The School of Architecture

10/05/2026

Faculty member, Kim Hurtado, put on a special workshop on roklite model making at our Cattle Track Arts Compound campus.

10/01/2026

A big thank you to everyone who came out to Mountain Shadows for the Schools of Thought reception. It meant a lot to share the evening with so many of you and celebrate TSOA's work featured in the exhibition, including a 36-foot digitally rendered scroll envisioning built environments.

If you missed the reception, there's still time to see it in person. Schools of Thought is on view through November 30.

09/29/2026

When the Taliesin Fellowship was founded in 1932, apprentices grew their own food, cooked, and served meals as part of daily life, with Sunday dinners as the clearest expression of the philosophy that architecture, art, and community were inseparable.

That model is now formalized in TSOA's curriculum. Community Dinners fall under the school's Community Life requirement, carrying the founding philosophy of "learning by doing" directly into how students are trained today.

The first dinner of the year was hosted by Brockton Winkler and Jarrett Cromling titled "THE FUTURE OF TSOA" and its menu featured: Italian salad, lasagna, vegetable alfredo, garlic bread, and cake.

09/24/2026

Join us in welcoming Bao Nguyen, TSOA Class of '28. Bao received his Bachelor of Science in Architecture from The Design School at ASU.

"I chose TSOA because I wanted an architecture education that would challenge me to think beyond simply designing buildings. I was drawn to the school’s emphasis on creativity, experimentation, and learning by doing. TSOA has made me more observant, more thoughtful, and more intentional about my approach to design. It has also allowed me to question architecture through culture, community, materials, and personal experiences, which has helped me better understand the kind of designer I want to be."

Bao's journey to TSOA already began before he arrived through a TSOAxASU collaborative spring 2026 studio that gave him a taste of our learning-by-doing approach. Now, as a full-time member, he'll keep pushing that inquiry further: questioning, building, and discovering the designer he's becoming. Welcome home, Bao, we're excited to see where your curiosity takes you.

09/23/2026

RAY Presents: The School of Architecture (TSOA) in conversation with Sharon Johnston (Johnston Marklee)

For Desert Design Week, Sharon Johnston, founding partner of Johnston Marklee, joins us at RAY Phoenix for a lecture and conversation moderated by TSOA President Chris Lasch alongside students from the school.

The conversation traces the firm's work from early residential projects to arts institutions like the Menil Drawing Institute, the Whitney Museum of American Art Independent Study Program, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. From there, it turns to RAY Phoenix: the green facade, how the building responds to desert light, and the role of shade, landscape, art, and shared spaces in connecting it to Roosevelt Row. Johnston Marklee received the 2024 Richard Neutra Award for Professional Excellence, an honor previously given to Tadao Ando, Frank Gehry, Renzo Piano, and other world renowned architects.

Tickets available for purchase at Desert Design Week's website. Limited complimentary tickets are available to Ray Phoenix residents available to reserve on the resident portal.

Sunday, October 11
Doors at 2pm, conversation from 2:30 to 4pm
Reception to follow with light bites and refreshments from Kid Sister.

Thank you to our generous sponsor KOHLER for making this event possible.

https://www.desertdesignweek.com/fall-26/ray-phoenix

09/22/2026

Join us in welcoming Jarrett Cromling, TSOA Class of '28!

"The mission of The School of Architecture is what draws me to this program. 'Learn by Doing' resonates with me as an individual, designer, and student. TSOA's emphasis on hands-on education and its learning-by-doing philosophy align perfectly with how I develop understanding through ideation and experimentation. The program’s integration of design thinking with fabrication, materials, and building systems mirrors my own approach to design."

We're thrilled to welcome Jarrett into a community built on that same belief: that great design is learned through doing. At TSOA he'll test his ideas at full scale, build with his hands, and sharpen his design thinking alongside a studio full of makers just as driven as he is. Welcome to TSOA, Jarrett. We can't wait to see what you build.

09/14/2026

Over the summer, The School of Architecture took a close look at how our Cattle Track Arts Compound campus is organized — with one goal in mind: giving students spaces that better fit the way they work and learn.

We reorganized our existing spaces into a second studio, carved out a dedicated model making area, and moved the library to a new spot, all while shaping more inviting, communal spaces across campus.

This work reflects our ongoing commitment to a hands-on, apprenticeship-style education as we prepared to welcome students back for the 2026–2027 academic year.

09/11/2026

The start of a new art exhibition, Schools of Thought, at Mountain Shadows Resort Scottsdale Gallery features work by The School of Architecture's own ethan lasalle-nguyen, Benjamin Grant, Mariah Hoffman, Stephanie Lin, Nick Gulick and Rogelio Botello.

Thank you for this opportunity to showcase the work. It has been a great experience working with Cece Cole.

https://mountainshadows.com/art-gallery/schools-of-thought/

08/20/2026

Last month, our community received the news that Taliesin Fellow and youngest apprentice to work with Frank Lloyd Wright, Vernon D. Swaback, had passed away.

We're remembering a man whose influence reached far beyond his own practice.

Vern's impact on architecture is well known. Just as important was his commitment to giving back to this school, and to the students who would follow him. That commitment lives on through the Vernon D. Swaback Scholarship, which Swaback Architects + Planners continues to support at The School of Architecture, carrying forward his belief that great architects are made by learning through doing.

We're grateful for his generosity and for everything he gave to this community.

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our founder, Vernon D. Swaback, FAIA, FAICP, on July 5, 2026.

Vern Swaback founded this firm in 1978 with a conviction that great architecture begins with a deep respect for the land, the community, and the people a place is meant to serve. Over nearly five decades, he grew SWABACK from a one-man practice into a nationally recognized firm, while never losing sight of the philosophy that drove him from the beginning. A Fellow of both the American Institute of Architects and the American Institute of Certified Planners, a former Chairman and CEO of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, an author of 14 books, and one of the last direct apprentices of Frank Lloyd Wright, Vern brought a rare depth of purpose to everything he touched.

To those of us who had the privilege of working alongside him, he was as much a teacher as he was a founder. His vision, his generosity, and his boundless curiosity shaped not only the places we design but the way we think about our responsibility to the world around us.

His architecture shaped places. His wisdom shaped people. He will be deeply missed.