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The 1968 Learning from Las Vegas Studio Revisited

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“How often does a 22-year-old kid get to share a credit with Piranesi?”

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In the fall of 1968, architects Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown, assisted by Steven Izenour, taught a third-year studio course at the Yale School of Architecture called “Learning from Las Vegas, or Form Analysis as Design Research.” That class would give rise to a famous book of the same name, first published in 1972, and would also influence future architectural education methods. The class, which traveled to Las Vegas to analyze a new type of American city, had a huge impact on its 13 students (nine in architecture, two in urban planning, and two in graphic design) who undertook a true collaborative adventure with their three instructors. In connection with an interview conducted with Denise Scott Brown earlier this year, publishing in January 2014, Designers & Books corresponded with five of the students—45 years after the class—about their memories of the studio, and the publication of the book. Here are some highlights of what they said.

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