The College of Design offered a full line-up of exciting and innovative courses for the Spring 2024 interdisciplinary studios! Each fall, all juniors, 4th- and 5th-year seniors, and graduate students are invited to explore the courses available (eligibility may vary by course) and sign up to participate in one of the spring offerings.
Current Interdisciplinary Studios
This studio not only takes students to Costa Rica as they engage in projects related to color theory and application; it also challenges students to redevelop an existing building into a luxury boutique hotel.
Students in the Bicycle studio will research the history of the bicycle to learn what it is, and find innovative ways to rethink what a bicycle could be. Then, through learning woodworking, metalworking, and more, groups will manufacture their own fully functional bicycle by the end of the term.
Students in this course will explore the concept of Climate Haven Cities (a city or region that will best be able to support migrants impacted by climate change). Through research and discourse on related topics, as well as creative works, the semester will culminate with a master plan for the City of Duluth.
Students in the Design for Health Studio will focus on creating healing environments in clinical settings, including a micro-hospital with primary care, emergency, acute care, and mental health facilities. Through experiential learning, field trips, and collaboration with industry experts, students are prepared for real-world healthcare design complexities.
This multidisciplinary studio will focus on creating a next-generation experiential design proposal related to Rome, Italy. Students will visit the Eternal City itself and collaborate in teams to create innovative, professional-level design proposals to celebrate a potential exhibition and new welcome center vantage point.
Students in the Food and Design studio will explore the connection between food and design, examining how creating culinary experiences (recipe, meal, and service) relates to design and innovation. The course emphasizes user-centered design, highlighting the importance of research and storytelling to create meaningful products and experiences.
This studio course is transcontinental in scope, transecting a great diversity of cultural and ecological contexts. Including travel through Boone County, Iowa, and a trip to Washington D.C., it will explore trail and greenway design at multiple scales and build on research in various fields of landscape ecology, active transportation, and placemaking.
In this studio, teams consisting of members from architecture, landscape architecture, interior design, and other art and design disciplines will collaborate to design a hotel within the Flaminio District of Rome. Students will learn how to establish the fundamental concept behind a design and plan how it will be expressed physically and visually.
Students in this studio will utilize cutting-edge technology such as LIDAR scanning, 3D photography, digital photogrammetry, and other historic preservation methods to develop a web- and video-based narrative about the building and its environment. This studio, which also includes travel to Paris, France, focuses on fostering international partnerships and advancing cultural heritage protection globally.
Learn more about the International Perspectives and Design Issues studio
Students in this studio will, through research and design, find innovative 3D print alternatives to traditional concrete. Using the knowledge gained, the course will culminate in a final project that includes a public library addition and courtyard designed to mitigate flooding through 3D printing.
This process-focused studio emphasizes creative production methodologies in creating audio-visual interactive experiences at various scales. Students will be challenged to engage creatively with the unknown, utilizing an approach employing the disruption of linear-form perception. Students will also learn production methods focusing on cross-disciplinary collaboration while exploring new and oblique approaches to producing work.
Students will reflect, research, and design narrative architectures, landscapes, interiors, publications, artifacts, and installations that engage with questions of presentation and representation, sustainability, resilience, social entrepreneurship, and future imaginaries in the archipelago of Puerto Rico.
This course invites students to explore the future of workspaces while considering the profound impact of employee wellbeing, advanced technology, a rapidly changing society, and inclusive design. This studio challenges students to envision inclusive and comfortable work environments that cater to the diverse needs of today’s workforce.