Southern California Institute of Architecture
SCI–Arc 2014–2015 Viewbook
Southern California Institute of Architecture
SCI–Arc 2014–2015 Viewbook
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ERIC OWEN MOSS ERIC OWEN MOSS ARCHITECTS SCI-ARC DIRECTOR
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I think SCI-Arc’s job is to make the people who make the radical, which is different than saying SCI-Arc’s job is to dispense some kind of pro forma that makes you radical. I think SCI-Arc is a great place if there are great people at SCI-Arc who will tell you, “You can tell me what you think it is, and I probably would disagree.” What I’m interested in is the tension between possibilities. – ›› AIA|LA Gold Medal ›› Jencks Award, Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) ›› AIA|LA Twenty-Five Year Award ›› Dedalo Minosse International Prize ›› National Academy Award
1972 SCI-Arc, located in downtown Los Angeles’ Arts District, was founded in 1972 and is NAAB and WASC accredited.
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HERNAN DIAZ ALONSO XEFIROTARCH GRADUATE PROGRAMS CHAIR
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In the permanent state of arrival and departure that defines SCI-Arc, the role of faculty is of course critical, but SCI-Arc does not seek individuals who fit within a certain dogma. Instead it’s about identifying some very specific and hopefully important part of the larger architectural conversation that is, right now, at a critical inflection point, as well as the people who are pushing and defining it. – ›› AR+D Award for Emerging Architecture ›› PS1 MoMa’s Young Architects Program Winner ›› AIA Educator of the Year
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HSINMING FUNG HODGETTS + FUNG DIRECTOR OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
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I think this place challenges you—there is a culture that has to do with always questioning the status quo, and there is a culture of encouraging you to develop ideas and to allow you to fail. In other words, I think you have to take risks and you have to learn that taking risks and failing is okay. – ›› Fellow, American Academy in Rome ›› Chrysler Award for Innovation in Design ›› American Academy of Arts and Letters Award in Architecture
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JOHN ENRIGHT GRIFFIN ENRIGHT ARCHITECTS UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM CHAIR
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SCI-Arc is what happens when you gather together a group of faculty and students whose only commonality is the belief that architecture has the distinct and wonderfully magical power to exhibit positive change and redefine the world around us. – ›› AIA|LA Design Award ›› Award of Excellence, Los Angeles Architectural Awards, LA Business Council ›› American Architecture Award, Chicago Athenaeum
48 The student body comes from 48 different countries.
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BACHELOR OF ARCHITECTURE SCI-Arc’s undergraduate program is aimed at educating the next generation of young architects who will lead the discipline as designers, and who will inherently question the status quo while searching for new models of architectural inquiry. Design Studios, Cultural Studies, Applied Studies, General Studies and Visual Studies are all crafted to develop a rigorous awareness and knowledge of the discipline. The curriculum emphasizes the inherent inter-relationships and bridging between these topics as students sequence through their five years of study.
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ADAM FUJIOKO + CHRIS WANG B.ARCH STUDENTS
URIEL LOPEZ B.ARCH STUDENT
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In 1999, before there was widespread use of websites and galleries, SCIArc published a small brochure that said something to the tune of “we’re interested in your voice.” And among many of the options available to me at the time—having attended Cooper Union as a high school student in NYC and completing a tour in the U.S. Army—and after visiting Cal Poly and Berkeley, it was SCI-Arc that attracted me the most because of this provocative call to let my intellect shine through my work, to speak my vision. Embarking on occupying a vacant freight depot also seemed like a risky, but provocative opportunity that I have zero regrets having taken. By the time I presented my thesis, I was already working at an engineering firm in downtown LA. Shortly after graduation, I moved to New York, where I was introduced to a fellow alumnus who helped me connect to my first big architecture job within a matter of days. – FERNANDO ARIAS
WORKING GROUP ASSOCIATE CGI AMERICA CLINTON GLOBAL INITIATIVE B.ARCH ’04 ALUMNUS
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4000 SCI-Arc has 4,000 alumni working around the world.
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RYONNA CHUO B.ARCH STUDENT
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MAHZUZA MAYSUN + KATHLEEN MEJIA B.ARCH STUDENTS
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I’d always imagined my architectural education to be one where I would constantly be challenged. You see your design studio instructors three times a week and naturally, their experience influences you as you embark on a new idea. Working with such experienced instructors encourages you to match, or surpass, their passion. – RYONNA CHUO B.ARCH STUDENT
N SCI-Fa Section B scale: 3/16” = 1’-0”
DE SIG N ST U D IO The architectural design studios at SCI-Arc are sequential topics establishing the foundation of architectural practice. Each studio explores a single topic and is the anchor point for the semester’s course work. Seminar courses from Visual, Applied, Cultural and General Studies support and enhance the design studio. Studios take place Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 2 to 7pm and faculty meet with students individually and in groups to discuss the progression of the central design project. Each semester, the students’ dedicated workspaces are organized by design studio, with a 15 to 1 student to faculty ratio.
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CONNOR GRAVELLE B.ARCH STUDENT
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My project in the first semester of second year, for a youth center in Hollywood, was a really important one for me because it created so many productive problems about architecture that I’ve been able to further explore. I really felt like it was my first personal endeavor into who I am as an individual designer, in relation to the discipline as a whole. – CONNOR GRAVELLE B. ARCH STUDENT
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SCI-Arc provides access to the inner world of architecture, a world that isn’t confined to a classroom. At school, I’ve had the opportunity to meet and interact with esteemed architects and I’ve been presented with other opportunities, like being able to intern for some of the firms run by my instructors, which has allowed me to learn a lot. – HEMILA ARIA
B.ARCH STUDENT
2:30 PM SCI-Arc campus tours are provided Mondays and Fridays at 2:30pm. Contact tours@sciarc.edu to schedule a reservation.
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JUSTIN KIM + SANDRA REYES B.ARCH STUDENTS
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YOUNG SUN B.ARCH STUDENT
MANORI SUMANASINGHE ALUMNA
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Participating in the resume workshop and the Open Season career event helped me identify how I wanted to practice architecture, and presented me with opportunities to pursue my career goals. A few job opportunities came my way right around thesis and I picked the one that suited my needs the most. SCI-Arc is very engaged with the architecture community and leaders of design, especially in LA. With the support of that network it was a surprisingly easy transition from school to professional life. – MANORI SUMANASINGHE HODGETTS + FUNG B.ARCH ’14 ALUMNA
O P EN SEASO N SCI-Arc has 4,000 alumni from its 40-year history. To provide career support, the Alumni Council hosts Open Season, a series of career networking events created to connect alumni and professional partners in the architecture and design field with current students. These events invite potential employers to observe and recruit students as they present their studio and thesis work to faculty and jurors for academic review.
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The energy and culture of SCI-Arc is completely unique. Students work with faculty who are not only good instructors but also great practitioners. It is rare to see such an active community of faculty who challenges each other outside of school but can come together to collaborate and craft a studio together inside the school. – JENNY WU
OYLER WU COLLABORATIVE DESIGN STUDIO, VISUAL STUDIES FACULTY ›› ›› ›› ››
Design Vanguard Award, Architectural Record AIA|CC Emerging Talent Award AIA|LA Presidential Awards for Emerging Practice Emerging Voices Award, Architectural League of New York
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JENNY WU + DWAYNE OYLER FACULTY
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There is a symbiotic relationship between practice and teaching at SCI-Arc, since most of the design faculty are practicing architects. Students benefit from that, and the broad range of advanced design techniques and technology that each faculty member brings to the table. One example of this collaboration between faculty and students is the SCI-Arc Gallery, which features an architectural installation by both established and emerging architect a few times each year. It is organized as a workshop where students collaborate directly with the architect on the design and the fabrication of a large-scale architectural object. – HERWIG BAUMGARTNER
B+U DESIGN STUDIO, APPLIED STUDIES FACULTY ›› ›› ›› ››
Maxine Frankel Award for Design Research AIA National Award for Emerging Professionals A+Award for Sustainability City of Los Angeles C.O.L.A, Department of Cultural Affairs Individual Artist Fellowship, 2014-15
S CI -AR C G ALLERY The SCI-Arc Gallery program invites exhibitors to experiment with new materials, concepts, and fabrication methods, reflecting SCI-Arc’s encouragement of an experimental approach to construction materials and its emphasis on learning through building. Students have the opportunity to participate in workshops in which they work closely with the invited architect to assist in the fabrication and installation of the show. Exhibitors include Zaha Hadid, Hitoshi Abe, Sir Peter Cook, Jakob + MacFarlane, Neil Denari, Eisenman Architects, RoTo Architects, and Joe Day.
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HERWIG BAUMGARTNER + SCOTT URIU FACULTY
RAMIRO DIAZ-GRANADOS FACULTY
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HEATHER FLOOD FACULTY
ANAHIT ASATRYAN + OSCAR DELEON B.ARCH STUDENTS
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JENNIE SUN + THAO TRINH B.ARCH STUDENTS
HENGYU LIM B.ARCH STUDENT
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Located in a quarter-mile long building, the openness of the campus is a physical manifestation of the open-mindedness of SCIArc’s academic approach, which results in a most unique learning environment. The open floor plan allows for the free flow of academic exchanges between undergraduate and graduate students alike. This is a school where people get to see things differently. – PATRICE CHANG B.ARCH STUDENT
5-15 The majority of students live 5-15 minutes walk or bike ride from their studio work space.
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JENNY WU + DWAYNE OYLER FACULTY
MARCELO SPINA FACULTY
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During one summer, I helped out with the construction of Oyler Wu Collaborative’s Centerstage project for the SCI-Arc Graduation Pavilion. I gained experience for the first time in grinding and cutting steel. I also learned to be very meticulous about the details of a project. – JUSTIN KIM
B.ARCH STUDENT
GRAD UATI O N PAVI L I O N Students work alongside SCI-Arc faculty to prepare a temporary pavilion for the annual graduation ceremony early September. In our parking lot adjacent to the building, you will see the latest pavilion designed by Marcelo Spina entitled League of Shadows. A grant from ArtPlace created the opportunity to create a four-year pavilion that will be used not only for SCI-Arc’s commencement but for community events in the Arts District.
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I was 17, sitting in a classroom listening to the first DID presentation: “See this pen in my hand, and see that big city outside your window? They’re much more similar than you would ever expect—they are connected by the act of design.” Suddenly, my perspective had changed. Four weeks later, the program ended and I left with a newly awakened appetite. Two years later, SCI-Arc is still keeping me hungry for more. – DEBORAH GARCIA B.ARCH STUDENT
D E S I G N I M M E R S I O N DAYS Design Immersion Days (DID) is a four-week summer program for high school students. Rising juniors and seniors explore careers in architecture and design. At the conclusion of the program, students work on creating a college admissions-ready portfolio.
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DEBORAH GARCIA, ANGELO GRAY + ESRA DURUKAN B.ARCH STUDENTS
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S CI -AR C THESIS P RO GRAM B.Arch and M.Arch students present a year-long thesis project to complete their studies. Each thesis represents the culmination of curriculum, individual inquiry, and design focus.
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Day one of thesis, we were called into the library. We all sat down, and then Thom Mayne walked in, smiling, smitten to be there. We all wondered why. Turns out he was our advisor. I wasn’t sure how that worked out, a prize winning architect here only to help. I am pretty sure he could figure out my thesis better than I could, and yet there he was to help me. – ANTHONY MOREY
OYLER WU COLLABORATIVE B.ARCH ’14 ALUMNUS
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DARIN JOHNSTONE FACULTY
The thing that always amazes me about studios at SCI-Arc, and the SCI-Arc environment in general, is what I call a culture of reciprocity. We as faculty are constantly learning from one another. Certainly, the students are learning from us but we are all learning from them as well. There is an intellectual and creative openness here that breeds vibrancy, ingenuity and freshness. That is what compels me to teach. – DARIN JOHNSTONE
DARIN JOHNSTONE ARCHITECTURE DESIGN STUDIO, VISUAL STUDIES AND APPLIED STUDIES FACULTY DESIGN IMMERSION DAYS COORDINATOR ›› AIA|LA Design Honor Award ›› “10 to Watch,” LA Architect ›› AAF Accent on Architecture Award
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There’s something about the genetic code of this place that brings us all here to play our best game. Playing our best game isn’t just about the work itself, it has to do with our relationships with each other. SCI-Arc is renewing itself all of the time. – MICHAEL ROTONDI
ROTO ARCHITECTS FORMER SCI-ARC DIRECTOR DESIGN STUDIO, APPLIED STUDIES AND CULTURAL STUDIES FACULTY ›› ›› ›› ››
AIA|LA Gold Medal National AIA Design Award AIA|LA Twenty-Five Year Award AIA|CC Design Award
MICHAEL ROTONDI ALUMNUS/FACULTY
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FLORENCIA PITA FACULTY
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Students are encouraged to emerge as public intellectuals, leading speculative discussions in the practice of architecture, and connecting these emerging ideas to the discipline both academically and outside the classroom. – DORA EPSTEIN JONES, PHD
GENERAL STUDIES COORDINATOR CULTURAL STUDIES, GENERAL STUDIES FACULTY ›› ›› ›› ››
Guest Editor (with Bryony Roberts), LOG 31: New Ancients Mechudzu: New Rhetorics for Architecture (RIEA, 2011) American Council of Learned Societies/Luce Foundation Scholar ACSA Women’s Leadership Council
GE N ERAL ST U D IES The General Studies curriculum represents a fresh and innovative approach to liberal arts education, teaching a wide breadth of knowledge and critical thinking skills. Non-architectural content is directed with a two-pronged approach: first, as an intensive series of developed courses at the foundation level, and second, as a flexible series of one-time elective seminars taught by leading thinkers, writers, theorists and practitioners in a wide spectrum of fields and subjects, from real estate development and biomimicry to media/culture, and particle/physics.
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I spent a summer in Japan taking the SCI-Arc Tokyo studio with Instructor John Bohn. We worked with faculty and students from Tokyo University, Keio University, and Hosei University. When we collaborated, they taught me about their culture and ideas while I did the same for them. I really enjoyed traveling through Tokyo, studying the city, and reimagining it. Tokyo is unparalleled—it completely changed my understanding of a city. – JOAO VELAZQUEZ B.ARCH STUDENT
11 There are study abroad programs, exchanges and studio visits available in 11 different countries including Australia, Austria, Korea, the Netherlands, Mexico, United Kingdom, Italy, Israel, Japan and China.
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JOAO VELAZQUEZ B.ARCH STUDENT
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EDUARDO BELLOSTA, JINA SEO, RYAN MCGRIFF + SI SUN B.ARCH STUDENTS
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My favorite experience took place in my first semester when I realized that architecture is not a visually “beautiful” structure, but more so a development process. Beginning with a concept, explored through different methods in Applied Studies seminars, and articulated through design, architecture is what you make it. Your interests and your methods are what define your project. The moment I came to that realization, I felt I was in control of my education and saw the school as a facility for my learning. – KATHLEEN MEIJA B.ARCH STUDENT
APPLIED STUDIES The Applied Studies program is based on challenging how our world is constructed, what constitutes an environment, and how architecture of the next century might respond to global change. The program offers courses that critically engage building technology and interpret its spatial and social consequences. Foundation courses are offered in physics and other sciences, building systems, structural analysis, tectonics, material development, acoustics, lighting, and environmental control. Recent elective courses have explored building information modeling, parametric design, generative structures, composite tectonics, material research and development, complex assemblies, energy design, biomimicry, and robotic fabrication.
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The SCI-Arc education grants opportunities in fields of design not strictly architectural. I have designed in jewelry, fashion, and furniture, all in addition to architectural internships. The school I transferred from even calls me back every semester to help review projects because of my time at SCI-Arc. – ADAM MARTINEZ B.ARCH STUDENT
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SCI-Arc was really the beginning of my whole entire career…my architecture has a big influence from [my] education [at] SCI-Arc. – SHIGERU BAN
SHIGERU BAN ARCHITECTS PRITZKER ARCHITECTURE PRIZE LAUREATE ’14 ALUMNUS
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SHIGERU BAN ALUMNUS
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NICK SEIERUP ALUMNUS
Based on people we’ve hired at my firm in the last 15 years, the school turns out thinkers—people who can think independently, deeply and passionately about something. SCI-Arc also creates people who are very proficient utilizing cutting edge tools. In some ways, the tools that are available to students at SCIArc are ahead of the curve in the industry so we see graduates coming out with skills that are not even in the architectural profession right now, which is an interesting phenomenon. – NICK SEIERUP PERKINS + WILL SCI-ARC TRUSTEE B.ARCH ’79 ALUMNUS
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BRENDAN MACFARLANE ALUMNUS
24 Students use 24 state-of-theart software packages including Rhino, Maya, Grasshopper, ZBrush, Catia, AutoCAD, 3D Studio Max and Adobe CS6.
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EMILY WHITE ALUMNA/FACULTY
Studios at SCI-Arc are organisms— alive and responsive. Instructors work together to craft the conceptual framework for each course. From there, the studio grows as students, projects and conversations promote new ideas over the course of the semester. The same is true for my Visual Studies seminars. – EMILY WHITE
LAYER DESIGN STUDIO, VISUAL STUDIES FACULTY ALUMNA
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PATRICK GESKE M.ARCH STUDENT
CONNER GRAVELLE B.ARCH STUDENT
VI S UAL ST U D IES The Visual Studies program sets the foundation for project communication systems. It includes generative diagramming, concept representation, project communication, and project production documents. Recent elective courses have focused on topics such as time-based visualization, graphic design, scripting, interactive navigation, animation, film documentary, photography, industrial and product design, and production design.
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THOM MAYNE FACULTY
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One can always sense the nature of SCI-Arc by the level of the work and the incredibly powerful kind of energy that is read from this work. – THOM MAYNE
MORPHOSIS ARCHITECTS SCI-ARC FOUNDING FACULTY SCI-ARC TRUSTEE ›› ›› ›› ››
Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate ’05 MacDowell Medal AIA|LA Gold Medal National AIA Honor Award
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MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE SCI-Arc offers two professional Master of Architecture degrees, M.Arch 1 and M.Arch 2. The M.Arch 1 program is a three-year degree open to applicants who hold a bachelor’s degree or equivalent in any field of study. Rather than focus on a single ideology, methodology or technique, the M.Arch 1 program presents a broad range of approaches to the discipline of architecture. The M.Arch 2 program is a two-year degree specifically designed to build upon and reconsider knowledge gained from undergraduate degrees in architecture. SCI-Arc also offers two Master of Design Research post professional degrees called ESTM and SCIFI. ESTM is an intensive design and research laboratory uniquely tailored for applicants with a professional degree in architecture, engineering or industrial design. SCIFI is an intensive researchbased program and think tank dedicated to generating contemporary approaches to largescale urban architecture, and urban policy. 74
KYUNGJOO KIM + JAVIER RUIZ M.ARCH STUDENTS
JISUN LEE M.ARCH STUDENT
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Besides being a high-ranking architecture school in California, SCIArc represents to me an opportunity to view architecture from a different perspective. I would say I had a prenotion of what architecture was before grad school. And I knew that by attending SCI-Arc, it would allow me to challenge myself in architecture through all aspects such as design, theory, fabrication, and technology. – JENNIFER DIEP M.ARCH 1 STUDENT
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JENNIFER DIEP M.ARCH STUDENT
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RACHEL MCCALL + JILL KOENIGSKNECHT M.ARCH STUDENTS
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The dialogue SCI-Arc sets up spreads across the world, from the amazing collection of lectures to watch in person and online at the SCI-Arc Media Archive, to coming across work from SCI-Arc online and in print on a daily basis. I was drawn to SCI-Arc after meeting and hearing lectures from faculty in Sweden, Greece & Australia. After one year at SCI-Arc, opportunities are opening up well beyond the walls of the building. – RACHEL MCCALL M.ARCH 2 STUDENT
SC I -ARC MED I A A R CH IV E The SCI-Arc Media Archive hosts over 1000 hours of continually– updated videos of architecture and design lectures, symposia and events featuring the most significant voices in architecture since 1974. Available to the public at sma.sciarc.edu.
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I appreciate the plethora of digital skills that we’re taught at SCI-Arc, and the critical thinking that accompanies these skills in correlating concepts and research with the virtual world and ultimately with the built environment. These skills have enabled me to work with friends and colleagues from architecture and other fields to assist them in problem solving on their design projects. – DIEGO WU LAW
M.ARCH 2 STUDENT
HAO HOWARD CHEN + YIXIONG PENG M.ARCH STUDENTS
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SUNGMI HYUN M.ARCH STUDENT
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I had a strong interest in robotics so for me, the Robot House made a great case for SCI-Arc. It was easily the most exciting experimental space of any school I looked at. On top of that, whenever I looked online for great projects and inspiration, the SCI-Arc projects stood out. I was very lucky. I received recognition for a couple of my projects, and was quickly recruited to Silicon Valley. A lot of people have eyes on the type of work being produced by SCI-Arc students, and increasingly so in the tech world, which is seeing a lot of creative engineering and great design being smashed together in fun ways. – BRIAN HARMS
RESEARCH ENGINEER THINK TANK TEAM, SAMSUNG RESEARCH AMERICA ESTM ’13 ALUMNUS
6 The Robot House focuses on multirobot collaboration using six stateof-the-art Stäubli robotic systems.
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BRIAN HARMS ALUMNUS
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SCI-Arc still has that kernel of experimental, anti-establishment, which is really unique in architecture. We are in a profession that has been increasingly corporatized and I think that SCI-Arc provides a bulwark against the generic professionalism of architecture, and it seems that no matter what happens here over different kinds of movements— aesthetic movements or urbanist movements—that it’s maintained a kind of edgy questioning on what is architecture supposed to be anyhow, and I think that’s why so many people are drawn to the flame. – BARBARA BESTOR
BESTOR ARCHITECTURE M.ARCH 1 ’92 ALUMNA
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BARBARA BESTOR ALUMNA
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MARCELYN GOW FACULTY
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A school’s greatest asset is the sense of community that it establishes and sustains over time. At SCI-Arc the idea of community is advanced in a distinct way within a unique setting. The people that make up SCI-Arc—its students, leadership, faculty, staff, alumni and board of directors—exhibit an unparalleled and diverse vision, coupled with an exceptional level of dedication to the discipline and the practice of architecture. SCI-Arc’s unique position within the Arts District in downtown Los Angeles extends the reach of its academic community into a broader cultural milieu. – MARCELYN GOW
SERVO LOS ANGELES DESIGN STUDIO, CULTURAL STUDIES FACULTY ›› City of Los Angeles C.O.L.A, Department of Cultural Affairs Individual Artist Fellowship, 2014-15 ›› Graham Foundation Award
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ALEXIS ROCHAS FACULTY
In very few places do problems and solutions emerge consecutively. At SCI-Arc, students and faculty pride themselves in making a mark on the evolution of the discipline. – ALEXIS ROCHAS
STEREO.BOT MAKING + MEANING COORDINATOR DESIGN STUDIO, APPLIED STUDIES FACULTY
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At SCI-Arc, we don’t merely theorize or criticize design; we design the discourse. – TODD GANNON, PHD
CULTURAL STUDIES COORDINATOR ›› Edited books for Eisenman Architects, Zaha Hadid and UN Studio ›› Written Monographs for Morphosis, Bernard Tschumi, UN Studio, Steven Holl, Mack Scogin/Merrill Elam, Zaha Hadid and Peter Eisenman ›› ACSA Committee Member (Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture)
C U LTU RAL STU D I ES Cultural Studies at SCI-Arc refers to the study of architecture as a disciplinary subject, focusing on understanding the field through reading, research, and written exercises covering all aspects of architectural culture, history, theory, and criticism. Cultural Studies locates the discipline of architecture within larger artistic, cultural, social, and political contexts.
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HOWARD CHEN M.ARCH STUDENT
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The most memorable studio experience for me has to be Making+Meaning. It isn’t part of the M.Arch curriculum, but it was my first taste of architectural education. The rigorous daily schedule helped ready us for the fall term and allowed us to warm up to the intense amount of work to be produced. Though the projects may not be the most impressive work I’ve done, the experience of completing my first assignment, and finishing the first group model ahead of time is something that will always stay with me. – HOWARD CHEN
M.ARCH 1 STUDENT
MAKI NG+MEANI NG Making+Meaning is a college level five-week summer program that introduces the principles of architecture in a hands-on exploration of spatial experimentation, design methodologies and the creative process. For those gauging their interest and curiosity in architecture, or students beginning an M.Arch 1 degree, Making+Meaning is a platform for individual learning in a collective environment.
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I choose to study at SCI-Arc because of the school’s dedication towards experimental design, and to approaching the practice of architecture from unique angles, derived by innovators in the field and reflected in student work. While visiting SCI-Arc, I also appreciated the kind of autonomy the school had, uninhibited by the framework of a larger institution, which enables a free movement of ideas into action, and product. – SIERRA HELVEY M.ARCH 1 STUDENT
5,000 Over 5,000 physical models are produced in seminars and design studios each semester.
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SIERRA HELVEY M.ARCH STUDENT
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SUNGMI HYUN M.ARCH STUDENT
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CHEU, TK M.ARCH STUDENT QINGYI CHEN + CAYETANA LOPEZ M.ARCH STUDENTS
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I don’t think it is about why I chose SCI-Arc in the first place. What really matters is the decision to remain. I choose SCI-Arc every day. Every moment I spend here I consciously reaffirm that very first decision I made. Why? I can’t imagine myself being anywhere else; it is just a feeling of belonging. – CAYETANA LOPEZ M.ARCH 1 STUDENT
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JENNIFER MARMON ALUMNA
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I think that combining SCI-Arc’s SCIFI degree, which focuses on urban design, and my Bachelor of Architecture degree with my LEED accreditation strategically positions me to innovate architectural and urban scale solutions. I would like to work with a progressive firm to gain some more experience and knowledge before branching out on my own. – JANIVA HENRY SCIFI, ‘12 ALUMNA
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A way to think about SCI-Arc would be as the basis for building audiences within architecture. It’s a common misapprehension that architectural schools invent architects. They don’t. They identify and nurture talent. What schools do more than anything is create audiences for ideas, and that is what SCI-Arc has been able to do. The experimentation with how you make that audience is the fundamental part of any design project. – ELENA MANFERDINI
ATELIER MANFERDINI GRADUATE THESIS COORDINATOR DESIGN STUDIO, VISUAL STUDIES FACULTY ›› Graham Foundation Award for Architecture ›› ACADIA Innovative Research Award for Excellence ›› AIA|LA Educator of the Year
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ELENA MANFERDINI FACULTY
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At some progressive schools, purely digital speculation remains the rule. At others, the translation of this speculation into building tectonics is the focus. While both of these tendencies have a strong presence at SCI-Arc, the school is unique in its pursuit of the reinvention of the techniques of design, and its willingness to suspend certain pragmatic constraints and expectations in order to encourage more aggressive formal, and conceptual experimentation. – ANDREW ZAGO
ZAGO ARCHITECTURE DESIGN STUDIO FACULTY, VISUAL STUDIES COORDINATOR ›› Academy Award in Architecture. the American Academy of Arts and Letters ›› Emerging Voices Award, Architectural League of New York ›› Progressive Architecture Award
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ANDREW ZAGO FACULTY
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AMANDA STJERNSTROM M.ARCH STUDENT
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Since most everyone that teaches at SCI-Arc is also practicing within their field, you’re taught ways of dealing with design challenges that are unique to each instructor. In experiencing several such ways, you begin to establish your own process through realizing which strategies work for you. This comes in handy as you tackle competitions and other design work you might partake in outside of SCI-Arc. – AMANDA STJERNSTROM M.ARCH 2 STUDENT
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HEATHER CARREON, AYLA MALKA, BAILEY SHUGART + SHAO WEN TOU M.ARCH STUDENTS
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One of my favorite classes so far was a Visual Studies class I took with Florencia Pita. We had to make these weird objects, and at the beginning there were no boundaries so it enabled complete design freedom. Pita gave guidance and suggested refinement as the objects progressed, and for the final review we had to 3D print them. Seeing my object in the flesh, my first large 3D print, made me very proud of myself. – BAILEY SHUGART M.ARCH 1 STUDENT
3D Dubbed the Magic Box, the new Digital Fabrication Lab will expand the school’s experimental approach to three-dimensional design. When complete in spring 2015, the new 2-story digital lab, along with the existing Shop and Robotics Lab, will occupy more than 12,000 sq.ft., making it one of the largest and most advanced fabrication facilities at an architecture school.
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SCI-Arc is fundamentally dynamic. Dynamism sums up a lot of preoccupations at the school—its ambitions and values. I think we are here to see how many ways we put our field in motion, in every respect; to see how buildings can in fact move and float and do unlikely things; how we can set the terms of discussion onto a faster, more exciting pace of inquiry. – JOE DAY
DEEGAN DAY DESIGN VISITING DESIGN STUDIO FACULTY M.ARCH 1 ’94 ALUMNUS
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JOE DAY ALUMNUS/FACULTY
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Progressing from school to the workforce was not a difficult conversion as the personal discipline required in school prepared me for the responsibilities and pressures associated with professional life. SCI-Arc also uniquely shaped my approach to design problems and helped put me in a position to thrive as a designer at Gensler. SCI-Arc’s focus on digital design and its utilization of innovative programs and fabrication techniques taught me how to research new technologies such as BIM, parametric modeling, scripting, rapid prototyping, etc. and employ them in my everyday project work. – KRISTEN GEORGE GENSLER M.ARCH 1 ’10 ALUMNA
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KRISTEN GEORGE ALUMNA
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MARCELO SPINA FACULTY
What’s great about SCI-Arc is a sense of purpose and urgency to what we teach. Faculty and students together, in desk critiques, reviews, and ongoing discussions, all strive to define, challenge and constantly reposition the rules of engagement about the role and evolution of the discipline of architecture within culture at large. – MARCELO SPINA
PATTERNS ESTm COORDINATOR DESIGN STUDIO, APPLIED STUDIES FACULTY ›› Emerging Voices Award, Architectural League of New York ›› AIA|LA Honor Award ›› USA Grigor Fellowship
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RE V IE WS Mid-term reviews, final reviews and thesis reviews are culminating moments for the design studio, where students present their work to a panel of prominent architects from around the world.
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SCI-Arc is the school of contemporary architecture and will (have to) be the school of future architecture. – WOLF D. PRIX
COOP HIMMELB(L)AU VISITING VERTICAL DESIGN STUDIO FACULTY ALUMNUS ›› Jenks Award: Vision Built Prize ›› Austrian Decoration of Honor for Science and Art ›› Annie Spink Award for Excellence in Architectural Education
WOLF PRIX + TOM WISCOMBE FACULTY
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I consider my teaching at SCI-Arc to be part of an ongoing conversation about architecture. A class is not just a class, but a kind of public utterance. The work we do has to be formally speculative, but also have an agenda driving it that is coherent enough to contribute to that conversation. This models for the students what it looks like to take a position, nurture it, and defend it. Frankly, I think most of the faculty at SCI-Arc are invested in this way of teaching, which is what makes the school so unique. – TOM WISCOMBE
TOM WISCOMBE ARCHITECTURE DESIGN STUDIO, APPLIED STUDIES FACULTY ›› PS1 MoMa’s Young Architects Program Winner ›› 1st Place, MoCA Pavilion Competition ›› 1st Place, International Competition for Shenyang Sports Civic Center
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ALEX BLUGERMAN + SMITA LUKOSE M.ARCH STUDENTS
QINGYI CHEN + QING WEN LI M.ARCH STUDENTS
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BAILEY SHUGART + SHAW WEN TOU M.ARCH STUDENTS
YEN PU CHEN + SIERRA HELVEY M.ARCH STUDENTS
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A DMI SSI O NS
F I NAN CIA L A ID
With 80 faculty members and 500 students, SCI-Arc is committed to shaping student experiences as they pursue undergraduate, graduate and post-professional degrees. We receive applications from prospective students from all over the U.S. and around the world, and we believe your experience at SCI-Arc will prepare you not only to perform well in the profession, but will also lead you to take the discipline in new directions, as you re-think assumptions, create, explore and test the limits of architecture.
For accepted SCI-Arc students, your eligibility for financial aid is based on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), SCI-Arc Financial Aid forms and your federal tax returns. The Financial Aid Office offers information on many programs to incoming and continuing students. Students must apply for financial aid by completing the FAFSA online in January. SCI-Arc’s financial aid application and other required forms are made available each January for students who wish to receive financial aid in the following academic year. It is recommended that all students complete their applications by the deadline to ensure that there is no delay in receiving their funds. International students are not eligible to receive federal or state financial assistance. However, international students may be eligible for educational loans through private lenders, banks and other financial institutions or organizations. Each year the Admissions Committee awards admissions scholarships to entering students. All applicants who submit a completed application to SCI-Arc are automatically considered for a scholarship. Admissions scholarships are awarded on the overall merit of an applicant’s application submissions and his/her potential to succeed at SCI-Arc. All entering students, domestic and international, are considered for admissions scholarships. All currently enrolled SCI-Arc students, domestic and international, are eligible to apply for continuing student scholarships after completing their first two semesters of study.
Applications must include the following materials: ›› Online application form ›› $85 application fee (non-refundable) ›› Portfolio of creative work ›› Statement of purpose ›› Resume ›› Three letters of recommendation ›› Official academic transcripts ›› Test scores, if applicable (SAT or ACT, GRE) ›› TOEFL or IELTS (for International students)
A PPLI CATIO N D EA D LINES B.Arch B.Arch, Advanced Placement (Spring): October 1 B.Arch, First Year Placement (Fall): January 15 B.Arch, Advanced Placement (Fall): May 1 M.Arch M.Arch 1 (Fall): December 15 M.Arch 2 (Fall): December 15 Post-Professional M.DesR ESTM (Fall): April 15 SCIFI (Fall): April 15 Summer Programs Design Immersion Days: June 1 Making+Meaning: July 1 SCI-Arc values diversity and welcomes applicants who demonstrate the interest and ability for the study of architecture, regardless of race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, age, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, or physical abilities.
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SCI-ARC viewbook.sciarc.edu www.sciarc.edu Southern California Institute of Architecture 960 E. 3rd Street Los Angeles, CA 90013 email admissions@sciarc.edu tel 213-356-5320