Introducing high school students to their potential future careers is key in helping them to envision how the next years of their lives may be. With an immersive four-week summer program, Design Immersion Days (DID) gives an insight into design and architecture experimentation to high school students. Aiming to inspire their curiosity about architecture, the program’s proposal integrates the introduction of basic design knowledge and critical thinking skills, as well as familiarizing them with the wider architecture and design culture of Los Angeles.
Known for their innovative approach, SCI-Arc is characterized for encouraging their students to take the lead in reimagining the limits of architecture. Through their Youth and Summer Programs, they start building connections –both locally and internationally– with those interested in a future inside the discipline and provide them with design tools and architectural thinking.
The Program: Diversity of projects for experiencing architecture school
Throughout the four weeks, students explore different examples of design and modes of production. The program delves into multiple scales, from analog physical building and traditional drawing, to multiple forms of digital output, such as augmented reality, 3D modeling and 3D printing.
Experiencing a college-level studio, DID students work on four different projects while exploring the city through guided field trips. Developing one-on-one discussions with SCI-Arc faculty during desk-crits and through collegial collaborations with other students –with different skills and perspectives– they immerse themselves into the design process of their projects.
Presenting their work to juries of instructors and peers in discussion-based pin-ups and group review sessions, students are able to receive feedback, which guides their process and helps them to jumpstart an interest in designing.
Focusing on developing architectural proposals that establish a dialogue with the cultural, material and economic context of the city of Los Angeles, the program’s activities introduce architecture as a lively, social and collaborative experience that captures the collective spirit of DID.
DID 2023 approaches this time of change through a lens of optimism. This summer’s theme is ‘In the Field,’ an idea that explores the possibilities of creative experimentation in the city of Los Angeles within the context of play and fun. - SCI-Arc Faculty and DID Coordinator Angelica Lorenzi
An introduction to critical thinking and production
DID project’s shift from analog models to digital renderings, presenting scenarios in which students are challenged to think analytically, use different tools, and imagine nontraditional approaches to design.
Exploring different ways of discovery, thinking and making, participants refine a design acuity and hone a visual vocabulary through multiple techniques and tools. Students practice freehand sketching, architectural drafting and physical model making, computer drawing and software use (such as Rhino, Photoshop and Illustrator), 3D modeling and digital fabrication. This learning method enables students to conceive their designs through a process that fluidly moves between both physical and virtual workflows.
Exploring Los Angeles: Architecture and design culture
Showcasing Los Angeles’ creative environment –including design, fashion, and film industries–, DID students start making connections not only between these creative fields, but also with the critical professional economic dynamics within the city as a whole.
Through the lens of those most deeply involved with shaping the cityscape –prominent architects who call Los Angeles their home–, the participants get to know the city’s visual, structural and cultural context.
In addition, they have access to private tours of museums, design firms, and galleries during weekly field trips to landmark architectural sites of the city, including Frank Gehry’s Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Hammer Museum, Bestor Architecture, among others.
The final exhibition
Working with weekly portfolio workshops that introduce layout design and material compilation strategies, DID students gain the knowledge and tools for presenting their body of work in a compelling manner. While completing the program with a fully developed creative portfolio, students learn how to build a critical component when applying to architecture and design schools.
Design Immersion Days culminates with a public exhibition for students to showcase their work. During this final instance, participants present their projects to a professional panel, composed of the top architects, critics and theorists in Los Angeles.
The program runs between June 20th and July 14th, 2023, scheduled from Monday to Friday, starting at 9:00 am and ending at 4:00 pm. Tuition is $3,350, with full scholarships available, based on need.
Register now or request more information on the four-week program, visit SCI-Arc’s official website.
