Syllabus

rev :: 2008.02.04

Goals & Objectives

The fourth semester of architectural studies at Carnegie Mellon University is concerned with the detailed development and refinement of architectural design as informed by the technical and aesthetic knowledge related to the meaning and usage of materials and the act of construction. This is the fourth lecture course of the technology sequence and focuses on the principles of building construction utilizing contemporary systems. Materials and Assembly, taught in parallel with the design studio and Structures I, allows in - depth exploration of the fundamentals of contemporary construction systems [HOW], while the studio provides a simultaneous setting for the application and synthesis of this knowledge [WHY].

The assembly content of this course examines the selection, design, preliminary sizing and methodology of construction systems in wood, masonry, steel, sitecast concrete and precast concrete, including the applicable fundamentals of enclosure systems. The materials science content of the course examines construction materials with regard to their process of manufacture, their physical properties, their environmental performance and their methods of selection and specification.

Prerequisites

Calculus, Physics, Statics, Structures (Co-Requisite)

Policies

Classes: Attendance in this class is a measure of your professional attitude toward your studies, however attendance is optional. To enhance the effectiveness of this course, arrangements have been made for guest lecturers, hands-on events and field trips during class times. Attendance is mandatory at these events.

Blackboard: All announcements and grades will be posted on the Blackboard system. The calendar and all lectures will be maintained on the Andrew course web site.

Cheating & Plagiarism: Students in this course will strictly comply with the University's policy on cheating & plagiarism.
(Click here). In order, incidents will be dealt with at the School, College and University levels as required. All incidents will be reported to the Office of Student Affairs.

Lab Fee: To cover the cost of hard hats (which you get to keep) and transportation expenses for field trips a flat fee of $30 will be charged to each student.

TA's / Office Hours: The TA's for this course are Alyssa Kuhns, Rachelle Roll, Craig Rosman. Their office hours will be determined mutually with the students. Additional, hours/ recitation sessions can be scheduled if demand warrants. I am available in the Intelligent Workplace by appointment. You can reach me on campus at X83528; at TAI + LEE, Architects PC: 412.880.4020; at home: 412.681.7220, or via email: stevelee@cmu.edu.

Homework: There will be five (5) homework assignments due on Thursday at 5:00pm in the Intelligent Workplace. Late homeworks will not be accepted. An important learning objective of this class is on the techniques and means of representation that architects use to communicate the materials and methods of assembly to those that will be doing the actual construction. There are many tools of representation available to us - verbal, analog (pencil, paper, physical models) and digital (computer drawings, models). Given the extensive digital work to which you have been exposed in three semesters, the requirement of this class is to complete all drawing assignments and exams with pencil (0.9mm, HB) and paper.

Testing: There will be an open note mid-term exam and an open note final exam for this class.

Studio Crit: Each 48.205 student will be responsible for scheduling an individual crit with me between the Project #3 Mid-Review #2 and the Final Review. During this crit, each students will present the tectonic resolution of their studio projects as a means of demonstrating their ability to apply the principles of M&A to their design work. Crit Requirements

Materials Notebook and Presentation: In conjunction with the Building Study project in the studio, each studio team will compile a formatted digital notebook containing examples of your chosen material. Each team will be scheduled to present their findings during the last two days of class. Material Studies Assignment

Grading

The exams will be graded on a curve. All other grades are WYSIWYG.
For reference: R < 60 < D < 70 < C < 80 < B < 90 < A.

Books

Required

Allen, Edward; The Architect's Studio Companion: Technical Guidelines for Preliminary Design; John Wiley; New York; 1989.

Allen, Edward; Fundamentals of Building Construction: Materials and Methods; John Wiley; New York; 4th edition. (3rd Edition is OK)

Recommended

Allen, Edward; Architectural Detailing: Function Constructibility Aesthetics; Wiley; New York; 1993; 720.284 A42a

Philosophy

THE ROLE OF HANDS- ON LEARNING IN A UNIVERSITY BACHELOR OF ARCHITECTURE CURRICULUM

Traditional Bachelor of Architecture Curricula

Traditional undergraduate architectural curricula have tended to separate technology courses - which introduce fundamental knowledge - from studio courses, which focus on synthetic skills. A cursory review of university catalogs available on the World Wide Web reinforces this perception. The majority of curricula are studio oriented and those studios have ill-defined or non-existent thematic descriptions such as Design I, Design II, etc. The catalogs indicate the traditional technology courses, such as construction, structures and mechanical systems exist as islands onto themselves.

These courses are taught by a different group of faculty and there exist no explicit linkages between these courses and the studios that are being taught simultaneously. The credit hours for studio dominate the credit hours for the curriculum and not surprisingly, students invest their time and energy in the studios at the expense of the "other" courses.

The Carnegie Mellon University Curriculum

The curriculum at Carnegie Mellon University describes a very explicit pedagogical model for the conduct of its design studios. The studios of each semester have a common theme with direct linkages to pre-requisite and co-requisite courses within the curriculum. The themes of the ten studios at CMU range from experiments in building design with computer modeling and wood shop to urban design and architecture in the urban context. The complementary course sequences fall thematically in the following areas: engineering, building science, design science, and architectural history and theory.

All design studio faculty members are selected on the basis of strong design ability coupled with an associated knowledge base. This is critical to the success of an integrated curriculum. If the students perceive that an instructor has a viewpoint and emphasis that differs from the theme of the studio, the collective efforts of the faculty of that studio are seriously undermined. Further, the majority of full-time faculty members teach a studio and a complementary course each semester.

Architectural Design, Materials and Construction

The specific studio described in this paper is the spring semester of the second year entitled, "Architectural, Design and Materials", an eighteen unit (six credit hour) course. The students in this studio have successfully completed three previous semesters of design studio plus introductions to world and architectural history, calculus, physics and statics. The co-requisite courses are Materials and Assembly (M&A) and Structures, nine unit (three credit hour) technology classes.

There are four studios with individual instructors in this semester and one coordinator, who is the lecturer from the M&A course. The coordinator takes the responsibility for developing the syllabus, the lecture series, the semester schedule, the common problem statements and serves as the roving critic for each studio. The lecture topics include a history of materials and construction, the constructive aspects of the elements of architecture, the aesthetics and theory materials and case studies of architects whose work exemplifies knowledge and skill related to specific materials.

Over the course of the semester, the students work on two design projects plus an in-house design competition shared between the studio and M&A. The design competition held in the Spring of 2000, was the design of new pre-cast concrete planters for the University Center.

The final reviews of the projects are done jointly by all faculty of the studio with participation of the combined student body actively encouraged. The joint faculty review requires the student to respond to questions and comments from a variety of points of view and to defend the specific approach that they have taken. The final grade that a student receives represents the combined assessment of the faculty; eighty percent the individual instructor, ten percent the coordinator and ten percent the remaining studio faculty.

Materials and Assembly

Materials and Assembly is a "traditional" technology that relies upon lectures, hands-on events and analytical exercises as the didactic method through which the students learn the tectonics of making architecture. The syllabus includes material on wood, masonry, steel, site-cast concrete and pre-cast concrete construction systems and an introduction to enclosure systems. The content of the classes includes guest lecturers from industry, digital multimedia, slides, overheads, and video.

Conclusion

The lectures and hands-on demonstrations of the M&A course, the lectures and roundtables of the studio course and the intensive studio interactions between student and faculty have been carefully orchestrated to facilitate the transfer of knowledge and skills to maximize learning potential.

The intensive focus on the theme of this semester, the relationship of design and materials, in both studio and technology classes, emphasizes the importance of this topic and allows the student multiple ways of accessing the knowledge. With its introduction at this early phase of the curriculum, the students learn that technology is not something to be done by others but is a fundamental way of conceptualizing and exploring architectural design.

It is the shared opinion of the semester faculty, and possibly more importantly, the faculty of the successive studio that this model has been working. After six years of experience with and fine-tuning of this pedagogical model, the successes are evident in the student work when compared to the work completed under the traditional models of the past. Students are able to complete the studio with a higher degree of confidence and sense of accomplishment and a higher degree of competence because of the integrated nature of the teaching.

The common theme and integrated methodology for the semester:

creates an explicit focus for the studio so that subsequent studios can rely upon the fact that specific material has been covered;

facilitates the application of knowledge gained in one class to the studio activities;

encourages the students to work with their peers and allows the students to see alternative approaches to the same problem;

improves participation during class time and;

it's a lot of fun.