Students who complete our baccalaureate program
“Charleston has always treasured its built environment.
are truly educated artisans. They are able to undertake
People have always looked to Charleston as a leader in style,
projects requiring the highest level of artisan skills,
in design and in preservation. People come from all over the
knowledge of historic preservation techniques, a
world to experience the building arts here in Charleston.
strong understanding of architectural design and
Now they will come to Charleston to study those arts
construction and a world view of the impact on our
and to preserve them and to carry them back out into the
society. Our graduates have the education to be
world. The American College of the Building Arts will be
productive, creative and passionate individuals who
Charleston’s gift to America.”
possess the talents to change the face and the future of all our communities for the better.
Mayor Joe Riley, Charleston, SC
AMERICA’S ONLY
FOUR-YEAR LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGE FOCUSED ON DEVELOPING THE MINDS AND HANDS OF TRADITIONAL BUILDING ARTISANS.
American College of the Building Arts
21 Magazine Street, Charleston, SC 29401 843-577-5245 or toll-free 877-283-5245
www.BuildingArtsCollege.us
www.BuildingArtsCollege.us
ACBA_Brochure_bkgrnd.indd 1
10/7/10 8:38:32 PM
program overview The objectives of our building arts degree programs are clear and ambitious. Our focus is centered on creating the academic environment necessary to produce multifaceted artisans who have the skills to create and design with their hands, reason and question with their minds, and contribute to and preserve the world around them. In order to provide this unique educational experience, our students complete an intensive, integrated liberal arts curriculum. This curriculum has been developed in such a way that courses, both academic and artisan, build upon each other. This integrated approach creates a highly focused learning environment that students find both challenging and rewarding. Incorporated throughout the curriculum is an educational philosophy that unites all the subjects together. For example, the elements of a building studied in architectural history may be written about in English class, rendered in an architectural drawing, discussed in civic engagement, and its details then re-created in the trade workshop. By encouraging these crossdiscipline discussions, the college develops a student who understands the importance of each subject area and its impact on every aspect of the building arts and on society as a whole. The low student/teacher ratio (nine to one) facilitates this discussion and provides an educational experience that focuses on the individual student. Each building arts major is designed so students build upon their knowledge in each successive year. During the freshman and sophomore years students learn the foundational skills needed to work and create with the materials. In the junior and senior years, students are asked to take these skills and push the boundaries of their chosen fields. Each field encompasses not only traditional methods and designs but also the newest techniques and technology available. Students spend two days a week learning and mastering their art in the workshops and the other three days in academic classes, in the library, or in our living laboratory of Charleston, South Carolina.
ACBA_Brochure_bkgrnd.indd 2
Majors American college of the building arts
Forged Architectural Ironwork
Plaster Working
Though traditionally ironwork has been used in railings, balconies and gates, much more is possible. Elegant staircases, chandeliers and fanlights, even vaulted ceilings, have been made of iron. Students in the metal program learn to forge, join, and weld materials to create unique pieces of art.
The plaster working program at ACBA is a perfect fit in Charleston where many homes and public buildings feature elaborate decorative plasterwork. While historic precedent is important, the trade has evolved much over the last century. New materials blend with ancient methods as students learn flat wall plastering, fibrous plastering, casting and ornamental carving, as well as preservation and conservation techniques.
Architectural Stone Stone was most likely man’s first building material. Though often associated with pyramids or lofty cathedrals, stone is a versatile medium with many applications in modern construction. Students learn traditional methods of carving and cutting as well as modern techniques of conservation and repair.
Carpentry A skilled carpenter is essential to almost any building project. A broad major with a wide range of possibilities, the carpentry program provides students opportunities to work in structural framing, joinery, cabinetry, trim work, and different kinds of decoration and ornamentation. Students learn to use both traditional hand tools and modern machinery and have opportunities to work with most of the other trades.
Preservation Masonry Masonry is literally the foundation of the building arts. While most people associate masonry with walls, ACBA students learn to create arches, vaults, windows, stairs, and many other designs. Working in stone, cement, concrete and brick, students learn to work as a team to create structures from the ground up.
Timber Framing Timber framing has enjoyed a resurgence in America during the past two decades. While historically associated with barn raisings, modern frame structures can be immensely complicated. Requiring a high level of precision engineering, a twenty-first century timber framer is as likely to use a laptop as a chisel. ACBA’s program focuses on all of these skills while giving students plenty of open-air practice.
Liberal Arts Curriculum • Literature and Composition
• Architectural Computer Graphics
• Math
• Communications
• Architectural
• Historic Preservation
Drawing/Drafting • Architecture and Society • Building Arts Foundation • Scientific Methods
• Foreign Language • Business Management and Accounting • Capstone
10/7/10 8:38:33 PM
Students who complete our baccalaureate program
“Charleston has always treasured its built environment.
are truly educated artisans. They are able to undertake
People have always looked to Charleston as a leader in style,
projects requiring the highest level of artisan skills,
in design and in preservation. People come from all over the
knowledge of historic preservation techniques, a
world to experience the building arts here in Charleston.
strong understanding of architectural design and
Now they will come to Charleston to study those arts
construction and a world view of the impact on our
and to preserve them and to carry them back out into the
society. Our graduates have the education to be
world. The American College of the Building Arts will be
productive, creative and passionate individuals who
Charleston’s gift to America.”
possess the talents to change the face and the future of all our communities for the better.
Mayor Joe Riley, Charleston, SC
AMERICA’S ONLY
FOUR-YEAR LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGE FOCUSED ON DEVELOPING THE MINDS AND HANDS OF TRADITIONAL BUILDING ARTISANS.
American College of the Building Arts
21 Magazine Street, Charleston, SC 29401 843-577-5245 or toll-free 877-283-5245
www.BuildingArtsCollege.us
www.BuildingArtsCollege.us
ACBA_Brochure_bkgrnd.indd 1
10/7/10 8:40:33 PM
program overview The objectives of our building arts degree programs are clear and ambitious. Our focus is centered on creating the academic environment necessary to produce multifaceted artisans who have the skills to create and design with their hands, reason and question with their minds, and contribute to and preserve the world around them. In order to provide this unique educational experience, our students complete an intensive, integrated liberal arts curriculum. This curriculum has been developed in such a way that courses, both academic and artisan, build upon each other. This integrated approach creates a highly focused learning environment that students find both challenging and rewarding. Incorporated throughout the curriculum is an educational philosophy that unites all the subjects together. For example, the elements of a building studied in architectural history may be written about in English class, rendered in an architectural drawing, discussed in civic engagement, and its details then re-created in the trade workshop. By encouraging these crossdiscipline discussions, the college develops a student who understands the importance of each subject area and its impact on every aspect of the building arts and on society as a whole. The low student/teacher ratio (nine to one) facilitates this discussion and provides an educational experience that focuses on the individual student. Each building arts major is designed so students build upon their knowledge in each successive year. During the freshman and sophomore years students learn the foundational skills needed to work and create with the materials. In the junior and senior years, students are asked to take these skills and push the boundaries of their chosen fields. Each field encompasses not only traditional methods and designs but also the newest techniques and technology available. Students spend two days a week learning and mastering their art in the workshops and the other three days in academic classes, in the library, or in our living laboratory of Charleston, South Carolina.
ACBA_Brochure_bkgrnd.indd 2
Majors American college of the building arts
Forged Architectural Ironwork
Plaster Working
Though traditionally ironwork has been used in railings, balconies and gates, much more is possible. Elegant staircases, chandeliers and fanlights, even vaulted ceilings, have been made of iron. Students in the metal program learn to forge, join, and weld materials to create unique pieces of art.
The plaster working program at ACBA is a perfect fit in Charleston where many homes and public buildings feature elaborate decorative plasterwork. While historic precedent is important, the trade has evolved much over the last century. New materials blend with ancient methods as students learn flat wall plastering, fibrous plastering, casting and ornamental carving, as well as preservation and conservation techniques.
Architectural Stone Stone was most likely man’s first building material. Though often associated with pyramids or lofty cathedrals, stone is a versatile medium with many applications in modern construction. Students learn traditional methods of carving and cutting as well as modern techniques of conservation and repair.
Carpentry A skilled carpenter is essential to almost any building project. A broad major with a wide range of possibilities, the carpentry program provides students opportunities to work in structural framing, joinery, cabinetry, trim work, and different kinds of decoration and ornamentation. Students learn to use both traditional hand tools and modern machinery and have opportunities to work with most of the other trades.
Preservation Masonry Masonry is literally the foundation of the building arts. While most people associate masonry with walls, ACBA students learn to create arches, vaults, windows, stairs, and many other designs. Working in stone, cement, concrete and brick, students learn to work as a team to create structures from the ground up.
Timber Framing Timber framing has enjoyed a resurgence in America during the past two decades. While historically associated with barn raisings, modern frame structures can be immensely complicated. Requiring a high level of precision engineering, a twenty-first century timber framer is as likely to use a laptop as a chisel. ACBA’s program focuses on all of these skills while giving students plenty of open-air practice.
Liberal Arts Curriculum • Literature and Composition
• Architectural Computer Graphics
• Math
• Communications
• Architectural
• Historic Preservation
Drawing/Drafting • Architecture and Society • Building Arts Foundation • Scientific Methods
• Foreign Language • Business Management and Accounting • Capstone
10/7/10 8:40:33 PM