This studio course emphasizes conceptualization and synthesis of complex programs in contemporary contexts at multiple scales.Prerequisite: ARCH 3010

Independent Design Research Studio for 4th year students in their final year. Prerequisite: ARCH 4010 and ARCH 4100, permission of the chair.

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.

This course takes a systems perspective to study and design for sustainability in the built environment at various scales (e.g., materials, buildings, cities, and regions) and for different types of systems (e.g., physical, social, information). Students from SEAS, A-School, and other majors are welcome in this course, which emphasizes interdisciplinary design collaboration and diversity of thought.

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.