YSOA Field Guide to a Tactical Review

DANTE FURIOSO (M.Arch ‘16)
Final reviews are a culmination of a semester’s worth of work, and as students, we can take control. No part of the final review should be taken for granted. All parts can be tweaked and curated to benefit our learning experience. Below are a few suggestions:
—Decide your review structure
Think about which review setting will be best for your studio: traditional, science fair, two-up, etc.
—Design the seating
Eye contact is important. Sit in a circle or scatter jurors among students to encourage broader participation.
—Introduce yourself
This is a method of social priming. Students in the studio can introduce themselves briefly. Instead of being introduced by the coordinator, jurors can introduce themselves to the students directly.
—Invite critics
Students can email their studio coordinators suggestions for critics.
—Widen the circle
Invite at least one non-architect or ‘expert’ juror. Depending on the studio this could be an urbanist, an artist, a sociologist, a community organizer, a scientist, a builder, etc.
—Ask questions
To help with this, each studio can prepare several questions to ask during the review.