Architectural Design I

Catalog description

Studio studying the core methods of the discipline of architectural design and developing skills related to its expression and communication. This course prepares students to understand fundamental architectural elements and concepts, to develop a sensitivity and awareness required for valid interpretations, and to develop a reflective and critical design process with emphasis on one's individual ability to articulate ideas. The major means of accomplishing this is through the design of simple buildings and environments. The semester is divided into two halves: The first half of the semester focuses on fundamental and abstract principles of architectural design, and the theory associated with design principles. It covers architectural fundamentals such as drawing and making models through a series of abstract exercises, and introduces the principles and methods used at various stages of design analysis and synthesis processes. The second half of the semester makes a transition from abstract principles to fundamental architectural design principles such as function, scale, and structure to concepts of space and form, as they pertain to small scale design projects. The assigned projects explore and develop conceptual strategies for fundamental formal and spatial design, emphasizing the role of ordering principles and of fundamental architectonic elements in the implementation of design intentions.