Retrospecta 45

Retrospecta catalogs activity at the Yale School of Architecture. Each volume is a snapshot of evolving architectural and graphic design trends. The book demarcates events such as lectures, publication releases, and outstanding circumstances that have uniquely impacted the academic, social, and political environment at the school.

Volume 45 covers the activities of the Yale School of Architecture 2021-22 academic year. Apart from simply cataloguing student work every year, Retrospecta also invariably catalogues the rhythms of the School of Architecture and the cultural zeitgeist that it is ensconced in. As Retrospecta 44 reflected on an academic year marked by classes taught remotely, this year, Retrospecta 45 celebrates our hearty yet cautious return to in-person classes and aims to capture what makes an architectural education at Yale--housed within the walls of Rudolph Hall---unique. Much of this uniqueness stems from the non-linearity of our education, as we zig-zag across floors to browse and engage with our peers; the ownership we feel over not only our education, but also our space as drawings, images, and sketches litter the floors and populate the windows and walls of Rudolph Hall; and the plurality of student voices as we pursue varying and individual fields of research, the diversity of which tends to color the pages of each Retrospecta.

To reflect these aspects of non-linearity, ownership, and plurality--which are most keenly felt in studio yet were most poignantly lost during 2020-21-- Retrospecta 45 departs from the format of a standard, single book composed with an inherent hierarchy. This year, the book is split up into four discrete parts to allow students the autonomy to reshuffle, reorganize, compare, and contrast parts of the book. We hope that this reshuffling and the ability to compare the discrete yet inextricably interconnected parts that constitute Retrospecta 45 can evince the spontaneity that makes Rudolph Hall unique and the learning that happens not only in classes but also in between.