Syllabus
Last Updated on 2019.08.26 by Slee
"But if you consider the present to be merely an instant between the past and the future, just a passing moment, then to neglect the past and future for the present is bad quality indeed."
Robert Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
The SoA has a long history of design-build as an important component of the pedagogy for our 1st professional degree programs. The previous M. Arch program (1990's) relied on a yearlong introduction to the 3-year curriculum through the lens of design-build, with completed projects in Pittsburgh, Western PA and West Virginia. Steve Lee lead the Solar Decathlon teams in 2002 (with Liza Cruze), 2005 & 2007. John Folan created and has lead the Urban Design/ Build Studio (2008) and Project Re_ (2014) since his appointment at th SoA in 2008. Starting in the fall of 2019, the design-build will be lead by Liza Cruze and Steve Lee, in collaboration with the urban studios run by Stefan Gruber and Jonathan Kline.
The S19 ASO studio under Stefan's direction worked with the Wilkinsburg Community Forge and created a masterplan of improvements to the parking lot/ playground. The first phase of that masterplan was built by SoA faculty / students, Forge stakeholders and community residents. The F19 DBS will work on a component from that materplan - the porch.
The expectation is that fundraising by Wilkinsburg Community Forge will be successful during the spring enabling a summer or fall build phase of the porch on site depending upon student interest/availability.
The following criteria will be used to evaluate student work in this studio:
- Aesthetics: The degree to which the proposed building responds to formal issues as articulated in this and prior design studios.
- Experience: The degree to which the design uses a thoughtful narrative and carefully articulated spaces to create meaningful experiences for the user.
- Tectonics: The degree to which the set of selected components and systems and their proposed implementation create a specific expressivity, are appropriate to the intended occupancy, articulate the desired architectural order, and satisfy the physical design requirements.
- Enclosure & Materials: The degree to which the set of selected building materials, components and systems and their proposed implementation are appropriate to the intended occupancy, articulate the desired architectural order, and satisfy the physical design requirements.
- Environment: The degree to which the design integrates passive and active strategies to contribute to the environmental performance of the school and tp be a teaching tool for the users
- Constructability: The degree to which the proposed porch and ancillary structures are informed and developed in response to an understanding of the processes of construction.
- Presentation: The clarity, craft and completeness of the presentation(s).
Learning Objectives
As a result of this course, a student should be able to:
- learn to form and to work in teams to accomplish a common goal
- understand the phases of design-build, from schematics to construction documents to scheduling to costing to procurement to construction
- demonstrate the form making implications of structural systems
- demonstrate the energetic implications of materials selection, enclosure systems and building form
- integrate multiple systems to achieve elegance, efficiency and economy in design
- develop criteria for evaluating design alternatives
- generate - represent - evaluate multiple design alternatives
- draw technical documentation for the project using the conventions of architectural representation
Reading & Reference
Good Stuff (48.305 Research Guide)
Courses Policies
Studio Schedule for 2019
This studio will meet in MMCH 312 on Monday and Friday of every week from 12:30 - 4:20pm. This four hour chunk of time is to encourage good working and learning habits. Arriving at or 12:45 or 1:00pm and leaving by 4:00pm is contrary to the development of effective work habits. Pin-ups and board crits will be interspersed as determined by your instructors. When workshops are not on the schedule, Steve and/or Liza will be available by appointment on Wednesdays between 13:30 - 4:20pm for optional pin-ups and board crits.
Attendance & Deadlines
This studio will follow a rigorous attendance policy. Students must be in studio working on studio projects every scheduled studio day. This means at one's desk or crit spaces, not in the CFA Visualization Cluster, not in dFAB, not in Hunt Library Cluster, etc. New work must be developed for each studio session. We follow a simple policy: No Work - No Crit.
In no case can a student expect to receive a passing grade without regular attendance and participation in class. Simply submitting projects, regardless of quality, at mid-semester or at the end of the semester will not allow a student to receive a passing grade.
You must meet each established deadline during the semester. Failure to do so means you will not be able to pin-up for reviews and will result in a reduction in your studio grade.The coordinator, in consultation with the studio instructor, will not permit a student to pin-up for major reviews and will lower the final grade of any student with excessive, unexcused absences.
Absences
Students must notify faculty in advance of planned absence for religious holiday or school-related event (i.e. varsity sports trip). If you have an unplanned absence for medical or personal reasons, let the faculty know of your situation as soon as possible. In case of an extended absence for medical or personal reasons, contact Erica Oman, SoA Academic Advisor, by mail, e-mail or phone, who will notify the appropriate faculty. Faculty reserve the right to request a formal document verifying a medical excuse.
Grading Standards:
- A: Superlative or exemplary work, initiative beyond the description of the problem. Significant understanding of the problem. Conceptual clarity. An attitude of self-motivated exploration, open-mindedness, and a willingness to benefit from criticism.
- B: Very good, some exemplary work, a thorough understanding of the problem. Project displays conceptual foundation, well crafted. Competence and mastery of skills. Open, inquisitive attitude.
- C: Satisfactory or adequate work that meets the minimum requirements of the problem and course. Shows understanding of the problem, with some deficiencies. Reasonable mastery of skill and concepts. This grade is seen to represent the average solution.
- D: Passing, work that is complete, but does not show an understanding of the problem or expectations, and demonstrates deficient skills. Work often attended with belligerent or closed-minded attitude with respect to criticism and self-motivation. Although technically passing, this work is unacceptable in a professional program and can lead to being dropped from the B.Arch program.
- R: Failing work that does not meet the requirements of the studio, shows a serious deficiency in skills or is incomplete. Raises questions with respect to the future success within the program.
Academic Integrity
Carnegie Mellon has established a well-defined policy on this subject and it will govern this studio. The full policy is here:
Facilities
The studio spaces are the heart of the physical environment of the School. The maintenance of the studio is the responsibility of the students. The studio is home to both your colleagues and your faculty. The configuration is a design problem that must serve many needs from individual expression to group meetings and communication.
We will be relying heavily upon the SHOP, and to a certain extent, dFAB to fabricate and assemble the prototypes, so pleas emake sure you are up to speed on safe use of the equipment and know the reservation system(s).
Students are responsible for cleaning up the studio, both your personal space as well as the common spaces, the SHOP and dFAB at the end of the semester. The costs to the School of additional cleaning to the facilities at the end of the semester, or the costs of repair of damage to the facilities beyond regular wear and tear will be evenly divided between the students in the studio. The cost will be directly charged to each student account.
Special Needs
Students with any documented medical, psychological, or learning conditions that require special classroom accommodations should obtain a letter of accomodation for this studio from the Office of Disability Resources. Please submit copies of the letter to the coordinator and your individual studio instructor as soon as possible, so that we may make the appropriate arrangements. In the event of any emergency or other special situations, please contact the coordinator as soon as possible so we can make arrangements with respect to studio, or see Erica Oman in the main office (412-268-1345; eharp@andrew.cmu.edu).