Join our Design Studio, Starting Nov. 1, 2025
Join our Design Studio, Starting Nov. 1, 2025
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Sign-up for our design studio classes, starting Nov. 1, 2025
Secret Design Principles Revealed
Secret Design Principles Revealed
Your opportunity to learn the hidden design logic of architecture.
Your opportunity to learn the hidden design logic of architecture.
Course Brief
Course Brief
This is a three part course, structured to grow from beginner to advanced. Each session builds on the prior session.
Have you ever wondered what makes some architecture and design great? Join us as we lift the veil in this intense, private, hands-on design course in which you’ll learn how to use the same powerful geometric and classical principles that the most famous and remarkable architects and designers in historical and contemporary case studies used to generate new and extraordinary work.
This course bridges timeless design principles with contemporary practice, offering tools that enhance both conceptual clarity and technical execution. Students will produce original design work supported by critique and iterative refinement. Students will leave with a working knowledge of geometric design methods, classical proportion and order systems, and their applications in contemporary practice. Students who successfully complete the course will receive a certificate.
Anyone from any background or skill-level is welcome!
Certificate Learning Objectives
Certificate Learning Objectives
This studio teaches professional competencies essential to contemporary practice, including:
Design thinking and problem solving (NAAB SC.1, NCARB PC.1)
Historical and theoretical grounding (NAAB SC.3)
Site analysis and contextual design (NAAB SC.4, NCARB PC.2)
Communication and visual representation (NAAB SC.5, NCARB PC.3)
Ethical clarity and professional judgment (NAAB SC.6, NCARB PC.4)
Technical documentation and systems awareness (NAAB SC.7, NCARB PC.5)
Project management and collaboration (NAAB SC.8, NCARB PC.6)
Awareness of local building codes and regulatory frameworks (NAAB SC.9, NCARB PC.7)
Certificate Learning Outcomes
Certificate Learning Outcomes
Students who successfully complete this course will receive a certificate for being able to:
Identify and draw classical orders, anatomical proportions, and sacred geometries using hand tools and observational techniques
Apply and generate architectural compositions and spatial narratives using classical principles and proportioning systems
Analyze and respond to site conditions, environmental factors, and community needs through contextual design thinking
Design and document a new public building, its materiality, ADA compliance, and its’ surrounding landscape using classical logic, zoning awareness, and symbolic anchoring
Integrate color theory and plant selection into landscape compositions with anchoring features
Present and critique design work clearly and ethically in structured studio settings
Collaborate and lead within small teams to manage timelines, refine proposals, and demonstrate holistic thinking in design practice
Offering
Offering
Choose from the below meeting times to find a time that fits your schedule. Each Section is capped at three students.
Instructor
Instructor
William Ross
AIA, ICAA, Forbes Business Council
Location
Location
Private Design Studio
100 South Juniper Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19109
Duration
Duration
November 1, 2025 – January 25, 2026
(22, 4-hour sessions meeting for 11 weeks, with breaks for Thanksgiving and the Holidays)
Schedule Options
Schedule Options
Section 1:
Section 1:
Weekend Mornings
Weekend Mornings
Saturdays & Sundays
Saturdays & Sundays
9am - 1pm
Max Enrollment: 3 Students
Section 2:
Section 2:
Weekend Evenings
Weekend Evenings
Saturdays & Sundays
Saturdays & Sundays
2pm - 6pm
Max Enrollment: 3 Students
Section 3:
Section 3:
All day, One Week Day
All day, One Week Day
Wednesday
Wednesday
9am - 1pm and 2pm - 6pm
Max Enrollment: 3 Students
Course Calendar
Course Calendar
Refer to this calendar for all sessions and content in this course. If you have any personal scheduling conflicts, please let us know. We will make every effort to accommodate you.
Registration
Registration
- Now Open -
- Now Open -
See our course registration options and our costs breakdown >
Our mission is to make these valuable courses as accessible and affordable as possible. Please choose from the four options listed here that best meets your needs >
All tuition is due upon enrollment and is non-refundable. We understand that life circumstances change, if you sign up and then can't attend, the tuition you paid will apply to any course you start to take with us within 365 days of your intended time of attendance. You will need to notify us of your inability to attend no later than October 27, 2025.
Regular Tuition
Regular Tuition
Students can enroll for the full course by 11:59 pm November 1, 2025.
Students can enroll for the full course by 11:59 pm November 1, 2025.
$2,167 total tuition
$2,167 total tuition
$99 / class
$25 / hour
Pay by Part
Pay by Part
$630 due for Part 1
$630 due for Part 1
$2,310 total tuition
$105 / class
$26 / hour
Use Code PART1 to choose this option
Referral Discount
Refer a friend to enroll before 11:59 pm EST, October 18, 2025 you both will receive a $500 discount on full course registration.
Coupon Code: REFER
$1,678 total reduced tuition
$1,678 total reduced tuition
Early Enrollment (Expired)
Early Enrollment (Expired)
Students who enroll for the full course by 11:59 pm EST on October 12, 2025 (Columbus Day) receive a
Students who enroll for the full course by 11:59 pm EST on October 12, 2025 (Columbus Day) receive a
$500 discount
$500 discount
$1,678 total reduced tuition
$1,678 total reduced tuition
$76 / class
$19 / hour
Enter Code EARLY to apply this
Third Party Financing
Third Party Financing
Students may choose to finance tuition through incremental payments using third-party educational financing partners.
Students may choose to finance tuition through incremental payments using third-party educational financing partners.
Varies by Program
Varies by Program
$2,167 + third party charges
$2,167 + third party charges
$99 / class + third party fees
$25 / hour + third party fees
Financing Partners will facilitate this
Apply for Scholarships
Apply for Scholarships
In an effort to make our courses as accessible and inclusive as possible to all people, we invite you to apply for these scholarships>
Flourish Foundation Scholarship
Flourish Foundation Scholarship
$1,000 Merit Award (Max. 2 recipients)
$1,000 Merit Award (Max. 2 recipients)
Deadline: October 25, 2025
Deadline: October 25, 2025
Recipients announced: October 29, 2025
Recipients announced: October 29, 2025
Flourish Foundation Scholarship applicants will need to provide a simple application, which includes basic personal information, a short 850-or-less word essay, and a sample of a specific work or portfolio project they believe is relevant for consideration.
Essay Prompt
Essay Prompt
(Required) Describe a building or place you encountered in real life that taught you something about design that you couldn’t have learned from a book or lecture. What did you learn? (Max 5,100 characters, approx. 850 words)
Work Sample Prompt
Work Sample Prompt
(Required) Please share one original project you created unaided (real or imagined) that demonstrates your architectural thinking, spatial reasoning, and design logic as applied to the built environment at a variety of scales. Upload a single PDF (max 10MB).
Thrive by Design Scholarship
Thrive by Design Scholarship
$300+ Need-Based Award
$300+ Need-Based Award
Deadline: October 27, 2025
Deadline: October 27, 2025
Recipients announced: October 29, 2025
Recipients announced: October 29, 2025
Thrive by Design Scholarship applicants will need to provide a simple application, which includes the option to include evidence of limited personal finances and a short 1,000-or-less word essay. No portfolio submission is required.
Essay Prompt
Essay Prompt
(Required) Describe a moment when you saw design make a difference in someone’s life (your own or someone else’s). How did that experience shape your desire to study architecture or contribute to the built environment? (Max 6,500 characters, approx. 1,000 words)
Evidence of Financial Hardship
Evidence of Financial Hardship
(Optional) Please submit any evidence you are comfortable sharing with us that would indicate you are facing some financial hardship that could impact your ability to take this class. All information shall be kept strictly confidential
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