This course examines design fields — architecture, industrial, graphics, etc. — to understand design leadership models that fuel future-forward speculation.
Spring 2026
Poiesis II experiments by Allen Chen, Alobi Huang, Will Ivansco, Jioh Kim, Adeline Kwan, Estee Teo, Max Whalley and Lukas Yao.
This course introduces the regulatory frameworks that shape architectural practice, including building codes, zoning ordinances, site restrictions, accessibility and construction systems.
This course is for graduate and fifth-year B.Arch students participating in the prestigious national Urban Land Institute (ULI) Hines competition. This is an intensive real estate and urban design competition that takes place January 5-19, 2026, to compete and submit a proposal for a site in Austin, Texas.
Light is one of the critical aspects of valued architectural spaces, influencing ambiance, the overall atmosphere and occupant perception, whether positively or negatively. This course explores the quantities and qualities of light.
This yearlong research-based design thesis studio focuses on social justice and community-led urban transformations, positioning design as an agent of change that can support citizens claiming their Right to the City.
This course introduces a variety of synthetic approaches to design and research with multiple levels of depth.
This seminar investigates the future of cities by focusing on three existential challenges: the escalating environmental crisis, growing social inequity, and technological dislocation, addressing the role and agency of designers and planners in tackling the Third Industrial Revolution.
This course examines urban ecology as the evolving relationship between people and the environments they create, informed by systems thinking, ecological flows, and cultural values. Rejecting a binary distinction between built and natural worlds, the course frames the city as a dynamic, living system shaped by feedback loops and adaptation.
This seminar introduces MSCD students to the rudiments of graduate level academic research, and offers a space to discuss inchoate research methods, questions and projects in the field.
This is the preparatory course for the sustainable design synthesis in the Master of Science in Sustainable Design (MSSD) program.