Architectural Studies Department
Designing a sustainable future
We are trailblazers. Our history is filled with many ‘firsts’ – the 1st cohort of accredited interior design programs, the 1st online PhD program, the 1st cohort of Zero Energy Design Designations [ZEDD] from the US Department of Energy, and the 1st public institution in the State of Missouri seeking accreditation* with a master of architecture [M.Arch] degree. Looking into the future, we’re deliberately focused on connecting people and place, interior design and architecture, sustainability and wellness.
We think of ourselves as the ‘&’ in the College of Arts & Science as we use both creativity and data in our approach. We balance our work between the practical and the aspirational, the imagined and the realized. The work produced by our students and faculty is incredible. What a privilege it is to work alongside these fabulous humans every day.
Our Mission
Our mission is to make communities better through the thoughtful design of buildings and spaces available to all people. We provide our students with the knowledge, experience, and skills to become inspiring leaders within their fields and address emerging challenges involving globalization, sustainability, and technology.
Our Vision
Our vision is one of inclusive environments in cities around the world. With inspiring sustainable spaces accessible to anyone. With applied research for bettering the places our society occupies. Our program is an interdisciplinary culture of professionals and academics collaborating to catalyze change and develop responsibly in our community.
Our Values
Collaborate
We believe in a collaborative, interdisciplinary approach to design where ideation, autonomy, and shared ownership of projects is encouraged.
Advocate
We strive to support humans through the betterment of the built environment, celebration of our differences, biomimicry, and commitment to the holistic experience of placemaking. Sustainability, accessibility, and wellness considerations are embedded throughout our program.
Empathize
We believe in applied research and using evidence-based practices to support human-centered environments. We are a welcoming culture that benefits from the diverse nature and experiences of our team. Our curriculum is developed by faculty with both practical experience and intellectual motivation.
Innovate
Pioneering research tools and innovative technology are used daily to elevate our design thinking process. We discover better workflows and advance best practices in industry while maintaining a strong foundation of critical skills.
Engage
Community engagement, real-world projects and collaborating with professionals across the building, design, and construction industry are just a few of the opportunities available to our students. We are a bridge that connects academia and practice, communities and resources.
History
A team of Architectural Studies undergraduate students receives third place in the Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon – Design competition. The department begins to accept students in the new 5-year Master of Architecture degree program. Construction on the TEAL (Technology Enhanced Active Learning) classrooms in Stanley Hall begins.
Professor Lyria Bartlett is named department chair.
The department is awarded one of the inaugural U.S. Department of Energy’s Zero Energy Design Designation. A new Fabrication Lab is added to the department’s facilities and curriculum, including 3D printers and laser cutting machines.
A team of Architectural Studies undergraduate students receives third place in the Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon – Design competition. The Department of Architectural Studies becomes part of the MU College of Arts and Science when the College of Human Environmental Sciences is eliminated through restructuring of academic programs at the university.
A team of Architectural Studies undergraduate students receives an Outstanding Undergraduate Team award in the Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon – Design competition. Studios in Stanley 227, 228, and 229 are renovated through a grant from the Steelcase corporation.
Ruth Tofle retires as department chair and Professor Bimal Balakrishnan is named as her replacement. A team of Architectural Studies undergraduate students are awarded second place in the Department of Energy’s Race to Zero competition (now called Solar Decathlon – Design).
The graduate program in Architectural Studies receives the Interior Design Educators Council’s (IDEC) Institutional Merit Award. In cooperation with the College of Engineering, two minors are available to students: Sustainability and Construction Management.
Extension Professors Kandace Fisher-McLean and Michael Goldschmidt are awarded an eight-year, multi-million dollar grant from the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Housing and Urban Development for a national outreach program, The Healthy Homes Partnership.
The Great Plains ADA Center becomes part of the department. The center provides professionals with critical information on universal design and the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Professor Ruth Tofle is designated a Most Admired Educator by DesignIntelligence.
Students from Architectural Studies participate in the construction of seven new houses replacing homes destroyed by a tornado the final episode of the television show Extreme Home Makeover.
DesignIntelligence ranks the department’s graduate program as the fourth most admired program in the U.S. Professor Benyamin Schwarz is designated a Most Admired Educator by DesignIntelligence.
A new Immersive Visualization Lab (iLab) becomes part of the department’s facilities and curriculum. The lab is a state-of-the-art environment integrating virtual reality and augmented reality into design communication, and is one of the first types of labs of this type in the U.S.
DesignIntelligence ranks the department in the top-ten undergraduate interior design programs in the U.S. In cooperation with Missouri Science and Technology (formerly UM-Rolla), students in the department design and build a house to compete in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon. The house is displayed on the U.S. Capitol Mall in October and receives eleventh place out of twenty competitors.
The department changes its name to the Department of Architectural Studies. Students begin receiving degrees with an area of focus identifying as “Interior Design” or “Architectural Studies”. A new masters degree is added: Design with Digital Media.
The department is the first interior design and architecture program in the U.S. to offer an online PhD degree. With the dedication and leadership of Professor Ronn Phillips, the department’s woodworking shop – the Building Technology Lab, is renovated and modernized with a donation from Boone County Lumber.
In addition to Interior design and Housing, two areas of focus are added to the curriculum: Housing Design and Design Management and Merchandising.
Richard “Dick” Helmick, a professor in the department, pioneers a growing interest in using computer technology in creating art and design. Now known as Design with Digital Media, this area of focus is still one of the major areas of focus in the program.
The School of Home Economics becomes the College of Home Economics. The Department of Housing and Interior Design is formally established as a unique academic program and degree in the college. In the same year, the department becomes the first interior design program in the U.S. to receive accreditation by the Foundation for Interior Design Education Research (FIDER).
A second cooperative home management house, later renamed the Campbell-Harrison House, is organized.
Phi Upsilon Omicron, a national home economics honorary society, is installed at the University of Missouri.
Gwynn Hall completes construction and becomes the new home for the department of Home Economics.
A household management house is created to provide supervised and practical experience for Home Economic students.
The Department of Household Economics is renamed the Department of Home Economics and a four-year program was established leading to a bachelor of science in Home Economics. The emphasis at the time was to correlate work in art and physical, biological, and social sciences with studies in home economics.