For High School Students
The Cornell Introduction to Architecture Program is an immersive and rigorous course of study, concurrently providing exposure to architectural ideas, principles, and methods through explorations of architectural concepts, precedent, and a sequence of creative design projects in visualization and space-making. The intensive program — pairing studio design and lecture courses — is suited for motivated high school students with a strong interest in architecture as well as undergraduates considering a master's degree in the design field.
The carefully curated curriculum is rooted in making and thinking through making, as well as critical analysis of architecture and learning from immediate and broader contexts. The outcome is a course project and a related body of work suitable for a college application portfolio, complemented by a deeper understanding of architectural education and the discipline as a whole.
The program is offered globally online, taking advantage of the latest platforms and techniques of remote learning, with a strong emphasis on digital tools, while embracing and further enhancing analog and hybrid modes of design. Studio sessions in small sections, led by a group of experienced teaching associates, take place daily, with lectures and design critiques from full-time faculty of the department of architecture. Individual evaluations and a certificate of completion will be issued to each student at the end of the program.
Students can expect to learn the fundamentals of the architectural program including:
- The art of making and the importance of craft
- The relationship between the two-dimensional and three-dimensional design
- Drawing and model making as a means of discovery and exploration
- Analog and introductory digital representation
- Conceptual clarity and expression
- The basics of architectural composition
The program is open to high school students who are interested in a career in architecture — no specialized knowledge or background beyond a serious interest in architectural design is required. Participation in this program is entirely online for high school students.
High School Student Work
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Joseph Kim Choong-Ilhttps://aap.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/Joseph%20Choong%20Kim_4_870x450.jpg https://aap.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/Joseph%20Kim%20Choong_1_870x450.jpg https://aap.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/Joseph%20Kim%20Choong_2_870x450.jpg https://aap.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/Joseph%20Kim%20Choong_3_870x450.jpg https://aap.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/Joseph%20Kim%20Choong_5_870x450.jpg
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Joseph McGranahanhttps://aap.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/Joseph%20McGranahan-1_870x450.jpg https://aap.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/Joseph%20McGranahan-2_870x450.jpg https://aap.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/Joseph%20McGranahan-10_870x450.jpg https://aap.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/Joseph%20McGranahan-11_870x450.jpg
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Christina Xiehttps://aap.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/Christina%20Xie-3_870x450.jpg https://aap.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/Christina%20Xie-2_870x450.jpg https://aap.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/Christina%20Xie-9_870x450.jpg https://aap.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/Christina%20Xie-11_870x450.jpg
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Jian (Davis) Kun Zhuhttps://aap.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/Combined%20Drawing_870x450.jpg https://aap.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/DSC01630_870x450.jpg https://aap.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/IMG_3847-Edit_870x450.jpg https://aap.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/Tool%20Relief%20-%20Top%20Down_870x450.jpg
