PCI Foundation Adds Studio at University of Washington

The PCI Foundation Architectural Studio at the University of Washington aims to educate students on the design, construction and use of precast concrete buildings, and explore new potential directions. The program has been arranged to use the diverse expertise of the faculty, and embrace input from industry  partners, while encouraging students to engage precast concrete in new and exciting ways. 

The program would be offered as a combination of graduate level studio and  summer research seminar – each offered once a year, for three consecutive years. A different studio instructor will teach the studio each in partnership with faculty member (Tyler Sprague, pictured at left). This arrangement enables a diverse range of design approaches to precast concrete across the years, yet maintains a consistent level of precast expertise and continuity throughout the program. The following summer seminar will take some of the most promising ideas initiated in the studio and develop them further – into a prototype phase.  This dual course format will enable the transition of ideas from the creative design environment into early research explorations. The studio and seminar would both emphasize how the beneficial qualities of precast concrete can improve the  architectural and structural performance of a building: a Performative Precast. 

The success of the program will rely on a network of partnerships, extending from the Departm