Thesis 501

For my thesis I will be designing a school of architecture in the heart of downtown San Diego. I envision it as the "new" NSAD.
(purpose)- I am hoping that my final design will not only be a "template" for future schools but also a new way of designing buildings and beginning to humanize entities that seem to be more and more static nowadays.

(locale)- The site that i chose is located on the city block east of the current location of NSAD.

 (inspiration)- Being an architect is being an artist. One who is highly sensitive not only to aesthetics but to the conditions found on a daily basis in our built environment. It takes a certain level of pride and self control to be able to produce works and put them forth as valid and credible. It has become apparent to me that lately there has been a decline in this pride, this driving force that helps to produce true architects of life. The love, the passion that once burns in the beginning student/architect slowly dwindles over time due to many circumstances, the main one being society. Society gains momentum over the years and eventually defines many of ones goals and views, making them no longer our own. How do we stop this vicious cycle? I felt it necessary to attack this problem at the beginning of any would-be architects journey, their school of choice. Surrounding a student with an environment that is viscerally and psychologically rich with the essence of architecture is pertinent in instilling the ideals that any successful architect needs in order to become a passionate professional that will not only improve our current condition but our future as well.

(impact)- The city of San Diego and particularly downtown is no small player. From its infancy to its present state, San Diego has always aspired highly. From 1902 when Samuel Parsons the landscape architect of NYC was called in to plan Balboa Park to 1936 when the Padres became a pro baseball team to 1963 when UCSD was founded, the plan for this beloved city has always been to become an icon. A beacon on the southern most end of CA i feel it the perfect location to create an icon, a landmark in the form of a school of architecture here in the heart of downtown. The pride that this institution could bring to SD would be enourmous and would fit the personality that SD has strived so hard to create over the years. Along with its positive societal impacts i would hope to inspire the future designing of schools to take the approach of wanting to create a sense of pride in each and every institution and architecture in general.