Architecture Program blueprints renewal

Author: Alexxa Gotthardt

Initiated in the 1970s, Middlebury's pre-architecture program may be young compared to many of the college's other majors, departments and programs, but what it lacks in age, it makes up for in enthusiasm. This year, the program is perhaps more visible than ever. Between the newly conceived joint major "Architecture and the Environment," the successful lecture series "Architecture &…," increased efforts by the weekly student-run discussion forum Architecture Table and last week's Beaux Arts Ball, students and professors are building one of the country's most vibrant, progressive liberal arts pre-architecture programs.



History



The pre-architecture program was born in the 1970s out of student interest and the efforts of Christian A. Johnson Professor of Art Glenn Andres. At the time, the History of Art and Architecture and Studio Art disciplines combined to create one overarching department - a department, however, absent of architectural historical or practical study. "Architecture at Middlebury began as a very informal thing," said Andres, "the department was only art history and studio art at the time, but there were a handful of students who wanted to do independent projects in architecture with joint crits." Andres saw the need for a more focused study of architecture, and began to introduce historical architecture classes to the program. From there, student interest snowballed and demand for more instruction grew to the point where the department was able to hire local architect Turner Brooks to instruct a J-Term design studio.



Growth



In recent years, the program has matured and transformed significantly. For one, the new department under which the pre-architecture program operates is now entitled History of Art and Architecture. In addition, numerous full-time and visiting professors now specialize in architecture and the original count of three or four pre-architecture majors has swelled to a fervent 40. Numerous classes have also been added to satisfy voracious student-architects' creative appetites including Modern Architecture, A History of Architectural Structure and numerous Design Studios, among many others.



A New Major



The newest and arguably most progressive addition to the program is the joint Pre-Architecture and Environmental Studies major. It is paired with its capstone class Architecture and the Environment taught by Associate Professor of History of Art and Architecture Pieter Broucke, who also holds a Professional Degree in Architecture from an institution in Ghent, Belgium. Affectionately and appropriately titled "Arch/ES," this joint major bridges the two disciplines in response to student interest and demand. Devin Green '05.5 put the idea for the joint major into motion in 2004 when she submitted a formal proposal to the environmental studies committee, outlining her model for a new, cutting-edge major.

Motivated by the suggestion, both departments exchanged ideas and Broucke teamed up with Associate Professor of Geology Peter Ryan to draft an official proposal. Approved in fall 2005, the major is now in motion. Both departments are excited about their new relationship and recognize its importance in Middlebury and beyond. "In the real world so many things include interdisciplinary approaches - so much of architecture and design is integrated with the environment, and given the link of energy to environmental quality, architecture is a huge piece of the environmental studies picture," said Ryan. "The combination comes at a very crucial place for both departments."

Broucke echoed these sentiments: "We have been working on getting this joint major on the books for half a decade. It was created because of growing student interest and because if we didn't recognize the importance of sustainability in architecture we'd be crazy."



Location Spurs Progress



An architecture program nestled within Middlebury College would be hard-pressed to ignore the value of green architecture in our world today. The college itself has been a leader in sustainable architecture and design for many years, as shown by the environmentally conscious construction of John McCardell Sr. Bicentennial Hall, Atwater Dining Hall and the newly-constructed wind turbine. Vermont also contributes greatly to the pre-architecture program's awareness of sustainability and its subsequent progressiveness. "When you're sitting in a city at a place like Columbia, it's difficult to think about something like hay bale architecture," said Andres. "Vermont is a place where there is the opportunity to see this environmentally-conscious architecture at a grass-roots level - to really see how it works and how it is directly affecting the community."



Architecture Meets Liberal Arts



The pre-architecture program's connection with environmental studies is not the only thing that sets Middlebury's program apart. The major encompasses many other disciplines as well, making it the archetypal liberal arts education - an idea that majors and professors reinforce enthusiastically. "Architecture is one of the best ways to get a liberal arts education because it includes so many different disciplines - art, design, history, physics, math. Most importantly, though, you have to bring these many disciplines together, by yourself, in a creative way," said Broucke.

"Design is so interdisciplinary and has so many applications that you have to have a great sense of the forces that shape the world around you to be able to practice design well, and I think this is where Middlebury has great success," said pre-architecture major Nick McClintock '07.5. "All the majors who want to practice architecture will be going to some sort of grad school, but the difference will be that we have been trained to look at the world from many different angles, whereas many people coming out of architecture programs at UVA and Cal Poly and places like that will never be able to look at design with that kind of depth."

This is good news for pre-architecture majors, according to Broucke and Andres, as more and more graduate schools and professional firms are hiring graduates with a well-rounded background. Looking at Middlebury's recent crop of pre-architecture alumni, the advantage of a liberal arts background is obvious. "We now have a generation of alumni architects who are out in the world in top national and international grad schools and successful firms," said Andres. Not only is this a clear display of the burgeoning success of the program, but it also provides current students even better connections to the architecture world outside Middlebury in the form of internships, jobs, guest-lectures and professorships and a general support of the program and its growth.



Outside World Comes In



The student-led Architecture Table and the new "Architecture &…" series are also revolutionizing Middlebury's pre-architecture program. Chair of the Architecture Table Teague Douglas '06 explained that the forum discussion, guest-lectures and field trips organized by the group open Middlebury to the larger world of architecture and design. Architecture table also organized last Saturday's Beaux Arts Ball-an elegant, black-tie evening aimed at bringing together alumni, professors and students from the pre-architecture program and beyond. In addition. The "Architecture &…" series, a joint effort by the History of Art and Architecture Department and the Bread Loaf Corporation, offers presentations and discussions on architecture by local and international experts. All of the lectures in the series have filled Dana Auditorium close to full capacity and attracted many local professionals.



A Progressive Program



All of these changes, improvements and additions are placing
Middlebury's pre-architecture program and its students boldly on the map. "There are very few undergrad programs in architecture and ours is a very successful one," said Broucke. "Within our peer-group we are in the forefront."

Visiting Assistant Professor of Architecture Parker Croft, who is rounding out his last semester at Middlebury after 13 years, also expressed his enthusiasm for the uniqueness of Middlebury's program: "I don't know of any other college that has what we offer here-we teach people how to think, not to be junior architects."

And while it may be easy to get caught up in talk of in-depth classes, matriculation and elaborate plans for the future, it is basic student interest and student-professor collaboration that has tranformed the program into the strong, innovative, sought-after program it is today. "Everything has been generated by student initiative, it is really the esprit de corps of the students," said Andres.

"Talk about amazing students," said Croft. "All I do is facilitate. The students are everything. It is their commitment, hard work and passion that's making this department what it is."