Thanks for the responses.
If I can I’ll look into Sustainable Architecture because that seems more functional/practical which is my kind of thing. While a building like the Museum of Contemporary Art in Rio de Janeiro might look cool, it doesn’t interest me as much as homes made with straw-bale construction or re-used shipping containers. The difference is, one looks cool but doesn’t do anything a “normal” building would do while the other serves a new purpose and just happens to look cool. Same thing goes for ID when it comes to shoes for me. I am more interested in creating sub-3 oz. track spikes than cool looking Jordans just to wear around. Whatever I choose, ID or otherwise, is there a way or place that would allow me to focus on the practical side of things?
Boston Architectural College has many excellent tracks in Sustainable Architecture that I believe go up to the masters level. If I had to go into architecture, I’d pick a REALLY good school. I’d also pick one that balanced the theoretical with the practical. I’ve come across recent architecture grads who had no actual building experience, as in they didn’t know how to build a structure themselves. When it comes to new experimental materials, it seems like a good idea to be an architect that gets their hands dirty. If you haven’t seen the documentary Garbage Warrior, you ought to. You can find it free to watch on you tube I think. Very inspiring.
Other non-traditional architecture schools are the Frank Lloyd Wright school where you spend several months in Arizona and Wisconsin designing and building houses for hot and cold climate respectively; and NASD in San Diego.
If you go to a school that’s not so “experimental” then you might consider also attending SFIA which is an extremely non-traditional fully-online program (have some classes on site too). Since they aren’t accredited you can’t get federal student loan money but their tuition is dirt cheap. You probably could never get a job as an architect going to SFIA but you probably could learn a lot from their AAS, BS and MS in Ecological Design (what they call sustainable architecture). I’m talking building out of cob, recycled materials like tires and glass, etc. I own several of the books they teach from and have learned a ton even though it has nothing to do with my career. I gravitate towards this style of architecture myself due to my personal disdain for suburban mcmansions and lifestyle.
If you just want to get a taste but maybe not a bachelors degree, you could even enroll in the fully online (regionally accredited) North Dakota State College of Science for their AAS in Architectural Drafting and Estimating program. It’s not architecture, but will at least expose you to the technical aspect of buildings from the ground up as opposed to designing. Good luck.