Intro. to Architectural Design

Ben is amazing! He is kind, engaging, fun, and really passionate about what he does. This class was a LOT of work but all of it was enjoyable and creative. If you're interested in architecture or like design in any capacity I recommend taking this class.

Because the course is during j term it's very fast paced, and can feel more time consuming since theres a short amount of time. Alix was really nice and understanding, but could've did more to make sure we understood certain concepts for our projects.

Misty is so nice and helpful, this was a really chill class. The projects were often time consuming, with the final project requiring all-nighters for many kids in my class, but Misty was supportive and it was all rewarding. I became friends with the kids in my class because we were always working in the studio together outside of class hours, which made it a lot more fun. Even though it can be a lot of work at times, it isn't particularly difficult work, just tedious and time consuming, but I'm glad that I took this because I learned a lot and actually look at the world/buildings around me differently. It's a really cool subject and definitely worth taking.

Misty is so nice and helpful, this was a really chill class. The projects were often time consuming, with the final project requiring all-nighters for many kids in my class, but Misty was supportive and it was all rewarding. I became friends with the kids in my class because we were always working in the studio together outside of cl …Read more

I loved this class so much, but the workload, while not too difficult, was extremely heavy. I loved the projects and with each project we had to write a poem to give purpose to our projects. At first, I was on edge when I learned about this aspect of the class, but I learned to love it!

Misty is very hands-on and practical in her teaching style. Her being a practicing professional architect makes her input very valuable. You develop essential skills very quickly in this class. She teaches all the basics upfront and kind of throws students into projects but is accommodating and fosters a great environment for development. Misty is so helpful, generous, and good-natured as a teacher. It's a great intro class for architecture majors and would be fun for non-majors, though it can be a lot of work outside of class.

Misty is very hands-on and practical in her teaching style. Her being a practicing professional architect makes her input very valuable. You develop essential skills very quickly in this class. She teaches all the basics upfront and kind of throws students into projects but is accommodating and fosters a great environment for develop …Read more

This class is what you make of it. Professor Kaplan is very passionate in her teaching and critiques, and assigns projects that can be challenging conceptually but fun. Her grading is pretty lenient and is based more on effort than result. You don't have to be super artistic to take this class, but will be required to be creative and spend multiple hours outside of class to complete projects.

This class is what you make of it. Professor Kaplan is very passionate in her teaching and critiques, and assigns projects that can be challenging conceptually but fun. Her grading is pretty lenient and is based more on effort than result. You don't have to be super artistic to take this class, but will be required to be creative and …Read more

Misty is amazing! She knows so much and convinced me to minor in architecture and consider a career in the field! The projects were very interesting, and Misty was thorough in feedback. I highly highly recommend.

Ben Allred is one of the best professors I have had. He is extremely enthusiastic and I always felt very engaged with the course material. You will be spending a lot of time in the studio for this course, but I found myself always enjoying the work

Great class, really cool field trip at the end. Misty is great and very accommodating, the projects can be more than you expect though. Overall a good experience though. You end up spending way more time than you think in the studio.

Misty made me declare architecture as a major, and is the best professor I have had at Middlebury, despite it being her first semester ever teaching. There was an incredible emphasis on learning to learn, rather than learning for a grade or some specific result. She taught the class with passion, and with the intention of creating a community within the class. There was a significant amount of outside work, especially towards the end of the semester, but it was all work I enjoyed. I am looking forward to taking additional classes with Misty.

Misty made me declare architecture as a major, and is the best professor I have had at Middlebury, despite it being her first semester ever teaching. There was an incredible emphasis on learning to learn, rather than learning for a grade or some specific result. She taught the class with passion, and with the intention of creating a …Read more

I love Misty! She was a wonderful professor. I really enjoyed this class, and yes while the workload is a decent amount, the environment and projects we worked on were fun and engaging which allowed a lot of memorable connections to be have!

Architecture at Middlebury is centered around the study of art. This class is fun and easy, but there is virtually no discussion about functionality or the mathematics that are necessary to be an architect. I found this class frustrating because at times it was very repetitive. Ben is a very enthusiastic professor and he wants you to succeed. I think every single person who took this class got an A. It is 6 hours of class a week though, and I occasionally came into the studio to finish up a model if I couldn't in class. I don't know if I would take this class again because it was a lot of time and I didn't really get anything out of it.

Architecture at Middlebury is centered around the study of art. This class is fun and easy, but there is virtually no discussion about functionality or the mathematics that are necessary to be an architect. I found this class frustrating because at times it was very repetitive. Ben is a very enthusiastic professor and he wants you to …Read more

I took this class with Shelly Pottorf for j term, and it was one of the highlights of my Middlebury experience. The course is centered around modeling projects and some drafting, though there is also a significant reading component to it too. Overall I think the readings definitely contributed value to the course, and I really enjoyed our group discussions - Prof. Pottorf has very strong feelings about architecture, as do all of the professors in the department, and it definitely shows. The projects were very conceptual - the emphasis was on creating architectural experiences (don't expect to be designing buildings or using any digital technology.)

I took this class with Shelly Pottorf for j term, and it was one of the highlights of my Middlebury experience. The course is centered around modeling projects and some drafting, though there is also a significant reading component to it too. Overall I think the readings definitely contributed value to the course, and I really enjoye …Read more

Professor Misty is great! She is super kind and understanding. The first few weeks of the class are the hardest. Misty teaches all the basics right away so we can focus on the final project (Last 4-5 weeks of class). Typically you are assigned a project and can draw some preliminary sketches. Misty then checks in on you in a one on one where she reviews your ideas and makes sure you are on the right path. From there you can start building the model. Typically you will have to spend a few hours outside of class working on the model. Overall its a really great class, Misty does not grade on your ability to draw nor build models, but rather whether you could implement whatever the project is focused on.

Professor Misty is great! She is super kind and understanding. The first few weeks of the class are the hardest. Misty teaches all the basics right away so we can focus on the final project (Last 4-5 weeks of class). Typically you are assigned a project and can draw some preliminary sketches. Misty then checks in on you in a one on o …Read more

I had an amazing experience with Misty. She is very accommodating, passionate, approachable and down to earth. This class was very project heavy but very manageable in my experience. I found the class/projects to be more enjoyable when I gave myself enough time to complete them, but procrastination lead to very long, tedious nights. The projects are not necessarily easy. They push the boundaries about what you think you know about architecture. While she grades easily, the projects are still conceptually challenging and can take several hours to complete. Misty was blunt with her critiques but kind enough in her delivery for me to actually apply her feedback and get better results. After this class, I am considering a degree in architecture.

I had an amazing experience with Misty. She is very accommodating, passionate, approachable and down to earth. This class was very project heavy but very manageable in my experience. I found the class/projects to be more enjoyable when I gave myself enough time to complete them, but procrastination lead to very long, tedious nights. …Read more

As someone who was already interested in architecture I found this course very enjoyable. I spent a lot of time on the projects outside of class but was okay with it because it was work I liked to do, model making. When I took this course it was Misty's first time teaching and that was clear through the sometimes confusing assignments but she has been using feedback to improve the course.

As someone who was already interested in architecture I found this course very enjoyable. I spent a lot of time on the projects outside of class but was okay with it because it was work I liked to do, model making. When I took this course it was Misty's first time teaching and that was clear through the sometimes confusing assignment …Read more

Misty was awesome for intro architecture, and was great at getting us to unlearn our traditional view of what architecture is and how people design/draft buildings. The lectures were often a bit unclear, but working 1 on 1 with Misty solidified the concepts.

I absolutely loved intro to architectural design with Ben! I took this class as a freshman to fulfill my art credit, but ended up falling in love with architecture and becoming a minor. Ben is such a cool professor and genuine person. You will love this class if you are willing to put in the time commitment and creativity. It is so worth it, but will take quite a bit of time.

Great class and solidified my major in the department. Misty is very kind and very honest, so the critiques are very beneficial. Totally changes how you think about spaces, and now I want to be an architect.

Ben is a really nice teacher who does so much for his students, and it is so easy to end this class with an 100. He lets you redo assignments, and if you are efficient in class there is no homework in the course.

Misty is crazy but is a professional. She is very much my way or the high way but in the end, she grades very lightly. She means well and wants you to learn. I had a fun time and loved the course. I am now an arch major.

She is very nice as a person but as a professor she lacks teaching skills. It is understandable that she is new into teaching but she make sure students understands projects. She takes time to make class better by asking for feedbacks from students.