CIDS provides multidisciplinary linkages and practice-based connections of industry to all of Professor Fowler's design studio and building technology courses. Use of advanced digital tools allows for students to focus on building systems integration, group case study analysis, design research and collaborative interdisciplinary community design-build projects.In this section
Biography
About CIDS
The Community Interdisciplinary Design Studio (CIDS) was founded in 1997. Students are provided a framework to work in collaborative teams to design and build a range of interdisciplinary community projects. CIDS provides the environment, which continually assists the students in efforts to give a voice to individual creativity, and to establishe a learning environment that feeds itself and evolves as the learners grow.
CIDS provides an opportunity for Professor Fowler to integate all of his teaching: third year design and building technology courses, co taught interdisciplinary graduate building design studio (architecture and architectural engineering), and a range of independent study students into this collaborative framework.
Thomas Fowler IV, NOMA, DPACSA, FAIA
Summary:
Thomas Fowler IV is a Distinguished Professor of the ACSA and Director of the Graduate Architecture Program at Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo. He has over 20 years of professional practice experience as an architect and over 30 years of teaching in both the undergraduate architecture design studios and co-teaching (with a structural engineer) in the interdisciplinary graduate building design studios.
In recognition of Professor Fowler’s innovative teaching and collaborative community work he was elevated to Fellowship in the American Institute of Architect (AIA) in 2019, granted to only 3% of the professional membership; received the prestigious Cal State University (CSU) Wang Teaching Award in 2019, selected from all 23 CSU campuses; along with selection twice by Design Intelligence as one of the 25 most admired Educators in the USA. His students have been recognized for their work in a range of national and international design competitions.
Fowler is a partner in an NGO called the Mbesese Initiative for Sustainable Development (https://www.mbesese.org) since 2015, located in the Kilimanjaro Region of Tanzania, Africa in a city called Same (Saa - May). Mbesese was developed to assist this local community in a range of community projects that include the design and construction of a steel bridge for local school children to have safe access during the torrential rainy season, along with the ongoing multi-year development of a master plan and building designs for a new Polytechnic Campus.
Before coming to Cal Poly he taught part-time at University of California @ Berkeley and Cornell.
Professor Fowler is continually creating opportunities to bridge the gap between the profession and education. Ongoing programs include “Internnect,” created with a practitioner / former student to bring underrepresented high school students to Cal Poly to experience college architectural education.
Specialties: Undergraduate and graduate (interdisciplinary) building design studios, and multi- disciplinary collaborative design + build projects.
Scholarship:
Bepress