The study of architecture as a speculation on origins is located at the conjunctive core of any liberal arts curriculum and serves as the physical armature and conceptual foundation of the University. This course is concerned with the contemporary imagination, attempting to make the discipline of architecture meaningful to a wide range of citizens in its public obligation to be constructive and optimistic in the most profoundly ethical, pragmatic, and magical of terms.

Explores and evaluates the properties of basic building materials and construction assemblies. Introduces building construction from a variety of viewpoints, with emphasis on ecological thinking in architectural decision-making. Students will analyze and critique materials and construction systems, and how they correspond to aesthetic, technical, financial and ethical issues.

This course introduces research methodologies within design and related disciplines. Students gather the appropriate resources and practice applying them to contextualize aspects of the built environment, learning techniques for conducting research and appropriate application of various methods. Students also utilize design processes to develop and refine research questions.

The second graduate foundation studio develops spatial, programmatic, tectonic relationships through the design of a civic, urban institution. Students utilize architectural design as a form of analysis and exploration. Primary modes of architectural design include physical model-making at multiple scales, analytical drawings in plan and section, the study of material tectonic precedents, and the visual and verbal articulation of an argument.

A graduate-level introduction to structural design that uses mathematic and geometric principals to inform design tools and methods based upon an understanding of material and structural behavior. The course covers statics, material mechanics, computational analysis and design, and the behavior of structural systems through a framework involving ethics, climate, and culture.

This graduate-level course introduces novel workflows for the design of structurally informed architecture using emerging methods in computational structural analysis and parametric design. Students will build upon their understanding of conventional material mechanics and structural analysis to design materially-efficient structures that combine architectural intent with an understanding of how structural action can be manipulated.

The Building Workshop II addresses building science and technology topics that influence the built environment for safe and healthy human occupation. BIW 2 focuses on tactile material practices and innovation through prototype fabrication, digital simulation, and physical performance testing.

The Building Integration Workshop Series addresses building science and technology topics that influence the built environment for safe and healthy human occupation. BIW III focuses on the synthesis of building structure, construction, energy use, and ethical considerations. Students develop a complete architectural project, critical building sections, and construction details using Building Information Modeling and other tools.

This course offers a foundation in understanding climate and energy in buildings and cities, and teaches the tools to parametrically analyze, model, visualize and design for energy impacts. Starting from real energy in real buildings through physical and data exploration, the course then teaches parametric tools to propose interventions and analyze for performance. The course is open to students in both Architecture and Engineering.

Earth's ecosystems are unraveling at an unprecedented rate, threatening human wellbeing & posing substantial challenges to contemporary society. Designing sustainable practices, institutions, & technologies for a resource-constrained world is our greatest challenge. This integrated and interdisciplinary course prepares students to understand,innovate & lead the efforts necessary to engage in this task. Graduate course will have additional course requirements.