There should be transparency between staff and students in architectural education, says The School of Architecture dean Stephanie Lin in this exclusive interview.
As dean, Lin aims to focus on students well being at a time when global architectural education is under scrutiny and The School of Architecture (TSOA), which was formerly called the School of Architecture at Taliesin, itself is going through changes following disputes with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.
After splitting with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, the school moved to Paulo Soleri-designed Arcosanti and Cosanti in Arizona. Photo by Carwil
"Because the school has gone through so much in the past two years, we have put a lot of investment into the continuity and health of our community amidst a lot of changes," said Lin. "More broadly, this is an important period of transition not just for TSOA but for architectural education at large," she said in reference to scrutiny towards architecture education made public in recent controversies at the Southern California Institute of Technology (SCI-Arc) and Bartlett in London.
Lin joined the faculty of TSOA in spring 2021 a year after the school, which was founded by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1932, was forced to change its name and move out of its historic home at Taliesen West.
Split with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
In 2020, the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation decided to close the school, but the decision was ultimat...