School of Architecture Fall 2007 Florida A&M ... - FAMU SOA Home

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unique moment in time. You, as a unique individual, bring your own talents and views to a project. So no matter how many restrictions a design project has, there are always opportunities to be creative, to make a unique design. Remember that architecture is a social art requiring you to balance your own ego against the needs of the people (and animals and plants) that will be affected by your design decisions. The ethics of design is not a trivial concern. Design Process Making good architecture is an intense endeavor, even for the most skilled designers. Most good design evolves from a series of solutions that become more resolved (fewer conflicts, more harmony among the requirements of the design) with each succeeding solution. Students do not easily embrace this idea of an iterative, cyclical, process of design. This seems to be because your past academic experience has mostly involved doing an assignment once, handing it in, and moving on to something else. This is not how architecture is created, so in this course, you will definitely be required to work in an iterative way. It is extremely important, if you really want to be an architect, to learn all the lessons this course has to teach. A building that has a great spatial configuration but no structure to hold it in place is not architecture. What we ask you, as students in an educational setting, to do is reach a level of completion roughly comparable to what is usually achieved in architectural practice within a few days -- that is, the preliminary design level. At this level, space and building form, including the general form of the systems of support, materials, and service are delineated. Often, selected important details of construction are also explored. Contemporary architectural practice is usually a team endeavor, wherein people with different levels of experience and different areas of expertise collaborate closely. In school, this is more difficult, partly because all of you have roughly the same experience and skill level. In this course you will sometimes work together to develop background material for a project and you will meet in small groups to review and comment on each other's work. Learning through these group settings is an important component of the studio. NAAB Student Performance Criteria to be met by Design 3.1: 12. Human behavior Understanding of the theories and methods of inquiry that seek to clarify the relationship between human behavior and the physical environment. 14. Accessibility Ability to design both site and building to accommodate individuals with varying physical abilities 15. Site Conditions Ability to respond to natural and built site characteristics in the development of a program and design of a project Additionally, the course will touch on the following: • Research Skills • Critical Thinking Skills • Fundamental Design Skills • Collaborative Skills • Structural Systems • Environmental Systems • Building Envelope Systems At the end of the semester you are required to submit a brief 3.1 design portfolio (4 – 6 pages) that demonstrates achievement of the above performance criteria as well as a CD documenting your semester work. Design Media Designing involves the almost simultaneous use of many media to search for form through the exploration of the boundaries and conflicts inherent in the given project. The particular sequence of media use and emphasis will vary with the designer and project. Buildings and their settings are primarily three-dimensional. Accordingly, your design process will rely heavily on making models and drawing perspectives, axonometric drawings, and sections. You will work to scale, even in the earliest stages of a design project. Thus, in Design 3.1 we expect the emphasis to be upon drawing and physical models, rather than CAAD. Course Required Textbook Building Construction Illustrated, Francis D. K. Ching ISBN 0471358983 2
Course Recommended and Reserve Textbooks The Architect's Studio Companion (3rd Ed.) Allen and Iano (will be required for Design 3.2) Design-Tech: Building Science for Architects, Jason Alread and Thomas Leslie, ISBN 0-7506-6557-2 The Green Studio Handbook, Alison G. Kwok and Walter T. Grondzik, ISBN 0-7506-8022-9 Design Drawing, Francis D. K. Ching ISBN 0442019092 Form, Space and Order, Francis D. K. Ching ISBN 0442017928 Architectural Graphic Standards Student Edition ISBN 0471348171 Archispeak: An Illustrated Guide to Architectural Terms. Tom Porter. ISBN 0-415-30012-6 Sun, Wind and Light: Architectural Design Strategies, G. Z. Brown and Mark DeKay ISBN 0471348775 From time to time we will also put materials on reserve in the architecture library or post in the studio. These required readings will cover topics from aesthetics to technics relevant to the current design project. Logistics and Scheduling The first hour or two of Wednesday class will be devoted to a lecture, discussion, and/or an in-class exercise in the studio or a lecture or conference room. In-class exercises will be related to the current design project and will focus on required skill development, technical and theoretical issues. Students are required to be in class and working for the entire four hours of scheduled studio time, unless specifically told otherwise. Attendance will be taken at the beginning of class, and if shown to be necessary, at the end of class. Studio participation is a key part of course evaluation and your attendance, preparedness, and diligence will affect your course grade. You must have a workable drafting setup in studio even if you plan to work at home outside of class time. We strongly encourage you to make the studio your primary study environment as this creates the opportunity to learn from each other. The open studio arrangement on which the school is based is designed to encourage interaction across the year levels of the school. The fourth-year, fifth-year, and graduate students can be a valuable resource for many skills and ideas. A drawback of the open studios is that noise can easily travel from space to space. In deference to the others in the School of Architecture community, no loud talking or music is allowed. Use headphones if you want to listen to music. Do not disrupt or walk through other class meetings that are occurring in the School -- use common sense and courtesy. As with all your other classes, please turn all cell phones off during studio. Unless it is an emergency, your incoming and outgoing calls can wait until studio time is over. Several class meetings will occur on sites located within Tallahassee but off campus. Participation in such meetings is mandatory and transportation must be arranged individually or in groups. A studio field trip of several days duration is a possibility and participation will be mandatory for all students. Working with your Instructor It is to your benefit to actively seek out our help and take seriously the advice we give you. Our goal is to help you become the best designer you can be. If we point out weaknesses in your design, do not feel that we think less of you as a person. If you want us to help you, you have to be brutally honest with yourself and admit when you don't understand something or when you need help. The faster you make the mistakes that every novice designer makes; the faster you will become skilled. Le Corbusier stated that "creativity is a patient search." Searching involves uncertainty, and the searcher must be prepared to take some risks and to explore promising leads without complete certainty as to where they will lead. One of the best ways to avoid the anxiety associated with this search is to explore systematically, and documenting in a legible way the various alternative paths you have explored. With several alternatives evident, class discussions about your design will focus on the relative merits of your alternatives. A review will seem more an evaluation of your work, rather than of you personally. Using this approach you will learn to critically evaluate your own work and to be your best/worst critic. The true artist will smash the pot that does not meet his or her high standards. University ADA Statement It is the policy of Florida A&M University to assure that each member of the University community be permitted to work or attend classes in an environment free from any form of discrimination including race, creed, color, age, disability, sex, martial status, national origin, veteran status and sexual harassment as prohibited by State and Federal statues. This shall include applicants for admission to the University and employment. 3
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