For High School Students

Students receive in-depth instruction in drawing and architectural composition. William Staffeld / AAP

Luben Dimcheff, left, consults with a student during open studio hours. William Staffeld / AAP

Students work on their projects during open studio hours. William Staffeld / AAP

A student with faculty and teaching assistant working on the L. P. Kwee studio plate. William Staffeld / AAP

Students work closely with instructors, including recent Cornell architecture alumni. William Staffeld / AAP

Students work individually or in teams on weekly projects. William Staffeld / AAP

Introduction to Architecture Summer Program students drawing during a field trip to Corning Museum of Glass. William Staffeld / AAP

Students sketch during a field trip. William Staffeld / AAP

Faculty provide feedback on projects during weekly reviews. William Staffeld / AAP

Every week, students present their designs to instructors and teaching assistants. William Staffeld / AAP

Students preparing presentations for the final project reviews. William Staffeld / AAP

Students and faculty participate in final reviews for the Introduction to Architecture Summer Program. William Staffeld / AAP

Final projects are exhibited in Milstein Hall. William Staffeld / AAP

Students receive in-depth instruction in drawing and architectural composition. William Staffeld / AAP Luben Dimcheff, left, consults with a student during open studio hours. William Staffeld / AAP Students work on their projects during open studio hours. William Staffeld / AAP A student with faculty and teaching assistant working on the L. P. Kwee studio plate. William Staffeld / AAP Students work closely with instructors, including recent Cornell architecture alumni. William Staffeld / AAP Students work individually or in teams on weekly projects. William Staffeld / AAP Introduction to Architecture Summer Program students drawing during a field trip to Corning Museum of Glass. William Staffeld / AAP Students sketch during a field trip. William Staffeld / AAP Faculty provide feedback on projects during weekly reviews. William Staffeld / AAP Every week, students present their designs to instructors and teaching assistants. William Staffeld / AAP Students preparing presentations for the final project reviews. William Staffeld / AAP Students and faculty participate in final reviews for the Introduction to Architecture Summer Program. William Staffeld / AAP Final projects are exhibited in Milstein Hall. William Staffeld / AAP

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.

Learn more and Apply

High School Student Work
 

• 
  Joseph Kim Choong-Il
  https://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 McGranahan
  https://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 Xie
  https://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 Zhu
  https://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