Just over Carr's Hill, nestled among fraternity houses and winding driveways of weathered asphalt, is a shell of glass and brick that rises through a forest of leafless trees and looms over a snake of train tracks making its way to Beta Bridge. Despite its size, the University's Architecture School might easily be missed by a pedestrian or driver making his way through Grounds. But it's worth climbing up the winding staircase that begins at Culbreth's parking lot, or searching for the hidden path that squeezes between the Bailey Art Museum and the Chi Phi fraternity house. The "A-school" is a hidden treasure chest of chaos and creativity.
At the heart of the A-school is a large, high-ceilinged, multi-leveled room known by its inhabitants as "studio." It's an energetic space filled with oversized wooden desks and tables for drawing and building models. The well-used desktops are barely visible through a haphazard collection of books, photos, pens and pencils, glue guns, scissors, wire mesh, cork, cardboard and papers.
Students sit and stand amongst the desks and busy themselves clicking away on laptop computers, chatting with friends, sketching with freshly sharpened pencils or tweaking their latest project.
"So you go into studio, and you see rows of tables, all very organized, but then they sort of just grow," second-year Architecture student Daniel Silverman said. "You see a lot of steps of how people experiment. It's like a lab."
Silverman is well-equipped to provide a description of studio. He knows the space well; he is currently taking a six credit studio class as part of his Architecture major.
All Architecture majors begin taking studio in the second semester of their first year. They earn six credit hours, but are required to be in studio for 12 hours a week. In addition to class time, they spend hours in studio completing projects assigned to them for the class, which means they are often in studio for over 30 hours a week.
During this time, A-school students brainstorm and build with a variety of materials to meet the requirements of assigned projects.
The project assignments are handed out step by step, according to Silverman.
"They won't exactly tell you where you're going," he said.
Silverman had a tough time coming up with a simplified description of the complex project he is currently working on, but summed it up by saying it involves "studying how the world works at the big scales."
"First we started in a very specific site in Washington, D.C. and then we zoomed out little by little," he added, "Now we're looking at the site of Baltimore, Washington, D.C. and Richmond as a whole, and how they all have intrinsic connections between them."
Hours spent in studio working toward project deadlines can be stressful, but second-year Architecture student David Duxberry said he feels it all pays off in the end.
"I mean, it's difficult when you're doing it, but in the end, it's worth it when you have a beautiful building or model," he said.
Silverman said the amount of time spent in studio can make it difficult to complete work for other classes.
"The craziest moments are usually when I've gotten done with architecture, and then I have to get on to my other classes," he said.
Friendships students form while working together in studio make the hours of constructing and creating a little easier to endure. Second-year Architecture student Hillary Bingnear said her friendships with fellow A-schoolers are her favorite part of spending time in studio.
"All my close friends are in studio," she said. "We have three-hour classes, but pretty much you're just hanging out with your friends all the time while you're working."
Silverman expressed similar sentiments.
"Most of my close friends are from the A-school," he said.
While familiar faces do make studio a pleasant working environment, they can also be a tempting distraction.
"It's human nature," Silverman said. "If you put 10 people together in a room, and you're just working and working and working and thinking through ideas, you have to rest your mind sometimes."
One way Silverman and his friends give their minds a rest is to work their vocal cords instead.
"With my friends, we just sing, like a karaoke type of thing," he said.
Duxburry described another way students take a break from the studio grind.
"Around midnight, we get into these gigantic trashcans and race up and down here," he said while gesturing towards large, gray, barrel-shaped trash cans and a long open stretch of tile floor.
Apparently, this garbage can Grand Prix is a relatively tame work break compared to what has occurred in studio's past.
"When 18 was the drinking age, they used to tap kegs in the stairwell," Duxburry said.
Although alcoholic nourishment may not be present in the studio of today, A-schoolers working through the night have found other methods of staying fueled. A major source of studio snacking are the A-school vending machines.
Second-year Architecture student Tim Harkin said he relies on his favorite candy to keep him going during long nights in studio.
"I'm a fan of Skittles," he said. "The sugar in Skittles kind of keeps you going."
Silverman also mentioned the lure of a fast snack from the vending machines.
"Vending machines, they take away my money," he said.
Bingnear said she tries to steer clear of a vending machine diet -- and debt -- by taking regular dinner breaks.
Eating right can be a challenge, but an ever great obstacle to studio success can be the elusive animal that is inspiration.
"We're here for so many hours, and I think that a good one-third, maybe half the time is that you're just sitting here trying to think of something to do," Bingnear said. "Once you actually get the idea you can pretty much finish it in at least a couple of hours."
It's been said that the greatest inspiration can be the pressure of a looming deadline. Silverman, however, said he tries to avoid the anxiety of working down to the wire.
"The whole thrill [of last minute work], when you look back at it, you feel vivid," he said. "But when you're living it, it can be overwhelming"
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