High School Summer Programs
Michigan High School Students Attended UM Pre-Architecture Program, ArcStart
University of Michigan's Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning hosted ArcStart, a pre-architecture program designed to introduce students to experience the studio intensity of a bachelor of science degree in architecture.
Eighteen high-school students from Ann Arbor, Detroit, Canton, Grosse Pointe Park, Farmington Hills, Midland, Plymouth, Saline, Southfield, Troy and West Bloomfield, attended the residential program at UM in Ann Arbor, Mich., from July 31, 2009, to Aug. 10, 2009.
The students were selected for the program based on a written essay; knowledge of art, design and drafting; extracurricular activities; and a portfolio submitted. They attended design studios to work on freehand drawing, model making, presentation skills, and group work. During computer workshops, students focus on their design portfolios using the Adobe Design Suite and develop 3D modeling skills with Google Sketch Up. Students also attended lectures or information session given by a member of the Taubman College faculty.
This is the first year the program has been held and consideration is being made to continue the program in future years.
Architecture lecturer, Mashawnta Armstrong, led the program, assisted by program coordinators, Turquoise Archie and Luis Paris.
View their work: Student Gallery
Learn about ArcStart student experiences:
Illiana Alam, age 16, of Detroit, always wanted to be an architect ever since she visited her parent’s homeland, Bangledash, and saw the different buildings and the contrast to U.S. buildings. A young high-school senior, she thought ArcStart was going to be easy, where she would learn a few things and site see.
Instead, she learned a lot more than she imagined, which confirmed her interest in architecture.
From building their own models to learning new software programs including Sketchup and PhotoShop, she felt challenged and empowered like a real architecture college student.
“When I get into the hands-on building, I got excited,” Alam said. “Architecture is more simple than you think it is, once you imagine it and start putting it together.”
In addition to architecture skills, she learned what’s it’s like to live on a college campus where there is lots of walking. “We walked uphill, downhill, to the grocery store and every day,” Alam said. “It was tiring. I’m so used to being in a car.”
She plans to apply to UM.
Adonis Robinson expected lots of drawing classes since he had taken drafting classes his junior year of high school.
“When we got here, it was a little of college life, but the program was full throttle,” said Robinson. “We were learning all of the basics an undergraduate coming into Taubman College would learn; it was amazing.”
He admires the range of architecture from the Pyramids in Egypt to Detroit structures including the GM Renaissance Center and the Guardian Building, a National Historic Landmark.
ArcStart helped confirm that Robinson wanted to become a licensed architect and design his own structures, following in relatives’ footsteps who are licensed architects. He had considered becoming a designer and an engineer previously.
Prior to coming to ArcStart, he had hoped to go to Florida A&M. During ArcStart, he learned that Taubman College was a top 10 architecture program from his teachers.
Robinson advises that any student considering architecture should apply to ArcStart. “Its college like, the program gets you more prepared. Our teachers made all the difference.”
Lorenzo Jones-Edwards, age 15 years, was made aware of ArcStart by his high school drafting teacher at Southfield Lathrup High School in Southfield, Mich. He knew he liked to draw and was good at it, but wasn’t sure what to do with it. He didn’t like to draw cartoons or furniture and found himself drawn to the pavilions, building and structures he was able to create in ArcStart.
He learned all about architecture, and a lot about himself along the way as well.
“I learned how to get serious about my work and to take time to practice,” he said. “The way you present yourself in front of people, first impressions, are so important.”
As part of the program, the students designed and built scalable models of pavilions that they presented to a jury of Taubman College faculty members and guests to communicate and defend their vision. Jones-Edwards noted that in architecture, having a vision is only one part of the process in bringing it to life, referring to all of the various audiences you need to work with in building a structure.
“Even if you have a great idea, you have to be able to build a model of it and present it to others so they understand your idea.”
