RUMBLE in the Westside

nik.mercer — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 08:27:41 -0700

UCLA's Architecture Program has got one helluva marketing strategy. Sure, every architecture school has final reviews of their thesis projects, but UCLA has turned theirs into a four day exhibition, ingeniously titled, Rumble: part combative debate, part high impact motion, part Californian earthquake allusion. It solidifies UCLA's advantage over USC and SCI-ARC: pedagogical rigor.

Each major graduate architecture program in Southern California offers a certain specialty. Right now, USC offers an unparalleled global program, SCI-ARC offers high-tech systems and rendering. But while these schools may offer exotic flash, UCLA's graduate program offers the theoretical substance behind the exotic flash of its two SoCal peers.

USC and SCI-ARC are literally the second-rate opening acts to UCLA's headlining, final thesis reviews. (If you attended the graduate thesis reviews this year, the calender began with USC on May 28, followed by SCI-ARC on June 6, and now followed by UCLA's four day final exhibition/ review extravaganza, Rumble from June 9-13.) UCLA has the biggest "starchitects"―including Neil Denari, Greg Lynn, and Thom Mayne―and more importantly the best star design theorists, including Sylvia Lavin, who will be moderating Rumble's roundup panel discussion. What most inspiring is that students actively critique the work of their peers.

RUMBLE in the Westside

June 9 - June 13, 2008

Reception: June 9, 6PM - 9PM

Perloff Hall, Hours: M-F, 9 AM - 5 PM

Click here for further event details.