My STEP Signature Project revolved around the European Architecture Study Abroad program through the Knowlton School of Architecture throughout the month of May. Throughout this month, a group of about 35 students traveled around Europe with the guidance of multiple amazing professors. We visited an abundance of significant architectural sites throughout these incredible countries having the opportunity to learn about the architecture in person rather than just through pictures and videos in a lecture. Each student was assigned around five buildings to research in advance and present when at the site, and we spent much of the month sketching observations of the sites.

Throughout the program, I gained a new understanding in multiple different aspects, some being ones that I was not expecting at all. I had expected to gain a better understanding and appreciation of the architecture that we visited. Seeing architecture in person versus on a lecture slide is significantly different – there is only so much one can get from pictures and a professor explaining it. Being there in person, one can completely understand the scale, the site relationships, the circulation throughout the space, the way the light comes into the space, things that are so difficult to comprehend in a lecture.

Travelling throughout Europe, my eyes were also opened to the cultural differences between many of these countries and the United States. Though some may be barely noticeable and seem insignificant, many of these differences would create a huge difference in multiple aspects within the countries. I think one of the main differences was how Europeans handle sustainability. Sustainability has been something that I have increasingly become more interested in as I have begun to understand how much significance it plays in our world. In Europe, they do things as small as having efficient toilets or making people pay for grocery bags, but things like this add up and can play a huge role in heading towards a better environment.

One of the site visits that stood out to me most on the program was very early on in the program to Villa Mueller by Adolf Loos. Going in I was expecting to not like it based on the lecture we had had on it. One of the first things that made me more open to the building was seeing it on its site. It was nowhere near where I thought it would be. Villa Mueller is located in a very residential area, right next to homes that normal people were living in. It sat at the top of a hill looking out into the city with an incredible view out. Walking through the house, I began to understand the way Loos designed the space. Before this walkthrough, I thought Loos’ style was an easy way out, using only simple boxes and no ornamentation. What I hadn’t understood before this program was that even though Loos’ buildings lacked ornamentation didn’t mean that they lacked detail. Villa Mueller was filled was so many details in every single room and catered especially to the people that were to live in the home. It was details like this that I had completely misunderstood in my classes and were exactly what made the spaces so incredible.

Being in the cities, I also gained a much better understanding of how all of these well-known architectural works were related to each other as far as location goes, as well as any other relationships present. Seeing the distance on a map versus actually walking the distance has such a different affect. Walking between sites, one can see how the city flows and how it addresses pedestrians and public transportation. Both were addressed very differently in Europe than in the United States which goes a lot towards the sustainability idea.
In Europe, at least the places we visited, there is much more consideration for pedestrians than cars. Almost every city is walkable or bike able, and it was almost rare to see cars throughout the streets. As a result, bike lanes were extremely present and sidewalks were much more maintained and significant. In the United States, it is the opposite, even if someone wanted to be more ecofriendly and not drive, it would be much more difficult just because of how the cities were designed. In Europe, their public transportation seems to be much better organized and efficient than most that I have used in the United States. There also seems to be a greater push for people to use that rather than driving their own personal cars. I personally think public transportation is amazing and I wish it was more significantly used here. There is just such a bad rep with the public transportation of America, but that is something that with some work could easily change.

I learned so much more on this program than I was ever expecting I would, more than just facts about some buildings. I learned how spaces can play a significant role in the world we live in and how important a site relationship actually is. Going forward, I will take everything that I learned and introduce it into my designs. I will have a huge amount of precedents just off the top of my head, places that I will actually understand how the design flows. I have become so much more knowledgeable on how to create sustainable designs which is something I am very interested in in my future career. This program will be an experience that I will never forget and will help me significantly with my design and general understanding of the built environment.