Posted on September 18, 2024 by Sean M. Wood
Students observing speaker
A hundred-year-old song asks, “How ya’ gonna keep ‘em down on the farm after they’ve seen paree?” Dr. John Murphy Jr. is using the Italian countryside to entice architecture students to stay at UTSA.
Murphy, a professor of Architecture and Construction Science, is the Executive Director of the UTSA Global Study Center in Italy. Becoming a professional architect involves four years of undergraduate work, followed by a two-year graduate degree to qualify for the licensure exam.
“Columbia, Penn, Cal Tech; all the big-name design schools try to attract our students into their graduate programs,” Murphy said. “Quite a few get their professional degree from us, but I want more of our students to consider staying at UTSA.”
So, at the recommendation of the Vice Provost for Global Initiatives, Dr. Lisa Montoya, Murphy, created the Texas8 International Collaborative Charrette Series, with the inaugural charrette being Texas8 – 24. The faculty design lead this year was Assistant Professor of Instruction and registered architect, Michael Guarino. The program organization was facilitated by UTSA PaCE, the Office of Professional and Continuing Education, which made engagement from all different universities seamless.
The top eight architecture schools in the state could send their brightest students to a UTSA-sponsored location in Urbino, Italy, for a two-week charette. Charettes are collaborations often used for architecture projects with tight timelines.
The client was the Accademia Nazionale del Jazz in Siena, Italy. Teams of students designed a mobile venue that would work in three different locations during the annual, internationally acclaimed Siena Jazz Festival.
“What they created was a venue for the performance of high-quality jazz,” Murphy said. “It was also a display of the high-quality architectural design education you will find in the state of Texas. This series already has the reputation of being a team exercise to which it is an honor to represent your respective university.”
UTSA graduate architecture student Jose Carrasco said it was more than an educational experience. He called it a “journey of personal and professional growth.”
“The charrette format, with its intense focus and fast-paced environment, forced me to think on my feet and come up with solutions quickly,” Carrasco wrote, following Texas8 24. “This experience honed my ability to approach design problems from fresh angles, encouraging me to explore unconventional solutions and embrace innovative thinking. It was a period of immense mental growth, as I was continuously pushed to think critically and collaborate effectively.”
Murphy said he and Guarino are already working on Texas8 – 25. The project will involve the 50th anniversary of the Siena Jazz Festival. “The students will once again have to learn about jazz,” he said. “As professional architecture colleges around the State of Texas, we have the responsibility of providing real-world educational experiences for our students, to better prepare them for successfully serving society within Texas and beyond.“
— Sean M. Wood
