Episode 099: Critiquing Architecture School

What is the present-day student perspective of architecture school?

In his docuseries, Critiquing Architecture School, Alvin Zhu captures what it's like being in architecture school one semester at a time. Along the way, he is also collecting the voices and experiences of his classmates who are all attending the University of New South Wales. Ultimately the series is about creating greater transparency around the educational system and the resulting culture that architecture studio creates.

In this episode, we interview Alvin and one of his producers Sana Tabbsum. Sana joined us on a previous episode and is based in London. She completed her Master's at the University of Greenwich. In the conversation, all four of us found shared experiences of what was happening in studio culture globally, and we collectively reflected on - what we would change about architecture education and what we would keep the same.

Guests:

Alvin Zhu is an aspiring filmmaker pursuing a Master of Architecture at the University of New South Wales. Shortly after graduating from undergrad in 2018, he founded a social media network for architecture students & graduates called “ProjectsbyPeople,” connecting a global community without being bound by physical limitations.  

Alvin began volunteering for the Australian Institute of Architects, SONA student body, and created 2 video series catered towards helping the next generation of students. 

In 2021, he was awarded the “Student Prize for the Advancement of Architecture” by the Australian Institute of Architects in recognition of his dedication to serving the wider community. This year, he also undertook the role of SONA Vice-President.

Sana Tabassum is a social entrepreneur, content creator, and final year MArch student at the University of Greenwich. She founded :scale (to-scale) in 2019, an architecture blog and platform for students and young designers, to create an inclusive and collaborative archi-community that champions a balance between well-being and productivity.

Since beginning her content-creating journey, Sana has led a team to self-publish an architecture magazine, curated the world’s first virtual architecture convention, and developed a cohort-based course to help architecture students build their skills during the summer.

📍 Show Links:  

Critiquing Architecture School

Episode 1 - Getting Started | Critiquing Architecture School

Episode 2 - Transparency from the University? | Critiquing Architecture School

Critiquing Architecture School on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/critiquingarchischool

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