Blueprints, Balance and Big Ideas

From hand-drawn blueprints to model-making, they explore how balance, scale and structure shape the way people experience a space. 

“This class is kind of an architecture 1 from a studio art standpoint,” Mestyan explained. “We talk a lot about composition and buildings, and how scale and space actually change the way people interact — with each other and with themselves — depending on the elevation of the space. For example, going into Grand Central Station feels like an adventure. It’s expansive, with all those people milling about. The scale does wild things.”

A recent assignment challenged students to design a sustainable dream house and learn how to work “with the environment and not against it,” Mestyan noted. In their Commission project, students designed homes for clients, considered unique geographic locations, and created four elevation drawings along with floor plans for every level.

For Malcolm Petersen ’29, “The most interesting thing about this project was being able to take all the concepts we learned in class and apply them to something real. I got to see how those ideas influence the design of an actual house. I also liked the creative freedom. Being able to design a home based on a random location and family made it feel more personal and unique.”

Group critiques are a central part of the course. Students’ blueprints and elevation drawings are spread across tables as peers circulate, offering feedback on design choices. Students also collaborate on building challenges to learn about structural systems such as cantilever designs.

“I truly learned a lot from doing this,” Marni Graves ’29 said. “Some essential things to stay on point are making sure that when you are drawing a blueprint, you are using the right measurements so they will match up to what you had applied in your blueprint.

“I was able to learn how to draw a proper blueprint that would apply to a certain outline and be able to create a design that fit whoever was going to be in that space. I learned that I can use my creativity to create a specific design, and I had a lot of fun with it.”

The class builds from still life drawings to digital and hand-drawn blueprints, then culminates in models for community-focused projects. Sustainability, client needs and the human experience remain central themes.

“Growing up in New York City, I’ve always been curious about the structural integrity of certain buildings,” Peterson said. “I feel that doing activities like these, I can learn about the different architectural styles and why certain design choices are made.”