Studio Culture:

A beneficial aspect of learning and growing

Brock Johnson
University of Kentucky

Studio Culture

Abstract
When I say studio, I dont mean a dance studio or a music studio like you see rappers spitting
rhymes. I mean an architecture or Interior design studio. In college, the majority of the classes
will be lectures with multiple students where the learning will be based on reading. Of course,
this may change depending on your major. College of Design students will not only learn the
suggested content, but they will also learn life lessons that will benefit them and allow them to
grow in life. In this essay, I will explain how regular classes are structured versus how a studio
is structured. I will also show how many of the older students in the College of Design have
benefitted from being in a studio. Having a class that will substitute for a small community is
beneficial to the learning process for any area of study. The student will gain textual knowledge
as well as real life experiences.

Studio Culture

Studio Culture: A Beneficial Aspect of Learning and Growing

A studio class is a class thats unlike any other class because of the way you learn, the
content, and everything else. Lets play out a situation thats bound to happen in a students
college career. The student is asked one of the most frequently asked questions which is,
whatre you majoring in? Of course, then the student will answer, and the conversation will go
on about what they will do with that after college. Most of the time college students will have
different majors and will discuss the type of classes theyre each taking. The classes each student
will take may be different topics, but they will be structured different. In a College of Design
studio class, the way the student will learn is very different versus a normal class. The point of
this essay is to compare regular classes to my architecture studio, which I believe is the best way
to enhance a students learning.

Studio Classes
To begin, the Studio class culture has sort of a dull history. As in a book wrote by
Nicholas Wilkinson, studio started out with a professor brainstorming ideas of how to get his
students to understand the hidden concepts of architecture. The professor then decided to start
assigning his students specific projects that allowed them to open up their minds to those
concepts. Then, the professor made it to where the students were to have a separate class to teach
them model making in a studio type room. After this, more progress was seen in the students, so
the studio classes became a normal thing (Design Studio Pedagogy, 2007). Like I said, bland, but
the studio culture has since then spanned out and is much more crucial.

Studio Culture

A lot of the studio class is designed to teach the student to learn from others and learn how to
work well with them. There are a lot of people living on this planet, so theres a slim chance that
everyone will get along. However, one can learn to be able to work with the people they come in
contact with daily. One of the many beneficial things that can come from being in a studio class
is collaboration. Collaboration means to cooperate with enthusiasm, which is the philosophy of
Collaborative Studios llc (2012).
Its very easy to cooperate in the community atmosphere in a studio class. T. Abell
(Personal communication, October 12th, 2014), an architecture student, says the point the College
of Design is trying to relay to its students is that in a studio class the student must be able to
work in an environment with 10-15 other individuals who think differently. Vincent (paragraph
4, 2014), a member of AIAS, the American Institute for Architecture Students, posted on the
AIAS website about its studio culture page in saying that we all have our own knowledge and
live our lives differently. This is definitely beneficial because the student will get to see how
other people think and how they transfer their imagination to the project.T. Abell (Personal
communication, October 12th, 2014), says In our studios, we are a community, so we have to be
able to bring our ideas to the table for everyone to process. With that said, having efficient
collaboration from the team, you are communicating concepts, critiques, or questions that
ultimately benefit everyone (LaBarre, S. 2014). Not only does collaboration help the student with
their class work, it gives them the ability to work efficiently with other people, which is a trait
that is crucial to being successful in the future.
Being in a studio class allows the student to grow as a person through learning healthy
habits, and gaining the ability understand people more efficiently, even themself. While we
students are becoming adults, we are learning lessons that will stick with us the rest of our lives.

Studio Culture

In terms of developing good habits Olivia Brouster, an interior design student, (personal
communication, October 13th, 2014) says that she was able to develop time management and to
be confident in her work. However, the positive thing about the studio culture is that it allows us
to push each other to be better. If I were to see someone working really hard on his or her
project, I would be inspired to work just as hard. Exactly like how Whitney Corcoran (personal
communication, October 13th, 2014), said That first long night in the studio really hit me, it was
as if there was this atmosphere of motivation. It helped me to realize that I know I will always be
able to push through. Studio classes help students to realize their full potential and to advance in
positive habits that help the student to grow.
The teaching style is very different compared to large lecture classes so students in many
way. Since there arent really any tests or clickers to measure how successful students are doing
in the class, they just have to be confident in what is submitted to their professor. Students in a
studio class will do their project and have to present them to the professor and the rest of the
class, then after they will be critiqued and will redo and repeat the cycle. Chris Wilkins, an
architecture student, (Personal communication, October 12th, 2014) says, You really have to
base your grade off of the feedback thats given to you and through this you can perfect your
technique to become better at what you do.
To really grasp how one can grow from being in a studio I researched about how some
students have changed in the studio process. An Article by Bob Borson (2011) describes how he
was in a spot where he wanted to quit architecture, which most students end up doing. However,
he changed his life around because architecture is what he has always wanted to do and he
developed a very competitive side. Chris Wilkins (2014) tells about how he had a problem with
arguing the people in his studios because he thought he was always right but that wasnt the case.

Studio Culture

After his Studio mates helped him realize this, he cleaned up his argumentative nature and tried
started to see other students point of view. This only proves that in Studio Culture, you grow in
many ways.
Studio classes offer a unique learning experience through getting to work on hands on
projects. Most of your beginning years in a studio class consist of model making and sculpture
building. Working with your hands is beneficial for students who cant learn in a Lecture
designed environment. From what Ive had to do so far, Ive learned how to rearrange objects to
create a space. I wouldnt have been able to do this unless I werent allowed to cut the materials
and rearrange them to study how they flow. Richard Hickman (Critical Studies in Art and Design
Education, p. 140, 2005), says that it was felt to be particularly important for students to
experience the architecture first hand, in order to get the sense of size and scale. This not only
applies to architecture but it can apply to all others because the student wont fully get the concept
until they get to work with it.

Another small benefit that keeps a lot of the students in the College of Design going
would be the rewards they get after they receive their degree. Hence the reason I chose this
picture. It demonstrates that right after college, architects make quite a substantial amount of

Studio Culture

money and that all the hard work put into a studio will pay off (E. Dowskin, 2012).

Blogger Jessica A., describes that the most rewarding moments are working on that project for 8
hours, and the giving a good presentation truly inspires her to keep going (2013). All in all its
just rewarding that all the hard work that is being put into the studio will pay off in the long run.
Its always rewarding when a lot of effort is put into a project and it finally gets complete.
Being in a studio class, the student has to go through this. Whitney Corcoran, a first year
architecture student, (personal communication, October 13th, 2014) says, All I ever heard about
is how architecture students put hours and hours into their work or the late nights they spend in
the studio. I never heard about the joy you get after you finish that one project thats been
bugging you for so long, its truly rewarding. Architecture itself is ever changing but its also
rewarding when you reach a milestone. Whitney also stated how she loves just knowing that the
range of ideas are limitless and the fun you can have exploring that in a studio.
Now that studio classes have been analyzed, there are certain aspects of regular classes
that make the studio culture more appealing and beneficial. The first problem with regular

Studio Culture

classes is that most of them are large lectures. A lot of the time, students have a hard time paying
attention because of all the distractions from other students or could miss something and get
confused. In a studio class there is a lot less distraction and if one gets confused they can easily
speak up and ask questions. A lot of times professors fall into a trap where they lecture too much
information and the students become frustrated and give up (CITL. 2014, Lecture-based
Classes). Also, one of the main problems with a large lecture class is that most of the learning is
relied upon unguided student learning (Institutional resource Center, 2014). Learning such as this
would be reading from a textbook or having to participate in studies/labs. This can create a lot of
conflict because some students may not even be able to learn this way, they can read it but none
of it is retained. With a studio class, theres never really any reliance on outside learning except
for your imagination.
Some more problems that come from large classes would be the coursework. Of course
you have your reading assignments and tests for those classes but a lot of students like to take
their learning to a new level. Zach Marshall, an engineering student, describes how his
engineering classes can get up to 300 people and sometimes they have group projects where
theyre forced to collaborate with other students, which is good, but he doesnt really get to do
anything hands on. I really wish I could make it more hands on, because I learn more efficiently
that way. (Personal Communication, October 10th, 2014). So, the students in regular classes are
hindered in the learning process because of the way the teaching is presented compared to studio
class teaching.
Lastly, as Ive mentioned many times, one of the main benefits of being in a architecture
studio is the interaction and being able to work with other students and students in regular classes
dont get to experience this. Zach Marshall, an engineering student, describes how his classes

Studio Culture

range from 200-300 people and it doesnt really call for much interaction. Marshall said that they
sometimes have small group discussions to discuss project ideas but thats all they ever do. In a
studio, the class size is very small so everyone can and will get close to one another. Even one
of the main reasons a person may desire in a class is a class where they can get to know people,
(C. Wilkins , 2014). I gave Marshall (2014) a brief overview of how studio classes benefit the
learning process and asked his opinion on the interaction. He said if you dont then youre
constricted to your frame of ideas, which can really limit you on how effective your project will
come will come across. Someone outside of the studio culture being able notice how important
collaboration is proves that interaction is a very beneficial within the learning process.
As for the future of architecture, its advancing more and more to become a truly
beautiful program. As society is growing and newer technology surfaces, out lives will continue
to change. This also goes with our ways of thinking. We are beginning to think more complex
and are starting to express higher creativity. The future of architecture seems to have two main
prongs: sustainable design and the sleek, high-tech look (Freeman, S. 2012. How stuff
Works.com). The studio/architecture or interior design experience is like an exponential curve in
which as one thing increases, so will the others. I cant wait to see what the future will hold for
Studio culture and how students later will be benefited from this growth.
In conclusion, regular classes vary quite differently from studio classes in the
common aspects and benefits that come with a studio class. Whether the student will
develop good habits or will become an all around better person theyre still being
benefitted. I believe experiencing the studio culture is something everyone should get to
do.

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Studio Culture

References
Borson, B. (2013). Pros and cons of the life of an architecture student.
http://lifeofanarchitecturestudent.net/post/45195703599/pros-and-cons-of-a-life-of-anarchitecture-student
CITL. (2014) Lecture-Based Classes. https://citl.illinois.edu/teaching-resources/teaching-inspecific-contexts/lecture-based-classes
Collaborative Studios llc. (2012). Philosophy. www.collabstudio.com
Dowskin, E. (2012) Higher Education: Calculating a college degrees true value.
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-12-20/calculating-a-college-degrees-true-value
Freeman, Shanna. (2012) "How will the future of architecture change the way we
live?" HowStuffWorks.com.
Hickman, R. (2005) Critical Studies in Art and Design Education. Bristol, UK : Intellect Books.
LaBarre, S. (Ed.). (2014). 4 Lessons The Classroom Can Learn From The Design
Studio. http://www.fastcodesign.com/
Vincent (2014) AIAS Studio Culture: Speak Up. Paragraph 4.
http://www.aias.org/website/article.asp?id=83
Wilkinson, N. (2007) Design Studio Pedagogy: Horizons for the Future. ARTI-ARCH.