How does one teach architecture and construction in the first year of study, to students with a range of preexisting experience and potential? As a passionate teacher of architecture for many years, Annette Spiro has pondered this question extensively. Her aim has always been to spark students’ enthusiasm and creativity, while at the same time teaching them to cultivate expertise and attention to detail in their research and design.

In six sections, How to Begin? spotlights the various aspects and influences that come into play in students’ first year of coursework. Assembling three of Spiro’s lectures, interviews with students, and weekly exercises, this volume also includes a comprehensive glossary delineating key ideas and theses in architecture, as well as a logbook of supplementary events and publications that contribute to shaping the first year of studies in architecture.

Annette Spiro is professor of architecture and construction at ETH Zurich. Friederike Kluge is cofounder of the architectural office Alma Maki in Basel.