Revamped ArcStart program helps high school students explore architecture and build portfolios

Josephine Majid has always been good at drawing and recently took an interest in buildings, especially the homes in her neighborhood on Detroit’s East Side. The rising junior at Detroit’s Renaissance High School had been considering architecture as a career but wasn’t sure it was right for her.

“Before I was fully set on it, I felt like I needed to have some type of experience to let me know what architecture could be in the future,” she said.

When Josephine learned about the ArcStart program at Taubman College, it sounded like a perfect opportunity to gain that hands-on experience.

“When they told me it was three weeks away at college, I was like, ‘That’s even better!’” she said.

The intensive, residential pre-college program helps high school students build their personal portfolios and explore architecture through designing, sketching, building models, collaborating, and participating in critiques, all while making new friends from around the world.

A new iteration

This year’s cohort was the largest in the program’s 15-year history, with 69 students representing 19 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and four countries. 

“This has been a highlight of the program for as long as it’s been around … mixing perspectives, people, and different backgrounds to inform the work that’s being done here,” said Jacob Comerci, ArcStart director, managing director of Academic Initiatives, and a lecturer in architecture at Taubman College. “The exchange is mutual: students bring as much to the experience as our Taubman College team does.”

In his first year as director, Comerci worked with colleagues on the college’s Academic Initiatives team to revamp the program’s business model, staffing, and curriculum. They aimed to draw a strong, diverse group of students while expanding access through scholarships and a partnership with Wolverine Pathways, a free, year-round college-preparatory program for eligible middle and high school students in Detroit, Southfield, and Ypsilanti. Another goal was to find the “sweet spot” between exploring the university experience and producing portfolio-ready work on a compressed timeline.

This new iteration comes as Taubman College’s pre-college programs are being aligned and expanded as Michigan Design Sessions (MDS), a suite of nondegree and pathway programs aimed at broadening access to design education. In addition to the existing MDS: ArcStart and MDS: Detroit — a workshop-based program formerly known as ArcPrep — for high school students, opportunities are being explored for adult learners, including continuing education for practicing architects and pre-architecture programs.

“We already have two robust programs, and the Michigan Design Sessions umbrella is intended to strengthen and better connect them, create opportunities to reshape those programs, and identify new ways to expand our pre-college and non-degree offerings,” Comerci said.

Getting to work

After arriving in Ann Arbor in July, students settled into the residence halls, met their studio mates and instructors — many of them recent Taubman College alumni — and received workstations in the Taubman College studio before touring the facilities.

Over the three weeks, students tackled three projects: designing an accessory dwelling unit for a fictional client on a real parcel of land in Ann Arbor; analyzing Detroit’s network of greenways through physical site conditions, historical records, and community perspectives; and designing a large vendor shed for Detroit’s Eastern Market to replace a structure demolished in the 1950s.

For Josephine, some projects resonated instantly. Engaging with stakeholders and designing residential spaces felt like work she could picture doing professionally. Other exercises were more challenging, pushing her out of her comfort zone.

“I realized I was getting all the experiences that I need, so I can know exactly what I want, and what I want to go for,” she said.

Students moved between digital and analog tools, using computer drafting software alongside pencil sketches, physical models, and collages. Each project involved collaboration, and students participated in regular pinups and critiques, culminating in a final review with visiting critics and nearly a dozen Taubman College faculty members.

“Regardless of whether students pursue a degree in architecture, learning to clearly communicate their work to people who haven’t seen it before is an essential skill, and one that ArcStart uniquely prepares them for,” Comerci said. “The students worked incredibly hard over the last few weeks, with truly impressive results.”

Beyond the studio

It wasn’t all work. During their downtime, students took part in workshops, contests, and both architecture-themed and general trivia. 

The cohort also toured U-M’s Central Campus, where they visited the Law School, Nickels Arcade, the Michigan Theater, and the University of Michigan Museum of Art. In Detroit, students visited Belle Isle, the Guardian Building, and the Detroit Institute of Arts. They also visited HOK + Rossetti for an overview of the design firm’s history and current projects. Comerci noted that students impressed the firm principal leading the tour with their thoughtful questions.

On their second-to-last day, the students blew off steam with a recent online trend: “pieing” a few willing staff members with whipped cream. Comerci happily took the hit, with Josephine doing the honors. Afterward, staff surprised the cohort with a basket full of water balloons.

“Architecture school is tough, and the program also has a lot of moving parts,” Comerci said. “To see them learn something but also smiling and having fun and meeting new friends from across the country and around the world was a real joy.”

Celebrating success

To close out the program, students and their families gathered in the Taubman College Commons to celebrate their accomplishments and view their work, which was displayed in the studio upstairs. Comerci addressed the students before inviting instructors to present certificates and lighthearted awards, ranging from “most likely to be an architect” to “most likely to bring a snack.”

“I’ve been floored by how sharp all of you are,” Comerci said. “Your curiosity, your creativity, your openness to the curriculum that we put forward. I’m so appreciative to all of you.”

Josephine left the program more confident that she could pursue architecture and more interested in how design could improve housing in her neighborhood and around Detroit.

Her advice to future cohorts?

“Really pay attention, go to the workshops — especially the software ones, where I learned so much — and just get out of your comfort zone as much as possible,” she said.

— Eric Gallippo