When it comes to architecture, Sharon Carter Matthews is big on technicalities. And as head of the Wentworth Institute of Technology’s burgeoning architectural program, Matthews expects the same out of her students.

My own philosophy is that the poetic aspects of architecture are better served by people who have a technological background, Matthews said in an interview last week. The design is better if it has a strong technological basis.

Given that bent, Matthews’ move to the Hub last summer to run Wentworth’s architectural department would seem to be a good fit. Now nearing its 100th anniversary, Wentworth is renowned internationally as one of the premier engineering schools in the country, and Matthews said she believes that foundation has permeated into the architectural program. Required studies include such subjects as mechanical and plumbing systems; electric lighting and power systems; and site engineering and planning.

At Wentworth, the expectations in our technical classes are much higher than they are at the average school, Matthews said. The faculty demands an enormous amount of work from the students.

Despite those rigors, Wentworth is fast becoming one of the most popular architectural schools in the country, with Matthews estimating there are currently 675 students in the program. The school has long provided a basic level of architecture training, she said, but was not nationally accredited until 1992. It now offers the only daytime undergraduate professional program in the state with a national accreditation.

Wentworth is a very dynamic program, agreed Richard Fitzgerald, executive director of the Boston Society of Architects. They are determined to make it grow.

According to Fitzgerald, the Wentworth offering is a solid addition to the city’s rich history of architectural education, one anchored by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which has the oldest program in the country. Like MIT, Harvard University offers a graduate degree for architects, with its department run by urban planning specialist Peter Rowe. The city also features one of the most innovative professional initiatives in the Boston Architectural Center, while Northeastern University recently expanded its offerings in that field as well.

Boston is blessed with five good programs serving quite diverse audiences, Fitzgerald said. We are well served in that area.

Fitzgerald said the BSA has kept close ties with the area’s architectural schools, retaining a board seat at each program and encouraging its membership to hire students for entry-level positions. It is a longstanding initiative, given that the BSA’s forerunners also created what would become the BAC. Faced more than a century ago with a lack of young talent, Boston architects formed the BAC to attract high school students and teach them the basics of drafting and other core skills.

Today, the BAC continues to feed off the backing of the industry, with its faculty an all-volunteer force of professionals who teach classes at night. The open admission and low tuition remain staples of the program, Fitzgerald said, adding that the school typically attracts older students who have decided later in life that they wish to pursue architecture. That has proven a bonus, Fitzgerald said, because of the added maturity and commitment.

Architectural firms love to hire BAC students, Fitzgerald said.

Boston architect Marc Margulies concurs with that assessment, maintaining that the internship programs of the BAC and Wentworth enable students to come into the profession better prepared. About five of his 40-architect firm are from Wentworth, he said, while another group hails from the BAC.

The immediate employability of students from either the BAC or Wentworth is higher, said the founder of Margulies & Assoc. You can sit them down and they can start working on things right away.

Margulies said he is especially impressed by the technical know-how of both classes, an important point given that his company specializes in high-tech design, one that requires a solid knowledge of building systems and computer applications. Familiarity with the city and its issues are another positive aspect of using homegrown talent, Margulies said.

It’s astonishing to me that people still decide to hire architects from someplace else, he said. People come in who simply don’t understand the context of the city, and that is really unfortunate.

‘Urban Architecture’
Such concerns reflect the backbone of Northeastern’s approach, said Professor George Thrush, who has been building up the architectural program at the school for the past nine years. Located in the heart of Boston, Thrush is trying to take advantage of the surroundings by offering what is termed urban architecture, a concept that focuses on the unique planning and design issues facing the nation’s cities.

We are really trying to educate our students on the complexities of the urban environment, Thrush said. We’re very connected with the Boston area, and it makes urban architecture a perfect fit for the university.

Not only does the program focus on urban planning issues, Thrush said he hopes Northeastern will actually contribute to improving the fabric of the city by getting its architectural students to work on real-life issues. One current effort is helping Roxbury formulate an economic improvement program, for example, while the school is also planning on moving the architecture studios into unused retail space at Ruggles Station in Roxbury, a location that Thrush said will give his students a bird’s-eye view of the urban situation.

We’re literally going to be part of the infrastructure of the city, Thrush said, estimating that the space will be open in time for the fall semester.

The move will also coincide with the beginning of a drive to become accredited nationally, Thrush said. The process should take about two years, he said, adding that he believes it will be well worth it in the long run. The current class of 160 architectural students could double, he estimated. Fitzgerald said he believes Northeastern will soon be a force to be reckoned with in the architectural arena.

George Thrush has brought a new vitality to the program and a long-term vision of what it could be, Fitzgerald said.

Matthews said the graduates of Wentworth’s architectural program are only now beginning to filter into the senior positions that will ultimately attain the most visibility from high-profile assignments. That attention should lead to more publicity for the school, she said, adding that she believes Wentworth could ultimately come to be regarded as much for architecture as it is for engineering.

As they succeed, it demonstrates the strength of the program, Matthews said. I really think that you will hear a lot more about us in the next five years.