Syllabus

Last Updated on 2020.01.14 by Slee

The basis for the Advanced Construction Studio is the expectation that the student retains and applies knowledge gained each semester to current assignments in the studio. The Advanced Construction Studio at Carnegie Mellon University is concerned with the detailed development and refinement of architectural design as informed by the integration of structural, enclosure, environmental, and material systems and the process of construction. The student is expected to comprehensively articulate concepts and develop designs with more precision and in greater detail than done in previous studios and courses.

...quoting Bjarke Ingels, "Sustainability can't be like some sort of a moral sacrifice or political dilemma or a philanthropical cause. It has to be a design challenge." ...quoting Greta Thunberg, ""You must unite behind the science. You must take action. You must do the impossible. Because giving up can never ever be an option." - US Congress, Washington DC, 17 September 2019 ...quoting Robert Pirsig, "The way to solve the conflict between human values and technological needs is not to run away from technology. That's impossible. The way to resolve the conflict is to break down the barriers of dualistic thought that prevent a real understanding of what technology is--not an exploitation of nature, but a fusion of nature and the human spirit into a new kind of creation that transcends both."

To enable students in this studio to achieve the ambitious learning objectives, the model of a studio coordinator, a studio consultant, individual studio instructors and a concurrent workshop/lecture series has been implemented. The studio coordinator and consultant will present the workshop/lecture series and assist the students with the application and synthesis of the knowledge that series and from pre-requisite studios and technology courses through pin-ups and board crits. They will be available for design reviews on a weekly basis. The program for the semester-long project will be the same for all students to encourage dialogue and to maximize learning opportunities from observing multiple approaches to design. The sites for the design proposals will be different for each studio to increase the number of contexts to which the students become familiar and to learn the influence of site and context on design decision making.

The work in this studio also includes a class wide sketch problem. The sketch problem is designed to have you rapidly consider all of the issues to be covered by the studio, to interpret solutions from the analysis of source material and to generate - represent - evaluate - design alternatives.

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.
Structure, 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 achieve triple botton line performance.
Constructability: The degree to which the proposed building is 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:

translate a program into a building design that responds to user requirements
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

As a part of the SoA curriculum structure, this studio contributes to satisfying the criteria for NAAB Realm C: Integrated Architectural Solutions. Graduates from NAAB-accredited programs must be able to demonstrate that they have the ability to synthesize a wide range of variables into an integrated design solution.

Student learning aspirations for this realm include:

Comprehending the importance of research pursuits to inform the design process.
Evaluating options and reconciling the implications of design decisions across systems and scales.
Responding to environmental stewardship goals across multiple systems for an integrated solution.

The Specific Student Performance Criteria are:

C.1 Research: Understanding of the theoretical and applied research methodologies and practices used during the design process.
C.2 Integrated Evaluations and Decision-Making Design Process: Ability to demonstrate the skills associated with making integrated decisions across multiple systems and variables in the completion of a design project. This demonstration includes problem identification, setting evaluative criteria, analyzing solutions, and predicting the effectiveness of implementation.
C.3 Integrative Design: Ability to make design decisions within a complex architectural project while demonstrating broad integration and consideration of environmental stewardship, technical documentation, accessibility, site conditions, life safety, environmental systems, structural systems, and building envelope systems and assemblies.

Readings & Reference

Important excerpts from the required books are here:

The books are here:

Books

The research guide is here:

48.305 Research Guide

Courses Policies

Studio Schedule for 2020

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 instructor(s). We will meet in MMCH 103 and MMCH 312 on Wednesdays at 1:30pm for workshops/lectures as scheduled. When workshops are not on the schedule, the coordinator will be available Wednesdays from 1:30 - 4:20pm for optional pin-ups and board crits. Periodically, this time will be scheduled for presentations from the co-requisite Real Estate and Practice & Ethics courses.

Software

The technical documentation for this studio MUST be prepared using Rhino, AutoCAD or Revit using the architectural conventions that you have previously learned - the use of Adobe Illustrator is strictly prohibited and will result in a lowering of one's semester grade. If you do not know how to use these tools, please ask.

The digital workflow workshops will introduce you to new tools as well as relying on tools that you already know. To make the workshops effective for you, these applications and plug-ins need to be running before you attend. Here are the links for you to download:

Climate Consultant (download both version 6.0 and 5.3)
Enscape
DIVA & Archsim
ClimateStudio
a link for Covetool will be provided as soon as we have CMU's approval.

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 studio. 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.

Statement on Student Wellness from the Eberly Center

The Advanced Construction Studio team is committed to supporting your learning and well being. Take care of yourself. Do your best to maintain a healthy lifestyle this semester by eating well, exercising, avoiding drugs and alcohol, getting enough sleep and taking some time to relax. This will help you achieve your goals and cope with stress.

All of us benefit from support during times of struggle. There are many helpful resources available on campus and an important part of the college experience is learning how to ask for help. Asking for support sooner rather than later is almost always helpful.

If you or anyone you know experiences any academic stress, difficult life events, or feelings like anxiety or depression, we strongly encourage you to seek support. Counseling and Psychological Services (CaPS) is here to help: call 412-268-2922 and visit their website at http://www.cmu.edu/counseling/. Consider reaching out to a friend, faculty or family member you trust for help getting connected to the support that can help.

CaPS: 412-268-2922
Re:solve Crisis Network: 888-796-8226

If the situation is life threatening, call the police

On campus: CMU Police: x82323
Off campus: 911

If you have questions about this or your coursework, please let me know. Thank you, and have a great semester.

Absences

Students must notify faculty in advance of planned absence for religious holiday or school-related event (e.g. 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 and Heather Workinger, SoA Academic Advisors, 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

Your studio instructor is responsible for developing the weighting of assignments and participation as it relates to your final grade in your individual studio. The evaluation from the coordinator and the consultant will be factored into your final grade.

Given the significance of this studio on meeting NAAB criteria, the SoA stipulates that, "The 48-305/640 Architecture Design Studio: Integration II (Advanced Construction) must be passed with a C or better to enter the Advanced Synthesis Options Studio (ASOS) sequence."

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.

stripstripaasstr

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 well-defined policies on this subject and it will govern this studio.

...quoting the from the Policy on Academic Integrity: In any manner of presentation, it is the responsibility of each student to produce her/his own original academic work. Collaboration or assistance on academic work to be graded is not permitted unless explicitly authorized by the course instructor(s). Students may utilize the assistance provided by Academic Development, the Global Communication Center, and the Academic Resource Center (CMU-Q) unless specifically prohibited by the course instructor(s). Any other sources of collaboration or assistance must be specifically authorized by the course instructor(s).
In all academic work to be graded, the citation of all sources is required. When collaboration or assistance is permitted by the course instructor(s) or when a student utilizes the services provided by Academic Development, the Global Communication Center, and the Academic Resource Center (CMU-Q), the acknowledgement of any collaboration or assistance is likewise required. This citation and acknowledgement must be incorporated into the work submitted and not separately or at a later point in time. Failure to do so is dishonest and is subject to disciplinary action.

In this studio, a single violation of this policy will result in the lowering of one's semester grade by one letter. Repeated violations will result in one failing the course. All violations will be reported to the department head.

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.

Students are responsible for cleaning up the studio, both your personal space as well as the common spaces at the end of the semester. The costs to the School of additional cleaning in the studios at the end of the semester, or the costs of repair of damage to the studio 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).