The School’s activities are centered in its landmark building, Paul Rudolph Hall (formerly the Art & Architecture Building), designed between 1958 and 1963 by Paul Rudolph, who was then the chairman of the Department of Architecture. In 2007 Paul Rudolph Hall underwent an extensive renovation overseen by Gwathmey Siegel and Associates Architects, who also designed the adjacent Jeffrey H. Loria Center for the History of Art, which houses the History of Art department. The Robert B. Haas Family Arts Library is also included in this building complex.

The School of Architecture’s design studios take advantage of light-filled, loft-like open floors. Students’ individual workstations surround common areas where group discussions and reviews take place. Also located within the building are classrooms; exhibition galleries; faculty and administrative offices; and material, wood, metal, computer, and digital-fabrication laboratories. Students have open access to the building twenty-four hours a day throughout the school year.

With a student population of about two hundred coming from diverse backgrounds with varying interests and opinions, the School is large enough to support a wide variety of activities and debate. Yet it is small enough to permit students and faculty to know virtually the entire School population as individuals. A wide range of student clubs and extracurricular groups allows students to collaborate beyond the classroom.

Students at the School are encouraged to avail themselves of the entire University. Many students take courses, such as those in history, psychology, studio art, and art history in Yale College and in the Graduate School. Students also take courses in other professional schools such as the School of the Environment, the Law School, the Divinity School, and the School of Management.