A New School

This film tells the story of the founding of The New School, which later came to be known as The Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc). It provides an oral history from those who were there in 1972, when students at Cal Poly Pomona rebelled against the architectural pedagogy of the status quo, and followed the vision of architect Ray Kappe to create a new culture of experimental design. Faculty, alumni, and their contemporaries reflect on the renegade spirit of the school, the ways in which it changed the cultural landscape of architecture in Los Angeles, and how SCI-Arc continues to innovate as a world leader in architectural education. Featuring: Ray Kappe - Founder and Director of SCI-Arc 1972 - 1987 Michael Rotondi - B.Arch ’75 and Director of SCI-Arc 1987-1997 John Souza - B.Arch '74 and Faculty Thom Mayne - Co-founder and Faculty Bill Simonian - Co-founder and Faculty Margaret Crawford - Faculty and Chair of History, Theory, and Humanities Program Ahde Lahti - Co-founder and Faculty Rick Gooding - B.Arch ’84 Shelly Kappe - Co-founder, Faculty and founder of Design Forum Public Lecture Program Sylvia Lavin - Critic, Historian, and Curator Pearl M. Brickman - M.Arch '79 Beth Gibb - M.Arch '89 Kevin McMahon - Library Manager Lisa Russo - Registrar/International Advisor Lee Tabler - B.Arch '76 Todd Gannon - Faculty and History + Theory Curriculum Coordinator 2008-2017 Crew Credits – Production: SCI-Arc Channel Creator and Executive Producer - Hernán Díaz Alonso SCI-Arc Channel Executive Producer - Reza Monahan SCI-Arc Channel Creative Director - William Virgil Director - Phil Logan Sound Recordists - Phil Logan, Michael Rice, Sally Glass, Shelley Holcomb Archival Image Researchers - Kevin McMahon, Elizabeth Smilek, Sukanya Mukherjee Post-Production: Story Producers - Cathy Hue, Phil Logan Editor - Phil Logan Soundtrack - Phil Logan ©2025 SCI-Arc Channel