东北大学

Architecture and urban landscape are the context for civic life. In an age of increasingly rapid technological and social change, these fields forge connections between our past and our future. This involves critical thinking about many complex contemporary issues, such as the relationship of public and private life, the interaction between formal and political ideas in cities, and the role of technology in the design, construction, and management of contemporary spaces. Because the process of design involves the synthesis of disparate elements, it can also translate into strategies for approaching a wide range of other problems not traditionally understood to be “architecture.” At Northeastern, we connect specific problem solving inherent to architectural and landscape architectural understanding with the larger context of contemporary cities.

The curriculum teaches students to conceptualize, synthesize, and represent complex architectural, urban, and environmental issues. The program focuses on core skills and critical thinking as preparation for both professional practice and advanced study. The curriculum in the design studio encompasses two major themes: First, the studio projects focus on the art of building and environmental performance, and second, the projects explore how designed environments—from buildings to regional infrastructures—affect urban conditions. The art of building includes the study of construction and technology, as well as the cultural messages created by the expression of material, structure, and form. Environmental performance includes imagining how we can live more sustainably by developing innovative design solutions for synthesizing natural and urban conditions. The contemporary city is our laboratory. This urban focus requires that students integrate their own creative impulses with the future of the society of which they will be a part. By building on the practical and technical training afforded by co-op to develop core professional skills, the curriculum focuses on architecture and landscape architecture’s fundamental aesthetic, technological, social, and political aspects.

With the effective synthesis of the art of building and environmental performance with urban issues, Northeastern’s programs in architecture and urban landscape are becoming a leader in identifying opportunities for civic representation, urban development, and neighborhood design. Northeastern’s students are in demand because of their combination of professional competence and fluency in urban architectural and environmental design issues. There are opportunities for interdisciplinary cooperation in urban-oriented research and creative work in areas such as the economics of urban redevelopment; the design and planning of resilient food, water, energy, transit, and industrial systems; urban public policy; and new forms of spatial and visual communication. Additionally, Northeastern’s urban focus is applied globally in the semester abroad.