“The Cathedral Within the Trees” is among the work presented in the fall 2023 online architectural regional design class by Alyssa Andreuccetti of Elk Grove Village, who will graduate with her master’s degree in architectural studies this month. (Image provided)
December 02, 2024
SIU architectural master’s students to present their work Dec. 7
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Several Southern Illinois University Carbondale students may be making their first visit to campus and the region on Saturday, Dec. 7, as a part of their coursework toward an online Master of Architecture degree.
Twenty-four students in two sections of the online architectural regional design studio course will make individual presentations beginning at 8 a.m. in Quigley Hall Gallery, Room 119. While many of the online students come from the region, including St. Louis, this year there are also students from Florida, Texas, Georgia, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio and even Canada. Faculty anticipate 18 to 20 of the online students will make their presentations on campus, with the online presentations also scheduled in the late afternoon, also in the gallery.
The presentations, which are expected to end at 5 p.m. with a one-hour break for lunch, are free and open to the public.
“This is a good opportunity to watch outstanding project presentations and make these Salukis feel like a part of our academic community,” said Rolando González-Torres, School of Architecture director.
Media availability
Reporters, photographers and camera crews are welcome to cover student presentations on Saturday, Dec. 7, in the Quigley Hall Gallery, Room 119. Organizers suggest the best time for interviews with students and faculty is between noon and 1 p.m. For more information, contact Steven Turnipseed, senior lecturer, School of Architecture, at steve.turnipseed@siu.edu or 618-453-3734.
Steven Turnipseed, senior lecturer, and Eric Farr, an assistant professor, both in the School of Architecture, lead the two, six-hour credit sections. Students will complete the first of four semesters of design studio and other technical classes.
Several of the students earned their undergraduate degree from SIU’s architectural studies program while on campus but are completing the master’s program online, Turnipseed said.
“Our online students are typically employed full-time in the architectural profession,” Turnipseed said. “They have to make significant sacrifices in their family and social lives to complete the program in the 16-month sequence.”
This is the first architectural design studio course for students and is “focused upon regional architecture and planning. The studio addresses regional architectural issues building upon the local culture and design traditions,” Turnipseed said.
Students begin the semester by researching and presenting information on the particular region that they are from, noting the geography, settlement patterns, demographic composition, political dynamics and environmental factors that have impacted the architectural heritage of their region. They then design a community center “that responds to critical issues in their region that impact architecture,” Turnipseed said. The final part of the project is designing “a facility for spiritual worship and prayer, reconciling spiritual and regional traditions in their final designs.”