Furniture Studio explores the origins, methods, results, and influence of the unique and highly successful furniture design and fabrication studios offered by the University of Washington Department of Architecture. The furniture program, initiated by Andris Vanags, is an immersion into the role of materials, design, and making in architectural education. Students directly engage the physical properties of materials, and the knowledge gained through this engagement enriches the design and fabrication process. The experiences of its graduates reveal that the studio fosters creative thinking that truly integrates design and making.

Ochsner presents historical background to shop-based courses, including furniture studio; traces the careers of four representative graduates of the program; and suggests implications from this program for architectural education and individual achievement beyond the University of Washington. Eleven students and the projects they created in the winter 2009 studio are profiled, and the book contains a fully illustrated catalogue of exemplary student projects from 1989 to the present. Illustrations and descriptions throughout the book showcase the heirloom-quality projects created by the students, many of which won awards in competitions.

Jeffrey Ochsner has written a book that will be invaluable to furniture historians, furniture makers, architects, and design educators. The book's great strength is its telling of a local, personal story within a broader context of architectural pedagogy and philosophy. -- Edward Cooke, author of Making Furniture in Pre-Industrial America

About the Author

Jeffrey Karl Ochsner is professor of architecture and associate dean for academic affairs, College of Built Environments, University of Washington. He is the author of Lionel H. Pries, Architect, Artist, Educator and coauthor of Distant Corner: Seattle Architects and the Legacy of H. H. Richardson.

Reviews

"With 190 color photographs of student works, this charming book is a treat for the eyes. A fascinating peek into modern furniture design."

* Library Journal *

"Ochsner's book on just one of the studios is enough to give interested future architects the gist. But it's also written for today's architects, maybe nostalgic for architecture school, and for academics, maybe looking to start up a furniture studio at their own school."

-- Lindsey M. Roberts * Architect Magazine *

"[R]efreshing. . . . Ochsner's engrossing and lavishly illustrated book. . . reminds us of the importance of craft in architecture. . . .[A]n important monograph. . . . Ochsner's book is certainly well crafted."

-- Jeremy White * Pacific Northwest Quarterly *



Book Information
ISBN 9780295991559
Author Jeffrey Karl Ochsner
Format Hardback
Page Count 304
Imprint University of Washington Press
Publisher University of Washington Press
Weight(grams) 1270g