UCLA

• Focus on developing design skills using contemporary processes of production.
• Projects enhance the relationship between building and human scales, deeply rooted in a current social and cultural environment.
• Develop digital modeling and drawing skills subsequently deployed in design projects.
• Learn the latest techniques on digital design.
• Engage in demonstrations using digital and analog techniques.
• Participate in group and one-on-one instruction led by architects and designers.
• Participate in group reviews and critiques, and present your projects to guest designers, critics, and instructors.
• Gain access to UCLA's Arts and Architecture Library.

Program Activities

• Weekly field trips of significant architectural and design sites in Los Angeles.
• A lecture series which includes important local architects and critics who explore the central significance of Los Angeles for the future of American architecture and urbanism, and provide presentations within our weekly series.
• A portfolio workshop and career symposium that expose students to the latest developments in the discipline as well as provide information to help strengthen their portfolios for application to graduate programs. 

This program is an intensive, full-time summer architecture experience. Before enrolling in the program, you should be fully aware of the time commitment and course workload inherent in a program of this nature.

Faculty and Curriculum

UCLA Architecture and Urban Design's JumpStart Summer Institute Program carries 6 quarter units of UC credit. The curriculum includes Arch & UD 103: Introduction to Architectural Design (see below for course description): 

ARCH&UD 103: INTRODUCTION TO ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN STUDIO (6 units)

Design Studio will introduce students to basic architectural design principles and problem solving. Students will learn to control point, line, surface and volume to shape spaces for human use. Visual analysis will be introduced as a tool for discussing and understanding organization. Students will learn techniques of repetition, variation, order, scale and rhythm. Students will use case study analysis to uncover disciplinary issues within a design problem and then produce an individual solution to the problem. The coursework will consist of two exercises. The first assignment will focus on the material morphology and the transformation from analog material to a tectonic organization of an object, the second exercise on the spatial morphology, leading from conceptual diagrams to a spatial organization. Students will learn to address conceptual concerns with material solutions documented in two and three dimensions. Emphasis will be placed on physical and digital modeling and measured orthographic and axonometric drawings. The digital modeling component within Design Studio will introduce students to techniques of spatial representation as it relates to architectural design. Students will learn how to communicate using two- and three-dimensional drawings and models. Two-dimensional drawing techniques will include orthographic projection and parallel projection. Three-dimensional modeling will be introduced as an extension of these regulating projection systems, enforcing rigorous construction of complex and curvilinear forms. All drawings will be executed in a digital environment, primarily using Rhinoceros 3D, or "Rhino." Rhino is a software package that can accommodate both two- and three-dimensional work, as well as providing an introduction to the commands and capacities of other industry standard modeling and drawing environments including AutoCAD, Maya, and 3D Studio.

Excursions and Field Trips

Students will have the opportunity to explore the architecture of Los Angeles' diverse communities through field trips. Tours are guided by current UCLA Architecture and Urban Design graduate students including visits to landmark buildings such as Caltrans, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Eames House, Schindler House, Getty Center, Griffith Observatory as well as the architectural offices of prominent architects. 

Portfolio Workshop and Career Symposium 

A one-day intensive session exposes students to convening an application to graduate programs as well as the specifics to the discipline's different career paths within architecture and design. Faculty members from our M.Arch.I program are invited to explore their expectations of the process of reviewing portfolios and statements of purpose, while current UCLA Architecture and Design graduate students offer tips and their personal experiences on their journey of applying to graduate programs. Local architects and designers present and discuss how their unique practices work and their trajectories from graduate school to current practice. 

Lecture Series

Local and visiting architects, designers, and talented professionals in related fields are invited to present their work. A Q&A session following each lecture gives students the opportunity to learn more about each guest through their own perspective. 

Final Review and Exhibition

The last day of the program is dedicated to reviewing the students' work in the group demonstration format. Faculty members from different Los Angeles architecture schools are invited to contribute to the discussion of each individual student's work, promoting a dynamic conversation that enhances architectural production at large. An exhibition of student work takes place on the final day of the program in the Perloff Hall Gallery. Family members and friends are invited to observe the final review and attend the exhibition opening reception. 

Supply List

A supply list will be distributed to enrolled students via email. Please purchase all materials on the supply list before the start of the program. 

Students are encouraged to bring their own laptop computers to the JumpStart program. Access to computers for the completion of assignments may be limited. Due to the rapidly changing state of computer technology and to individual preferences, we do not provide specific computer recommendations but generally the faster the processor, the more memory, and the better the graphics capability of a computer, the better. 

Registration

Registration is available through the UCLA Summer Institutes website at summer.ucla.edu. Register now. 

Contact Information

UCLA Summer Institutes
1331 Murphy Hall
Box 951418
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1418
Tel: 310.825.4101
Fax: 310.825.1528
E-mail: jumpstart@aud.ucla.edu

Financial Aid

Financial aid for Summer Institute participants is available to qualified UCLA students. All other students should inquire about financial aid at their home institution. For details about the financial aid application process, please visit summer.ucla.edu. 

Housing

Housing is available in the UCLA Residence Halls. You can view the various housing options and rates here. You will need to obtain a UCLA login ID and password in order to access the online housing application. 

For individuals opting to stay in the UCLA Residence Halls, please note that university housing is offered for all four weeks of the program. 

Grades

Program participants will earn units of credit and will be recorded on an official University of California transcript. Please note that official transcripts are not automatically sent to students. You can view more information about UCLA grading policies and how to acquire an official transcript.

Program Fee

All fees are subject to change; additional fees may apply. Please visit summer.ucla.edu/fees for the most up-to-date fee information. A nonrefundable $150 deposit for U.S. students is required for registration and will be applied towards the program fee. A nonrefundable $400 deposit for International students is required for registration and will be applied towards the program fee, including I-20 processing fee.