Portfolio Example 14: History & Theory grad explores experience of space
Mikhala Gibson has known since high school that she wished to study architecture. But, when it came time to apply to bachelor’s programs in architecture, she found she did not have a strong enough portfolio, a critical part of a winning application. Instead, she decided to enroll in Carleton University’s History and Theory of Architecture for undergraduate studies.
While Gibson was interested in the subject, she also saw it as a step toward a career in architecture. At Carleton, it’s possible to do a three-year Master of Architecture program, with a first degree in another field. “I wanted to be in a program that would give me some background to studying architecture,” she recalls.
In 2023, Gibson graduated with a BA in History and Theory of Architecture and an informed grounding in design and aesthetic theories through history. However, an intriguing and graphic portfolio of design ideas does not necessarily result from history studies. Architecture school applicants must demonstrate aptitude for design. This needs visualization skills as well as evidence of spatial thinking.
Mikhala Gibson, of Brampton, Ont. is in the second year of the three-year Master of Architecture program at Carleton University.
She holds a BA in History and Theory of Architecture from Carleton and developed a winning portfolio in the STUDIO FIRST summer program.
Gibson was prepared. During the summer of 2022, before her final year, she took STUDIO FIRST, a five-week online program that helps students generate competitive portfolio material.
“STUDIO FIRST taught me what types of thinking and work the acceptance committees were looking for,” says Gibson, of Brampton, Ont.
“This helped guide the work I would go on to produce for my portfolio. I ended up developing most of my portfolio during STUDIO FIRST. This was extremely valuable to me as the portfolio was the part of my application that I had been the most unsure about,” she says.
“The central idea I was trying to convey in my portfolio is that I am interested in how the experience of space can make you feel. I also wanted to convey that I am curious about how to represent space visually. I attempted to show this by pushing myself to explore ways of representation that were new to me.”
Gibson went on to apply to Master of Architecture programs at Carleton, University of Toronto, and University of British Columbia. This time, she was accepted by all three.
She chose Carleton. One reason was a clear plan in the first year to help students in the three-year program catch up to their peers in the two-year program who have already studied architecture.
She was also interested in Carleton’s emphasis on design, commitment to hands-on making, and opportunities to explore materiality through the Carleton Sensory Architecture and Liminal Technologies Laboratory (CSALT) lab, run by Associate Professor Sheryl Boyle.
“I hope that I can work with materials and explore how their properties and manipulation of them can allow for different experiences of spaces.”
Now midway through her degree, Gibson feels “incredibly fortunate” to be there. She has discovered that she loves her time in the workshops and appreciates the support given by the workshop instructors, Mark MacGuigan and Rob Wood.
“The opportunity I have had to explore different materials and model-making has been instrumental to my understanding of architecture.”
