India: Chandigarh Urban Redevelopment Project
This interdisciplinary course explores urban redevelopment through site and market analysis, land use planning, urban design, real estate finance, historic preservation, adaptive reuse, architectural design, and sustainable communities. Chandigarh, planned by Le Corbusier, offers planning students a unique study opportunity.
Cuba: An Interdisciplinary Journey to Havana
Havana—fresh off its 500th anniversary—is a jewel of architectural preservation and a living laboratory of five centuries of urban planning. Its rich history, vibrant culture and complex real estate environment make it unlike anywhere else in the world.
Japan: The Built Environment, Planning, and the Exploration of Social Justice and Equity
Students will explore contemporary urban life in Hiroshima and Kyoto—two cities rich in history, culture, and influence on the built environment. Hiroshima, shaped by its experience with the atomic bomb in WWII, is a global symbol of peace and justice, reflected in landmarks like the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. Kyoto, Japan’s former capital, offers centuries of tradition through its temples, shrines, distinctive architecture and historic landscapes.
Scandinavia Culture + Place
Learn first hand about the role culture, geography, and history play in architectural form by investigating the built and natural environment in Scandinavia. Spend time in Sweden, Denmark, and Finland; you will stay in the national capitals of Copenhagen, Helsinki, and Stockholm, and use these urban locales as bases for excursions into the wider metropolitan milieu.
Italy: Florence and Tuscany
This program immerses you in the architectural, landscape, urban, artistic, and cultural traditions of Florence and Tuscany—foundations of many disciplines today. Most coursework happens in situ, directly in the buildings, gardens and piazzas you’re studying, with learning that blends readings, lectures, and, most importantly, hands-on observation, documentation and analysis.
See the World—Change Your View
It began in 1971 with a four-week, three-continent adventure led by brand-new faculty and a world-famous architect—and we haven’t stopped exploring. At the School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, study abroad is more than a trip; it’s a cornerstone of your education. One semester you might be sketching in the piazzas of Florence, Italy— the next, tracing history at India’s world heritage sites or soaking in the fast-paced energy of Kyoto, Japan.
The Fabrication Lab—affectionately known as the Fab Lab—is where vision meets craftsmanship. Here, students and faculty transform ideas into precise three-dimensional models of urban sites, landscapes, buildings, and building components. The Fab Lab spans two spaces: the Machine Shop and the Laser/3D Print Lab. The Machine shop is dedicated to crafting model components from materials like wood, plastics and composites using both traditional woodworking tools and advanced CNC machinery.
Design studio is a collaborative teaching-and-learning environment and the heart of the architecture program. Located on the ground floor of the architecture building, it comprises assigned desk space for third- and fourth-year undergraduates and graduate students to conduct individual design work, as well as ample flexible space for group work. In studio, you’ll work side-by-side with peers, practicing faculty, and industry mentors to master the fundamentals of building design, site analysis, urban design, and sustainable building materials and methods.
The school’s heart is the Great Space, a 118-foot, two story atrium and a hub of activity. The Great Space accommodates lectures and critiques, but is flexible enough to also be used for a variety of schoolwide events: symposiums, celebrations, career fairs, parties, thesis reviews, frisbee matches and the Beaux Arts Ball. Its floors have been adorned with student art and once, the gridded streets of Manhattan.
Jump into our sandbox! From a 24/7 student workspace that fosters collaboration and friendship, to high-tech, model-making makerspaces, we’ve got what you need to dream and design big.