Classical Architecture
The Classical Architecture and Design program at the American College of the Building Arts
acknowledges that there is intrinsic value in taking our time and being deliberate with the design of
buildings and cities. In our contemporary age of immediacy and instant gratification, the act of
drawing and creating by hand is a contemplation and meditation on the here and now. This act of
deliberately working by hand is shared amongst all specializations at the American College of the
Building Arts.
Throughout the Classical Architecture and Design program at the American College of the
Building Arts we practice our craft by learning to draw and render by hand. We then go on to
integrate modern 2D and 3D design technologies such as AutoCAD and REVIT. Studying the
elements and principles of traditional architecture equips our students with the skills necessary to
engage with any place and design not from their own predilections, but with an approach that
considers what is in the best interest of the particular place. This approach allows our students to
speak the contextual language of universal beauty which we find in all of the most beautiful cities
across the world.
Our program begins with a careful study of the architectural orders and types of Classicism.
Each student will practice traditional drawing techniques and rendering in traditional ink wash by
hand for the first year of study. In the second year our students will begin designing residential
buildings and studying the composition of cities (urbanism). They will also be enrolled in AutoCAD
and the BIM software REVIT which will complement the traditional design methodology learned in
the first year, and also allow our students to engage meaningfully in the contemporary design
profession, bringing value to any office through their knowledge and practical skills. The third year
of study will consist of civic architectural design (courthouses, libraries, museums, etc...), as well as
the unique design/build studio in natural and sustainable architecture where students will enjoy the
opportunity to have hands-on experience in the art of building with materials like; rammed earth,
cob, and plaster. The fourth year will concentrate broadly on the Senior Capstone, but will also
contain studios in Sacred architecture and a preservation-focused studio.
It is also of note that Classical Architecture and Design students will have the opportunity to
engage in a four elective sequence of courses in the other building arts (wood, plaster, iron, and
stone) during the third and fourth years of study.