| Boston Architectural College The BAC |
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|---|---|
| Established |
December 11, 1889 |
| Type | Private college of spatial design |
| Endowment | $6.7 million[3] |
| President | Theodore C. Landsmark M.Ev.D, J.D., D.F.A. (Hon.), Ph.D. |
| Provost | Julia Halevy Dott. Ped |
| Academic staff | 300 educators and professional practitioners |
| Students | 1,000 degree students 300 continuing education students |
| Location | Boston, Massachusetts, USA (Back Bay, Boston) |
| Campus | Urban, non-residential |
| Former names | Boston Architectural Club (1889-1944) Boston Architectural Center (1944-2006) |
| Accreditation | New England Association of Schools and Colleges, National Architectural Accrediting Board, Council for Interior Design Accreditation, Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board (candidacy status; review in 2010) |
| Colors | |
| Affiliations | Professional Arts Consortium |
| Website | http://www.the-bac.edu/ |
Boston Architectural College (also known as The BAC), formerly known as the Boston Architectural Center, is New England's largest independent college of spatial design. It offers first-professional bachelor's and master's degrees in architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, and design studies (non-professional). The college offers continuing education credits and certificates through the BAC Continuing Education (CE) Program, The Landscape Institute (LI) at the BAC (formerly affiliated with Arnold Arboretum), and The Sustainable Design Institute (SDI) at the BAC (online graduate-level courses). It also hosts the BAC Summer Academy (for high school students) as well as a variety of other ways for the general public to explore spatial design. It exhibits student work in its McCormick Gallery and frequently hosts conferences and symposia on spatial design.
The BAC is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA, formerly FIDER) and the Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board (LAAB, candidacy status; review in 2010). The BAC is a member of the ProArts Consortium.
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The school was founded in 1889 as the Boston Architectural Club, and evolved over time into a fully accredited degree granting institution. Since its founding as a club for architects in the Boston area who needed to educate their apprentices, the BAC has maintained close ties to the professional design community throughout its history. Those ties exist in the BAC's faculty of practicing professionals.
Boston Architectural College is the only degree-granting design college in the United States to comprehensively integrate classroom instruction and practice-based learning into each segment of its first-professional degree programs. The Concurrent Practice Curriculum (commonly known as "Practice") comprises approximately one-third of the credits needed for graduation for first professional degree programs.
Learn By Doing
Experiential learning is the cornerstone of the BAC education. We believe our approach is the best way for students to become critical thinkers and accomplished designers. Our students work in professional design environments in the day and attend academic classes in the evening. Students explore an ever-changing career landscape in the design disciplines, and decide which practice experiences to pursue. BAC students graduate with in-depth exposure to the field of design. They are trained to be lifelong learners who accomplish their professional goals.
Learn Through Experience
From matriculation to graduation, Practice is integrated into the curriculum and academic requirements. Students earn credits in Practice by spending time in a supervised professional setting, and their progress is measured by attainment of professional and interpersonal skills. Because of this unique combination of skills and experience, BAC students graduate not only with degrees, but with the ability to become leaders, critical thinkers, and innovators.
"The BAC is committed to provide excellence in design education grounded in practice and accessible to diverse communities."
— Mission Statement, Boston Architectural College[4]
The BAC maintains a policy of "accessibility and modest tuition" based on the premise that, "design education ought to be accessible to all who are capable of and committed to pursuing it." To this end, the BAC does not require a portfolio or standardized tests for admission and requires no specific background in design for all of its degree programs. As a consequence of this policy and in response to increases in student enrollment (particularly of students with no prior background in design), the BAC established its Academic-Only First Year Program.
Boston Architectural Club was established on December 11, 1889. The certificate of incorporation explains that the club was formed "for the purpose of associating those interested in the profession of architecture with a view to mutual encouragement and help in studies, and acquiring and maintaining suitable premises, property, etc., necessary to a social club... and...for public lectures, exhibitions, classes, and entertainment." Members of the Club provided evening instruction for drafters employed in their offices. From this interchange, an informal atelier developed in the tradition of France's Ecole des Beaux-Arts. The Club held annual public exhibitions and published illustrated catalogs.
The BAC began its formal educational program under the joint leadership of H. Langford Warren and Clarence Blackall. The school was organized to offer an evening education in drawing, design, history, and structures. Like its informal predecessor, the BAC soon developed into an atelier affiliated with the Society of the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in New York. The BAC's design curriculum, teaching methods, and philosophy closely resembled those of the Ecole des Beaux-Arts.
In 1911, the Club acquired a building at 16 Somerset Street on Beacon Hill. The BAC building contained a two-story Great Hall (designed by Ralph Adams Cram), as well as other spaces used for lectures, meetings and exhibitions, a library, and several studios. The newer facilities attracted more students, and the course of instruction became increasingly defined and formal.
In the 1930s most American schools of architecture broke away from the Beaux-Arts tradition and began to establish their own curricula and teaching methods. Without the support of a university structure, The Club struggled with the pains of growth and adjustment. The BAC appointed Arcangelo Cascieri to serve as dean. Cascieri brought the BAC through its philosophical transition without sacrificing the atelier teaching method. The BAC began to draw its faculty from nearby architectural schools and the extended local community of related professionals.
The Club reorganized in 1944 as the Boston Architectural Center, "to provide instruction in architecture and related fields for draftsmen and others interested in the practice of architecture or the allied arts, especially those whose employment might interfere with such education in day schools and universities."
By 1965, the BAC had developed a continuing education program to serve the broader community. By the mid-60's, the Somerset Street building no longer sufficed to serve the needs of the growing school, and the BAC purchased a brick building at 320 Newbury Street. A national design competition was held in 1964, and the winning entry, by Ashley, Myer & Associates, houses the BAC to this day.
The National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) made a formal visit in 1971. In an unprecedented decision, the BAC's concurrent learning program (which made working in the architectural profession a formal and concurrent part of the program) was accredited in accordance with the standards used for traditional degree-granting institutions. The report read in part, "The BAC shall receive accreditation as a professional school of architecture, based on the proven worth of its programs over many years, the spirit of the administration, faculty and students, and the attainments of distinguished graduates."
On July 1, 2006, The Boston Architectural Center formally adopted the new name Boston Architectural College in an effort to more readily identify as a college of higher education awarding accredited professional degrees in design.
In 2007, The BAC acquired 951/955 Boylston Street — the former home of the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston — for $7.22 million.[5] The 25,423-square-foot (2,361.9 m2) complex currently houses studios on the second and third floors and a lecture hall on the ground level. Work continues on the first floor which will house a gallery.
Boston Architectural College is divided into four schools of spatial design, the Landscape Institute (LI) at the Boston Architectural College, the Sustainable Design Institute (SDI) at the Boston Architectural College, and the Continuing Education (CE) Program.
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School of Architecture
Degree Programs
Accreditation:New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) School of Interior Design
Degree Programs
Accreditation:New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) School of Landscape Architecture
Degree Programs
Accreditation:New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board (LAAB, candidacy status; review in 2010) |
School of Design Studies
Degree Programs
*Design Studies students concentrate in one of the fields listed. Accreditation:New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) |
The Academic-Only First Year Program is an optional first-year foundation studies program offered across the four schools of the BAC.
In recent years, more students have matriculated at the BAC directly from secondary school. The Introduction to Design Communication course was established to provide additional support and a smoother transition into college for students in need of such a track.
The Landscape Institute (not to be confused with the School of Landscape Architecture) offers courses and certificates in landscape design (CLD), landscape design history (CLH), landscape preservation (CLP), and planting design (CPD) and is the longest running certificate program of its kind.
The Landscape Design Program was established through the Radcliffe Seminars in 1970. It was the result of positive feedback from a 1968 lecture at Radcliffe, "The Intellectual History of Garden Art." The institute moved to Harvard University's Arnold Arboretum in 2002 and would later become a part of the BAC in 2009. Though now a institute of the BAC, the Landscape Institute curriculum still involves partnerships with the Arnold Arboretum in addition to partnerships with The Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation, Historic New England, and the Wakefield Trust. In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Landscape Institute, the BAC will host a landscape symposium on November 5, 2010. The current director of the Institute is Heather D. Heimarck, ASLA.[6]
The Sustainable Design Institute (SDI) offers a completely online program of graduate-level courses, developed with Building Green, conferring certificates in sustainable design, sustainable community planning and design, sustainable building design and construction, and sustainable residential design. Many courses are accepted for AIA Sustainable Design/Health, Safety, Welfare Learning Continuing Education Units, many have been approved as part of the US Green Building Council’s Education Providers Program, and offer continuing education credits for LEED AP’s, and most are accepted by the Royal Institute of British Architects for Continuing Professional Development.[7]
The BAC offers certificates in Architectural Rendering, Design Computing, Decorative Arts, Historic Preservation, Kitchen & Bath Design, Planting Design, and Sustainable Design (on-site; online through the Sustainable Design Institute at the BAC).
The BAC is a registered AIA provider for Continuing Education.
The BAC operates a gallery on the main level of its 320 Newbury Street building. McCormick Gallery features student work as well as themed spatial design exhibits. The gallery is open to the public.
McCormick Gallery is a showcase for exhibitions, and a visual means to teach, engage and educate. Prominantly located on the corner of Newbury Street and Hereford, in the BAC's main building, the Gallery engages passersby and the lively BAC community within. All come together in this space for public opening receptions and exhibition related lectures.[8]
In 2009, students from The BAC joined students from Tufts University to compete in the 2009 Solar Decathlon in Washington, DC.[9]
Facilities at The BAC are referred to by their addresses. In recent years with the purchase of properties at 100 Massachusetts Avenue and 951/955 Boylston Street, the college has been rapidly expanding into new spaces. The college is planning major work on the 320/322 Newbury & 951/955 Boylston properties towards the goal of making both properties and the surrounding cityscape more sustainable. The current plan calls for the creation of a green roof on 320 Newbury Street as well as improvements on the public alley between 320/322 Newbury and 951/955 Boylston.
With the exception of access-regulated thesis studios in 100 Massachusetts Avenue, there are no 24-hour access spaces at The BAC. Administrators have also explored, at various times, the idea of investing in student residences.
320/322 Newbury Street
Classrooms, Meeting Spaces, Studios, Workshops, Academic & Technology Resources, Education Center, P.A.C.E. (Practice Advising & Career Education) Center, Learning Resource Center, BAC Library, Memorial Library, The Loft (Student Lounge), McCormick Gallery, Cascieri Hall (Lecture Hall/Flexible Space)
320 Newbury Street is a Brutalist building designed by the firm of Ashley, Myer & Associates in 1966 and renovated in 2000 by Silverman Trykowski Associates.[11] The design intended for the building "... not to depend on a sense of weight to achieve importance" but rather, through the energy of form, to evoke a sense of aliveness and contending." The design uses cantilevered, suspended masonry masses and accentuated vertical "slits" in the exterior by which some of the building's core functions can be seen from the outside. Open studio floors allow students to look in on one another's classes and studios, and its ground floor, open to Newbury Street invites the general public into the McCormick gallery.
The program for the new building had specified capacity for 200 students with 30 to 50 square feet (4.6 m2) of space allocated to each student. Several floors were designed to be rented until the school required them. Growth of the student body, however, proceeded more rapidly than anticipated, and the number of students gradually increased to as many as 650 in 1974. The "extra floors" were never rented, and the expanding student body and staff needed to support them quickly placed demands on all existing space.
In the late 1980s, to accommodate its growth, the BAC purchased the adjoining building at 322 Newbury Street, a former carriage house.
The west elevation of the building is articulated with a mural by the artist Richard Haas, which was completed in 1975. The trompe l'oeil mural of a Classical-style building and dome provides a contrast to the Brutalist style of the building.
951/955 Boylston Street
Studios, AOP Program Offices, 955 Hall (Lecture Hall/Flexible Space)
100 Massachusetts Avenue
Masters Thesis Studio Spaces, Administrative Offices, Art Studios, Classrooms
AIAS - "The BAC is one of more than 125 schools of architecture to maintain a local chapter of AIAS, an independent and non-profit student-run organization. This grassroots association is a cooperative between thousands of students committed to helping each other and sharing differing views. Membership is open to all architecture students and provides opportunities such as lectures, field trips, social and networking events, community service projects, and conferences."[12]
ATELIER, Student Government - "Atelier's mission is to foster communication between the BAC administration and the student body, to emphasize and promote professional and social aspects of student activities on and off campus, and to foster fellowship, cooperation, and unity between and among BAC students and organizations. Atelier is one of the best ways to get involved in the school's happenings, connect with other students, and learn the inner workings of the school and of your education."[13]
The BAC Interior Design Society (ASID & IIDA) - Slogan: "'Bringing ASID & IIDA to you!' The BAC Interior Design Society facilitates the needs of BAC Interior Design students by enhancing their educational experience and networking opportunities. It also functions as a bridge and network between ASID (American Society of Interior Designers), IIDA (International Interior Design Association), the BAC, and the students. It provides interior design students at the BAC a community in which to find creative and professional support, offering opportunities for education outside the classroom and interaction with other designers. In addition, it returns the support to the community through volunteer events. To join the BAC Interior Design Society, students must become a student member of ASID and/or IIDA."[14]
NOMAS - "NOMAS is an increasingly influential voice, promoting diversity in architecture and the quality and excellence of future design professionals. The local chapter, BACNOMAS, is committed to being active in the design community, participating in national design competitions, mentoring local high school students, and participating in a variety of other educational and recreational activities. The BAC Chapter of NOMAS is about the spirit of inclusion, and participation is welcomed whether you consider yourself a minority or not. Get involved! In addition, all members of NOMAS receive free membership to the Boston Society of Architects."[15]
Photo Club - "The Photo Club is here to support students' growth as a design professional by providing workshops, trips to galleries, and resources to enhance BAC students' ability to photograph their work on-site or at a studio."[16]
SASLA - "The BAC's SASLA Chapter connects landscape architecture students to each other, to the local community and nationally as well. Participate to learn more about the field of landscape architecture, understand related skills, and be involved in a forum for landscape architecture students."[17]
Studio Q - "Your resource to the BAC's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender & questioning community. Studio Q's mission is to strengthen the LGBT community within the BAC and throughout Boston through various social events and political activism."[18]
For information about student groups and activities see The BAC Student Development Blog[19]
Food for Finals
First Fridays
Student Lecture Series
The Bee The bee is somewhat of an informal mascot of the BAC, the roots of which can be traced to the "Cascieri Beehive," a nickname for a sculpture by Dean Arcangelo Cascieri titled "Selfless Labor" depicting bees working together in a beehive. It is featured on the BAC class ring,[20] the Selfless Labor Award (awarded to Cascieri Lecturers),[21] and has become the name of the BAC's weekly running club, the BAC Bees.
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