FAQs: Urban Studio

- Fifth–year architecture and interior architecture students may spend a full academic year in Birmingham, while third years spend only the fall semester. Admission to the program is competitive and only 15 students are admitted each year. Application to the program is in the spring semester of the student’s 4th year.
- The Urban Studio also hosts selective students seeking dual degrees in Architecture and Planning or Landscape Architecture. Applications are reviewed on a case by case basis with the support of the student’s primary program.
- Applications include a portfolio and a letter of intent
- Projects must be well aligned with the teaching objectives of Urban Studio and the academic curriculum.
- Urban Studio projects engage with under served communities who do not have access to traditional planning services through their regional planning commission or professional planners (Alabama Association of Regional Councils).
- Contact Urban Studio directly for further information.
- Urban Studio does charge a fee. We believe good design is worth paying for and communities who cannot find the modest fees charged by Urban Studio will be challenged to accomplish the recommendations of the plan.
- Yes! Communities with a plan are more competitive and have a higher potential to leverage their distinct assets. Understanding how planning and good design can help your community is an important part of Urban Studio’s outreach mission.
- Contact Urban Studio about meeting to discuss the next steps for your town or neighborhood.
- Workshops like YourTownAlabama and Design Alabama’s Mayor’s Summit are also excellent resources.
- A charrette is an intensive planning session where citizens, designers, and other collaborate on a vision for development.
- It provides a forum for ideas and offers the unique advantage of giving immediate feedback to the designers. More importantly, it allows everyone who participates to be a mutual author of the plan.
- Through brainstorming and design activity, many goals are accomplished during the charrette:
- Everyone who has a stake in the project develops a vested interest in the ultimate vision.
- The design team works together to produce a set of finished documents that address all aspects of design.
- Since the input of all the players is gathered at one event, it is possible to avoid the prolonged discussions that typically delay conventional planning projects.
- The finished result is produced more efficiently and cost-effectively because the process is collaborative.
- Urban studio welcomes opportunities for students to spend 8 weeks as a professional intern in our local offices.
- Internships begin in March and run through May.
- Students are paid and work full time in your office accruing IDP credit.
- Contact Urban Studio in August to join the pool of hosting firms
- Students benefit from the diverse opinions of a multi-disciplinary jury. Please contact Urban Studio for a chance to participate.
- Contact the Urban Studio about setting up a meeting with the director to hear about architecture and the design professions, meet the students, and get an idea about what it means to study and become an architect.
- Design camps are offered through the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture in the summer. For more information click here.
- dreamArchitecture is a community outreach program sponsored by AIA Birmingham and the Birmingham Architectural Foundation. Open to kindergarten through 5th grade students in the greater Birmingham area, the contest encourages children to think about the built environment.
- ACE Mentor Program of Alabama is a unique partnership among architecture, design and construction professionals who mentor high school students to introduce them to the professions and encourage them to pursue studies and careers in these fields. The industry gets a boost of new talent, and high school students are exposed to a possible career path.
Physical Address:
2013 4th Avenue North
Birmingham, AL 35203
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 1627
Birmingham, AL 35201
Phone: (334) 844-3590
urbanstudio@auburn.edu