School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Department of Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago offers students the chance to study architecture and design within the context of a major urban fine arts museum school.Trans-disciplinary work is the norm at SAIC, leading to a very wide array of full scale making activities and theoretical investigations.
http://www.saic.edu/academics/departments/aiado/
Setting
SAIC's Department of Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects is located at the geographic center of Chicago, at State and Madison Streets, with brand new studios and shops on the top floor of the historic, recently renovated 1896 Schlesinger and Meyer store by Louis Sullivan. Two state of the art studio dormitories are located within one block of the studios, and the world famous Burnham and Ryerson Libraries are located in the Museum of the Art Institute two blocks east. Buildings of the famous first and second Chicago School of Architecture form a spectacular panorama right outside the wide Chicago windows under Sullivan's beautiful cantilevered terra cotta cornice.
School Philosophy
Students are encouraged to take chances, to work on things that might seem impossible, and ultimately develop individual voices that can offer the value of design and architecture to a wide and diverse population. We expect engagement with the most trying issues of the day, deep innovative research, and a willingness to work with partners offering leverage and opportunity. Our goal is to take design and architecture out into the world where they can offer hope in the face of environmental and political crisis.
Programs
At the School of the Art Institute of Chicago's (SAIC) Department of Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects (AIADO), we encourage and practice a vibrant engagement with design at all scales, from body to environment. The Master of Architecture with an Emphasis in Interior Architecture program is founded upon the notion that different concepts of design are entering public discourse and design practices and are constantly evolving in our fast-changing world. Designers need to be comfortable with uncertainty and complexity, often having to locate their creative imagination outside disciplinary boundaries. They become agents of design, entrepreneurs developing hubs of activity linking art, design, science, business, and culture. The AIADO department responds with significant alternatives in education. Our faculty believes that future designers need to be thinking designers, practitioners willing to explore unknown territory and engage problems not yet defined. Traversing through multiple domains of knowledge will be essential, as will acknowledgement of risk taking as a path to opportunity generated from discovery-led work. Students in AIADO build dexterity through deep explorations in independent studios and collaborative partnerships. This methodology facilitates our students' ability to translate meaningful ideas into meaningful objects and environments, and challenges the fluid borderline that outlines design, opening the profession to unexpected possibilities. We take play and risk seriously. We give freedom with one hand while expecting accountability with the other. By engaging open platforms for rigorous thinking and making, we are cultivating a new kind of relevance for future designers and architects. We launch individual voices that are willing to lead, envisioning potential futures while honoring traditions and changing the field from the inside out.
of Focus
1. Art & Design
2. Community Design
3. Digital Fabrication & Technology
4. Historic Preservation
5. History | Theory | Criticism
6. Industry Collaborations
7. Interior Design
8. Materials and Construction
Opportunities
Study Abroad
Facilities
Large-format Printer
Laser Cutter
Woodshop
3D Printing
Metalshop
CNC Milling
Fabrication Lab
Policies
Transfer Policies
Join a Community of Peers
SAIC’s interdisciplinary curriculum provides an ideal educational environment for advanced-level study in the arts. SAIC believes that transfer students bring with them a wide variety of experiences and skills, and enrich our educational community. Whether you are transferring to SAIC’s undergraduate program from a community college or university, or you already hold a bachelor’s degree (prior-degree student), you will be surrounded by like-minded individuals who are intensely interested in reshaping the visual landscape. Each year one third of our class is composed of transfer students.
Our unique resources including the Art Institute of Chicago, Gene Siskel Film Center, Video Data Bank, Visiting Artists Program, and Media Centers, are designed to support your growth as an artist, designer, and scholar.
Many students who transfer to SAIC have already engaged in various professional activities, including exhibiting their work, freelancing, publishing, and other forms of creative output. Whether you are transferring to SAIC’s undergraduate program from a community college or university, or if you already hold a bachelor’s degree, your presence here adds to the diversity of our community.
Throughout the admissions process, we will provide the support you need to successfully merge your past academic, professional, and personal experiences with the unparalleled educational resources only offered at SAIC.
We look forward to working with you soon.
Transfer Credits
We will accept transfer credits for courses in which you have earned a grade of C or better, or its equivalent, at a regionally accredited institution. As a transfer student, all of your credits from previous institutions must be accepted for transfer prior to the end of your first semester of study at SAIC. Learn more about transferable credits and academic requirements: (http://www.saic.edu/t4/admissions/undergraduate/transfer/academic-requirements/)
