Explorations in Architecture and Design offers architecture courses to rising juniors and seniors interested in analyzing the fundamentals of design and thinking at the architectural scale. More information can be found about each course by clicking the course name. Apply to Tulane Pre-College Programs by visiting the Admissions page.
ARCH 1001: Analog Design
Instructor: TBA
Course Offered: June 29 – July 10, July 13 – 24
At the root of the architecture discipline is the study of design. In this two-week course, students will focus on analog techniques of design utilizing hand drawing, mixed media exploration, shadow studies, and physical model making. The course will embolden students to embrace the tactile facets of the creative process as a foundation of Architecture and its allied fields. Students will explore the built environment from a haptic perspective, experiencing the universal spatial, environmental, and social elements of architecture while creating beautiful work that will be digitally archived for their professional portfolio.
ARCH 1002: 3D Digital Design
Instructor: TBA
Course Offered: July 13 - 24
Jump into the digital realm exploring the intersection of digital design, representation, and documentation using the Adobe Creative Suite, as well as Rhino (a 3d modeling software). In this two-week course, students will focus on visual and spatial communication through digital media and express their design ideas in the digital laboratory using laser cutters and 3d printers. They will work with innovative digital tools to compile a portfolio of work that is lively, relevant and professional reflecting a strong understanding of translating architectural design through orthographics and three-dimensional space.
ARCH 1901: Architectural Futures: Designing with Artificial Intelligence
Instructor: Prof. Ira Concepcion
Course Offered: June 29 – July 10
Explore architecture through a futuristic lens in this two-week design studio. Students will discover how AI can become an active partner in an iterative design process, guiding decisions from concept to proposal with opportunities for deeper analysis. Through hands-on assignments and collaborative projects, the course emphasizes developing human-centered narratives and sustainable solutions that harmonize with their surroundings. By the end, students will understand how AI-assisted design enhances creativity, supports informed decision-making, and deepens exploration in architecture.
ARCH 1901: Digital Graphic Design & Typography
Instructor: Prof. Adam Newman
Course Offered: June 15 - 26
Graphic design is about mixing creativity + strategy to communicate visually. Images, fonts, and colors combine to tell a story, catch attention, or solve a problem. From logos to posters to app layouts, it’s art with a purpose! Typography is a big part of graphic design. The style of letters changes how we understand a message—bold letters can be powerful, curvy ones can be playful. It’s not just about reading—it’s about feeling what the words say! Also: Adobe Illustrator + Photoshop—AND THE ART OF SEEING!
ARCH 1901: Fundamentals of Architecture and Design Principles Through Cinema
Instructor: Prof. Marion Forbes
Course Offered: June 29 – July 10
How do we analyze our daily journeys from home and back through architectural landscapes? In this course, students will explore fundamental design principles through the lens of media, film, and cinema. A uniquely modern art form showcasing design at every level on screen, cinematic sequences use the language of architecture to propel people through journeys of space and time. In class we will explore design and storytelling from the point of view of the audience and the creative, engaging in media and consumption from critical perspectives. For their final project, students will craft design projects articulating their own elemental language of architectural design.
Note: Students will be required to watch a variety of films in this course, including some films that are not rated and some that are rated R.
ARCH 1901: The sketchbook : articulating space > cataloging place
Instructor: Prof. Andrew Liles
Course Offered: June 15 - 26
What do the director of Hellboy II and the French Romantic Delacroix have in common? Fantastic sketchbooks! Just like you did from the age of two to ten years old [and perhaps further], these creative powerhouses documented their places and their thoughts in sketchbooks, extensions of their limbs, and in words, lines and washes. For these two weeks, you will be doing the same, demystifying mark and stroke, and you will leave with the capacity to articulate space and place through a two-dimensional device.
