Citizen Architecture Studio: Rethinking Architecture and Design for the 21st CenturyThe Citizen Architect Studio explores how design practice may engage professionals, academics and local cultures and communities. According to American Institute of Architects, a “Citizen Architect uses his/her insights, talents, training, and experience to contribute meaningfully, beyond self, to the improvement of the community and human condition. … The Citizen Architect advocates for higher living standards, the creation of a sustainable environment, quality of life, and the greater good.” This studio examines methods and traditions to train a civic-minded architecture student to communicate, hear, listen and work with local partners at the Washington Park neighborhood of Milwaukee.
The Citizen Architect Studio is sponsored and supported by Quorum Architects, a leading proponent of civic practice in the city of Milwaukee. The firm’s philosophy “begins with an understanding that our clients possess a comprehensive knowledge of how their facility operates. We listen. We care.” This ability to listen has influenced their engaged-practice and is central to the core values of this studio. Quorum Architects staff serve as mentors for students and commit to attend design reviews. Design reviews and meetings are held at Quorum premises. Design projects are defined and generated together with Quorum Architects. Our goals are:
Process The design process involves three interconnected and iterative steps. Each step deals with ways we interact with a site in order to organize the architectural, social, and experiential conditions of the site. First, we enter and encounter the scene. This is always a personal journey, for we always understand the world around us through our own perceptions, via our experiences, memories and interpretations. Step 2 is to engage with local stakeholders to get their opinion, advise and directions. Step 3 is to act on the knowledge we gained and to suggest solutions and interventions. These steps are not linear, rather they are iterative and recursive. [1] This term was coined by the 110th American Assembly held in Detroit in 2011. The Lincoln Land Institute Policy Report was an outgrowth of the Assembly.
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Students work in studioReviews at Quorum ArchitectsSite visitsOn Site Community Engagement |