When executives from Pigmental Studio, a fledgling animation company out of Los Angeles, set their sights on Washington, D.C. as a culturally vibrant alternative for their new headquarters, they went to ARCH Alum Jordan Goldstein and his group at Gensler’s D.C. office for design help. Jordan, who is a Kea Distinguished Professor for UMD’s architecture program, recognized the project as an opportunity for students to inject fresh ideas into the early design stages of visualizing Pigmental’s future home.
The project also provided an opportunity for faculty to continue re-tooling long-standing curricula and deliver studio experiences that more closely mirror professional practice. The Pigmental project presented by Goldstein hit all the marks for the ARCH 600: Integrated Design Studio, upping the ante by bringing in a real client and providing expertise from seasoned industry professionals in a variety of building fields. An initial meeting with the Pigmental executives set the tone for the project: design an inspirational space that offers connections within the community. Once in the throes of the design process, students benefited from regular consultations with practice professionals, including structural engineers, lighting consultants and landscape architects. A daylong workshop orchestrated by Professor of the Practice Peter Noonan at Gensler’s offices mid-way through the project was staged as round robin-style charette, where students engaged with the Gensler staff and a host of their consultants. Students were also encouraged to work collaboratively in teams, an aspect that, when added to the studio mix last year, resulted in several design awards, including a national AIA Student COTE prize. According to Noonan, who teaches the course with Goldstein, Professor Garth Rockcastle, Lecturer Jamie Tilgman and Associate Professor Carl Bovill, working with real clients, coupled with engaged alumni and industry experts creates an unparalleled studio experience.
“Having client feedback makes a big difference; you rarely get that in a studio setting,” he explains. “The best professional projects I’ve been involved in are when the client has a strong voice and is emotionally and financially invested in the project. You can’t model that role that the client brings to the table.”
“It’s been exciting to see our students presenting ideas that challenge the client’s traditional thinking,” said Rockcastle. “This type of exercise goes beyond serving the client’s needs, it helps evolve the creative process for both parties and helps develop the technique of the student.”
See photos of the students at work—and some of the designs they created for Pigmental—in the photo gallery above.