Studio Use Policy

This policy gives specific directions on how to care for the Architecture Department labs, CAED buildings, and adjacent grounds.

Studio Culture

Architecture students are fortunate to have large studio spaces and dedicated equipment, available 24/7, to help foster their work. Studio refers to both a place — a big, open room with tables for creative work — and a way of learning that is communal, exploratory and experimental. This comes with responsibility to foster a sense of care and respect for these resources and the community it builds. This is summarized in our Studio Culture Policy founded on three mutually dependent principles:

Cultivation of Respect 

Each individual is responsible for making unique contributions to the studio. We value and support diverse ideas and promote a culture of respect. The excellence of our school depends on our ability to appreciate the value of ideas and experiences that are divergent from our own. Each of us is responsible for our own well-being, which means eating well, getting enough sleep, and managing time efficiently. Have patience with yourself and your peers. Learning often happens at an erratic pace.

Cultivation of Community 

Studio is a communal and social form of learning. Students learn as much from each other as they do from faculty. The studio parallels professional practice, where each person is expected to be a thoughtful collaborator and aid in the development of ideas. Learning how to make positive contributions to teams and build productive relationships is essential. These shared experiences also foster a sense of comradery amongst students that continues throughout your education.

Cultivation of Ideas 

Ideas are cultivated through observation, experimentation, questioning, and dialogue. The design process hinges on your willingness to think both abstractly and concretely. Ideas may develop fitfully. Learning will come from success as well as mistakes, which are both productive aspects of the studio experience.

Reflection on your work is essential to developing your ideas. Equally important is critique, a process in which your projects will be reviewed publicly and you will discuss your work with peers, instructors or invited guests with expertise in design and professional practice. These conversations help you to understand the work in relationship to ideas circulating within the studio and ideas in the world beyond the studio. Critique is always meant to be constructive.

 

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How to Keep Our Educational Environment Healthy, Safe, and Conducive to Learning

• Keep your studio trash-free by dumping overfull trash bins in nearby dumpsters.
• Studio tables should be protected from cutting, gluing, painting, and other destructive processes.
• Do not attach anything to the exterior or interior of buildings without permission from the Dean’s office.
• Graffiti both inside and outside the buildings is not allowed.
• Do not suspend anything from the beams, ceiling, ceiling tiles, or light fixtures in your lab.
• Leave your furniture at home! Do not bring sofas, stuffed chairs, or bedding into the labs.
• Leave our furniture in the room where you found it! Do not take indoor furniture or equipment outdoors.
• Park your bike in the bike rack outside.
• A 3’ walking path must be maintained between studio tables at all times.
• Power tools should only be used in the Support Shop.
• Spray paint should only be used in the paint booths.
• Toxic materials should only be used in the outdoor spaces of the Support Shop.
• The studio sink is no place to discard food or other materials such as glue, plaster, cement, or paint.
• Lock doors, close windows, and turn off lights if you are the last person to leave the studio.

Take Care of Yourself Too!

• Consuming alcohol or smoking is not permitted in the studio.
• Always have a studio buddy so that you are never alone in the studio, especially late at night.
• Each studio has a first-aid kit; use it or visit the Health Center when you need to. Call 911 for emergencies.
• Small refrigerators, microwaves, and coffee makers may be responsibly used in the studio. Hot plates, toaster ovens, and propane stoves are not permitted.
• If the lab is too hot or too cold, report the problem to the Architecture Department at 805.756.1316. Do not utilize a personal space heater or fan.

End of Quarter Clean Up is Everyone’s Responsibility

• At the end of each quarter you should leave the lab as clean as or cleaner than you found it. A cleaning fee of up to $200 per student will be charged if the studio is left dirty.
• It’s easy to be green! Recycle wood, paper, metal and other materials. Place what is left over into trash bins.
• Isn’t it cool that you get a key to your lab? If you lose the key or turn it in late, you will be subject to a fine of up to $250. Be sure to return your key and/or report a lost key to the Campus Key Shop (Bldg. 58, room 103).
• Fees will be charged for items missing or damaged during the quarter. Unless one or more students claim responsibility, these fees will be divided and charged to the entire class:

16-outlet power strip	Up to $150
A-La-Carte studio chair	Up to $225
60” x 36” maple-top main desk	Up to $450
72” x 36” maple-top side desk	Up to $450
42” LCD screen	Up to $1,600
24” iMac	Up to $1,750
Projector screen	Up to $1,500
Drafting board	Up to $450
First-aid kit	Up to $250

• Miscellaneous damage and repairs including but not limited to removal of inventory tags, graffiti, engraving, removal of furniture parts, damage of furniture will be charged based on assessment of replacement/repair.

If You See a Problem or Need Help, Here’s Who to Call:

• Report all unsafe conditions, necessary repairs, or other concerns to your studio instructor and the Architecture Department at 805.756.1316 or architecture@calpoly.edu.
• Report broken or missing furniture to the Architecture Department.
• Report theft or vandalism to the to the Architecture Department and the University Police at 805.756.2281.