Department of Architecture student reference material

October 15 to November 26, 2025

Introduction to Biomimetic Design

Mercedes Garcia-Holguera

This is an introductory level course where students will explore the principles of biomimetic design and their application to design projects. Students will learn about current methods and tools used in biologically inspired design and will apply these through a self-directed biomimetic project.

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February 25 to March 25, 2026

Flirting with Fascism 

Ralph Stern

Following his inauguration in January 2025, President Donald J. Trump issued an executive order in the United States titled Promoting Beautiful Federal Civic Architecture. It states that ‘Federal public buildings should be visually identifiable as civic buildings and respect regional, traditional, and classical architectural heritage in order to uplift and beautify public spaces and ennoble the United States and our system of self-government’.

While many reject such governmental mandates, others welcome them. From a gilded and ‘innately designed’ White House ballroom to ‘Alligator Alcatraz’, new building ensembles are being designed and opened. More will follow. Utilizing the medium of film by noted directors such as Joseph Losey (American), Bernardo Bertolucci (Italian), Rainer Werner Fassbinder (German), and Vanessa Lapa (Israeli), this course addresses the impact of authoritarianism on the psychology of the individual, as ‘insider’ or ‘outsider’. It addresses choices made by architects. As Albert Speer, architect of the proposed ensemble pictured above, recounts: ‘I was twenty-nine years old, and I really would have sold my soul to Mephisto’. Requirements include readings, film screenings, discussions, and a written reflection on whether you would abandon, postpone, or advance your interests and career goals under an authoritarian regime.

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