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ARCH 600 / SEMINARS
PROFESSIONAL ELECTIVES
FACULTY
Stefano Passeri Rhett Russo Hseng Tai Lintner William Virgil
For over 25 years the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute School of Architecture has steadily grown its course offerings in in in advanced digital-design techniques materials research and the examination of of the history of art architecture and design The past several years have seen an an increase in in in seminars and under the the the leadership of Dean Evan Douglis our faculty have further diversified the the the seminars’ topics Seminars enable faculty to to to bring their particular research interests into the the classroom via
a a a a a a a a range of of of pedagogies They also offer students access to the more experimental areas of of of current architectural inquiry preparing them to engage with the the complex and changing world in in in in which we live Students benefit from the the depth of faculty engagement with their own sometimes decades- long research At the the the same time time students are seeing the the the material for the the the first time time and often bring valuable new insights to the the discussion Many of these seminars result in in in in public exhibitions lectures and publications Recent seminar courses have interrogated a a a a a a a a a wide range of experimental architectural practices through the lens of interdisciplinary research methods and emerging design technology These semi- nars have provided targeted deep dives into next-generation design approaches including—but not limited to—robotics AI and and machine learning AR/VR 3D printing photogrammetry and and big data Cutting-edge ceramic fabrication with a a a a a a robotic extruder cyborg urbanism AI-driven interpretations of landscape design typographic/architectural parametric drawing hybrids—these innovations repre- sent but a a a a a a a a small selection of the the speculative approaches the the most recent seminars have addressed Such emerging areas of of inquiry are are changing the the discipline of of architecture as as we know it it and there is is an an increasing need to critically address their aesthetic social and political implications Our seminars offer ways to assess where these new regimes of of knowledge are taking us through computational media materials and manufacturing processes At the the same time the the need to to engage with history and theory is vital to the the refinement of our students’ emerging perspectives Critical looks at scholar- ship as as wide ranging as as the the the the the the theory of of the the the the the the Anthropocene the the the the the the history of of Picturesque aesthetic and the the the the the the influence of Object-Oriented Philosophy on architectural drawing provide crucial intellectual anchors Field trips and intimate dialogues with recognized scholars are other ways in in in which the the seminars facilitate an alternative experience outside the design studio Students are encouraged to make and and maintain ties to to our seminar guests and and many of these academic dialogues have grown into research partnerships and jobs For the undergraduate or or graduate graduate student who has begun to discover a a a a a a a a a special area of research there is is no better way to to cultivate that interest than to to connect with professionals attend conferences and to develop their own expertise Special courses are a a a a a a way to to connect to to other disciplines and are aimed at enlarging students’ worldviews In addition to to producing talented designers we also wish our students to to become responsible citizen-scholars intent on on exploring the intellectual terrain and and looming challenges of cultures populations and and environments in in crisis Architects integrate systems at at at the most sophisticated levels and can best design solutions from a a a a a place of deep contextual awareness Varun Chillara > Andres De La Paz > William Virgil
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