Georgia Institute of Technology College of Architecture

College of Architecture
Established 1908[1]
Type Public
Dean Alan Balfour[2]
Academic staff
252[3]
Undergraduates 574[4]
Postgraduates 523[4]
Location Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Website coa.gatech.edu

The College of Architecture (COA) at the Georgia Institute of Technology was established in 1908 as the Department of Architecture,[1] offering the first four-year course of study in architecture in the Southern United States.[1]

History

The history of the College of Architecture spans over 100 years. The College of Architecture was named in 1975, having evolved from the School of Architecture and the Department of Architecture begun in 1908.[1] For most of the 20th century, the Architecture curriculum was directed by masters of architecture, mostly Harvard graduates (until 1975).[1]

In 1908, Georgia Tech (as the "Georgia School of Technology") formally began teaching architecture, when Preston A. Hopkins of Boston was appointed to teach the entering class of 20 students and organize the curriculum. The new Department of Architecture, although small, was equal in rank to other academic departments of engineering at Tech. Francis Palmer Smith (B.S. Univ. of Pennsylvania 1907) was selected as the first department head in 1909.[1] In 1911, the first degrees, the Bachelor of Science in Architecture, were granted. This event placed Georgia Tech among the earliest public universities in the U. S. to offer an architecture degree. By 1912, the Department of Architecture grew to 42 full-time students with three faculty members.[1]

By 1930, the Architecture department had 132 full-time students, awarded 20 degrees, and had six full-time with six part-time faculty. The curriculum during the early years was closely allied with engineering, plus the subject of construction was strongly emphasized. By the 1930s, the influence of the Beaux-Arts, formerly a dominant force in architectural education nationally, had begun to decline as the sway of Bauhaus increased. The department did not have the post-professional graduate program or an option for architectural engineering, both of which were contained in over half of the architecture schools at the time. Architectural education was mainly a product of local concerns in Atlanta, in Georgia and the South, in accordance with the mission of the Georgia School of Technology.[1] In 1934, the five-year Bachelor of Architecture degree was created to conform with the requirements of the increasingly influential Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA). Under the leadership of Bush-Brown, the Architecture students declined to 66 during the depression, reached a low of 22 students during World War II, and then exploded to 462 post-war students.[1]

In 1948, the new School of Architecture was formed and made parallel to other professional schools within the newly renamed Georgia Institute of Technology.[1] In 1952, the School of Architecture building, designed by Bush-Brown, Gailey and Heffernan, was constructed, creating a separate identity for the school, with a highly professional curriculum.[1] In 1975, the College of Architecture was formed to handle increased enrollment and strengthening of allied disciplines. William Fash (Oklahoma State University, M.ARCH, 1960) was appointed as first dean of Architecture in 1976.[1] In 1975, with respect to its international thrust, the college's Paris Program was established by P. M. Heffernan. Originally located at the Ecole d'Architecture Paris Tolbiac and moved to the Ecole d'Architecture Paris la Villette, the Program provides for a full year of study for architecture students during their senior year of undergraduate study.[1] In 1992, a Division of Fine Arts was created in the College of Architecture, leading to a new Arts and Technology Program for course work in the areas of music, visual arts, and multimedia.[1]

In 1995, the Center for Geographic Information Systems (CGIS) was created.[1] The CGIS has worked on projects for the 1999 Color Infra-Red (CIR) Digital Ortho Photo Program, for the Georgia GIS Data Clearinghouse, for the NWI-Wetlands statewide digital wetland database with GIS tools, for the Trees Atlanta-Greenspace Acquisition Support System, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-Air Quality, natural hazards, hydrography, and for infrastructure management.[5]

Schools within the College of Architecture

Facilities

Architecture East
Architecture Annex

The College of Architecture occupies several buildings and spaces throughout campus, the center of which are the two main buildings- College of Architecture East and West- in the center of campus on Fourth Street.[6]

Degrees

A complete list is available on the COA website.[16]

Undergraduate

Graduate

Postgraduate

Notable College of Architecture alumni

Name Class year Notability Reference(s)
Michael Arad 1999 Designer architect of the World Trade Center Memorial in New York City; he was selected from 5,201 competitors as the winning designer with "Reflecting Absence" [17]
Merrill Elam 1967 Principal of Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects, husband-wife team who are internationally acclaimed for unconventional use of materials in narrative associations in their designs. [18]
Jan Lorenc 1994 Prominent designer; co-owner of Lorenc+Yoo Design [19]
Jerome "Jerry" Cooper 1952 Chairman of the Board of the Cooper Carry in Atlanta, Georgia; designed the West Architecture Building for the College of Architecture. [20][21]
John Portman 1950 Architect that designed several buildings; examples are the SunTrust Plaza, and the Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel [22]
Mack Scogin 1967 Principal of Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects, husband-wife team who are internationally acclaimed for unconventional use of materials in narrative associations in their designs. [23]
Hugh Stubbins Jr. 1933 Architect who designed several high-profile buildings around the world [24]
Janice Wittschiebe 1980 Principal of Richard Wittschiebe Hand Architects, prominent Atlanta architecture firm, former President of the Georgia Tech Alumni Association, member of the Georgia Tech Foundation Board [25]
Vern Yip 1995 Designer on Trading Spaces [26]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 "College of Architecture - History". Georgia Institute of Technology. Retrieved 2010-12-18.
  2. "Alan Balfour Profile". Georgia Institute of Technology. Retrieved 2010-12-18.
  3. "COA Faculty Directory". Georgia Institute of Technology. Retrieved 2010-12-18.
  4. 4.0 4.1 "Office of Institutional Research & Planning: Facts and Figures: Enrollment by College". Georgia Institute of Technology. Retrieved 2010-12-18.
  5. "Center for GIS at Georgia Tech". Georgia Institute of Technology. Retrieved 2010-12-19.
  6. 6.0 6.1 "CoA Facilities". Georgia Institute of Technology. Retrieved 2010-12-19.
  7. "Architecture (East) Occupant Information". Georgia Institute of Technology. Retrieved 2010-12-19.
  8. "Architecture (West) Occupant Information". Georgia Institute of Technology. Retrieved 2010-12-19.
  9. "Arch Annex Occupant Information". Georgia Institute of Technology. Retrieved 2010-12-19.
  10. "Hinman Occupant Information". Georgia Institute of Technology. Retrieved 2010-12-19.
  11. "Hinman Architects". Georgia Institute of Technology. Retrieved 2011-03-06.
  12. "Hinman Building Renovation". Georgia Institute of Technology. Retrieved 2010-12-19.
  13. "Couch Building Occupant Information". Georgia Institute of Technology. Retrieved 2010-12-19.
  14. "490 Tenth Street Building Occupant Information". Georgia Institute of Technology. Retrieved 2010-12-19.
  15. "AWPL Building Occupant Information". Georgia Institute of Technology. Retrieved 2010-12-19.
  16. 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 "College of Architecture Degree Listing". Georgia Institute of Technology. Retrieved 2010-12-18.
  17. "Profiles: Michael Arad". Georgia Institute of Technology. Retrieved 2007-03-09.
  18. "Mack Scogin and Merrill Elam: Architecture Centennial Lecture". Georgia Tech College of Architecture. 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-01.
  19. "Ramblin' Roll: Class of 1987". Tech Topics (Georgia Tech Alumni Association). Winter 2005. Retrieved 2007-03-09.
  20. "Cooper Carry Profile: Jerry Cooper". Cooper Carry.
  21. "Transforming Urbanism". Georgia Institute of Technology.
  22. "Founder: John Portman, FAIA". John Portman & Associates. 2006. Retrieved 2007-03-09.
  23. "Faculty Profile". Harvard University Graduate School of Design. 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-01.
  24. "In Memory: Hugh Stubbins, Jr.". College of Architecture News (Georgia Tech College of Architecture). 2006-08-01. Retrieved 2007-03-09.
  25. "Alumni At A Glance". Georgia Tech College of Architecture News (Georgia Tech College of Architecture). Spring 2008. Retrieved 2008-01-24.
  26. "Home, Sweet, Smart, Sensible Home". Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine Online (Georgia Tech Alumni Association Online). Winter 2003. Retrieved 2007-03-09.

External links

Coordinates: 33°46′34″N 84°23′45″W / 33.7761°N 84.3957°W