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Industry stereotypes lead SU's architecture's program to include communication skills
By Irene Manahan
Posted: 3/26/08, 1:29 AM EST Section: News
Students at the School of Architecture are mandated to take a studio course every semester in which they make regular visual and verbal presentations to their classmates or to the faculty.
"It's really crucial for a successful architect to be able to communicate to a client, a group or the public about the value of their designs," Linder said.
The School of Architecture programs also entail theory classes Linder said are basically writing courses.
The courses often involve a lot of writing in terms of papers and essays in conjunction with the diagramming and layout aspects, said Allison Guay, a fourth-year undergraduate student in the School of Architecture and secretary of the Women in Design campus organization.
The current curriculum is satisfactory for what students need to know, she said.
"The freshman writing classes are helpful in terms of basic writing skills, whereas the theory classes work more toward including students in the larger architectural discourses," Guay said.
Danton Spina, third-year undergraduate student and chair of the Warehouse Architecture Theatre organization, said writing and speech skills come out in other courses and professional electives.
"We learn not only how to graphically lay out designs," Spina said, "But also how to write well and how to be able to articulate our point."
In addition to writing, architects are also called to verbalize their work to architects and non-architects alike. There's a great importance for architects to be able to communicate ideas to their clients without jargon. Weinstein, the columnist, said architects use a professional language most people who hire them are clueless about.
"It requires translation," he said. "It's not that easy for someone to go out and buy an architecture dictionary."
Linder, from the School of Architecture, said it's necessary for students to orally make a case for their designs.
"Quality design is crucial, in that it happens at all sorts of level in the profession," he said. "It's one of the amazing things about an architectural education. Students are constantly standing up in front of peers, making presentations."
"It's really crucial for a successful architect to be able to communicate to a client, a group or the public about the value of their designs," Linder said.
The School of Architecture programs also entail theory classes Linder said are basically writing courses.
The courses often involve a lot of writing in terms of papers and essays in conjunction with the diagramming and layout aspects, said Allison Guay, a fourth-year undergraduate student in the School of Architecture and secretary of the Women in Design campus organization.
The current curriculum is satisfactory for what students need to know, she said.
"The freshman writing classes are helpful in terms of basic writing skills, whereas the theory classes work more toward including students in the larger architectural discourses," Guay said.
Danton Spina, third-year undergraduate student and chair of the Warehouse Architecture Theatre organization, said writing and speech skills come out in other courses and professional electives.
"We learn not only how to graphically lay out designs," Spina said, "But also how to write well and how to be able to articulate our point."
In addition to writing, architects are also called to verbalize their work to architects and non-architects alike. There's a great importance for architects to be able to communicate ideas to their clients without jargon. Weinstein, the columnist, said architects use a professional language most people who hire them are clueless about.
"It requires translation," he said. "It's not that easy for someone to go out and buy an architecture dictionary."
Linder, from the School of Architecture, said it's necessary for students to orally make a case for their designs.
"Quality design is crucial, in that it happens at all sorts of level in the profession," he said. "It's one of the amazing things about an architectural education. Students are constantly standing up in front of peers, making presentations."
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