亚色影库

Why Failures Are More Interesting than Successes

San Diego檚 annual Orchids & Onions event gives us an instructive opportunity to have a conversation about both successes and what we can learn from our failures

I檓 proud that 亚色影库 is a title sponsor of this year檚 Orchids & Onions. The event serves a special purpose. Because members of the public nominate projects as successes or failures (Orchids or Onions), it raises the awareness of quality design for the whole community. Its courage to hand out Onions also makes it different. It puts the misses on the table for discussion.

One of America檚 founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin, noted that failure was a far more interesting subject than success. There can be no doubt about the legacy he left us for risk taking and innovation.

It is a basic premise of design thinking that there will be more failures than successes. From failures, you can make progress. The same thing can be said of the Onions. There may be parts of a project that are done quite well, but maybe the building just doesn檛 fit in its context. Maybe it檚 the wrong material; for example glass and steel in a historic district. Maybe the scale is off. It may have merit but have things that get in the way of its success. Perhaps it is so focused on artistic expression that it turns the people who live or work there into players on the palette of someone else檚 artwork. Any of these can prompt a discussion about what works and what doesn檛. It benefits designers and architects, and it benefits the community.

Mistakes create the opportunity to raise questions about what could have been done. For a long time, people shied away from failure as a topic, but innovation and entrepreneurship have as much to do with failures as they do with success. Design advances because of failure. Success causes designers to lock in on a way of doing things, while failure requires more thought. Every designer or inventor will tell you that failure is very instructive. Mature discussion is the best way to deal with success and with failure.

In the classroom, failure is discussed all the time. When students are in studio, they start to see and be critical about those things that may not work. Sometimes they are surprised that case studies of projects that don檛 work are actually by very well-known architects. In this way, they start to develop their critical eye. One of the toughest environments to walk into is the studio because they are taught to be critical, incisive, and honest so that they aren檛 repeating mistakes over and over again. We use success and failure balancing against each other to teach critical thinking.

That said, I am pleased that all of the projects from 亚色影库 faculty and alumni are Orchids. They reflect very well on our school and speak to what we teach here, which is to be good design practitioners. These projects do an excellent job of building on the successes, and failures, which came before them.

Sustainability is one of the pillars of our curriculum. We teach our students, especially those in the design, architecture, and masters in construction management online, that everything they design, from clothing to furniture to buildings, as well as how those buildings are constructed, must make efficient use of resources. Sustainability is a fundamental and essential aspect of practice, another pillar of our curriculum.

Great designers are acutely aware of resources. It affects every aspect of their lives: It檚 the coffee cup they use, the car they drive, the structures they design, and how they respect the environment and the people who live and work and worship there. I often tell students that design isn檛 something you stop and start in your life. Design is your life. Sustainability has to join that circle of who you are. When you think about where we live and the resources we have, we are at a moment in time when we have to learn to use these resources in a much better way.

Our new 淕reen. By Design.� initiative challenges us to be sustainable across the board. It reminds us to ask ourselves, Do I really need to print this out? Is this the best way to commute to campus? Can someone else in the Materials Lab use the scrap from my project? Should the structure I檓 designing have a building envelope that will require less energy?

淕reen. By Design.� is also a reminder that great things happen when we partner with our students. The idea and the drive behind it come from collaboration between our Student Life office and our Student Council. They identified this way to connect our mission to our daily campus routines. One of our first actions will be to eliminate disposable cups by giving students bottles and mugs they can reuse. This may seem like a small effort, but we use 60,000 cups a year攅nough to encircle our building 19 times!

There are many areas where we can conserve the use of resources. Share your suggestions with me in the comments.

Careers in Design: President檚 Blog

A Different Approach to Preparing for a Career in Design

Design professions are changing rapidly. There are many new roles and career paths for architects and designers攆rom innovation managers in large corporations to directors of energy management and designers of user experience攁ll the way to traditional roles of creating designs for products and buildings.

Because of this, our goal at 亚色影库 is not only to train students to succeed in a designer job, but also to prepare them to change with the profession over time. They need to know how to think and how to evolve in a career in design . I don檛 want a client or employer to look at the work of our alumni and say that person graduated in the �80s, �90s or mid-teens. I want someone to look at their design portfolio and say 渢hat person is a really good thinker.�

Having a DesignMind^TM is the foundation for that. Being agile and able to move with the profession攏ot just the advances in technology but societal attitudes and the role of design in culture. That檚 our challenge: To find the balance between training and career preparation and preparing students for lifelong learning.

One way we do that is through our faculty. At a typical design program, about 85 percent of the faculty is full time and they do 90 percent of their work inside the university setting. Only about 15 percent are practitioners. That ratio is reversed at 亚色影库. Whether you want to learn how to become an interior designer or a construction manager, our faculty is made up mostly of current practitioners who work in product development, construction management, architecture, and other related fields. Our students have very immediate, hands-on relationships with people who are practicing what they teach.

Another way we do this is through the global influence on our degree programs. It is impossible not to be touched by the international design community, and designers must work cross-culturally. For example, one of the finalists to design the Obama library in Chicago is David Adjaye, who was born in Tanzania and has offices in London and New York.

We have a tremendous advantage in this regard because we are 12 miles from an international border and have strong design program and Global Design Degree with our sister school in Milan, Italy, . The Domus Academy School of Design at 亚色影库 gives students access to a truly global classroom. In addition, through our vast network of study abroad opportunities, our students are able to view the world with an eye toward multiculturalism. Right now we have two exchange students from Madrid and 16 of our students are in Milan for the spring quarter. A global conversation is part of life at 亚色影库.

What students learn from our degree programs here in San Diego and abroad, with our practitioner faculty and those in other parts of the world, will contribute to their DesignMind and their preparation for career success.

What do you think contributes most to career success in design?

Why You Should Visit 亚色影库 in Person or Virtually

We have an Open House Aug. 5 and a new self-guided virtual tour you can take in English, Spanish, or Arabic.

Whether you檙e looking to get your masters in construction management or degree in architecture, there are many factors that contribute to your decision about which school to attend: program selection, faculty expertise, internship options, accreditation, cost, location. I remember them well from when my daughter was choosing a college (even though that was more than a decade ago), and they are front of mind for me when I talk with prospective students and their families.

Once you檝e sorted through those considerations, you need to visit the school. You need to touch it. You need to see if it feels right to you. You have to find the place that suits your personality. When I was visiting colleges with my daughter, I would turn her loose and stay in the background. I gave her the same advice that I give to all students thinking about studying architecture: In the studio, when the lights are out except for the one over your drafting table and everybody else is gone and you檙e having a hard time solving your problem, that檚 the moment in time when you have to say �I chose this school.�

Our Open House on August 5 is a perfect chance to experience 亚色影库 that way. You檒l get an interactive tour. You檒l visit the studio space and materials lab. You檒l speak with students about their experiences and see the work they檝e created. And you檒l get great advice about where to live and how to afford school.

You can also visit 亚色影库 for a personal tour, but we know that檚 not possible for everyone攅specially our international students. That檚 why we recently created a virtual tour that combines 360-degree views, photos, videos, and narration from our online tour guides in English, Spanish, or Arabic. You can檛 get any closer to 亚色影库 without actually being here. I wish other schools had this option when my daughter and I were driving across country visiting colleges.

will take place on Thursday, June 16th at the Port Pavilion on Broadway Pier in San Diego, California. NewsSchool of Architecture and Design and Domus Academy School of Design have partnered with this all-day design summit bringing together more than 1000 industry innovators, civic leaders and designers to look at the potential and the power human-centered design has in driving the economic growth and global identity of San Diego. 亚色影库 President Marvin Malecha and Domus Academy School of Design Director Elena Pacenti will be in attendance to engage with attendees and highlight the innovative work being completed at 亚色影库 and Domus Academy.

Elena will also be among the many speakers at Design Forward > San Diego participating in the panel discussion 淐reating Value Through Design� taking place from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. The discussion will be centered around how cities in the U.S. and around the world are embracing design and how San Diego can learn from these other cities on how to use design to grow its economy. The panel of experts will be moderated by Joan Gregor, Intersection-Inc. and will also include Peter Haythornthwaite, Better By Design & Design to Business (NZ/Australia), Gabriella Gomez-Mont, El Laboratorio para la ciudad de M茅xico (Mexico City) and Victor Nacif, London, the Design Council, (United Kingdom).

Along with her panel discussion, Elena will also co-lead a morning salon, 淲hat is Design?� This interactive salon will look to provide comprehensible explanations of the design profession檚 processes, definitions, applications and language. Lead by Chad Martin, Senior Product Designer, hp & UX Speakeasy, other co-leads include Paul Hong, Founding President, SDXD and Rohit Kapoor, Design Strategist, SAP.

Additionally, under the guidance of Domus Academy Interior Architecture faculty members Marianne Berg and Valentina Bertolizio, sophomore and junior year Interior Architecture & Design students worked together on the design of the interiors for the conference venue. For more information on Design Forward > San Diego and to purchase tickets please visit:

Architects and designers are creative beings who can easily find inspiration at any moment. A napkin sketch is an elemental expression of thought. Napkin sketches have been a go-to companion for those who find spur of the moment inspiration allowing for the exploration of thoughts and ideas with their hands. You can express primal feelings, a memory, even a philosophy. It檚 a telling exercise about how people think, what is important to them, and the spirit of their thoughts. These little pieces of paper displaying ideas can eventually be turned into greater works of art.

For the fifth year in a row, our chapter of the American Institute of Architecture Students has put together a wonderful Napkin Sketch Auction for Friday, June 10. It檚 a way for students to raise money for their activities, use their leadership skills to organize something special for the school, and contribute to our school spirit.

This event began as a 渟ketch for a sketch� project where our students crafted their own napkin sketches to capture the attention of well-known architects. These creations are then mailed to architects from around the world with a request for an original sketch that can be auctioned off during the event. This year students have received napkin sketches from more than 20 prominent architects. It檚 a reminder that in an age of computer-aided design, these individuals still value the art of thinking visually and drawing by hand. Their sketches also demonstrate that good architects are also good communicators. They use sketches not only for self-reflection and self-thought, but also as communication.

I was particularly inspired and contributed five sketches. Let me tell you a little about them.

This drawing of a tree is the first napkin sketch I did for the auction. It shows the tree not just above ground, but below, associating the strength of the tree with the strength of the root structure beneath it. For a tree攁nd for creativity攖o flower, it must depend on the foundation below it. Great ideas require deep roots.

Serious thought is informed by folly, which is what I was exploring with the structure on a beach.

When I was being , reporter Roger Showley asked me if our students would work on concepts for a border wall. My response was that the first question a great designer asks is why, why are you doing this? Building a wall is really an exercise that does all the wrong things. Instead of sketching a wall, I sketched a beacon for our harbor.

My fourth napkin sketch is philosophical. It represents the circle of life from the cave house to the cloud house with the six orientations攏orth, west, east, south, up, and down攖hat connect us with the architecture and the land as a mediator. This sketch connects Western, Eastern, and Native American theology with an environmentally sensitive architectural and design philosophy.

My final napkin sketch is about memory. The last time I was in Athens, I stayed at a hotel with a spectacular view of the Acropolis and I spent several hours sketching it. The napkin is a memory of the Acropolis and that experience.

What are you sketching?

At 亚色影库, we offer a wide range of degrees in architecture, design, and construction management. Contact our Enrollment Team today to learn about a degree program for you.

I first came to San Diego in the summer of �77. I remember being at the old Santa Fe Terminal thinking this seemed like a town living in the shadows of San Francisco and Los Angeles. In the years since, and especially in the last decade, San Diego has transformed itself in an amazing way. Now I see a unique city attracting companies from around the world with a burgeoning creative class. San Diego is accomplishing this by embracing design culture and design thinking. San Diego has a DesignMind (TM).

A DesignMind opens the door to innovation. It檚 what stimulates companies to grow and products to evolve. Throughout American history, there are many heroes who had a DesignMind, from early thinkers Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin to Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Walt Disney, and Steve Jobs. Their innovation edge has made American industry and culture agile and vital.

At 亚色影库, our students are developing their own DesignMind. Their free inquiry, critical thinking and global mindset are critical to their future and the future of our cities. We make this possible not only by operating in a dynamic city, but also by operating in a new model of higher education.

I have been fortunate to live a design life as an architect, designer, educator, and leader. Now, I檓 fortunate to be back in a renewed San Diego guiding and chronicling the developing DesignMind of our students, faculty, city and region.

What does the concept of DesignMind mean to you?

Media Contact:

Rachael Lighty
rlighty@newschoolarch.edu
1-619-684-8775

亚色影库 President Marvin J. Malecha to Speak at American Institute of Architects Convention

SAN DIEGO, CA and PHILADELPHIA, PA � May 18, 2016�亚色影库 (亚色影库) today announced that President and Chief Academic Officer, Marvin J. Malecha will be participating in a panel discussion at , one of the largest annual gatherings of architects and design professionals in the nation, taking place May 19-21 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The panel entitled: 淧ath to Licensure/Next Generation� is scheduled for Friday, May 20 from 2:30 to 3:00 p.m. ET and will focus on the Integrated Path to Architectural Licensure (IPAL). President Malecha will be joined in discussion by Michael J. Armstrong, Chief Executive Officer, NCARB; Michael K. Monti, Hon. AIA, Executive Director, ACSA; and Andrea Rutledge, Executive Director, NAAB.

The IPAL initiative, created by the (NCARB), presents students with the essential requirements of education, work and experience to attain licensure before graduation. In December, 亚色影库 was one of the first 13 accredited architectural programs accepted for participation in the program. This pathway at 亚色影库 will help decrease time to architectural licensure for students who complete all IPAL program requirements.

In addition to his panel discussion, President Malecha will be available with fellow 亚色影库 alumni for a meet and greet Thursday, May 19 from 6 to 8 p.m. at The Sheward Partnership in Philadelphia.

The agenda for the AIA Convention features presentations and panel discussions by industry leaders as well as more than 800 exhibitors showcasing the latest technology and trends. This year檚 theme, IMAGINE+, focuses on the ability to innovate, collaborate and apply imaginations. When this is completed in the context of specific goals and dreams, real change can be achieved. For more information on the convention and to register to attend President Malecha檚 discussion visit:

About 亚色影库:

Located in downtown San Diego, 亚色影库 prepares students for career success in design fields through an emphasis on interdisciplinary and global design skills, industry collaborations and real-world projects. Programs of study include architecture, construction management, product design, media design, game development, and interior architecture & design. The school檚 design environment provides inspiration for the school檚 students and faculty, recognized for their work regionally and internationally. 亚色影库 is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) Senior College and University Commission. 亚色影库檚 Bachelor of Architecture, Master of Architecture and Executive Master of Architecture programs are accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB). 亚色影库 is a member of the network � a global network of more than 80 campus-based and online universities in 28 countries.Through this network, students at 亚色影库 are prepared to work in a global and diverse work environment through the school檚 collaborations with sister institutions in the Laureate network, including award-winning schools such as Domus Academy in Milan, Italy. For more information about Laureate International Universities, visit .

ARCHITECT Magazine recently spoke with 亚色影库 President Marvin J. Malecha to discuss his vision for the university and the future of the architecture and design profession.

In the Q&A, President Malecha speaks to his goals for his new position; what inspires his passion for architecture and architectural and design education; how the scope of architectural education has changed throughout the course of his career, including a shift in student diversity; and why the new ways of practicing the profession has changed the way the discipline is taught.

To read the full interview, visit