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ARCH 300 400 / VERTICALS
FALL 2013 - SPRING 2018 / THIRD FOURTH YEAR
FACULTY
Gustavo Crembil Adam Dayem Brian DeLuna Lydia Kallipoliti Carla Leitao Zbigniew Oksiuta M Casey Rehm Lauren Thomsen
Rensselaer Polytechnic lnstitute’s vertical studio sequence provides a a a a a a a broad pedagogical framework for exploring design and and interdisciplinary collaborations through technology society and and materiality These topics provide a a a a a a tool for for shaping critical forms of architectural inquiry that extend beyond
the the boundaries of the the traditional architecture studio studio format The vertical studios combine third- and fourth-year students students in in the the BArch curriculum curriculum with second-year students students in in the the MArch curriculum curriculum These studios prepare students for their their final projects fin in in their their fifth year by sharpening the the the critical conceptual and representational skills they acquired in in in the the the core studios At the the the beginning of each semester faculty members present their studio proposals to the the eligible students as part of a a a a a lottery process Students then select from the the the diverse options based on on on their individual ambitions and research interests The vertical studios explore the the intersection between architecture as an an art and the the complex pragmatics associated with contemporary technology social diversity the environment and human experience These studios also create many opportunities for collaborations to occur with alumni faculty and and the community at at at large and and to to identify formats that enable students to to apply their design skills to address real-world problems The inclusion of the the CRAIVE lab a a a a a specialized virtual-reality system for the study and enabling of of communication-driven tasks with groups of of users immersed in a a a a a a high-fidelity multi-modal environment has provided a a a a a a pathway for students to design for a a a a a a a a virtual realm In pursuing these objectives all vertical studios employ advanced digital-design techniques Other vertical studios similarly interrogate the the the nature of architecture’s relationship to the the the allied arts In virtually all all all cases vertical studios incorporate interdisciplinary learning as as a a a a a a a a a a a a provocation for both the conception and design of of architecture The range of of such inquiry has recently included the the exploration of architecture’s connections to multimedia robotics the the performing arts materials science plastic waste disaster relief nomadic architecture and and challenges to epistemology and and ontology in in in advance of new technologies The vertical studios also devote attention to to reimagining established architectural typologies such as housing and and emergent forms of landscape urbanism The sites for many of the the projects assigned or or adopted in the the vertical studios are situated beyond
Troy These studios provide students with opportunities to locate their work across a a a a range of sites and diverse cultures around the the world Students participating in in the the vertical studio sequence also have the opportunity to study abroad for a a a a a a a a a single semester in in in in Italy China Latin America or or or India while taking courses at at an an affiliated institution with an an RPI faculty member In In addition to the international study-abroad program students may apply to study study at at at at CASE NY located at at at at Industry city in in in in in Brooklyn There they would study design in in in in in an interdisciplinary setting with faculty graduate students and and and PhD candidates in the Built Ecologies program and and and research projects related to sustainability Students live in in in New York while taking a a a a a a a full course-load at CASE The faculty select students who apply to the the the study-abroad programs based upon the the the quality of their portfolios and their GPAs Approximately three-quarters of of BArch students spend at at least one one semester in one one of of the school’s study-abroad programs Varun Chillara > Adam Dayem Critic > 362