by Tim Hayduk, Lead Design Educator
Over six weeks this summer, the Center for Architecture held its two-week Architectural Design Studios at Lutron’s New York Residential Experience showroom in the D&D Building. Thirty-six high school students participated in this pre-college program, which is modeled on concepts explored during the first year of a college architectural program.
Students were challenged to design a branch library on a conceptual site location in the NoLita neighborhood, conducting site analysis and studying library precedents by architects such as Alvar and Elissa Aalto, Louis Kahn, and Bohlin Cywinski Jackson. The curriculum focuses on the importance of line weights and planning graphics through hand drafting; many students expressed joy in learning to draft using the time-honored and universal languages of plan and elevation drawings! These were then used to inform three-dimensional hand– built models, primarily constructed of Bristol board and cut using X-Acto knives. These introductory skills will serve as a foundation for students who continue to architecture school and learn the digital skills required to draw and fabricate models using the latest technology. The program included a tour of the 53rd Street branch of the New York Public Library, designed by TEN Arquitectos, and a studio visit to Gensler.
Lutron pulled out all the stops to make the final presentation a true celebration of the hard work and dedication the students put toward their projects. In the main showroom, temporary walls were erected to allow the students’ drawings to be exhibited, and the project site model was expertly illuminated. Friends and family were warmly welcomed, and refreshments were provided. Khalil Lashley from Gensler participated in the jury along with staff from the Center for Architecture.
Special thanks to Henry Rousakis for assisting Design Educators Breanna Katsman and Tim Hayduk. Additional gratitude goes to the following volunteers for their support and guidance: Katherine Hui, Dylan Lo, Elizabeth Zheng, Jonathan Hong, Benjamin Houghton, Devyani Jhala and Thea Bertin-Levecq.