A conversation with Ruthzaly Weich - a Puerto Rico-based urban and architectural designer, and an alumnus of the Andrews University School of Architecture & Interior Design. Watch this interview to learn about how God has led her in the profession, in community engagement, and in personal ministry.
A Home for Hope
Gwendoline Albright Ndikumagenge
Urban Design Studio wins two 2020 Urban Guild Awards
Our school’s Urban Design Studio has won two 2020 Urban Guild Awards for its plans for INTSABA Children’s Village in eSwatini. The project was recognized in the Student category and in the Christian Caucus category, where it won the 2020 Faith & Urbanism Award. To learn more about the awards, and to watch an interview with students Gwen Albright Ndikumagenge, Stephanie Davis, and Professor Andrew von Maur, visit the Urban Guild website here and the Center for Environmental Leadership.
To view the plans for INTSABA Children’s Village, download the final PDF report here.
A Tribute to Dr. Paula Dronen
Dr. Paula Dronen will be retiring this month from her many years of excellent service to the School of Architecture & Interior Design. Please click on the image below to read a compilation of tributes written by her colleagues.
RESPONSE TO OPEN LETTER
On August 10, 2020 a group of alumni and allies posted a public Open Letter to the School of Architecture and Interior Design.
Please click here to read our response and written commitment.
Professionals: Any Room in God's Ministry?
Ever wonder what God’s plan is for us as professionals? Some urban and architectural spaces in Paris tell a story about that. Read Professor Andrew von Maur’s new article in Dialogue magazine.
We are returning to In-Person Education
We are working to resume in-person instruction this coming fall semester 2020! Architects and Interior Designers know that there’s no substitute for physical experience. We’re looking forward to seeing our school family reunited soon. To learn more about the latest reopening details, please visit the Andrews University COVID-19 Updates page.
Love & Architecture
What matters in architecture?
The cancellation of our 2020 European Study Tour due to COVID has prompted us to reflect on some things that matter. Looking forward to actually visiting these places again with our students in 2021, God willing. Hope you enjoy this informal reflection flying over one of our favorite places to visit: Ermoupoli, Syros, Greece - with music by Melissa Otto, based on Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians (Greeks), chapter 13, verses 4-8.
#myAUArchStory - Geselle Alfaro
Andrews University didn’t just teach me architecture, it taught me a way of thinking. As a kid I would fill notebooks with countless sketches of houses and people. At the time, I might not have understood the value of those drawings. However, now, at Andrews I’ve learned to use drawings as a powerful instrument for conveying ideas. It’s amazing to me how a small concept sketch can become the driving force for a building and an organizational system, all intended to create places for people to connect with one another and with the greater world. The sketch process starts out with a rough drawing and turns into hardline building drawings that we use to present a complex set of ideas. Process is something I understand to be invaluable. Parallel to this process of parti diagram to building is the life process the School of Architecture helped me with, from child artist, to student, and hopefully one day to architect; for this I am ever grateful.
Geselle Alfaro | AIAS President 2018-2019 | 4th Year | Los Angeles, CA
#myAUArchStory - Melanie Reed
Choosing architecture has been a sum of “little things” throughout my life. These little things started at a young age. I was always drawing – you would rarely find me without a pencil and paper. When I was figuring out what I wanted to study in college my mom went to her room and pulled out forgotten drawings of rooms drawn from different angles and perspectives. It was in that moment that I realized architecture may well be what I wanted to study and do.
Over the course of my time at Andrews University I have learned a tremendous amount. I have learned (and continue to learn) the art of teamwork as well as the art of constructive criticism. I have learned how to fail and pick up the pieces, but most importantly I have learned the impact that architecture has on human experience. This human component is one of the significant reasons I have committed myself to architecture. I am looking to help make a better life for people through the creativity of architecture. Being at Andrews has only intensified my want to impact people’s lives.
The architecture program is an environment that is one of a kind; They teach us what it takes to make impactful and meaningful spaces, and to do it for God’s glory. Andrews has taught me that I can be the best at what I do technically but if I cannot do it in an environment of collaboration and integrity, in the words of Paul, it is a clanging symbol. Andrews has helped me understand what it means to be a servant in my profession. What I create affects others for a lifetime, and in giving myself fully to the process I am also shaped and reshaped over a lifetime allowing for the visual expression of a better me. Thank you Andrews University School of Architecture and Interior Design for creating an environment that is positive and inspiring!
Melanie Reed | 5th Year | Orlando, Florida
#myAUArchStory - Nathan Bolkovic
Since the age of 10 I knew I wanted to design innovative buildings that would stand the test of time. What I did not know is where I would go to school to learn those skills. My journey started by attending the University of Toronto in Ontario, Canada where I thought I would find the Ivy League education I was looking for. Instead, I found that I was just another number in a program that better prepared you for essay writing competitions while you simultaneously attended a plethora of obscure general education classes. After two years of asking myself if this was the best track to my professional career as an architect, I decided to take a tour at Andrews University’s Architecture Department. Even thinking about attending Andrews was a big step for me. I am a lifelong Adventist, but I never pictured myself attending an Adventist University. My entire education had been spent in public schools and it had always been my thought that Adventist schools were second-rate. However, after taking that tour of the Architecture Department, my view quickly changed. While I knew I could learn architecture theory and reap the benefits of essay summaries at the University of Toronto; at Andrews, I could learn how to examine a community’s needs, and implement them into the form of a building design. Furthermore, instead of dealing with post-modernistic and Marxist philosophies, I knew that I could have the opportunity to be taught Christian ideals and also how architecture has been shaped by these ideals. After visiting, I realized that I did not see a second-rate program, instead, I saw talented professors that were passionate about their jobs, and equally as passionate about God. In addition, I also saw practical skills being taught, all of which were completely absent from my current program. The summer of the year 2013, I decided to transfer to Andrews University. Five years later I have no regrets! During that time, I joined Gymnics (the University’s gymnastics team) and had the privilege of being a part of the team for four years; I also traveled throughout Europe within my junior year with my classmates as part of the curriculum; I found my wife (after much prayer); and I am currently graduating with my Masters in Architecture (by God’s grace). Transferring to Andrews University’s Department of Architecture and Interior Design was the best decision that I could have made, and these experiences I have gained will continue to shape my decisions for the better within my field.
Nathan Bolkovic | 5th Year | Toronto, Ontario
#myAUArchStory - Wandile Mthiyane
"I have never been in an environment that's more supporting of one's ideas and crazy innovations. Andrews University has given me the impression that my voice matters and that I could use architecture as vehicle to bring about positive change in low income communities in South Africa and around the world. I will forever cherish having professors who sometimes believe in me more then I believe in myself. The faith element of our school is what anchors and keeps us accountable to using architecture to serve people from all demographics."
Wandile Mthiyane | M.ARCH Student | From Durban South Africa
#myAUArchStory - Lissette Chavez
Growing up I had this dream of becoming a nurse one day and I truly believed it was a dream between God and me. I had no idea that God had other plans for me, ones that I was nowhere near understanding or knowing. So, when I graduated high school I followed my dream and I pursed that dream for 4 years.
During those 4 years I struggled and struggled, immensely, emotionally, physically, and mentally. There were times I wanted to give up but stubbornly continued with that dream. A dream that I knew I wasn’t passionate about or motivated but continued pursing it not for myself but to prove those who said I would fail and wouldn’t achieve in it. Instead of listening to God I was running away from Him and the path He had chosen for me. When I was exhausted in all aspects and couldn’t go any further I made one of the toughest decisions of my life at the time. With much struggle I decided to let go of my dream and follow Gods dream, still being an unknown to me. I thought hard of what I was going to do having no idea of my interests but as the new school year was approaching I knew I needed to pick something. About to pick a whole different career again I remembered my best friend mentioning a career test and I wasn’t so sure how it was going to be but decided to take it anyway.
When my results came out I was shocked and didn’t know exactly how to process it but I decided to follow through with it. I knew I was about to enter a career that I barely had any knowledge of. Extremely hesitant I ended up choosing Interior Design and ever since then I have followed it blindly but at the same time having God open doors for me, one being Andrews University again, in order to come back. I have no idea why this is the career God had chosen, but one day I will understand His plan for me. As each day goes by He is showing me little by little to love His path and I am learning to. I am finding out a talent I never knew I had and learning to love it but at the same time scared of a world that is unknown to me. But then again, I know that God wouldn’t have given me a path that He didn’t believe I could succeed in. Even though I must face the consequences every day for my actions, I am now following His plan but not for others this time but for myself and Him.
Lissette Chavez | 1st Year | Grandview, Texas USA
#myAUArchStory - Nadine Rios-Rivas
An experience that transformed my spiritual life was the Waldensian Tour with Professor Kathleen Demsky. Her humble spirit and Christ-like example have been a great influence on me. Her dedication and passion for the Waldensian people have affected many students for the past twenty years that she has led this tour. I was able to walk the on the Waldensian paths with my Architecture peers. Ashlen Zapara and I shared a song, on our way down a sunny slope, with a group of Italian women that were Waldensian descendants. My favorite watercolor was one that my friend Ryan Davis did of the Balsiglia. I was also blessed by the other guests that accompanied us. Andreas Luntungan, a now Theology Graduate, was able to share his perspective. We were blessed with a touching sermon from Elder Barry, from North Carolina. His friend Timothy W. Tron, an American Waldensian descendent, shared his personal testimony. By the end of the trip, we had become a family.
As a recent graduate, I have the vantage point of looking back. God has used this school and its leaders to bless my spiritual growth. I had countless memorable experiences at the School of Architecture and Interior Design. God blesses the Waldensian tour in a unique way every year. He knows what each “Waldensian family” needs.
I hope you will contact the School of Architecture and Interior design to join this life-changing spiritual journey during the Summer of 2018! Sign-Up NOW!
Nadine Rios-Rivas | 2017 Alumni | Kalamazoo, MI
#myAUArchStory - Marlon Perkins Jr.
What does it mean to be a student at Andrews University School of Architecture?
"Being a student at Andrews school of architecture has been a blessing to me. Everyday I'm encouraged and pushed to the limits by both my professors and peers with the ultimate goal of helping me become a servant and relevant architect. The professors challenge and guide us on our journey through a rigorous and creative program and this helps equip us with skills necessary to make the world a better place through architecture. Here we learn that we’re all apart of something larger than ourselves and we can be of service to our communities through design."
Marlon Perkins Jr | 3rd Year Architecture Student | From Dallas, Texas
#myAUArchStory - Victor DP Andino
"To be an AU architecture student has allowed me to develop a holistic perception about the natural and built environment. It has helped me to understand that buildings shape our social interaction, and to know that they can coexist with the natural world without destroying it. Through a multidisciplinary process of education we learn to use the tools of design to enhance life quality and community. I personally believe that AU has an amazing concept to teach architecture in ways that can help those who experience shortcomings because their buildings don’t enable better possibilities. Being here taught me that the design of a building goes beyond its boundaries because no structure stands alone without its context. Creating places that protect, enhance and promotes community, economy and sustainability its AU’s School of Architecture best talent. We don’t simply look at buildings, we look at everything that surrounds it and everything that will go in and out of it. I’m honored to be a part of Andrews University Architecture School because it's a mission oriented school, with amazing people that want to contribute with knowledge and work with the global community. Andrews University has a very ethnic and internationally diverse campus, which influences a strong sense of stewardship among students and results in a great experience and unparalleled learning experience"
Victor DP Andino | Masters Architecture Student | From Puerto Rico
#myAUArchStory - Dani Grace
Growing up, I moved around a lot. It was always hard being the new kid that had been immersed into different cultures each time I moved somewhere, and having to readjust constantly at a young age was a lot for me. When I got older, my health started getting worse: mentally, physically, spiritually. Eventually, by the time I got to college, I had hit one of my lowest points and my first semester was terrifying, being alone for so long and this far away from home. High school wasn’t that far behind but I missed the familiarity whereas here, I knew nothing and no one.
However, when the new semester came and Studio started up, eventually the image of being the broken girl who didn’t seem to be able to do anything, much less “correctly,” people started talking to me and welcoming me, and before I knew it, we had created a family. Within Studio and outside of Studio, the memories that were created through laughter, stress over projects, the bond of the wake up call chain we made to get to Studio at 5 AM had helped me finally have a place where I felt like I belonged. Being home away for so long wasn’t so bad anymore now that I had a new home.
To some, it may not seem that important, but home to me is everything, even with the arguments and the occasional brokenness within. But I wouldn’t trade my Architecture family for the world.
Thanks, you guys, for making Studio & other classes more bearable, despite the hard times, and for knowingly or unknowingly being there for me when I felt like falling apart. 💕
Dani Phantom, over & out.
Dani Grace Gonsalves | 2nd Year Architecture Student | From Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
#myAUArchStory - Matt Baldwin
When I was really young I lived in Berrien Springs and I remember hanging out in the architecture building. My mom worked in the library while she went to school here for nursing. She would bring me in while she worked if I had nothing else to do. I would walk around the library and look at all of the models and the interesting books. I loved looking into the studio to see what was going on. After spending time in the building I knew I wanted to become an architect. When I moved away the interest in architecture still followed me. I continued to have a love for models and I was always interested in the layout of buildings.
Coming here to Andrews University School of Architecture is more than just coming to school, it is also coming home. I’ve always felt at place here and ready to receive the knowledge that is provided. I am eagerly awaiting the journey I have in front of me. I hope to find a way through the good times and the bad. It’s awesome to think that something I could do would one day inspire someone to look into becoming an architect
Matt Baldwin | First Year Architecture Student | Niles, MI
#myAUArchStory - Rebekah Gaines
"I started in college as a Mechanical Engineering major at Walla Walla University. I spent about a year and a half pursuing that degree, but never feeling like that was exactly what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Eventually I had to have a heart-to-heart with myself and with my adviser about my career. I realized that while I liked what engineering had to offer it didn’t present many opportunities for me to be truly creative. I spent some time thinking and praying and decided Architecture was the path I truly wanted to follow. I came back to visit the School of Architecture here at Andrews a second time and my experience was completely different than my initial visit here. I decided to do the summer intensive to try and catch up in my new major. I was the only person that summer to take the intensive for the first year studio and got to know some of the professors fairly well. They helped me transition from the purely technical mindset of an engineer into the design based mindset you find in architects. I ended up taking a full load that summer so that my time in engineering school would not put me too far behind. It was tough, but completely worth it. The time I spent in engineering school has helped me to understand some of the more complex sides of architecture such as structures and loads, while also helping me to see problems from two points of view. The lessons I’ve learned while here at Andrews will help me as I navigate professional relationships and the architecture world. The best part of the timing of my education is the classmates that I’ve gotten to be with for these 4 years. They’ve helped push me to be the best designer I can be while also just being great friends to laugh, talk, and grow with. The memories and friendships I’ve made here will stay with me for the rest of my life."
Rebekah Gaines | 5th Year | Sacramento, California USA