Architecture Program Awarded $110K Grant for Steel Design Learning

The University of Maryland’s architecture program has been awarded an inaugural grant from the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) to integrate structural steel design methods into its undergraduate and graduate design studios. 

The four-year, $110,000 grant will help deliver new teaching and learning opportunities, from field trips and industry mentorship to modeling kits and hands-on workshops.

Led by Associate Clinical Professor Brittany Williams and Architecture Lecturer Daniel Curry, the new curriculum will offer a comprehensive understanding of steel construction techniques that extends beyond structural integrity; students will learn how steel can be leveraged to foster architectural expression and experience, such as enhancing form, materiality and space. 

“For our students, it will be a deep dive into one structural system, which offers so many benefits,” said Williams, who is the principal investigator on the grant. “That knowledge and expertise will not only facilitate the design of architecturally rich spaces, it will help them build a process that can be applied to virtually any structural system.” 

Launched this year by the nonprofit AISC and funded by its Education Foundation, the grant is designed to augment architectural curriculum by providing experiential contexts for learning about structural steel building framework. 

“Structural steel is an important material for students to understand,” said Jeanne Homer, AISC architecture education manager, “and this grant gives schools the opportunity to engage the material in ways that complement and benefit their program."

At Maryland, students will benefit from a steel detailing workshop, field trips, guest lectures and “Steel Day”; similar to the program’s long-running Masonry Day, students will get hands-on experiences with steel materials and welding. Students in the graduate-level integrated design studio will also benefit from professional mentorship. In addition, the grant will fund research to develop a prototype “quick-modeling kit” to help students rapidly iterate and visualize steel construction. The activities will culminate with a symposium and exhibition of student work.