Architects Can Be On TV, Too

Real estate agents aren't the only ones being trailed by cameras: As referenced in AM linkage, tonight the Sundance Channel debuts "Architecture School," a show that follows 12 students in Tulane University’s design-build program, URBANbuild, in post-Katrina New Orleans as they build a 1,200-square-foot house for a low-income family. A round-up of reviews: New York Sun: "But ultimately the series is more "This Old House" than "Fountainhead"..."LA Times: "...it is less about the clash of personalities than the way they cooperate....the series is low on manufactured drama." Archinect: "...the series accurately shows the combative discussion sessions, we've all been a part of with students and professors challenging the designers on their work and how well it serves the low-income residents it's intended for. "How does your design make better the life of someone who wants to live in the house," one critic asks, "rather than stoke the ego of the architect who wants to express their nifty idea?" Ouch!...the show spends a considerable amount of time with New Orleans neighborhood residents, discussing the hurricane's effect on them and their hopes for rebuilding."