This past summer, University of Houston Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design students took journeys that advanced their pursuit of academic excellence and deepened their knowledge in new ways. Each day was a lesson in culture and discovery, giving them a chance to step out of their comfort zones to broaden their perspectives and gain a global outlook, enriching their studies and lives. As they navigated new environments, they forged relationships across borders, adapted to diverse perspectives, and expanded their horizons to build their futures.

Collaborating to Blend Culture and Design

Amal Khalil had always dreamed about visiting Italy to experience the country’s architecture firsthand. When her professor, undergraduate architecture director Rafael Beneytez-Duran, told her about the “Texas 8 ItalArch Analisi” program, she knew she needed to apply to study abroad. The program, proposed by the University of Texas San Antonio’s School of Architecture + Planning, invites eight architecture schools across the state to select one to two students to participate in the summer retreat outside of Siena, Italy.

“The opportunity to collaborate with students from other schools and blend our skills was incredibly exciting,” Khalil explained. “It offered a unique combination of hands-on architectural design and cultural immersion that perfectly matched my aspirations. The comfort and hospitality provided by the organizers and hosts made the trip exceptional — I could not have asked for a more engaging and comfortable experience.”

As the student representing the Hines College, Khalil described her experience as “unforgettable.” She will always remember visiting Siena for the first time and realizing her dream had come true. Khalil also recalled visiting Florence and ascending to a rooftop to sketch a “breathtaking” panoramic view of the city. When she was not residing at a renovated monastery and enjoying pizza-making nights with her class, Khalil was hard at work on a group project to design a transportable jazz festival venue.

Each group consisted of students from different schools so they could apply their unique skills and complement one another. Khalil and her team developed Il Pianoforte, inspired by jazz music’s inherent qualities of improvisation and fluidity. They worked closely with Jacopo Guidi, director of the Siena Jazz University, to refine their ideas for stage design. The team created a design borrowing forms from pianos to emphasize modularity and adaptability, ideas important to the nature of the genre. Through their design process, she learned to consider cultural and regional aspects.

“Italian towns are renowned for their walkable, human-scaled environments, so our design naturally prioritized pedestrian movement and social interaction. We aimed to create a space that seamlessly integrates with the café and surrounding areas, establishing a natural gathering place reflecting the lifestyle and values of the local community,” said Khalil.

Taking the travel experience and what she has learned from working with students from other schools have her excited for her final fall semester. While she’s eager to apply what she learned about Italian architecture, new ideas, and techniques to her work, Khalil now knows the importance of creating spaces that blend beauty and meaning together through merging history, culture, and daily life.

She added, “Studying abroad opened my eyes to diverse global practices and the unique beauty in these differences.”

If other students want to strengthen their technical talents and interpersonal skills to become a more well-rounded designer like her, Khalil advises them to “just go for it!” Studying abroad can seem daunting at first, but the opportunity to become immersed in a new environment significantly impacted her understanding of people of different backgrounds.

“Don’t be shy. Make an effort to meet new people and build connections, as you might make lifelong friends. Finally, document everything. Bring a camera, sketchbook, or journal to capture and remember your experiences,” said Khalil in hopes of inspiring more students to take the leap and travel.

Transported by New Perspectives

The Hines College offered an ARCH 5500 studio course in Japan over the summer, led by associate professor Tom Diehl. Students traveled to 15 cities across the country, including well-known destinations such as Tokyo, Osaka, Shibuya, and Okayama. Similar to Khalil, Imran Ahmed, Aliyah Davis, and Evelyn Palafox all yearned to experience another country’s architecture up close and learn about different cultures.

“Along with the chance to see a different culture and way of life, I was also able to knock out a studio and two electives, which will allow me to graduate a semester earlier,” Ahmed said, noting that careful planning can also result in the unexpected benefit attaining a degree faster.

Palafox’s most memorable moments included all the travel between cities. Students relied on public transportation to visit tour sites and to get to their next destinations, learning the value of being punctual. Her classmates agreed — for Ahmed, the train stations were “monumental works of architecture.” His favorite memories included climbing the 171 steps of the Kyoto Station Daikadan (Great Staircase) and renting bikes to explore museums around Naoshima Island.

In addition to exploring all the cities on their itinerary and trying different regional foods, Davis also enjoyed seeing the stark contrast between American and Japanese architecture. “I learned that Japanese architecture pays so much more attention to detail at every level and every scale than here in the United States,” she expressed.

Palafox also echoed her sentiments, observing other differences in how design decisions are framed in each country. For example, in American architecture, things can be deemed “too costly and unimportant for the functionality of the building,” but in Japan, special consideration is made for “design intentions increasing beauty, grandness, or serenity of a space” to create more public interaction.

Students also learned concepts they would likely incorporate into their final year in studio. Ahmed recalled two examples, one being Ma, which refers to the gaps and spaces existing between other spaces. These create boundaries and transitional areas, even influencing the design of the materials themselves. The other is Ihyou, moments referring to elements of surprise in design. For example, doors and windows are crafted to seamlessly blend with the walls they intersect, resulting in a more unified and cohesive overall design.

Perhaps these two ideas best sum up the very nature of these students’ experiences. Studying abroad is more than an academic pursuit; it is an experience of all the things in between — like culture and values — shaping the way these Hines College students see the world and their roles within it. By embracing the diversity of thought and creativity encountered abroad, students return equipped with a broader vision and a deeper sense of purpose. As Palafox pointed out, "Experiencing different cultures and architecture elevates our contributions to our own country's society and civil industry."