Marginality and the Mainstream in Des Moines, Iowa: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Urban Design Practice and Education
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The Department offers a five-year program leading to the Bachelor of Architecture degree. The program provides opportunities for general education as well as preparation for professional practice and/or graduate study.
The Department of Architecture offers two graduate degrees in architecture: a three-year accredited professional degree (MArch) and a two-semester to three-semester research degree (MS in Arch). Double-degree programs are currently offered with the Department of Community and Regional Planning (MArch/MCRP) and the College of Business (MArch/MBA).
History
The Department of Architecture was established in 1914 as the Department of Structural Design in the College of Engineering. The name of the department was changed to the Department of Architectural Engineering in 1918. In 1945, the name was changed to the Department of Architecture and Architectural Engineering. In 1967, the name was changed to the Department of Architecture and formed part of the Design Center. In 1978, the department became part of the College of Design.
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1914–present
Historical Names
- Department of Structural Design (1914–1918)
- Department of Architectural Engineering (1918–1945)
- Department of Architecture and Architectural Engineering (1945–1967)
Related Units
- College of Design (parent college)
- College of Engineering(previous college, 1914–1978)
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Abstract
In the spring of 2007, we taught an interdisciplinary studio at Iowa State University in which twentyfour upper level students in architecture, landscape architecture, and community and regional planning were asked to address a three hundred acre site just south of the Des Moines, Iowa central business district near the confl uence of the Raccoon and Iowa Rivers. Past uses of the site have included rail yards, newspaper and magazine printing, tanning, asphalt manufacturing, paint manufacturing, coal and coke yards, foundry operations, iron works, and industrial chemical manufacturing. In 1975, industrial solvent contamination was discovered in the Des Moines water supply by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR); the site is adjacent to the main pumping station for the city, the Des Moines Water Works. Portions of the site were placed on the EPA’s National Priority List (NPL) in 1983 when pesticide-contaminated soils were discovered during the construction of the groundwater treatment system. Remediation has included an air stripper system for treatment of contaminated groundwater and an asphalt cap for containment of contaminated soils.