i. institutional support and commitment to continuous improvement

School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Department of Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Master of Architecture
Master of Architecture with emphasis in Interior Architecture
program as it applied to Interior Architecture. Undergraduate classes in architecture and designed
objects were instituted in the first phase of the Design Initiative and coincided with the department’s
name change to the Department of Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects (AIADO)
to better reflect the range of disciplines embraced and their interactive orientation. Planning for new
degree-specific courses of study began in earnest in 2003–04, and with its first summer boot camp in
2006, the School welcomed the first incoming class of students in its new design programs, including
the Master of Architecture, with its four tracks: professional and pre-professional, each with an optional
emphasis in Interior Architecture, and the Master of Design in Designed Objects. The MArch program
pursued National Architectural Accrediting Board certification, and in 2007, candidacy was awarded
after an initial report and site visit.
In the initial Architectural Program Report (APR) of September 2006, AIADO reported planning for
new facilities, new faculty and a re-structured and expanded administrative support. Nearly all of
these plans have been completed, and computer and fabrication technologies have been updated.
Successful searches in academic years 2006–07 and 2007–08 brought the number of full-time
faculty in the department to 14. A full-time administrative assistant has been added to the staff of
the administrative unit, and a re-structuring of faculty’s administrative duties has created a position,
the Program Director for MArch, to oversee the professional architecture program. New offices
accommodating all full-time faculty were completed. In 2010, AIADO projects not-yet-completed but
underway include the construction of a Material Resource Center, scheduled to open in Spring 2011.
Curricular changes have been made in response to the last site visit’s Visiting Team Report (VTR),
faculty assessment, and student feedback. The introductory summer “boot camp” continues to shift
its focus to technical skills, specifically computer application-based visualization and fabrication in
response to students’ interest in a greater foundational competence before their first architecture
courses in the fall.
I. INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT AND COMMITMENT TO
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
I.1. IDENTITY AND SELF ASSESSMENT
I.1.2. Learning Culture and Social Equity
A) Learning culture
The AIADO faculty take pride in their statement of studio culture ideals, adopted on July 10, 2006, that
encapsulates the ambitious and nurturing atmosphere they endeavor to foster in the classroom:
It is the policy of the Department of Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
to encourage the fundamental value of innovation, respect for the particular approaches and
skills of others, and the open sharing of information, between and among the members of its
faculty, student body, administration and staff. This policy reflects the intersdisciplinary reality and
strength of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
This ethos is the basis of the AIADO studio culture described below.
1) Overview
The School has an established reputation for studio classes based on individualized attention, technical
demonstrations, and individual and group critiques. This approach has been applauded for decades
by its high ranking in graduate programs among art schools in the US News and World Report. SAIC’s
Architecture Program Report | 10