The Ecosa curriculum is an intensive, multifaceted mix of lectures, field trips, student presentation, readings, discussions, studio time and meetings with community groups and clients. We begin with a concentrated level of information while working on smaller projects that integrate the information you are learning. As the programs progress more time is spent in studio working on client projects. Final presentations on larger projects occur at the end of the program, while smaller project presentations occur throughout the program.

The first three days of the program are spent on a primitive living skills field trip. This trip begins a reconnection with nature that will inform the design process throughout the program. The first group assignment is to create an event open to the public that will relate, through design, what was learned from this nature-based experience.

Click on the graphic on the right to download a PDF of a sample Ecosa program timeline.

During the program Ecosa faculty members introduce various skills and knowledge needed to complete projects. These include concepts in sustainability such as passive and active solar design, permaculture, site assessment, alternative materials and their selection, life cycle costing, basic presentation skills, and an introduction to CAD, hand drawing and graphic design. Social, ethical and economic issues and their effects on sustainable design are considered through readings and discussions with faculty and guest lecturers.

An investigation of the history of architecture and sustainability from ancient cultures to modern times compliments discussion concerning the current implications of global climate change. Throughout the program, students attend day trips and overnight excursions exploring the spectacular Arizona environment and the diverse cultural responses to this environment over millennia.

Students demonstrate their comprehension through group and individual design projects working with real clients, addressing issues from aesthetics to budget, from sustainability to code compliance. Architects and designers will learn how to incorporate these concepts into their pre-existing studio-based skills. For non-architects and architects alike, the projects will serve as examples of holistic thinking ‘in action’ while revealing the challenges to creating feasible, practicable change for a sustainable society.