Aspiring architects learn design through drawing

When Jill Stoll talks about hands-on training, she means it literally. Starting on June 25, she will lead a group of high school students on a three-week career exploration into architecture. It's an intense adventure into the creative process that starts with pencil, paper and hands.

For 23 years, the Tulane School of Architecture has held its Career Explorations in Architecture program for students interested in a possible career in the field.

Today's architects rely on computers for much of their work, but for Stoll's group, “it's all about the hand.”

It's also about slowing down. “Kids are already plugged in — it's easy for them to engage in digital technology,” says Stoll, associate dean of students in architecture. “For a young person aspiring to an architecture education, it's all about doing the basics, learning to use materials and drafting tools.”

Sixteen students from nine states are enrolled for the program, including five from New Orleans. All high school seniors, they will live in Tulane residence halls, although the program is open to older students as well.

The curriculum “is a tasting menu of architectural methods and processes,” Stoll says, including observational and technical drawing, model making and mapping to build hand skills. The group will take field trips to study New Orleans architecture and visit URBANbuild and Tulane City Center projects designed and built by students.

“They will leave the program with a really good sense of the field and will hopefully pursue it at the college level,” she says.

Students who enroll at Tulane afterward will receive elective credit for the course, which costs $2,000, although some scholarships are given, says Wendy Sack, assistant dean. “It's a wonderful introduction to the rigor of the creative world,” Sack says.

Several slots are open for this summer's program. For information, email Sack or call 504-314-2355.