The College of Architecture, Arts, and Design formerly the College of Architecture and Urban Studies at Virginia Tech consists of four schools, including the School of Architecture, which consistently ranks among the best in the country. Headquartered in Blacksburg, Virginia, the college also has sites in Alexandria, Virginia, and Riva San Vitale, Switzerland. Spread out among these three locations, the college consists of nearly 2,200 students, making it one of the largest schools of architecture in the nation.
History
1964-1967
1964: The College of Architecture was founded, replacing the College of Engineering's Department of Architecture which had been formed in 1928. Charles Burchard was named the college's first dean by Virginia Tech president, T. Marshall Hahn. 1967: Shortly after the founding of the college, Olivio Ferrari and Herbert Kramel inspired the school to draw influences from many different sources, including the Bauhaus, and the Ulm School of Design, among others. They created the "Blue book", which was a guide for faculty members, and explained the school's general philosophy.
1968-1979
1968: Ferrari and Kramel began study abroad programs in Salzburg, Austria
1969: Cowgill Hall, home to the College of Architecture, opened. It was named for Clinton Cowgill, former Head of the Architecture Department (1928-1956) 1972: Ceramics and printmaking became part of the curricula, under the direction of Ellen Braaten and Rengin Holt 1973: The name of the college was changed to the College of Architecture and Urban Studies (CAUS) 1974: The Landscape Architecture Department was founded
1980-1999
1980: The Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center (WAAC) was founded in Alexandria, Virginia 1991: The school purchased a building in Riva San Vitale, Switzerland, named Casa Maderni, to be used by the school for study-abroad programs 1992: The Research+Demonstration Facility opened off campus to be used for projects by faculty and research interests 1992: Casa Maderni became the Center for European Studies and Architecture and renamed, "Villa Maderni" 1994: The Industrial Design program was founded 1996: The School of Public and International Affairs was founded as a collaboration of multiple departments to develop interdisciplinary instruction 1998: Burchard Hall opened adjacent to Cowgill Hall, adding new studio and workshop spaces
2000-present
2003: The Architecture and Industrial Design programs were joined by the Interior Design program to found the School of Architecture + Design within College of Architecture and Urban Studies 2003: The Department of Art & Art History joined the College of Architecture and Urban Studies 2005: The Myers-Lawson School of Construction was jointly founded between CAUS and the College of Engineering 2007: Bishop-Favrao Hall opened, becoming the home for The Myers-Lawson School of Construction 2007: The Landscape Architecture program became part of the School of Architecture + Design 2007: The School of Visual Arts was founded 2008: The program was founded by Keith and Marie Zawistowski 2009: The college's prototype mobile/solar home, LumenHAUS competed in the 2009 U.S. Dept. of Energy's Solar Decathlon 2010: LumenHAUS won the Solar Decathlon Europe 2010 in Madrid, Spain. It also traveled to many esteemed locations, including Times Square 2012: The Center for European Studies and Architecture at Villa Maderni was renovated (5200 SF) and expanded (6200 SF) 2012: LumenHAUS won a 2012 AIA Honor Award for Architecture 2014: On June 24, 2014, the Center for European Studies and Architecture was renamed the Steger Center for International Scholarship in honor of former dean, Charles Steger. 2017: Virginia Tech's Center for Design Research finalized the design of "FutureHAUS", which began in 2015. It is planned to enter the 2018 International Solar Competition in Dubai. 2022: On July 1, 2022, the name of the college was changed to the College of Architecture, Art, and Design (AAD) including a restructuring of schools within the college. 2022: The School of Performing Arts joined the College of Architecture, Arts, and Design 2023: On February 23 Tsai Lu Liu was announced to be the new dean of the College of Architecture, Arts, and Design effective July 1, 2023