One transformation among many in higher education is the turn toward experiential, hands-on learning including the design-build movement in architectural education. This paper on design practice reports on the pros and cons of experience with a design-build project in architectural education. "The Visionary" was inspired by the idea of creating the first ever walk-through human eye. The installation was designed, fabricated, and installed at the School of Optometry on the UC Berkeley campus by architecture undergraduates in the context of a design-build studio course with Professors Cranz and Duffy in the Department of Architecture in 2018. Student evaluations and staff-evaluations provide the basis for pedagogical lessons for other design-build projects in the future.
Keywords: built environment; design-build; experiential anatomy of the eye; pedagogy; public art; vision.