Thinking Architecture...

The Five College Architectural Studies program encourages a serious commitment to the study and practice of architecture. It also opens students to discovering the ways in which architecture effects change in--and is affected by—its surrounding environment. Students are strongly encouraged to explore, study and analyze elements of the design process, including urban fabrics, social structures, environmental systems and economics of building. While immersed in a diverse cross-section of courses in a multitude of disciplines, students are encouraged to identify and develop their individual role as designers and thinkers. The impact of their actions on an individual, community, and national level are probed.

The Five College architecture program embraces the complexity of the process and practice of architecture and attempts to convey--to students and to the community--the many sides of design. We explore architecture through: art, technology, environment, history, theory, psychology, physiology, physics, media design, sociology, semiology, politics, science, math, creativity, patterns, actions, weight, power, force, light, memory, time, sound, color, language, programming, syntax, form, environment, resources, humanity, struggle, infrastructure, consciousness, perception, networks, materials, transport, commodities, community, marketing, family, publicness and privateness. Students will find a personal connection to architecture by investigating the many ways in which the built environment impacts their lives.