DESIGN PRINCIPLES: SOCIAL
HIST 244: Collective Memory in Cuba (January 2018)
Taking place in Cuba, this abroad course is centered around the study of how Cuban people remember the revolution, and the country’s later turn to socialism, investigating how history and memory are constructed by institutions through various methods such as nationalist holidays, celebrations, education, and memory sites. This class provided a unique opportunity to study architecture in a global context, and also architecture after revolution, and political factors governing art and design. For example, our tour of “Plaza Che Guevara,” where Che, along with his guerilla combatants are buried. This memory site also included a space for commemoration with a mausoleum adjacent to a museum dedicated to Che. The grand, elaborate design of the mausoleum, and the systematic placement of the museum next to the evocative site of burial are both instrumental in shaping memory, and is a great example of a political structure using architecture and design as a tool for an agenda.
SOAN 233: The Sociology of Colonial and Postcolonial Societies (Spring 2018)
Through critical discussions, reflection, and intense research, this sociology course examines colonialism, and also the implications of colonialism on the field of sociology itself. This course gave me the opportunity to research architecture’s relationship to colonialism, and exposed me to social theory applicable to the greater world of design. Taking this course alongside Nature and American Landscape gave a visualization to the theory and concepts presented about Western culture and colonialism, as much of American landscape has been curated as a product of colonial theory. Coursework included a research paper on colonial architecture and Frantz Fanon’s colonial theory.
SOAN 269: Urban Sociology (Fall 2019)
This course examines how humans interact in urban settings, investigating urbanism’s importance in global power and economics, using Chicago as a case study for the social, political, and economic dynamics of cities. This course gives important context to how neoliberalism, racism, gender, and other elements shape our built environment. This course will introduce me to more theory, from theorists such as Theodore & Brenner, Saskia Sassen, and Waqant.
DIS: Copenhagen: Urban Design Journal (Fall 2018)
This course bridged the gap between sociological approaches to design, and implementation. Throughout the semester, we read urban theorists, such as Jan Gehl and Jane Jacobs, and visited sites in Copenhagen which actualized the urban theory. Documenting all my studies in a journal, I also gathered experience with documenting, and describing space through sketching.
DESIGN PRINCIPLES: ENVIRONMENTAL
ENVST 137: Intro to Environmental Studies (Spring 2017)
Through analyzing the political, social, economic, and ethical dimensions of the global environment and environmental decision making, this class gives me the basic knowledge to grasp the larger implications of the environment on communities, local, and worldwide. Coursework included a group study of the large sustainability project vertical forests, which accounted for the critical analysis of the environmental, economic, social, and political successes, and shortcomings of these buildings. This course will give me the basic knowledge for incorporating environmental and social sustainability into my major, and practice. Coursework included a research project and presentation on “vertical forests” – or tall buildings architecturally designed to accomodate people, as well as trees and other plants.
ENVST 270: Nature and American Landscape (Spring 2018)
By studying landscape’s portrayal in paintings, photographs, advertisements, and architecture, this course gives me the understanding of how to read landscapes, understand Americans’ encounters with landscape traditions, and how to become a thoughtful viewer, and creator of landscape. By exploring colonial design (including pre, during, and post), manifest destiny, and other socially altering phenomenons in the United States, while also critically analyzing industrialization and the environmental impacts, this course uniquely offers me both aspects of my design perspective – understanding of the socio-political and environmental aspects of architecture and design. Taken at the same time as the Sociology of Colonial and Postcolonial Societies, this class exemplifies the integrative nature of this major, as much of the theory studied in the sociology course crosses over, and is seen in practice in the environmental studies course. Coursework included a paper on St. Olaf landscape design.
DIS Copenhagen: Detailing and Sustainability in Scandanavian Architecture (Fall 2018)
This course investigates the relationship between architectural details and sustainability. By working at varying scales, from extra small, small, medium, large, and extra large, we examined how minute details can be leveraged toward sustainability in design. This includes everything from little fixtures that fasten windows to structure, to organizing and planning cityscapes. By using buildings in Copenhagen as cases for study and projects, this class offered a hands on experience with real life examples at my fingertips. Coursework included sustainability redesigning details of Arne Jacobsen’s Rødovre Library with methods and technologies we studied in class.
DIS Copenhagen: Renewable Energy Systems (Fall 2018)
This course covered the physics and of energy, as well as thermodynamics. We also studied the politics of energy, reading Hermann Scheer and other theorists. We then dove into various renewable energy technologies, from PV solar panels to hydroelectric dams. This course was also very hands on, we were able to tour and actually climb a wind turbine off the coast of Copenhagen (the view was absolutely incredible). I integrated this knowledge of energy systems into my other class, Detailing and Sustainability in Scandanavian Architecture, and applied renewable technologies to design and architecture (see coursework). Coursework for this class included an ABC book, written and illustrated by myself, and redesigning a major road in Copenhagen to accommodate public transportation and make the street pedestrian friendly.
DESIGN PRINCIPLES: Design
ART 225: Architectural Drawing and Design I (Spring 2018)
This course taught the basic architectural techniques (from hand drafting to computer modeling), and encouraged us to think like architects through design projects of various scale and time investment. With scarce opportunities to take classes solely focused on architecture, this class gave me the literal skills and abilities to create architectural design. In this class, I was able to apply the theory and knowledge from the multidimensional study I was pursuing in other courses. For example, integrating the theory I learned in SOAN 233, The Sociology of Colonial/Postcolonialism into this studio architecture class to imagine methods of decolonization through architectural intervention. Coursework includes architectural design projects, field trips, and computer modeling work.
DIS Copenhagen: Architecture Foundations Studio (Fall 2018)
Taking place abroad in Denmark and Northern Europe, this studio core course will introduce me to solving problems through architecture. The course is not limited to Denmark, as we will travel to Germany and the Netherlands to explore architecture in these contexts. This abroad course will diversify my architectural experiences, and broaden my architectural scope, overall making my study of design better rounded. Furthermore, this studio will also give me opportunities to add to my design portfolio.
DIS Copenhagen: European Urban Design Theories (Fall 2018)
This course was designed to study the main theories and positions governing contemporary urban design in Europe, and further considers planning, landscape architecture, architectural design, sociology, geography, cultural studies, and urban history. Integrating all my design principles together, this course will give me a space to study the aspects of my major in practice.
HARVARD DESIGN DISCOVERY (Summer 2018)
This program immersed me in great design and architecture, taught me design skills, gave me a network of friends and collaborators who I am still in contact with to this day. The program also taught me how to compose a portfolio of work, and gave me confidence, and validated my liberal arts background.
http://designdiscovery.gsd.harvard.edu
NEW YORK ART INTERIM (January 2020)
This program introduced me to living a life in New York. In addition to visits with designers, curators, and artists, I also dug deeply into the philosophical concepts behind art and design, paying special attention to authenticity and God. This was not something I explored only through the visits, but also a motif I carried in my head through each gallery, museum, metro ride, stroll, and building I experienced.
*ART 343: Senior Studies in Studio Art (Spring 2020)
This is an intensive studio course composed of weekly advanced work, critiques, discussions, a visiting artist series, and also technical skills such as documenting work, preparing a resume, developing a portfolio, and curating work. This senior session will help me solidify the expression of my design principles, as I will be largely thinking about reflecting these phenomenons in the art I produce. Design portfolio, documenting, and resume skills will also be important in my future plans in applying for graduate school, and jobs/internships.
SUPPORTING COURSES
ART 102: 2D Art Foundations (Fall 2016)
This course introduces the many aspects of two-dimensional art – including the aesthetic, creative, conceptual as well as the technical aspects, such as color, value, form, and space through a wide variety of materials. A strong foundation in accurately representing the world around us through pencil and paper is an essential skill for any architect. This course exposed me to many new mediums of art making, and also introduced me to methods of visual problem solving, two skills I will frequently use later in my design education.
ART 103: 3D Sculpture Foundations (Spring 2018)
While providing technical skills for creating three dimensional art, this foundational level course explores the basics of sculpture, and its intersection with other media forms, emphasizing the generation of ideas. This course not only further my creative thinking, but also adds essential skills to producing and designing architecture, i.e. model making, using saws, sculptural engineering, creative thinking in 3D, etc.
MATH 126: Calculus II (Fall 2018)
This course covers methods and applications of integration, geometric math and Taylor series, including partial derivatives, and double integrals. A background in math is important in any architecture education. Through the coursework applications to the real world, this course elevated my knowledge on math in our real life context.
BIO 123: Human Biology (Fall 2017)
Through studying the human, this course gives a well rounded understanding of the human’s position in nature. A firm understanding of the natural world is essential to any study on architecture. As humans continue to contribute to global climate change, architecture’s role in mediating our environmental effects become increasingly important. This course gave me a firm understanding of the nature of humans in biology.
ART 267: Ancient Near East and Islamic Art (Spring 2017)
This art history course examines the diverse artistic heritages of ancient Near East and Islamic art in many forms, and also studies the political and historical reasons for the creation, as well as destruction of these ancient works of art. A key component of this course which meshes well with my major is its study of the social, political and cultural elements of ancient Islamic buildings. These contexts in building only deepened my understanding of the political implications of architecture and design. Coursework included a research paper on the architecture of ancient Islamic palaces.
ENGL 269: Art, Literature, and Design in Britain (Fall 2017)
This cross disciplinary course explores British creative fields in the postwar period, from music to fashion, product design to architecture, and painting to literature. Focusing on the postwar period in design, this course offered an exploration of the political aspects governing design and architecture, and investigated Britain’s desire to represent themselves as a world power after WWII. This desire had many political implications in not only Britain itself, but also the British colonies of the time, where design became important in articulating the country’s power. Coursework included a comparative paper on Brutalist architecture and the postmodern artwork of Damien Hirst.