Beller, Richard  

Mr. Beller was one of the COOLEST teachers I've had here at Poly so far. Not only that, but he really knows his stuff and how to keep his lab group interested in it. If you're hoping on just sitting there and doing nothing on his field trips, CHANGE TEACHERS and let someone else appreciate his abilities. But down to the specifics, he's a pragmatic grader, so he'll let you 'break the rules' if you turn out good work. You'll learn alot on his field trips, but he'll gladly share even more knowledge with you if you ask him. Also, some say he resembles Bob Vila...

Beller is a good lab instructor and a great guy. He treats students as equals, a characteristic every student hopes for. Not only does he know his materials but he also has a genuine interest in the profession. He shares with students how the profession is today rather than talk about how it was ten years ago, another characteristic students hope for.

Beller is one of those guys that just starts out treating you as if you are one of his buddies which was really cool. He knew what he was doing and he has the ability to point out the things that are actually of importance while telling you what you don't have to worry about. He was cool and as the above person said he was willing to bend the rules if you were doing good work. He made what would otherwise have been a very boring lecture series into a lot of fun visits because he just seemed to fit right into the construction setting which made everyone feel comfortable. I can't really say enough about this guy but from what I have heard about all of the other 106 lab professors, Beller is by far the best. And yes he does resemble Bob Villa.

Richard's great i class. He explains everythig very well. He's clear and to the point. He makes things simple to understand and has you do lots of drawngs to mke sure you know what you're doing. I had his class integrated with Tom DiSanto's class and I really liked how we took a project and designed it in Tom's class but made it buildable in Richard's class. His grading is fair throughout the quarter although, at the end of the quarter when grades came out, we were all a full grade point lower than we expected...I thought I ws getting an A- and got a B-. He also kep telling us that we were doing well so we're a bit puzzled. Mystery still to be solved...

"time management; two words: start early". definitely not as stressful as some of the other professors like robert or jeff, but it's still architecture, so it's still a lot of work and pressure. he's a fair grader, and helps you out when you get stuck in your projects. i learned a lot in his studio. he's a great professor, and a great person. i would recommend taking him, you will not regret it.

I think this has been by far one of the most frustrating classes and teachers I have ever had. Disorganization is the name of the game. There is a clear distinction between who he does and does not like. Your treatment and his oppinion of your work is based upon his opinion of you, not your abilities. Not recomended for anyone who wants a valuable conversation about the content of the course. His knowledge appears to be lacking.

Beller was an excellent ECS teacher. He had great knowledge about sustainable architecture and design. There was some dry number crunching involved in the class, but he did take us on field trips to look at sustainable buildings. Going on field trips and reasearching LEED awarded buildings made me realize that Green architecture doesn't have to be ugly. He understands that as architects we are often pressed for time and must focus mostly on studio, and adjusts coursework accordingly. Overall, I would say that he is a good teacher and would recommend taking him.

Taking this instructor is like being in a Twilight Zone episode. You just can

This studio was super unorganized. He didn\'t have a project in mind when the quarter started, and even though he said he was going to \"be Democratic\" and let us make the decisions, he\'d veto everything we agreed on. There were about four weeks wasted at the beginning just on site selection and analysis and case studies. He purposely never told us what he expected us to have (because we\'re fourth-years, after all), but still had in his mind exactly what he wanted (like in second or third year). All in all, a very frustrating class. I would NOT recommend taking his studio for any term after third year.

If you can organize your schedule well, take him; as you will get lots of free time outside studio except for around 2 pin-ups/reviews per quarter. If you think you need someone to guide you through your thesis year, or you really want to develop well on your thesis and design, DO NOT take him. For those of you who participate in the overseas program, you will understand what he is doing in studio. In the name of letting you to control everything, he just does the minimal work for his students. Seriously speaking, I do not think he performs the basic requirement that a teacher should perform, and you can probably finish your thesis year without discussing anything with him. And when he needs to show some projects in the faculty meetings, he will start to urge the studio to make some progress. (YES. When he needs something to show.) Conclusion: DO NOT TAKE HIM.