Though impregnated by and appreciative of the rigor offered by the classical and traditional paradigms of design, this new program implements a radical review of what it means to teach a historically grounded vision of architecture in the Twenty-First Century.
Through the integration of the School’s affiliate seat in Rome, where the students will spend the summer term, the program is able to address both the Caribbean and Mediterranean hemispheres, confronting the formal roots of classicism as much as the more eclectic and vernacular mix encountered in the New World.
Students will study the Elements and Principles of Classical Architecture and Urban Design, Case Studies in the History of Architecture, and Theories of Classical Architecture and Traditional Design.
The program’s structure allows for the balance between theory and design to be adjusted according to the individual student’s trajectory, through the option to add a written master thesis during a second fall semester.
At multiple strategic moments within the curriculum the students of the Classical and Traditional Design track will benefit from the exchange with students in other MSA tracks to implement interdisciplinary research as a way of addressing major contemporary concerns.
