Notre Dame School of Architecture

History of the School

The University of Notre Dame, founded in 1842 by Edward Sorin, is an independent, national Catholic university located in Notre Dame, Indiana. Architecture as a discipline was taught at the University as early as 1869, but it was not until 1898 that the faculty was organized into its own School apart from the other Colleges.

When the new Hesburgh Library was opened, the old now vacant Lemmonier Library (now Bond Hall) was give to the department of Architecture. The then head of the Architecture school, Frank Montana, designed plans to renovate the interiors to fit the new needs of the Architecture school. The original limestone exterior with Ionic detailing on the east side was preserved and restored. A 10,000 s.f. addition was also added to the west elevation. The interior was reconfigured to serve its new functions as architecture building and to correspond with its original classical character. The main challenge during the renovation was the removal of the library stacks, which had a structural function in the building. The main lobby became an exhibit hall, flanked on the north by the Architecture Library and on the south by a new lecture hall. The basement contained a darkroom and classrooms, and the mezzanine and second floor were converted into classroom space. The renovation itself was a learning experience for the architectural students themselves. Upon competition of the renovation, the new Architecture Hall hosted its first classes on 9 November 1964, while finishing touches were still being added. The formal dedication occurred on 1 May 1965, presided by Rev. Theodore Hesburgh, the University president, and Pietro Belluschi, dean of the School of Architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. the building was further renovated in 1995, during which the building was closed for 18 months. The $12 million renovation was made possible by a $5 million gift from William W. Bond, Jr. ('50) and his wife Joanne. The Architecture department moved temporarily to the Hayes-Healy Center and Hurley Hall, which had been vacated by the School of Business for its move to the newly constructed business building on DeBartolo Quad. The renovation also included an American Renaissance style 20,000 square-foot addition on the west side designed by Ellerbe Becket under the guidance of architecture chairman Thomas Gordon Smith. The building was rededicated as Bond Hall of Architecture on Friday, 21 March 1997, presided by Rev. Edward Malloy and the speakers included internationally renowned architects Allan Greenberg, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, and Demetri Porphyrios, who received honorary degrees from the school of architecture.

Admissions

The University of Notre Dame School of Architecture is accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board. Any student admitted as an undergraduate to the University of Notre Dame may declare an architecture major.

Rome Studies Program

The Rome Studies Program was founded in 1969 as a required third-year study abroad program by Francesco "Frank" Montana, Department Chair from 1950 to 1972.

The program consists of four courses per semester including design studio, hand drawing and watercolor, architectural theory, and architectural history. The curriculum focuses on classical architecture and the design of contemporary buildings in a classical manner following the precedents of Vitruvius, Palladio and Vignola. These trips involve visits to historic sites with presentations by faculty members, time for sketching, and free time to explore the cities. Students analyze the country's historical models of buildings and cities to use as resources in creating architecture in the 21st century.

Concentrations

The School of Architecture offers four concentrations: Furniture Design, Preservation and Restoration, Architectural Practice and Enterprise, and Building Arts. Each concentration includes four to five classes across the fourth and fifth year of study.

Facilities

The School of Architecture is housed in Bond Hall, a building on the Notre Dame campus formerly known as the Lemonnier Library. The building served as the principal library of the entire campus from its construction in 1917 until Hesburgh Memorial Library was constructed in 1964. The building was renovated and expanded to become Bond Hall between 1995 and 1997 under the guidance of Thomas Gordon Smith, the Department Chair from 1989 to 1998 and current faculty member. Bond Hall contains studio space for both undergraduate and students, several classrooms, and an auditorium that seats approximately 100 people. There is a gallery space that contains the School's stone cast collection and serves as the School's exhibition and project review space. The basement contains a computer lab for students who complete projects in Revit, AutoCAD, Adobe Photoshop, and SketchUp. There are offices for the administration and the faculty of the School and an eatery called Café Poche. The center of the building (the former courtyard of the Lemonnier Library) houses the Architecture Library, which is part of the University of Notre Dame's Hesburgh Libraries. The freshman studio was located close by in Brownson Hall but was relocated to Bond Hall in the fall of 2012.

West Lake Hall, which opened in the fall of 2012, is located on the Western edge of campus and holds the School's wood shop. Classes for the Furniture Design and Architecture and the Building Arts Concentrations are held there. The building contains a second shop and studio area for the Industrial Design section of the Department of Art, Art History, & Design at the University of Notre Dame.

The University also maintains a Global Gateway in Rome, Italy, in the Centro Storico. Included in the building is considerable room for the School's Rome Studies Program, as well as space for other study abroad students, Notre Dame International, the Notre Dame Club of Italy, and various academic conferences. From 1986-2013, the School of Architecture had its own building located on Via Monterone, which consists of parts of two Roman palazzi. Facilities include studio space for approximately 50-55 students, offices for faculty and staff, an auditorium/meeting room, a small library, a computer cluster, and a student kitchen and dining area. Students live nearby in a hotel just off of Campo de' Fiori. The year-long Rome program was founded in 1969 by the late Frank Montana and is now a requirement for all third-year architecture students.

The Richard H. Driehaus Prize at the University of Notre Dame

Since 2003, Richard H. Driehaus and the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture have together awarded the annual Richard H. Driehaus Prize at the University of Notre Dame for a lifetime of achievement in classical and traditional architecture and sustainable urbanism. The Driehaus Prize has been presented to architects representing various classical traditions, whose artistic impact reflects their commitment to cultural and environmental conservation. Past winners include Léon Krier, Allan Greenberg, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk and Andres Duany, Abdel-Wahed El-Wakil, and Robert A.M. Stern.

Center for Building Communities

Led by Professors Sallie Hood and Ron Sakal, the Center for Building Communities is the new venue for the former South Bend Downtown Design Center, which Notre Dame architecture students have worked with since 1995. The Center for Building Communities leads studios focusing on sustainable urban design and architectural development, with focus on the local and regional characteristics of the communities the projects serve. Emphasis is placed on modular building technology and the ways it can facilitate the strengthening of communities with affordable and market-rate housing, civic, commercial and mixed-use buildings.

Champion Enterprises, Inc., known for factory-built construction throughout North America and the United Kingdom, underwrote the first two design studios affiliated with the Center. The first looked at urban infill in Elkhart, Indiana. The students designed single-family homes and mixed-use commercial and residential buildings for Elkhart’s downtown, using Champion’s wood and steel technologies. Another design studio used the same technologies to develop a master plan for the historic downtown of Conway, Arkansas. This collaboration further enhances students’ experiences through exposure to a wider range of architectural styles, and the technological, economic and environmental issues specific to different regions of the country.

Summer programs

The School often sponsors summer programs to introduce students to international traditional and classical architecture and urbanism. Previous programs have traveled to China, Japan, Cuba, Portugal, Greece, Italy, and the United Kingdom. The programs explore each country’s best practices in urban development, sustainable architecture and environmental planning.

The China and Japan programs, typically conducted every other year, look at Asia’s architectural traditions and its influence on modern urban living. The program examines how architects and planners have responded to evolving social demands compared to their counterparts in the West. New construction is also studied to learn how the country reflects that heritage even as it evolves.

The School of Architecture also provides high school students with the opportunity to study architecture at Notre Dame for two weeks in the summer. The Career Discovery program is intended to help participants decide whether or not they want to pursue architecture in college, and if so, how they should prepare during their junior and senior years of high school.

Notable alumni