architecture program report - University of Massachusetts Amherst

ARCH-DES 401 Design IV 4 credits
Instructors: Brause, Chao, Lugosch, Mann, Miller Pollin, Schreiber
Course Description:
Design IV builds on areas of inquiry pursued in earlier studios. We will start by undertaking a group research
project that will set the course for the in-depth exploration of a complex building type: a small elementary school.
This semester-long project will proceed by moving between pragmatic and poetic methodologies as we interpret
both the functional and meaningful criteria of this rich program.
From our group research, we will expand our inquiry through individual conceptual experimentation, returning to
ground ourselves in real-world parameters. Our investigations will move between analytic and synthetic
modalities as we explore local sites with both empirical and theoretical lenses. Precedent studies will emphasize
conceptual, spatial, organizational and material strategies.
We will investigate different scales from the individual experiential realm of the classroom to the communal
realm of the complex. The length of this project will stress iteration, multiple modes of exploration and integration
of prior knowledge. It is intended that a disciplined and thorough three-dimensional investigation will result in a
carefully prepared, beautifully crafted and graphically sophisticated final presentation.
Learning Objectives:
• Develop an individual design process through iteration in sketching, drawing and modeling.
• Understand diagramming as an analytical and generative tool.
• Understand precedent research as a conceptual tool.
• Investigate different methodologies for design.
• Develop an awareness of the importance of reading and writing in the design process.
• Develop multi-scalar thinking to expand the range of scales and level of detail at which one designs.
• Gain experience working with a real client and real sites.
• Gain practical documentation and presentation skills.
• Study and apply relevant codes.
• Understand the role of the studio environment for expanding collective inquiry
• Understand the role of presentations as a means to clarify one’s own intentions and build a shared body
of knowledge.
Course Requirements:
This studio will be one semester long project divided into a series of exercises of varying lengths designed to
take students through a large architectural project from different angles of inquiry. The project will be developed
through making drawings, models, photographs, and presentation boards.
RESEARCH
There will be one group presentation and publication. Fieldwork, research assignments and reading are integral
to the studio work. Graphic and verbal presentation should be both expressive and precise. Students should be
particularly prepared during this studio course to work in groups. The first part of the semester will be team
directed. Each student will have a specific assignment but full and supportive participation in the group project is
required. Class participation is particularly important to sustain this group process.
REVIEW/CRITIQUE
Students should plan to develop their projects between studio sessions and to be prepared to meet during studio
hours. Individual desk critiques will offer the opportunity to engage in direct discussion with the faculty member
about their work in progress. There will be preliminary and final reviews at each stage of this project. Some will
be “in-house” and some will have outside critics. Presentations should feature convincing evidence of design
process as well as final drawings and models.
Analysis and Representation II will proceed concurrently with this course. There may be opportunities to work on
studio projects during A+R labs and to build digital, analytical and presentation skills in A+R that will enrich
presentation of studio projects.
Text:
Prerequisites:
Arch-Des 400
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