The ongoing struggles in the world’s economies has produced several innovations in the field of Architecture. One important change has been for professionals and students to seek more interdisciplinary skills that better prepare them for these inevitable economic shifts. Schools have responded in kind, defining those skills in either intellectual, analytical terms (i.e. teaching students how to better critically analyze situations while eschewing superficial “theoretical” approaches) while other schools have emphasized a more practical approach.
InSB exemplifies the latter: a program that combines all aspects of AEC (Architecture, Engineering, Construction) into a single curriculum for both undergraduates and graduates. Founded by Tabitha Ponte and co-founder Arturo Vasquez, the school has an ambitious mission: to offer a truly integrated AEC education that is tuition-free.
It begins with a curriculum which the school has retooled from traditional models. While still under development, the contours of the program it has a definitive approach. For undergraduates, “All students who enter the program, ideally students interested in all facets of AEC, will begin with architectural and structural design and analysis, building systems and sustainability, and will move into practical skills development like documents and administration.” These foundational years are complemented by the last two years which build upon these skills through actual work in firms, as well as investigations that develop students’ own strengths and interests. The goal is to produce professionals who possess the intellectual and practical abilities to solve complex spatial issues. The graduate program is even more self-guided, under three main course areas: “Advanced Human Capital + Team Structures”, “Advanced Project Deliveries + Contracts”, and “Advanced Business Development + Management.” Central to both programs is a mission shaped by a commitment to incorporating AEC into a single educational model rather than continuing the specialized approach seen in schools today. As Ms. Ponte observes, “Significant money is wasted due to this fracture. If it were not this way, not only the project (the Owner) would win, but all parties involved would too. Everybody wins.”
