Roman Studies   Architecture students may apply for one semester in Rome in a program that includes a design studio, an examination of the architectural development of Rome, and a course in Italian language. The program seeks to deepen appreciation of a particular setting that has played a seminal role in the development of Western Culture and architecture. The program is open by competitive application to students in their fifth semester and above, includes travel throughout Italy, and challenges its participants to integrate into Roman culture. Roman Studies participation is limited each year. Students are selected on the basis of academic accomplishment and promise in architecture. It is directed by a Rensselaer faculty member and supplemented by adjunct faculty in Rome. There is a program fee for participation in the Roman Studies program. Offered fall semesters annually. Contact Christine Dickson at the School of Architecture by phone at (518) 276-6457 for more information.

India Studies   Architecture students may apply for one semester in India. The program offers students the opportunity to study non-Western architecture while remaining in an academic environment. The program is open by competitive application to students in their fifth semester and above, includes travel throughout India, and challenges its participants to integrate into Indian culture. Students who participate in this program take design studios and history theory electives while in residence at CEPT, the School of Architecture at Ahmedabad, India. There is a program fee for participation in the India Studies program. Offered alternate spring semesters. Contact Christine Dickson at the School of Architecture by phone at (518) 276-6457 for more information.

Turkey Program   The Turkey program offers an opportunity to study in a culture that lies at the juncture between Eastern and Western influences. Three weeks of concentrated study in Istanbul are followed by three weeks of travel along the coast investigating the historic sites of the region. Offered alternate summers. Contact Christine Dickson at the School of Architecture by phone at (518) 276-6457 for more information.

Prague Program   The six-week Prague program provides an opportunity to examine the architecture and traditions of a historic city that has recently emerged as a major attraction and exemplar of eastern European society and architecture. The six week program is divided into concentrated study in Prague and travel to cities such a Vienna. Offered alternate summers. Contact Christine Dickson at the School of Architecture by phone at (518) 276-6457 for more information.

China Program   Architecture students may apply for one semester in Shanghai, where they will be based in the school of architecture at Tongji University, one of the great Universities in China. Students live on the campus and take part in campus life. The program offers students the opportunity to study non Western architecture while remaining in an academic environment. As with the India program this experience is open by competitive application to students from the fifth semester and above. In addition to the conventional curriculum, the program offers courses in Chinese history and culture augmented by guided travel through central China taught by faculty from both Rensselaer and Tongji. There is a program fee for participation in the China Studies program. Offered alternate spring semesters. Contact Christine Dickson at the School of Architecture by phone at (518) 276-6457 for more information.

Exchange Programs

Architecture students are eligible to apply for admittance into a student exchange program at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH, Zurich). This program involves a year of study abroad. Other exchange and study abroad opportunities are also available.

Summer Studios   Rensselaer offers ARCH-2210 Architectural Design 1, ARCH-2961 Design Studio 2 and ARCH-2220 Architectural Design 2 as six-week studios in the summer session open to accepted transfer and entering Master of Architecture students. With sufficient enrollment an eight-week upper level vertical studio for students enrolling in ARCH-2230 Architectural Design 3 through ARCH-4260 Architectural Design 6 is offered. Overseas studies including the Prague and Istanbul programs, which are offered on alternate years.

Co-op Experiences   A number of architecture students insert co-op work experiences into their program of study. Done in a wide range of situations, from small architecture firms to large in-house design groups in industry or institutions, co-op experiences provide immediate application of skills developed in school as well as exposure to the possibilities inherent in the field. Co-op experiences can usually be used as credit toward the professional IDP internship requirement.

Lectures and Exhibits   Architecture and architectural education benefit from involvement in affairs going on outside the walls of the university. The school offers a visiting faculty and lecturers and exhibits program, field trips, student travel funds, seminars, and exhibitions. Each semester a lecture, exhibition, seminar, and workshop program is created. The lecture and exhibition series is constituted of internationally recognized faculty and practitioners that provide students and faculty exposure to the most recent preoccupations of the profession. Lectures and exhibitions are open to all Rensselaer students and the local professional community.

Library   No school of architecture can be effective without substantial library resources. Rensselaer’s Architecture Library, located at the physical center of the school, is a major student, faculty, and professional resource. This library features open shelves for easy access to architecture materials. Approximately 30,000 volumes of books and periodicals, both domestic and foreign, are available. The Architecture Library contains a loan collection of 90,000 slides on contemporary and historical buildings, structural design, building technology, city planning, and fine arts. The library also includes videos, maps, architectural drawings, microfiche, and architecture-related software. More information can be found at the library’s web site:
http://www.rpi.edu/dept/library/html/architecture.

Lighting Research Center   The Lighting Research Center, opened in 1988 with multiyear core financial support from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, pursues a wide range of lighting research. The Lighting Research Center explores fundamental issues in lighting and develops new lighting technologies intended to save energy, enhance productivity, and improve comfort.