Southern California Institute of Architecture
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Established | 1972 |
| Director | Eric Owen Moss |
| Students | 500 |
| Location | , , |
| Campus | Urban |
| Nickname | SCI-Arc |
| Website | http://www.sciarc.edu |
The Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) in Los Angeles, California, is an independent, nonprofit school offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in architecture. It offers community design and outreach programs, and free public access to frequent exhibitions and lectures by leading thinkers in architecture. Founded in 1972, SCI-Arc is widely regarded as one of the most avant-garde U.S. architecture schools, with a reputation for pushing the boundaries of academic study. SCI-Arc's approximately 500 students and 80 faculty members - most of whom are practicing architects - work together to explore and test the limits of architecture. The school is based in a quarter-mile long former railroad freight depot in the Arts District in downtown Los Angeles.
Ray Kappe is SCI-Arc's founding director. Thom Mayne was among its founding instructors and Michael Rotondi among its first students. Eric Owen Moss has been director since 2002. [1] It is an independent school offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in Architecture, urban and media studies, and public programs including free exhibitions and lectures. Originally located in Santa Monica, the school moved in the 1990s to an area of Los Angeles situated among Marina del Rey, Westchester, Culver City, and what would become Playa Vista. In 2000 the school relocated again, this time to the Arts District (formerly the Toy District) east of Downtown Los Angeles. The move was overseen by the then director of the school, Neil Denari.
SCI-Arc is [2] Historically, the school has close links with the wider community and conducts numerous projects that engage with the most under-privileged members of the city.
The school now occupies the 1907 Santa Fe Freight Depot building designed by Harrison Albright in the industrial area just east of Downtown Los Angeles.
History
Founded in 1972, the school dedicated itself to the pursuit of architecture as a tool for both artistic and social experimentation. Originally called the New School, and based on the concept of a “college without walls,” the institute started in a leased industrial building in Santa Monica, California.[3] In 1976, the B.Arch and M.Arch received initial accreditation from the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB). The same year, Ray Kappe received an Excellence in Education Award from the American Institute of Architects California Council (AIACC) and the students and faculty received an Honor Award for their renovations on the original building.[4] By 1980, the school received full accreditation from NAAB.[4] After many years of growth and changes, US News & World Report lists SCI-Arc as 12 out of 20 top M.Arch programs in the country.[5]
Making + Meaning
Making + Meaning is a five-week summer program at the Southern California Institute of Architecture that introduces the principles of architecture in a hands-on exploration of spatial experimentation, design methodologies and the creative process.
During this intensive program, students survey and challenge the discipline's boundaries by drawing, making and constructing. Methodologies range from material experimentation to compositional strategies; from imagination to inhabitation.
Making + Meaning students meet leading thinkers in architecture, engage in open dialogue, delve into the city of Los Angeles' wealth of experimental architecture and produce a rich creative portfolio crystallizing their explorations.
The program derives its strength from the diverse backgrounds of its students. From those gauging their interest and curiosity in architecture, to those beginning an architectural degree, Making + Meaning is a platform for individual learning in a collective environment; an introduction to the discipline of architecture and a welcome to SCI-Arc's culture and community.
School Culture
SCI-Arc attracts students from nearby and throughout the world in pursuit of the unique education the school offers. Many students have already completed some college level work; some already hold professional architectural degrees. SCI-Arc is serious about educating and challenging its students—but does it so in an unconventional atmosphere. It is not uncommon to see a student using his or her skateboard to get from one end of the building to the other, or to be working on a model with a dog resting at their feet. Students actively engage in preparing the SCI-Arc Gallery exhibitions, help fellow graduating students in setting up their models for thesis presentations, and contribute to workshops that result in projects throughout the school, such as the graduation pavilion and other unique structures. Students have access to their SCI-Arc studio spaces 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Late night work is not out of the ordinary, and occasionally, dancing and jousting contests break out.
Each student at SCI-ARC has his/her own workspace. It is not unusual to find microwaves, refrigerators or water kettles at a student's desk as students tend to pull all-nighters, especially nearing end-of-semester presentations. The open arrangement of these workspaces might have play a huge role in the high dynamism of student interactivity, and verbal interactions regarding architecture and ideas. Something interesting to note is that students have access to view on-going presentations/critiques by their fellow schoolmates at various flexible locations around the school.
Public Programs
SCI-Arc's public programs invite the community into the school to foster debate and understanding of architecture's capacity to transform the world. A recent program and exhibition, "LA in Wien/Wien in LA," investigated the architecture of Los Angeles and Vienna and their respective influences on one another in over the last century. It brought together six esteemed international architects—Hitoshi Abe, Peter Cook, Eric Owen Moss, Thom Mayne, Peter Noever, and Wolf Prix—to share their perspectives and experiences in a discussion lead by Anthony Vidler. The full scope of SCI-Arc public programs includes lectures, exhibitions, faculty talks and other opportunities for interaction between the school and the community.
Lecture Series
Each semester's lecture series produces an eclectic selection of speakers from multiple disciplines, including architects, artists, film-makers, engineers, theoreticians, and performers. Speakers are selected by a forum of students, faculty, alumni, and administrators and the lectures are free and open to the public. Lectures are followed by a dinner in honor of the speaker, allowing students and faculty to interact more personally with the invited speaker. SCI-Arc lectures are broadcast live for simultaneous viewing on the internet at SCI-Arc Live
References
- ^ Barrie-Anthony, Steven. Landscape of constant change. Los Angeles Times. July 7, 2005. Accessed on 15 January 2007.
- ^ Giovannini, Joseph. An architect transforms a freight depot for his alma mater and employer in a quarter-mile-long structure 19 sept 07.
- ^ SCI-Arc. History 19 sept 07.
- ^ a b Volume5. 25 Years of SCI-Arc 1972-1979 19 sept 07.
- ^ Volume5. 25 Years of SCI-Arc 1990-1997 19 sept 07.