Paper

Cross Institutional Vertical Studio Collaboration: Extending Boundaries during the Time of Covid-19

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Abstract

This paper reflects upon a cross-institutional and multi-level studio collaboration developed in response to the mid-semester closures of Mount Holyoke College and Smith College during the spring 2020 Covid-19 pandemic. Our collaboration was a conscious effort to offer our students an educational opportunity driven by both the students’ and our own desires to meaningfully address the unfolding global pandemic. Within the context of the liberal arts, our focus was to continue to develop the technical capacities of our students, while providing opportunities for vertical collaboration as well as an additional layer of lateral collaboration exposing students to rapid design work occurring in the medical and engineering fields. This paper will focus on the processes of collaboration and methods of engagement enabled by various digital platforms that erased all geographical constraints for collaboration and reflect upon our successes and shortcomings. These methods may be applied to many design studios addressing global issues requiring interdisciplinary and geographically disparate engagement to achieve sustainable design solutions.

Keywords: Studio Collaboration, Interdisciplinary, Fabrication, Digital Platforms, Pedagogy

How to Cite:

Darling, N. & Kim, E., (2021) “Cross Institutional Vertical Studio Collaboration: Extending Boundaries during the Time of Covid-19”, Building Technology Educators’ Society 2021(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.7275/eg18-c798