This policy has been written by faculty and students to reflect our concern for a studio culture that supports creativity and invention, respect and collaboration, health and safety, an ecology of materials, and optimism about the role of design in the larger cultural framework.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

The intensity, energy and exhilaration of the design studio is why we’re here. Yet creativity demands balance. Efficiency, responsibility and health are equally essential components of effective studio work, and are valued by our design culture. You are not effective in your own work or in collaboration with others if you regularly work beyond your reasonable limits.

ECOLOGY OF MATERIALS

The College and the Department ask that studio culture embrace a holistic approach to studio ecology. We ask for restraint in using materials that are unsustainable, the recycling of (ideally all) materials for the future reuse by others, and an exchange of information within the studio about material issues.

RESPECT AND COLLABORATION

In studio culture, we believe collaboration trumps competition. Students and faculty maintain an atmosphere of mutual respect for and interest in each other’s ideas. Our work will always benefit from conversations with colleagues about shared themes, precedents and resources. Even in a portable, digital age, it is an essential requirement that design happens in the studio. Working in studio moves beyond logistics, nurturing studio culture and fostering the collaborative atmosphere that we most value. At the same time, care for our working environment is an essential part of our design ethic.

OPTIMISM AND INVENTION

None of the above should serve to dampen the creative spirit and faith in the design enterprise as essential components of architecture, and its ability to serve our larger cultural agenda.

 

This statement of policy reflects on-going values embraced by the Department. The policy is posted in the studios.

We assess its implementation and effectiveness through on-going processes that include reports by our Student Representatives to the Chair of Graduate Advisors and through individual advisors; it was revisited by the M.Arch Committee and students in the Fall of 2013 and Fall of 2015.

To learn more about the Studio Culture Policy and it's history, please refer to Toward an Evolution of Studio Culture