School of Architecture
For More Information
Campus address: Sutton Hall (SUT) 2.130, phone (512) 471-2398, fax (512) 471-0716; campus mail code: B7500
Mailing address: The University of Texas at Austin, School of Architecture, 310 Inner Campus Drive Stop B7500, Austin TX 78712-1009
E-mail: soa_grad@austin.utexas.edu
Facilities for Graduate Work
The School of Architecture is housed in four adjacent buildings at the heart of the campus: Battle Hall (1911) and Sutton Hall (1918, renovated in 1982), designed by the American architect Cass Gilbert; Goldsmith Hall (1933, expanded and renovated in 1988), designed by the French architect Paul Philippe Cret; and the West Mall Office Building (1961) by the Texas firm Jessen, Jessen, Millhouse, and Greeven.
The Architecture and Planning Library , a branch of the University of Texas Libraries, supports the School of Architecture by directly enhancing the value, relevance, and effectiveness of its teaching, research, and public service goals. The library, located in historic Battle Hall, also serves the public with ongoing exhibitions displayed in the grand reading room.
All students, faculty, and staff have convenient access to literature, information, and visual and digital resources that support education and research. While the library is located in close proximity to the school, its catalog, instructional guides, and digital content are web-based, allowing virtual discovery and access via the Internet. Staff provide expert information services that teach and develop research, as well as evaluative and critical thinking skills necessary for professional practice and lifelong learning. The Architecture and Planning Library is home to a large circulating collection, subject-specific journals, special collections of rare or unique publications, and the Alexander Architectural Archives , one of the largest such repositories in the country. Materials currently collected by the library and archive meet the curricular needs of the school’s programs and enable faculty and graduate students to undertake original research projects.
The Technology Lab and Service Desk in Sutton Hall provide students with access to scanning, printing, and plotting systems as well as spaces for project assembly, collaboration, and presentation. In addition, students can check out digital cameras, digital video cameras, laptops, projectors, light meters, Hobo data recorders, or other useful digital tools. Students can also get help with their advanced design and analysis applications on their required personal computers at the Service Desk. The Digital Fabrication Lab , also in Sutton Hall, provides access to a variety of digital fabrication tools for 3D scanning, 3D printing, laser cutting, and CNC routing. These tools provide the necessary capability for students to iterate their designs and analyses between physical and digital spaces and modeling processes. The computer classrooms in the West Mall Building double as open computer lab space when not in use for direct instruction, providing fifty-six dedicated workstations with the latest production, design, planning, and analysis software to accommodate the many disciplines of the school.
The Design Lab/Wood Shop , located in Goldsmith Hall, plays an integral role in the creation of design—ranging from models to full-scale applications—by providing equipment and training, primarily in wood, but also in metal, plastic, and glass.
The Center for Sustainable Development, located in the West Mall Building, is a multidisciplinary research center that leads the study and practice of sustainable development in Texas, the nation, and the world through complementary programs of research, education, and community outreach. The center hosts and supports a range of research and outreach activities of School of Architecture faculty and students. The center is unique in its integration of diverse interests to develop creative, balanced, and achievable solutions to the physical and social challenges facing the planning, construction, and preservation of buildings, neighborhoods, landscapes, and regions.
The Thermal Lab , the testing facility of the Center for Sustainable Development, simulates a full-scale room with a south-facing façade, allowing for the thermal experiments which include innovative applications in the fields of light control, ventilation, and the direct and indirect use of solar energy.
The Center for American Architecture and Design provides support and resources for the scholarly study of American architecture. Through lectures, exhibitions, seminars, symposia, fellowship support, and the collection of research materials, the center encourages architects, landscape architects, and others to collaborate. Regular scholarly publications of the center include CENTER, Centerline, and the O'Neil Ford Monograph and Duograph book series.
The Visual Resources Collection (VRC) , located in Sutton Hall, contains a growing collection of digital images—currently numbering over 140,000—for use by faculty and students in support of teaching and research. The VRC circulates Nikon digital SLR cameras and ancillary photography equipment, manages a fully equipped black and white darkroom, and curates two exhibitions annually highlighting image collection content.
The University Co-op Materials Resource Center , located in the remodeled third floor of the West Mall Building, houses the Materials Lab and Architecture Conservation Lab. It offers an inspirational environment to explore material systems, technologies, and preservation. The Materials Lab is dedicated to material investigation in design and maintains a circulating library of over 27,000 material samples. The collection consists of traditional building construction materials as well as emerging, innovative, and sustainable materials and technologies. Material education is further supported through exhibitions, workshops, field trips, and in-house research.
The Architectural Conservation Lab is home to the Materials Conservation course series and provides a space for faculty and students to work on their own projects. Additionally, the space allows the Historic Preservation Program to establish affiliations with related facilities on the University campus, including the School of Information Book and Paper Conservation Labs and the Conservation Department at the Harry Ransom Center. The Architectural Conservation Lab was funded in part by a significant grant from the University Co-op.
A variety of other facilities support students in their coursework and professional development. The school’s Career Services Center assists students with finding internships, identifying employment prospects, and preparing for interviews and negotiations with potential employers. The School of Architecture also provides access to a range of facilities and institutes across The University of Texas at Austin campus.
The School of Architecture has a close working relationship with the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center . The Wildflower Center conducts applied research on sustainable landscapes and ecosystem services, develops comprehensive educational materials, and consults on landscape development projects of all sizes to capitalize on the ability of sustainable landscapes to improve communities. These activities, in partnership with the American Society of Landscape Architects and the United States Botanic Garden, have contributed to guidelines in the Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES) .
The study of architecture, landscape architecture, and interior design draws upon the collections of the nearby Harry Ransom Center , which include china, clothing, decorative arts, furniture, silver, and textiles that contribute to the study of the interior; as well as original maps, texts, and drawings that supplement the teaching of landscape history. Historic rooms and suites on campus include the Willoughby-Blake Room, the John Foster and Janet Dulles Suite, the Republic of Texas Suite, the Office of the President, and the Esther Hoblitzelle Parlor. Other collections on campus include the 15,000 pieces of art, furniture, and accessories in the Elton and Martha Hyder collection and the collection of approximately forty chairs dating from the seventeenth through twentieth centuries that are housed in the Blanton Museum of Art.
The resources of the Teresa Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies and the Benson Latin American Collection , and the proximity of Austin to Latin America, provide exceptional opportunities for the study of Latin American architecture and planning. School of Architecture faculty and students also collaborate with the Environmental Science Institute, the School of Social Work, the Center for Transportation Research, the Population Research Center, the Center for Research in Water Resources, the Bureau of Economic Geology, and other allied institutes.
In addition, the School of Architecture hosts the editorial offices of the Journal of the American Planning Association , a premier scholarly journal in the planning field.