University of Virginia School of Architecture
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The School of Architecture at the University of Virginia is a national leader in architectural education, conferring degrees in Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Architectural History, and Urban and Environmental Planning. Additionally, the school participates offers a Ph.D in History of Art, a certificate in Historic Preservation, and is one of only a few schools that offers the Doctor of Architecture degree.
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[edit] History
The School of Architecture was a cornerstone of founder Thomas Jefferson's concept for the University. Jefferson intended to use the architecture of the Academical Village as a didactic instrument for students. Evidence suggests that Jefferson planned to instruct architecture students himself, but he died in 1826 before his vision could be realized.
It would take more than 100 years after Jefferson's death for the School of Architecture to be formed. In 1919, a School of Fine Arts was established under the direction of Sidney Fiske Kimball, for whom the University's Fine Arts Library is named. In 1954 the University dissolved the School of Fine Arts, merging the art faculty into the College of Arts and Sciences, and creating a new School of Architecture. In the nine decades since its founding, the school has grown from an initial enrollment of eleven students to some 350 undergraduate and 175 graduate students, with 54 full-time faculty members and an extensive staff.
[edit] Campus and Facilities
The School is located in Campbell Hall, and includes studio space, lecture halls, classrooms, the Fine Arts Café, and the Arts & Architecture Store (colloquially known as the A&A) [1].
A series of expansions have taken place during the last three years, which are part of a larger program of redevelopment at the University. These expansions added some 12,000 square feet (1,100 m²) to accommodate the school's growth over the last two decades. The South Addition, by faculty member Bill Sherman, provides office space along the south side of the building. A series of landscape interventions accompany the South Addition. The Elmaleh East Wing, by faculty member W. G. Clark, provides additional space for reviews and exhibits. The new additions were dedicated in October, 2008. The original building, by Pietro Belluschi, was completed in 1970.
[edit] National Rankings
The School of Architecture is consistently ranked as one of the top US Architecture Schools in nation by the journal DesignIntelligence in its annual edition of "America's Best Architecture & Design Schools"[2]. The survey ranked the school's graduate program as 7th in the nation in 2005; 3rd in the nation in 2006, and 5th in the nation in 2007[3]. The survey also ranked the school's Landscape Architecture graduate program as 5th in the nation in 2006, and 6th in the nation in 2007 (tied with Rhode Island School of Design). Additionally, the School of Architecture was ranked 1st in the nation in the new 2007 category of Sustainable Design Practices[4].
[edit] External links
- School of Architecture website
- Current status of School of Architecture renovations
- Fiske Kimball Fine Arts Library
[edit] References
- ^ "Campbell Hall". UVa School of Architecture. http://www.arch.virginia.edu/theschool/campbellhall/. Retrieved on 2008-05-30.
- ^ "DesignIntelligence". America's Best Architecture & Design Schools. http://www.di.net/archschools/schools.html. Retrieved on 2008-07-29.
- ^ "University of Virginia School of Architecture Receives High Rankings in Design Futures Council Survey". http://www.virginia.edu/uvatoday/newsRelease.php?id=26. Retrieved on 2008-07-29.
- ^ "U.Va. School of Architecture Ranked No. 1 in Sustainable Design Practices and Principles in 2007 Design Futures Council Survey". http://www.virginia.edu/uvatoday/newsRelease.php?id=1814. Retrieved on 2008-07-29.
