Evening star., 1941-03-29
Methods Of Teachinq
Architects Outlined
By Leaders in Field
Students Must Learn
To Adapt Themselves to
Changing Conditions

Training architectural students
10 adapt themselves readily to
new building materials, chang
ing methods of construction and
rapidly evolving social conditions is
the basic principle of instruction in
Eastern schools of architecture, &C
cording to a survey by the Ameri-
can Institute of Architects. The
survey was undertaken to deter.
mine "the PHILOSOPHERS underlying
the teaching in our schools of
architecture.
The heads of 40 major schools
OF architecture in the United States
outlined the objectives of the edL-
cational programs of their institu-
tlonS In reports to the institute, of
which Edwin Bergstrom is presi-
dent.
Architecture" according to
Dean Leopold Arnaud of the Co.
lumbia University School of Archi-
lecture, takes form according to
the needs and ideals of society.
Today we are admittedly in the
midst of great social change, which
is inevitably apparent in contem-
porary architecture A school de-
voted to the training of architects
must combine through its curric-
ulum, principles of stability with
f1eXibility. so that permanent
values will not be lost, while cur
rent problems will be understood
and given their proper signifi-
canoe"
Study of Historic Styles.
Historic styles should be studied
primarily for their exemplification
of architectural values, Dean
Everett B. Meeks of the Depart
ment of Architecture, Yale Uni
versity School of Fine Arts, de-
clares. THE utilitarian conSidera-
tionS, such as functionalism of plan
and of structure, the logical use of
materials old and new. simplicity
and economy, should be empha-
sized as basic to the architects
problem. This becomes the foun-
dation for an expression appro-
pirate to our contemporary Ameri-
can life"
Harold Bush Brown, head of
the Department of Architecture,
Georgia School of Technology: LAS
to styles in art, the less this enters
into the approach to design the
better. Here it becomes apparent
to the student that each era pro-
duces its own art which is a ref1ec-
ton of the nature and spirit of
that era, arrived at, not through
conscious effort at creating a style,
but because of prevailing circum-
stances and conditions. Where
great architecture exists, it is found
to be the outgrowth of the intelli-
gent use of available materials
employed with feeling to serve the
needs of the people"
Must Solve Problem.
In the training of the student.
explains w. Frank Kitchens, head
of the Department of Architecture
at Carnegie Institute of Tech
nology, perhaps too great emphasis
has been placed on the implications
Of change. The architects first
interest" he says, must be in Solv-
ing the problems facing his genera
ton. He needs to understand that
the architect cannot depend en-
tirely on patronage for q livelihood
but that he must assume an active
part in directing the profession to
its most useful place in the social
structure"
Teachers of architecture too
often fail to recognize some of the
great problems facing the profess
sion and their attention must be
directed to those economic and
social questions which are still un-
answered" Dean Walter R. Mac
Cornack of the School of Architec-
ture Of Massachusetts, Institute of
Technology points out. In the
excitement of the battle over style,
we must not forget that we are not
teaching style but teaching stu
dents to think of the fundamentals
Of sound architecture which are:
the usefulness of the building, the
soundness of the construction, and
the beauty of the executed work"
The degree of success with which
q basic training for the develop
ment Of an effective professional
capacity for service and leadership
in the field of architectural prac-
tice is provided is largely depend
ent, according to Ralph G. Gulley,
head of the Department of Archi-
lecture at Rensselaer, Polytechnic
Institute, upon: first, how clearly
instructors visualize the present
and potential function of archi-
lecture in its relationship to a
changing social order; second, how
well the architectural curriculum
Is geared to meet this relationship
and third, how ably the instructors
conduct themselves as teaching
unit.