Learning Objectives and Outcomes
Architecture 681 has the goal that students achieve the following:
- Ability to engage in an effective design process that entails cycling and iteration
- Ability to use research and design precedents effectively
- Ability to explain exterior and interior design decisions verbally and in concise narrative form
- Ability to use 2D and 3D media to clearly and evocatively present and document design ideas
- Ability to develop concepts that integrate site, human activity, structure and building materials
Project
The project is a small urban mixed-use technology start up building on a site on the edge of Portland’s East Side Industrial Reserve.
Critical design issues
- The urban condition – how the design of an individual building contributes to a larger urban context.
- The multistory building – massing, internal organization of space and circulation in plan and section, designing façades.
- Configuring spaces to effectively support activities of a program with multiple components
- Utilization of structure and building construction to inform spatial order and architectural expression.
- Room design – how to make an appropriate and beautiful room.
- Sustainability – understanding the key opportunities and challenges specific to the project in a way that dramatically reduces or eliminates the need for fossil fuels and respects natural habitats.
Critical process issues
- Conceptual thinking – utilizing imagery, models, drawings, and words to clearly articulate design intentions at each cycle of design.
- Conceptual and analytic diagramming.
- Sketching and drawing (both by hand and computer) to explore spatial qualities of site, building, room in plan, section, elevation, and perspective.
- Making models (both physical and digital) to develop three-dimensional design explorations.
- Exploration of materials and color through media.
- Creating final presentations of high quality.
Instructional Methodology
The course sequence is organized as three interactive studios in which students engage in independent project-based learning. Faculty support student explorations by informing students of resources, suggesting approaches and methods, and raising questions for individual use in recycling design work and for group discussion. Emphasis will be on a mutually supportive studio environment stressing collaboration and design development through recycling of ideas. Work must be developed and shared in the studio. Class meetings include a variety of communication and project-development formats including desk critiques, pin-ups, reviews, in-class discussions, team work sessions, lectures, and occasional field trips. Reviews will be organized so that students revolve through small groups over the course of the term. Design critiques will include feedback from peers as well as the three instructors.
Learning Environment
Weblog participation and related sketchbook work for diagramming ideas is required. The weblog posts will provide two mechanisms for learning:
1) the collection and organization of work in a single shared-learning space and
2) the use of comments between students for peer-to-peer-learning and to enhance writing ability.
The sketchbook is a place for notes, in-situ drawing, and drawing to test ideas. You should diagram and draw. Examples will be provided. A diagramming method of thinking / visualizing in the mind (including graphic differentiation) and then concisely drawing the idea in 3D will be presented.
