Architecture
At the Knowlton School of Architecture, we are dedicated to fostering an education that enables students to develop their own practice-based discipline. Practicing synthesizes performance, iteration, testing and the translation of ideas into action. That is, a practice is not so much the acquisition of a finite body of knowledge as the pursuit of a dynamic, ever-evolving area of expertise and intelligence. And yet, architecture is also a discipline — rooted in precision, order, focus and self-direction. While an architectural curriculum must include the factual knowledge necessary for a young professional to enter the field, architects typically mature as professionals many years after they graduate, long after the codes and technologies they studied in school have been superseded. We seek to empower the next generation with the tools to think and work like architects: to combine a creative practice with precision and rigor and to assimilate new and currently unimaginable materials and information — in short, to provide a means, rather than an end.
Located in Columbus, Ohio, often referred to as “Test Market, USA,” because of its mid-continental location and median demographics, the school is geographically and intellectually situated to cultivate the exploration and investigation of new ideas. Rather than aligning itself with a single paradigm, the school fosters a wide range of disciplinary thought that has established it as a locus of intellectual and cultural activity. For students, the resulting breadth of educational opportunities better prepares them for the increasingly varied careers they pursue as the practice of architecture continues to expand beyond conventional disciplinary boundaries.
About the Knowlton School of Architecture
The Austin E. Knowlton School of Architecture is a multidisciplinary school dedicated to the education of future architects, planners and landscape architects. The school has 550 students, 32 regular faculty, 34 adjunct faculty and an administrative staff of 15. Dedicated in 2004, Knowlton Hall is a unique, state-of-the-art facility designed to integrate building and landscape, students and faculty, university and community, research and production, design and discourse, art and technology. The design reflects the school’s mission of excellence in education, innovation in design and planning, and the stewardship of quality environment.
Opportunities for Students
The master’s degree programs in architecture culminate in a National Architectural Accrediting Board-accredited professional degree. The three-year program is geared toward students with an undergraduate degree in a field other than architecture. Design studios and theory courses focus on architecture’s broader cultural implications while technology and construction courses prepare the student for application in practice. The two-year program is suited to students who hold an undergraduate non-professional degree and are eligible to place out of the first year of the master’s program.
The one-and-a-half-year master of architectural studies program is a non-professional degree for students wishing to pursue advanced research on a specific topic. Current degree tracks include MAS criticism and MAS fabrication. The program is suited for students with degrees in architecture; however, prospective students with design-related degrees will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Research
Materials/Fabrication Laboratory
The M/I Homes Foundation Materials and Fabrication Laboratory, located on the ground floor of Knowlton Hall, is for the exclusive use of students in the school. The fab-lab, as it is commonly called, combines state-of-the-art computer numeric controlled digital machinery and analog equipment, including laser cutters, a large format 3-D prototype printer, 3-axe milling machines and digital foam cutter as well as a full range of woodworking and metalworking tools. Through the integration of fabrication into the curriculum, students learn material properties and gain hands-on experience with both conventional and cutting-edge construction practices.
KSA Digital Library
The KSA Digital Library’s state-of-the-art image collections support the architecture, landscape architecture, and city and regional planning curricula in the Knowlton School. Through online resources, faculty and students can access high-quality images and multimedia files for use in research, study or course work. The library’s exemplary teaching and research collections have helped to establish the school as an international resource for the study of design and planning.
Affiliations
Wexner Center for the Arts
The Wexner Center for the Arts is strongly committed to the presentation of programs in architecture and design. Many lectures have been sponsored and symposia organized to support exhibition programming, often in collaboration with the Knowlton School of Architecture. Design in all aspects of the built environment continues to be an important focus of the mission of the Wexner Center.
Advanced Computing Center for the Arts & Design
The Advanced Computing Center for the Arts and Design (ACCAD) at Ohio State is known around the world for pioneering visualization technology. ACCAD’s charter is to apply advances in computing and visualization technologies to the processes, values and ideals of the arts. The facility uses current technology in computers, film, video and emerging media including graphic workstations (PC, Apple Macintosh and Silicon Graphics Octane) and sophisticated peripherals and other devices.
Center for Urban and Regional Analysis
The Center for Urban and Regional Analysis is an interdisciplinary research center at Ohio State that focuses on policy-oriented work on urban and regional issues. The center provides mapping capabilities, computer and data management assistance, a working paper series, a roundtable speaker series, an annual grant program for the university community and a clearinghouse for urban-related materials, data and publications. Researchers associated with the center do contract work for community organizations and funded research projects on a variety of topics.
Neighborhood Design Center
The Neighborhood Design Center, a non-profit organization that provides planning and design services for urban communities and commercial districts, affords valuable internship opportunities for architecture and landscape architecture students.
Graduate Applications
Applications to Ohio State University must be submitted online. Please visit the Ohio State University Office of Graduate Admissions Web site to apply online with a credit card. Also, the Knowlton School of Architecture Web site provides links to the university admissions Internet site under the “admission” heading.
