Investigations into the relationship between the man-made and the natural world, including introductory issues of assembly and material value.
Terms Offered
Fall 2025
Course Details
Investigations into the relationship between the man-made and the natural world, including introductory issues of assembly and material value. Design of the site and the building are combined into an integral process delimiting and probing the boundaries of each and exploring their reciprocal relationship. The architect's obligations to the natural and urban contexts are explored in many dimensions, including historical, typological, environmental, and physical.
For Fall 2025, this course will be taught as a Global Classrooms Connections course. The course is hosting a visiting scholar, Andrea Mohn from Rotterdam, Netherlands to work on health and architecture directly with students.
Number of credits: 6
Cultural Connection
The Netherlands
General Education Credits
Fundamental Studies - Oral Communications
School/College
School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation
Prerequisites & Restrictions
Prerequisite: Minimum grade of C- in ARCH402.
Restriction: Must be in Architecture (B.S.) program.
Faculty Highlight
Marcus Cross
Marcus A. Cross, AIA, NOMA, is a lecturer at the University of Maryland’s School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation. With over twenty years of experience, including managing a mid-sized architecture firm in Washington, DC, he founded M. Cross Architecture in 2024 to allow him to return to being “hands-on” throughout all phases of his projects.
Marcus specializes in commercial and residential architecture, with a special interest in adaptive reuse and sustainability. His portfolio includes award-winning projects across the United States, Dublin, Ireland, Bangalore, India, and Sydney, Australia. He’s well-regarded by clients for pushing innovative project delivery methods that allow his clients to build around the globe.
Marcus has been on faculty at UMD since 2019 and enjoys challenging students to express the “big-idea” of their projects while also deepening their understanding of the craft of architectural design.
Marcus holds a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Master of Architecture from the University of Maryland at College Park. While at the University of Illinois, Marcus spent a year studying in Versailles, France, where he traveled to over 44 cities on sketch trips.
Education
Master of Architecture, University of Maryland at College Park; Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Tuition & Scholarship
Course costs should be calculated based on the university’s standard tuition and fees for undergraduate students and graduate students.
Students enrolled in winter and summer Global Classrooms courses may be eligible for the International Education Scholarship.
Questions & Contact Info
For more course information, contact Marcus Cross at mcross@umd.edu.
For general questions, please contact the Global Classrooms team at globalclassrooms@umd.edu.