Studio Life

At the Illinois School of Architecture, we provide students with an aesthetically-motivated and technically-rigorous design education. The depth and breadth of our curriculum enables students to become leaders in a range of disciplinary specialties.

five students in studio looking at a model

several urbans scale drawings on a table

Photos of studio life

Work highlights from our design studios

The design studio

Our diverse and accomplished faculty offer students a strong intellectual foundation informed by our position within a top-tier research university. Students explore theoretical and conceptual positions shaped by history and technology, and envision creative design solutions for real-world settings in communities, organizations, and firms.

The core of our curriculum is the design studio, which takes different forms in the undergraduate and graduate programs. Students in the Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies degree learn design fundamentals in freshman and sophomore workshops, and then participate in full 6-credit studios their junior and senior years. Graduate students in the M.Arch and M.Arch 2+ programs participate in studios organized around our Program Areas, giving them deeper knowledge of different research possibilities and the opportunity to concentrate in a specific area. Our students benefit from significant one-on-one time with faculty and direct, sustained feedback on their work.

Our studio spaces encourage creative thinking, iteration, trial-and-error, collaboration, messiness, and a strong commitment to pushing the limits of design imagination.