Note from the Director

NEWS UPDATE (8 November 2005)

We have received a major endowment and naming grant from Chase L. Leavitt. The dedication and reception is November 9, 2005 at 6:00pm at USC.

Our new building is nearing completion. The MBS program will move into the new facilities in late Spring 2006. Our new facilities are substantially larger.

The University has also approved some outstanding changes to our program. We will be allowed to increase enrollment to new 12-15 students next Fall. To receive information detailing the improvements, please email Prof. Noble (dnoble@usc.edu). For information on the scholarships available, please email dnoble@usc.edu

PLEASE READ BOTH the old and new websites describing our programs. The new website is still incomplete.

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The most interesting topics for research are those which normally "fall between the cracks." Western culture believes in the incremental and methodical increase of knowledge. This has proven very useful in the advancement of technology. Unfortunately, it lends itself to specialization rather than integration. Integrating disparate fields is extremely useful in the real world and is one of the things that Architecture trains people to do. The Master of Building Science program encourages the student to find and solve a problem which integrates knowledge and methods from different areas of research and apply them to the process or product of Architecture. But, the rigor of logic must still apply.

Best and most appropriate solutions
A more efficient air conditioner is an excellent development, but planting a tree that cools a room may be a solution which actually improves over time, unlike a machine which might deteriorate. But until one knows how much cooling effect a tree produces in a given environment, it is difficult to justify the cost. The best and most appropriate solutions are often ignored because they are not neatly packaged within one area of expertise, or because they represent processes that are hard to measure or quantify.

Buildings may collapse in Earthquakes, but the recent improvements in building code have not substantially reduced the number of collapses. Until one knows the factors within the building process that have resulted in destruction, adjustments to the building code may not prove effective. Furthermore, loss of life and building damage are not entirely synonymous. Research into the problem can provide new understandings and creative solutions resulting in improved safety and decreased ruin.

Computers are useful tools for simulation, rendering and teaching. How does the application of computers effect the design process or even the way we think about a problem? Until we understand the strength and weakness of computer applications and target our efforts appropriately to the type of problem we are examining, we may mislead ourselves and others with false solutions. But, when we understand or create new tools, we can produce solutions to problems which have seemed intractable for decades.

Freedom to Learn

Students learn from the MBS faculty, but also from other faculty around the university or from professionals retained for their special expertise. But most of all, students learn from each other. The MBS program permits students the freedom to choose a thesis topic and pursue knowledge from a range of sources once the core courses are completed. This is both exhilarating and dangerous, in that the student becomes finally responsible for directing his/her own education. There is very close but very flexible supervision.

Summary

These ways of thinking have proven very useful over time. Many students have graduated and had a positive impact on the world around them. You can see the results of their efforts on these web pages and even download some of the tools that they have created. We look forward to working with many more of you in the future.