunct Prof. Roger Grave de Peralta, Adjunct Prof. Leo Hansen, Assist. Prof. Henning Haupt PhD, Prof. Ralph Johnson, Assist. Prof. Vladimir Kulic PhD and Assoc. Prof. John Sandell. Coordinator for the Lower Division Program is Assist. Prof. Henning Haupt.

03 - Exhibit of Lower Division Second Year Student Work

Freshman and sophomore classes and credits

Architectural Classes

* Architectural Design 1 (ARC 1301) and Architectural Design 2 (ARC 1302) are divided into two separate but inter-related components, the Design Studio (two days, each 3 hours 20 minutes per week) and the Drawing Studio (one day of 4 hours per week).
** Co-requisites collaborate with the project in the Architectural Design Studios.
*** Architectural Design 3 (ARC 2303) and Architectural Design 4 (ARC 2304) are taught on two days (each 3 hours 50 minutes) per week. The drawing sections are organized with in this time frame.

Studio Sequence: Objectives /Techniques /Projects

Dual Enrollment Option:

The Architecture courses on the Boca Raton campus have limited availability. If there is no space available, students have the option to dual enroll at one of the following Institutions:

Please be aware that if the design sequence is started at one of these institutions, then it has to be completed there. Students are not allowed to transfer any Pre-Architecture courses from another institution in order to complete the Pre-Architecture program at FAU.

Current Students:

Students who are taking classes at FAU and are planning to submit a portfolio to FAU’s School of Architecture for admission into the Junior level are not required to reapply to the University. Students are required to submit a portfolio and take the writing test in order to get admitted to the Bachelor of Architecture Program on the following deadlines:

• Portfolio Submission: last Friday in February at 10:00am.
• Required Writing Exercise: last Friday in February at 10:00am.

Please review the admissions information for the School of Architecture.

If you have any questions as a Freshmen/Sophomore Pre-Architecture student, please contact the Academic Advisor, Todd Hedrick at (thedrick@fau.edu).