Architecture Around the Country

By Shane Healey

Here at Southern Illinois University’s, School of Architecture, all of the studio teachers that I have had, has given the students a wide variety of projects in a wide variety of locations throughout the United Stated. In my four years here, I have designed a wide array of projects: a Baptist church in Louisville, a penthouse in Chicago, a winery, a dream house, and a town square in Carbondale, a presidential museum and library in Springfield, IL, a community center in New Orleans, a crematorium in St. Louis, and other locations around Illinois. In addition, some teachers have locations where they prefer to design. For example, Dr. Michael Brazley prefers projects that are located in New Orleans, LA and Louisville, KY; however, Professor Swenson prefers to do projects located in Cairo, IL. Although, most locations are in the Mississippi River Valley, some teachers have used extreme locations including: Montreal and areas in California.

To accompany the variety of locations within the United States, Professor Davy, in the past, has taken groups of students all throughout the world. Last Spring, he took a group of students to different locations in Egypt. In addition, last summer, for a month, he took a group of students to various countries throughout Europe. By doing this, SIU is giving the students the opportunity to have projects on both ends of the spectrum and in locations all over North America; therefore, a greater possibility of a well rounded designer. In doing this, the students are given the ability to design a building that fits the needs of a certain environmental conditions. That ability, along with our program’s strength in teaching the students’ the technical side of wood, concrete and steel design, creates an individual that can not only produce well designed projects and graphics, but make their designs actually buildable.