syllabus

COURSE SYLLABUS

I. BASIC COURSE INFORMATION

Course Title: Introduction to Architecture

Course No: ARCH 100S 01

School: CCPS Department: Program: Architecture

Days: Saturdays Time: 09:30am – 12:50pm Location: Pratt Manhattan

Credit Hours: 2 Room: W14-407

II. INSTRUCTOR CONTACT INFORMATION

Name: Michele Gorman

Academic Title: Visiting Assistant Professor

Contact Information:

Email: mgorman6@pratt.edu (michelegorman@hotmail.com)

III. COURSE DESCRIPTION

“Every touching experience of architecture is multi-sensory; qualities of space, matter and scale are measured equally by the eyes, ear, nose, skin, tongue, skeleton and muscle. Architecture strengthens the essential experience, one's sense of being in the world, and this is essentially a strengthened experience of self. Instead of mere vision, or the five classical senses, architecture involves several realms of sensory experience which interact and fuse into each other.”

:: Juhani Pallasmaa, The Eyes of the Skin

Bulletin Description:

An introduction to ideas, principles, concepts & methods of architectural design in a studio environment. The course will employ a graduated sequence of exercises culminating in an integrated final project exploring the architectural concepts of form, space, program, and site. Using the fundamental architectural elements of point, line, plane, volume, void, all work will progress as a process towards a final review demonstrating the students understanding and application of these concepts & skills.

Students learn to develop design solutions to a series of architectural problems through sketches, descriptive drawings & models that introduce the student to the fundamental principles of architectural design. Instruction relies on highly personalized guidance and critique at both the level of the individual student and the entire class. Students are encourages to work together, help each other establish creative solutions, and engage in a critical discourse of the projects.

Detailed Description:

The course consists of assignments of increasing skill level and complexity that focus on developing analytical, conceptual & representational skills. We will begin by simply, investigating principles of design in two dimensions, then increasing depth and spatial thinking progressing to three-dimensional. The students will learn to move fluidly between two and three dimensions to traverse scale, rhythm, time & movement. We will introduce the underlying principles of architectural design that form the basis of the common language that architects use in order to analyze, critique, evaluate & design buildings that transcend styles, operating with the intelligence of the architect beneath the surface differences/similarities. Students will discover features shared by all works of architecture, features essential to understanding and practicing the discipline. Engaging and mastering these

principles is the work of a career spent in pursuit of knowledge & understanding, we will focus in order to privilege the following selection of features:

Scale | Rhythm | Order/Rule Based Systems | Structure | Proportion | Movement | Space | Form

In an ever more interconnected, globally aware and conscious world we will strive to introduce questions of sustainability in a broad sense throughout the curriculum. The issues will range from material & structural considerations to productive and sustainable work habits. Students are encouraged to think and act environmentally, understanding the architects responsibility to both the natural and build world, with both the methods they employ and work they produce.

Each section will follow a similar project sequence consisting but not limited to the following:

• 2-D Design & Representation

• 3-D Design and Representation

• Experiencing Architecture: relating body and architecture.

Course Goals:

The Pratt Pre-College program is an inclusive, immersion program that aims to serve as an enriching, empowering & fun experience for students, helping them make more informed decisions when approaching college selection. The program aims to prepare students for successful application and admission into college. The pre-college courses are modeled after Pratt's first year undergraduate program in the major of choice.

Student Learning Objectives:

• Demonstrate an understanding of theoretical concepts in architecture & communicate them effectively.

◦ Material properties of light, volume, space, rhythm & scale.

◦ System design strategies that traverse and incorporate multiple scales of spatial interaction.

◦ Abstract and concrete representation and simulation of three-dimensional + space.

• Demonstrate an understanding of the principles of visual perception and the principles of systems of order that inform two and three-dimensional design

• Demonstrate an ability to apply knowledge and skills acquired, such as free hand & technical drawing, conceptual model building, and material explorations to develop complex three-dimensional spatial systems.

• Demonstrate an understanding of concepts and technical skills in architecture, such as:

◦ Employing representational media to convey formal elements at each stage of the design.

◦ Performing comprehensive analysis and evaluation of a body in space; including its formal, spatial & material qualities.

◦ Illustrating proficiency in various representational and generative architectural design techniques.

• Demonstrate an understanding of independent & creative thinking skills.

• Demonstrate an understanding of constructive critiquing & listening skills.

• Demonstrate an understanding of the professional practices of architecture.

Course Schedule:

Week 1: 02/1 Introduction to Architecture:

What is architecture? What do architects do? Why study architecture?

Exercise: Rule making, workspace setup, drawing the grid, line-weights, Points: ideal vs. real points.. Point annotation. Sketching assignment.

Project 1.1: Body | Action :: Extracting Points

Week 2: 02/8 Body | Action | Spatial Relationships Observation and Mapping:

Representation Techniques, the role of representation, Flat Space Drawings.

Exercise: Investigating found relationships between point and line through mapping. Line-weights and types. Sketching assignment.

Project 1.2: Body | Action | Mapping :: Drawing Point – Line Relationships

materials needed: drafting supplies (mechanical pencil and pencils, long ruler, triangles, t-square, erasure

Week 3: 02/15 Translation | From 2D to 3D:

Introduction to modeling, translate 2D points and lines to 3D

Exercise: Component making, modularity. Modeling safety. Documentation: documenting dynamic action over time, Scanning drawings. Sketching assignment.

Project 1.3: Body | Action | Space Mapping :: Constructing Point – Line Relationships

materials needed: 1/8” x1/8” basswood sticks or 3/16” basswood dowels, Olfa knife, cutting mat, Easy Cutter (optional), bring $5 so you can purchase medical tubing from me (25 cents/foot)

Week 4: 02/22 Aggregation of a Part to a Whole | Parameters & Iterations

Aggregation of parts, part to whole relationships, emergent orders

Exercise: Production of components, modularity. Documentation: documenting dynamic action over time. Sketching assignment.

materials needed: 1/8” x1/8” basswood sticks or 3/16” basswood dowels, Olfa knife, cutting mat, Easy Cutter (optional), bring $5 so you can purchase medical tubing from me (25 cents/foot)

Week 5: 3/1 Movement | Documentation & Analysis

Documentation: Techniques of architectural drawing for analysis. 1. Analysis of the Moving Body 2. Documenting your dynamic model through projection

Exercise: Finalize the model and test performance. Documentation of model movement. Body movement over time and analytical Drawing Techniques to find program of circulation in order to sequence components. Projecting points and lines from model back into 2D drawings (top and side view). Analysis of performative models through manipulation and drawing movement over time. Talk about your work: Describe, evaluate and speculate. Photographing models.

Project 1.4: Body | Action | Diagramming :: Showing Movement

Week 6: 3/8 VOLUME | Forming Space:

Describe surface to generate occupation opportunities. Volume. Occupy your structural frame. Form generation techniques

Exercise: Translate line to plane. Find potentials of your structural frame for occupation. Photograph model and collage in scale figure. Sketching assignment.

Project 1.5: Body | Action | Space Transformations :: Line – Plane – Surface Models

***NOTE: If you have SATs, your absence is excused

Week 7: 3/15 Site Analysis | Site Drawings | Urban Edge Gallery:

Site Visit | High Line Park: Sketch & Photograph the site, begin to develop a narrative of the architectural environment. Pay attention to people, vehicles, landmarks, weather...pay attention. Sketch movement through the space. Based on observed activities, select program of the body for your gallery. Take measurements of the site and sketch plan and elevation.

Project 2.1: Site Observation & Analysis, Plans and Elevations

***We will be off campus for our site visit to the High Line park. We will meet in the classroom at 9:30 am and leave at 9:45am. We will return to the classroom by 12:45pm. Please ask your parents for permission to leave campus.

Week 8: 3/22 Site Construction | Urban Edge Gallery

Group site model & Site Occupation Strategies.

Exercise: Construct a site model of a portion of the Highline.

Project 2.2: Form in Context :: Architectural Scale

Week 9: 3/29 Skeleton/Skin | Urban Edge Gallery: Study Model and Movement

Final Gallery Design & Model

Exercise: Develop an armature in response to site, use and inhabitation. Sketch space/movement/sequence. Sketch ideas about how model can be manipulated in response to the activity of the body through the space. What are the dimensions of the body, as it performs the activity, and how does the model respond to this? How does the model respond to the site conditions?

Project 2.3: Final Gallery Deliverables

Week 10: 4/5 Sited Construction | Urban Edge Gallery: Skeleton/Skin

Introduction to Jointed Wood Modeling:

Tectonics

Exercise: Final construction of armature and skin for activity surfaces and enclosure.

Post to Blog for comments. How do lines and planes meet to form enclosure.

Week 11: 4/12 Sited Construction | Urban Edge Gallery: Finalize

Exercise: Photograph a narrative sequence of movement, shade, and shadow.

Post to Blog for comments.

4/19 SPRING BREAK, NO CLASS

Week 12: 4/26 Project Documentation & Review Installation

Final Gallery Design Drawings & Documentation

Exercise: Photography and drawing plans and elevations of model with scale figures

week 13: 5/3 Sited Construction | Urban Edge Gallery: Finalize & Project Documentation

Exercise: Finalize drawings and scan drawings. Submission of all digital scans of drawings and photographs of models on a cd.

NOTE: If you have SATs, your absence is excused

Week 14: 5/10 Final Review

Exercise: Pinup, discuss work

IV. COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Textbooks, Readings, and Materials:

Technical (do not purchase: pdf excerpts to be uploaded to Blog throughout the semester):

E.G. Pare (et.al), Descriptive Geometry, Prentice Hall, N J, 1997

Francis Ching, Design Drawing, Wiley, New York , 1998

Francis Ching, Architectural Graphics Wiley, New York,4th edition, 2002

Kevin Forseth, Graphics for Architecture Wiley, New York, 1979

Theory (do not purchase: pdf excerpts to be uploaded to Blog throughout the semester):

Allen, Stan. 1999. Points and Lines. New York, NY: Princeton Architectural Press.

Bourely, France. 2002. Hidden Beauty: Microworlds Revealed . New York, NY: Harry N. Abrams

Bachelard, Gaston. 1994. The Poetics of Space. Boston: Beacon Press.

Calvino, Italo. 1978. Invisible Cities. New York: Harvest.

Deleuze, Gilles. 2005. Francis Bacon: The Logic of Sensation. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press.

Deleuze, Gilles. 1993. The Pleats of Matter.” The Fold. Minneapolis, MN: The University of Minnesota Press.

Francis, George K. 2006. A Topological Picturebook. New York, NY: Springer.

Haeckel, Ernst. 1974. Art Forms in Nature. New York: Dover Publications.

Kandinsky, Wassily. 1979. Point and Line to Plane. New York: Dover Publications.

Klee, Paul. 1968. Pedagogical Sketchbook. Farrar, Straus, & Giroux.

Pallasmaa, Juhani. 2005. The Eyes of the Skin. GB: John Wiley &Sons Ltd.

Project(s), paper(s), assignment(s):

Students are expected to attend class, complete assignments, and participate in class discussions. In this twelve class program, small objects will culminate in a larger, more complex and comprehensive project. The final project will be an open air temporary “event” space located in Manhattan's High Line Park. The “event” space will allow an observed or acted event on the Highline to occur (example: walking down the stairs, skateboarding, painting, napping, etc.).

Deliverables will be as follows:

• Body Action Space Drawings & Photographs

• Surface Model Studies & Drawings

• Surface Structural Models & Drawings

• Urban Edge Space: drawings, photographs & collage

• Urban Edge Space: model & studies

• Documentation of all models & drawings

We will continuously work through a sequence that shifts back and forth between 2D and 3D investigations & representations. The transition between the flat and volumetric space is an essential feature of architectural design. Both modes will help us develop a more integrated understanding of the principles listed above. Specifics for each assignment will be provided on individual assignment sheets.

Projects & Assignments (Daily exercises and assignments will be given in class.):

1. Body | Action | Space Exercises

2. Surface Exercises

3. 3D Point | Line | Plane Exercises

4. Urban Edge Gallery

Assessment and Grading:

Grading Criteria

The breakdown of your grade is based upon the following:

• Participation, including attendance and timeliness 10 points

• In Class Exercises 25 points

• Project 1 25 points

• Project 2 30 points

• Final Review 10 points

Final Grades

A (92-100%) B (82-91%) C (72-81%) D (66-71%) F (65% and Below)

Required Materials List:

Large Folio: (min. 20 x 30) for transporting material between home & campus

Sketch Book: Binding that will open flat, 8.5”x11” with tear out pages.

Transparent Tracing Paper: 1 Role, White, 18”

Tape:: ¾” Drafting, ¾” Scotch Matte

Mechanical Pencil: 0.5mm lead (with eraser)

Pencils: 4H, 2H, HB, 2B, 4B

Ink Pen: Black (preferably Pilot Precise V5 Extra Fine or Fine)

Erasers: Kneaded, Graphite/Soft, Gummy

Cutting Mat: 18 x 24” Minimum, self-healing

Olfa 9mm Knife: Wheel-Lock utility knife

Olfa 9mm Blades: 1 Pack

Metal Straight Edge: 18” minimum with cork bottom and safety edge

Metal T-Square 18” minimum

Large Drafting Triangle Set: 1. (30 60 90) 2. (45 45 90) 3. Adjustable Triangle

Architects Scale: 12”

Paper Glue: Elmer’s

Chipboard / Museum Board: TBD

Construction Paper: 9”x12” (assorted colors)

Bristol Paper: 19”x24”, 120lb

Vellum Drawing Paper: 19”x24” #110M Technical Vellum

~14”x17” Strathmore drawing pad

Basswood sticks: 1/8” x1/8” basswood sticks or 3/16” basswood dowels, various other sizes TBD

Medical Tubing (teacher to purchase and supply to students, students to bring money to reimburse teacher)

Easy Cutter (optional)

Supplies available @:

Manhattan:

+Pearl Paint Art Supplies

308 Canal Street

+Utrecht

111 Fourth Avenue (between 11th and 12th Streets)

237 W 23rd Street (between 7th and 8th Aves.)

+A.I. Friedman

W. 18th Street (between 5th and 6th Aves.)

V. PRATT PRE-COLLEGE POLICIES

• Unexcused absences from class, weekend activities or a lecture may result in the following consequences:

◦ Discussion with the student, a written warning is given to the student, and parents may be notified.

• Excessive absences may result in the following consequences:

◦ Student may be called in for a review, placed on academic probation, and assigned disciplinary action; including being restricted to supervised workspace /detention, the lowering of grades and/or dismissal from the program*. Parents may be notified.

• Unexcused and/or excessive lateness in class or lectures may accumulate and be counted as an absence.

VI. PRATT-WIDE POLICIES

Institute-wide policies listed in the “Community Standards” section of the bulletin:

Refer to Institute policy:

• Attendance

• Assignments, exams and tests; timeliness and make-up

• Academic Integrity and Plagiarism

• Computer, Network and Software use

• Disability

• Grading, including “incomplete”

• Environmental, health and safety issues

Pratt Institute:

Students must adhere to all Institution-wide policies listed in the Bulletin under “Community Standards” and which include policies on attendance, academic integrity, plagiarism, computer, and network use. Students who require special accommodations for disabilities must obtain clearance from the Office of Disability Services at the beginning of the semester. They should contact Mai McDonald, Disability Services Coordinator, in the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs, Main Building, and Lower Level: 718-636-3711.

Additional Policies:

• Students must be able and prepared to present and discuss their work.

• No cell-phone, tablet, computer use in class unless required by professor.

• Food and beverages are not allowed in the computer labs.

• Social interaction is encouraged up to the point it begins to interfere with the task at hand.

• We will take a 10 minute break in the middle of each class session, apart from these scheduled breaks students are expected to be engaged with the work of the class during the entirety of class periods.