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Architecture, Design & Materials Studio Coordinator: Kai Gutschow Spring 2007, CMU, Arch #48-205, M/W/F 1:30-4:20 Email: [email protected] Class Website: www.andrew.cmu.edu/course/48-205 Off. Hr: M/W 12:30-1:30pm & by appt. in MM307 (1/11/07)S’07 SYLLABUS “As architects, we are united in our love of the physical world. We like to touch and make real things.” - B. Tsien “Material itself is dead and lifeless. It is only given life by form,breathed into it by the creative will of the artist.” - W. GropiusOVERVIEW: Building on the fall “Composition” studio, the spring semesteris concerned with more in-depth understanding and developmentof designs for small-scale buildings, now informed by greaterknowledge related to materials and the act of construction. Weseek to explore the aesthetic and experiential meaning ofmaterials (WHY?), and the technical knowledge related to theuse of materials and the processes of construction (HOW?). The creative opportunities and design implications of usingvaried materials, structural systems, and assembly techniquesare elaborated, especially as they determine the artistic,conceptual, poetic, creative, spatial, and experiential aspects ofarchitecture. The studio, the lectures, and the required “BuildingStudy” will focus on the application and integration of knowledgeacquired in a parallel “Materials & Assembly” course 48-215. Objectives: To analyze and think critically about the role thatmaterials, assembly methods, and construction play in existingarchitectures, and applying this with intent as part of a larger,synthetic and creative design process in your own designs. Todefine strategies for problem solving, conceptual developmentand poetic expression at all levels of the design process, largeand small, conceptual and real. To develop structuredarguments about your design intentions and the means tocommunicate them effectively, especially with regard tomaterials and construction. As in the fall, the focus of both theteaching and learning must be in 6 areas: 1) Attitude; 2) VerbalAcuity; 3) Drawing Clarity and Power; 4) Robust Models; 5)Conceptual Clarity and Richness of Detail; 6) Theory. PROJECTS: The semester will consist of three inter-related projects, thesame for all studios, although each studio will explore thethemes of materials and assembly with unique accents:- Proj. 1 Temporary Library: design a small, temporarylibrary in a very limited palette of materials. The focus will be onthe scale of the human body encountering the materiality ofbooks and architecture in a small-scale design.- Proj. 2 Building Study: analyze a building focusing on howa specific material functions to determine form, space,experience, and meaning. Material to be selected in associationwith assignments in concurrent M&A class. - Proj. 3 Neighborhood Library: design of a larger,permanent neighborhood library focusing on the role of materialsand assembly in reference to context, function, experience,space, and meaning. In order to encourage a robust designprocess, a “Design Summary” will be due after the first mid-review, a detail of the building will be explored at large scale,and modified structural drawings will be prepared for the designin the concurrent M&A class.Arch. 48-205 -- Architecture, Design & Composition Studio, Spring 2007 Syllabus, p. 2 STUDIO WEBSITES: www.andrew.cmu.edu/course/48-205/, details all assignments, due dates,readings, schedules, student work, useful links for research, etc.LECTURES: In addition to studio, there will be a series of communal lectures related to the studioprojects and on architectural theory (M,F 1:30-2:20, MM103, see schedule for details). You arerequired to attend ALL lectures, to take notes, and to be prepared to discuss the lecture in studioand in some in-class exercises. Integrate what you learn and see in lecture into your design work. In addition, students are expected to take advantage of the excellent anddiverse lectures and cultural events throughout CMU and Pittsburgh, andlisted through the “Passport” program.SEMESTER SKETCHBOOK: As in the first year, a sketchbook (8.5"x11"black spiral bound recommended) is required. Instructors want to "see yourwork." You should save and date all sketches, study models, photos, ideas,etc., and keep them in your sketchbook and/or an ordered portfolio for reviewat the end of each project and semester. Make a conscious effort to recordyour design process, especially through your sketchbook. A sketchbook is aninvaluable tool in the design process and life of an architect. This isespecially the case in a studio that works at all scales from concept andurban plan to details and bolts. The sketchbook is a resource for exploring,understanding, recording and questioning what we can see, hear andexperience about architecture, in studio, in lectures related to architecture(history, statics, drawing), during self-motivated research and reading, on sitevisits and field trips, and in the world around you. It is a place to work spontaneously andexperimentally with new and unfamiliar ways of working, thinking, and communicating. It is aplace for critical thought, dialogue, and reflection. It is an opportunity to orchestrateobservations and ideas over time, a reservoir for synthesis of many disparate thoughts andinspirations. The sketchbook is a trace of your thought process where inter-connections, bothpurposeful and serendipitous, should come to life and influence your design. PROJECT DOCUMENTATION: Communicating your ideas clearly, and documenting yourwork effectively is a crucial part of the design process and becoming an architect. As part ofan effort to record your work for the future, especially for website and portfolio, all students willbe REQUIRED to create effective and graphically well-designed project documentation sheetsusing a prescribed “template” of all their designs after each review. The 8.5"x11" pages will besubmitted in hardcopy and as pdf files to the Blackboard system. See the studio website andthe TAs for scheduling, process, formatting and other details & suggestions. TA WORKSHOPS: Our TA Michelle Lopez ([email protected]) will hold regular help sessions andteach skills to help insure success in 2 year, including workshops on project documentation & portfolio,ndpresentation & media, time management, integration with M&A, etc. BIBLIOGRAPHY / RESOURCES: Make a habit of going to the library


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