Experience a college architecture design studio
Learn drawing and modeling techniques to design architecture projects
TeenArch Studio is a three-week architecture experience for high school students interested in exploring architectural and design thinking. The program carries three quarter units of University of California credit. TeenArch Studio is open to students who are 15 years of age or older by the first day of Summer Sessions 2026 (June 22, 2026), and enrolled in grades 9 through 12 during Spring 2026.
For Summer 2026 we are offering two TeenArch format options:
- A: In-Person Commuter: June 22 – July 10, 2026
- B: Remote/Virtual: June 22 – July 10, 2026
There is a field trip in Los Angeles scheduled for Saturday, June 27, 2026 for all in-person TeenArch students.
All students who elect to complete the program in-person will be assigned to an instructor for a studio on campus, and will attend Technical Seminars as well as group-work sessions in-person. Students who elect to complete the program online will be assigned to a remote instructor and online studio space, and will attend Technical Seminars, Theory Seminars, as well as group-work sessions in-person.
TeenArch Studio Overview
STUDIO TOPIC: TACTILE TRANSFORMATIONS: Soft vs. Hard Materials at Architectural Scale
In the Summer 2026 TeenArch Studio, students will begin by creating iterative physical models which will explore the relationship between hard and soft materials. They will understand how form and volume take shape through a series of deliberate operations. Through diagrammatic drawing, physical model-making, and 3D modeling, students will learn how to generate codified systems in order to abstract inspiration and figuration from a seemingly abstract form to create order in the form of a simple enclosure.Every design has a throughline – a way to describe from beginning to end the process taken to arrive at the final product.
Students will develop a studio extension in the courtyard in front of UCLA AUD’s Perloff Hall, they will use their study models and architectural drawings to inform their design, taking into consideration feedback they have received over the course of the studio.
For questions about the program curriculum, please contact summer@aud.ucla.edu.
Application deadline: June 12, 2026 (5 pm PT)
Enrollment deadline: June 19, 2026 (12 pm PT)
Applications are reviewed and admission to the program is granted on a rolling basis starting February 15th. Applying at your earliest convenience is highly recommended.
The program has application requirements for admission. Eligible applicants who successfully submit all requirements will be reviewed and notified via email of an admission decision within 3 weeks.
Applicants are required to provide the following during the online registration process:
- An unofficial transcript from grade 9 to present reflecting a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher
- If your school transcript utilizes a different grading system, please submit your transcript as is. If available, please attach a translation/equivalency guide.
- INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS: If you are an international student, a transcript refers to your complete secondary academic record. To learn more about converting your grades into a US-based GPA, please click here.
- If your school has a translation/equivalency guide, please also include it with your transcript. If you do not have a translation/equivalency guide, please still submit your most up-to-date transcript as is for staff to review.
- Value statement: At the time of registration, ALL applicants will be prompted to submit a few short sentences reflecting on their pursuit of participation in the UCLA Summer Precollege Focus Series. Please note that students are strongly discouraged from relying on ChatGpt/AI tools for their application responses and are encouraged to submit original and authentic answers.
TeenArch Studio is a commuter program and does NOT provide on-campus housing. However, students who are 17 or older as of June 22, 2026, may independently apply for housing through UCLA Housing.
Participants of TeenArch Studio (Commuter track) must commute to the UCLA campus each day of the program. Specific location information (e.g. classroom) will be provided to enrolled students closer to the start of the program.
Parking
Summer Sessions parking permits will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Students have the option to purchase a summer term permit or a daily permit.
Please review the Transportation and Parking Services web page and read the “Summer Quarter Parking (All Students)” section for more information on all permit types, including cost.
TeenArch Studio (Virtual) will be conducted virtually (online). All meeting times will take place in Pacific Daylight Time (PDT), unless otherwise noted on program schedule and syllabus. Participants must log-in to virtual sessions at the times indicated on the program schedule.
Coursework
Architecture & Urban Design 1; 3 units
Grading
Students will receive a Pass/No Pass (P/NP) upon completion. To receive a “Pass” notation, students must earn a letter grade of C or better. See University Credit, Grades and Transcripts for more information about academic credit.
In order to successfully complete the program, students must not have more than 3 excused or unexcused absences.
UCLA Summer Sessions Summer Scholars Support
Qualified students attending grades 9th – 11th in Spring 2026 in the state of California may be eligible for Summer Scholars Support, a need- and merit-based scholarship offered by the UCLA Summer Sessions Office. Students must be 15 years old by the first day of Summer Sessions 2026 on June 22nd in order to participate in the Summer Precollege Focus Series and/or apply for Summer Scholars Support. A limited number of full and partial scholarships are available to support enrollment in SCIP/eSCIP, one Summer Course, or the Summer Precollege Focus Series.
Summer 2026 deadline to apply: March 15.
Session A: Commuter
June 22- July 10, 2026
Session B: Virtual
June 22- July 10, 2026
Program Eligibility: 9th-12th grade in Spring 2026*
Application Deadline: June 12, 2026
Enrollment Deadline: June 19, 2026
*All participants must be at least 15 years of age by the first day of Summer Sessions 2026 on June 22nd, no exceptions allowed.
The schedule and syllabus are subject to change. Enrolled students will be given updated materials closer to the program start date.
Fees and Payment Info
The program fee includes the unit fees for the UCLA coursework offered as part of the program and thus varies by UC student status. In addition to the program fee, students are assessed other campus and administrative fees during the summer. This is a summary of fees that commonly apply to the selected student type.
Actual tuition and fees are subject to change by the University of California. Visit the fees, payment, and financial aid section for important disclaimer, as well as more details on fees, payment instructions, and information on delinquency, refunds, and financial aid.
VIRTUAL PROGRAM FEES:
The program fee listed in the selection are for the commuter version (A) only. The following are the program fees for the Virtual version.
- High School Student = $2,481
- Incoming UCLA Student = $2,094
- Incoming UC Student = $2,094
All other fees listed will remain the same for the Virtual version.
Meet your instructors
Julia Koerner
Associate Adjunct Professor and Director, Summer ProgramsJulia Koerner is an award-winning Austrian designer, innovator, and pioneer in 3D printing, with exemplary cross-disciplinary work. Koerner has been sought after for collaborations that include 3D-printed costumes with Ruth E. Carter for Marvel’s “Black Panther” and “Wakanda Forever,” earning two Academy Awards. Prior to that, she collaborated with Iris Van Herpen and Chanel on 3D-printed Haute Couture. Furthermore, she has developed research on innovative uses of 3D printing with Swarovski, Stratasys, and Materialise. She is internationally recognized for design innovation in 3D printing and recently was awarded for her architectural design for ICON’s 3d-printed affordable housing Initiative 99.
Koerner has been a faculty member at UCLA Architecture and Urban Design since 2012 and teaches graduate design studios, building construction, and research studios. Her research studio “Fit For the Future: Sustainable 3D printed building facades” has been widely published. Since 2021, she has been the Director of UCLA AUD Summer Programs TeenArch and JumpStart.
Koerner’s work has been acquired and exhibited at institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (MET), the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Phoenix Museum of Art, the Vancouver Art Gallery, the MOMU in Antwerp, the Palais des Beaux Arts in Brussels, Museum of Applied Arts MAK Vienna, and Ars Electronica. Her designs have been featured in National Geographic magazine, Vice, Wired, Dezeen, Architectural Digest, Metropolis, and the New York Times. Her peer-reviewed architectural research has been published in Springer Construction Journal, Robotic Fabrication in Architecture, Art and Design, Acadia Conference, and AAE Conference, among others. In 2019 ARCHINECT named Julia Koerner “Architecture’s Queen of 3D Fabrication”.
Koerner is the founder of JK Design and JK3D, focused on iconic, sustainable, and innovative 3D-printed architecture, installations, fashion, and home decor products. Her design work constantly embodies a beautiful organic aesthetic and leverages the unique capabilities of architectural design processes and digital fabrication to their fullest potential.
Born in Salzburg, Austria, Koerner received master’s degrees in architecture from the University of Applied Arts in Vienna and the Architectural Association in London. She is based in Los Angeles and Vienna, and has previously practiced in London and New York and held academic appointments at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna, Lund University in Sweden and the Architectural Association Visiting Schools in France and Jordan.
She serves on the Creative Industries Council of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Economy of Austria as part of the “Innovation Program for the Creative Industries 2030.”
Morgane Copp
Lecturer and Associate Director, Summer ProgramsMorgane Copp is a French-American architectural designer based in San Francisco & Los Angeles. She holds a BArch from the University of Nottingham and an MArch I from UCLA AUD, where she graduated with distinction. She has taught at UC Berkeley, UCLA AUD, California College of Arts (CCA), as well as served as Associate Director of the AUD Summer Programs since 2021. Copp has been a critic at UCLA AUD, USC, USD, CCA, and UC Berkeley. Her work and research explore the transformation of architectural types and images—understood both as constructed mediums and as reflections of cultural identity and value through the built form. Her current work questions the architect’s position within inherited conditions, seeking opportunities between structures and rethinking preservation as an active, transformative practice.
Copp has practiced architecture internationally in Athens, New York, Basel, San Diego, and Los Angeles, at offices including Herzog & de Meuron and Rob Wellington Quigley Architects. She has worked on a wide array of typologies and scales, ranging from high-end commercial towers to affordable housing projects in California. Copp is now Project Designer at Young & Ayata, leading projects including renovations at The MET, an Agriculture Institute in South Korea, and a Norway winery.
TeenArch Studio FAQ
No background is needed – beginners are welcome to apply.
Yes, a laptop is required to participate in the program for both in-person and virtual sessions. Students should have access to a laptop that is NOT a Macbook Air or Chromebook as these laptops cannot support the software needed for the program (Trial version Rhino). Students are also able to borrow a laptop from the UCLA library if needed, the program will gather laptop need information from enrolled participants closer to the start of the program.
Materials will be provided by the department for students participating in the program either in residential or commuter versions. However, students participating virtually students will need to purchase materials per the guidelines distributed by the department (list of materials will be added in Spring 2026).
All course meeting times are in Pacific Daylight Time (PDT). If completing the program virtually in a different time zone, please make sure to account for the time difference. The program schedule is subject to change.
Still have questions? Check out the general Summer Precollege Focus Series FAQ.