Architecture Program Report Master of Architecture - Roger Williams ...

Course:
ARCH 416 Advanced Topical Design Studio: Urban, 5 credits
Boston: Inner Belt and Brickbottom, Somerville: Reinventing the Edge
Course Description:
This advanced design studio examines the role of Architecture as a critical component of the larger built
environment and of the public realm. As such, the projects engaged within this studio focus on issues and
concerns impacting local and/or global communities. This studio also explores the role of architecture in
relation to allied disciplines such as Urban Design, Historic Preservation, Planning and Landscape
Architecture, and in relation to the various formal and informal constituencies that influence the shape of the
urban fabric.
Course Goals & Objectives:
The site on an incredible land resource with an unprecedented potential for access to existing and proposed
transit infrastructure compared to any site outside of downtown Boston. The overarching opportunity here is to
leverage these assets to set up conditions through an urban framework that will transform this area into a
thriving, mixed-use, mass transit based, equitable, economically productive and sustainable urban
neighborhood. Students will have the opportunity to meet with various constituents from the community, city
and the State government and present their final project to them.
To understand traditional and emerging urban and development patterns for American cities
To understand issues associated with post-industrial lands and develop creative and
transformative alternatives
To understand the impact and role of large projects such as the stadium and transit line
in revitalizing parts of cities
To understand the architectural typologies of various program elements
To evaluate the environmental impacts of urban development and find ways to minimize them
To develop critical thinking and visual communication skills in order to engage the public by working
with the constituents and local community on critical issues.
Student Performance Criteria addressed (designated NAAB Coverage only):
A. 10. Cultural Diversity
C. 2. Human Behavior
C. 6. Leadership
C.9. Community and Social Responsibility
Topical Outline:
1. Research (team) 10%
2. Site Analysis (team) 10%
3. Master-planning (team/individual) 25%
4. Architectural Scale (team/individual) 20%
5. Final Comprehensive Presentation 25%
6. Participation / Process 10%
Prerequisites: ARCH 313 Architectural Design Core Studio V, Arch 321 Site + Environment, Arch 322
Acoustics and Lighting, Arch 325 History of Modern Architecture
Textbooks/Learning Resources:
Johnson, Stephen; A Natural History of Innovation; Meyer, Han; Delta Urbanism, The Netherlands;
Greenberg, Ken; Walking Home; Surowiecki, James; The Wisdom of Crowds
Hillier, Bill; Social Logic of Space; Wheaton, Williams; Urban Economics and Real Estate Markets; Varanasi,
Kishore, Private Urbanism
Offered: Fall 2011
Faculty:
Kishore Varanasi, Adjunct Faculty