Eagle touts Design Process class as 'essence of unorthodox'

The Bryan-College Station Eagle featured The Design Process, one of the most popular classes taught at Texas A&M’s College of Architecture, in its Dec. 25, 2011 [ issue] (http://www.theeagle.com/lifestyles/No-limits--by-design--A-amp-amp-M-professor-has-students-thinking-big--6811111) .

Led by Jorge Vanegas, dean of the college and Rodney Hill, professor of architecture, the class, wrote the Eagle’s Caroline Ward, is the essence of unorthodox.

“Open to students of all majors, it educates students on fundamental innovative design processes, issues and theories relevant to design resolution and the creation of new ideas … it aims to break students out of their comfort zones, adopt a mindset that ignores limitations and maximize their creativity,” she wrote.

The article included former environmental design students Martin Hooper and Gavin Braman, who took The Design Process’ emphasis on ‘breaking the mold’ to heart, founding a design firm called [Drifting Creatives] (http://archone.tamu.edu/college/news/newsletters/fall2009/stories/drifting_creatives.html) by taking a five-month road trip, building a client base along the way.

"We started our company in an unconventional way and continue to strive to be unique in everything we do," Hooper said. "So yeah, we're not your normal design firm, but you don't want us to be."

In the class, students create knowledge for individual and group projects, documenting and conducting patent searches on at least two innovative ideas each week.

Concepts hatched in the class are often recognized in national design competitions, such as an [umbrella] (http://one.arch.tamu.edu/news/2011/11/21/solar-umbrella/) with solar panels that powers electronic devices, designed by students in the fall 2011 class and recognized as a semifinalist in a national competition sponsored by Ascent Solar Techologies, Inc.