FIRST YEAR STUDIO SYLLABUS 2012 2013

The architectural design studio Year one 2012/2013 Prof Dr Inass F Hamdy Prof Dr Mohamed A Hanafi Dr Mohamed S Ibrahim Dr Ingi A Elcherif Eng Sherif El-Dakkak Eng Rania Raslan Eng Israa hanafi Eng Samar El-Tahan Eng Mahmoud Gomaa Eng Amira Ammar The Architectural Department, Faculty of Engineering, Alexandria University Alexandria – 21544 - Egypt Tel: (++203)592-1852 Fax:(++203)592-1853 http://www.alexeng.edu.eg “Those who have studied architecture undoubtedly have vivid memories that characterize their design studio experience Late nights, exciting projects, extreme dedication, lasting friendships, long hours, punishing critiques, unpredictable events, a sense of community, and personal sacrifice all come to mind Those aspects are not usually written into the curriculum or even the design assignments, but they are likely the most memorable and influential The experiences, habits, and patterns found within the architecture design studio make up what we have termed "studio culture." AIAS (American Institute of Architecture Students) Table of Contents Table of Contents 10 Guide to Studio Culture Studio Etiquette Attendance policy Assignments Time Management Desk Crits Design Reviews Materials Course Portfolio First Year Learning Objectives Learning objectives Guide to Study Programme 11 The design projects 11 Evaluation criteria 12 Submission deadlines 13 LIBRARY and reading lists 13 Feedback 14 Architecture Studio & Briefs 15 MODULE 1A – INTRODUCTION 17 1A04- ORTHOGRAPHIC PROJECTION: MODULAR COMPOSITION 25 1A05- ARCHITECTURE COMMUNICATION: DRAWING & MODELLING 27 MODULE 1B –THE EARLY STAGE 29 Part one – To Create 31 ARCHITECTURE DESIGN STUDIO 1B 32 1B01- CARTESIAN CUBIC SPACE: MODULAR CUBE COMPOSITION 32 1B02- PARAMETRIC CUBIC SPACE: CUTTING-PLANES COMPOSITION 35 Part Two – To Recognize 38 1B03- TO SEE: SEEING SHAPES 39 1B04- TO SUPPORT: SUPPORT THE CUBE 42 Seeing, Appreciating and drawing workshops 45 1W01-SURVEY01 - TAKING VISUAL NOTES 45 Module 1C –The mid Stage 52 ARCHITECTURE DESIGN STUDIO 1C 55 1C01- TO DESIGN: DESIGN STUDIO CUBICLE 55 General Aim EXPERIENCING ARCHITECTURE Needless to say that the final stage’s projects are no more abstracted or generalized design subjects, they are mainly architectural projects in real context This also means that they are architecturally defined in the way that allow students in design studio to integrate what they have been learning into their design process and develop conceptual ideas that bring elements of design into a whole Do not typify the project, balanced thinking behavior requires rational and imagination as well Guess, uncertainty and ambiguity are keys for the emergence of unexpected solutions even for the most routine problems; it is therefore suggested to not fix the description of the project to a specific typology Instead, teachers can introduce the design problem as a question and allow for different interpretations, giving rationale for the design (the problem, function, purpose or whatever) and opening the imagination to help creativity and creative solutions coming out from a wider perspective, not only from processing and handling of the design details Limiting the description of the project to the requirements of a specific type will most likely lead students to a typological search in the architectural data books and another for similar cases -again- under the same typology The suggested approach replaces the typology with its main question (for example replacing a house project with a space for living or sheltering or dwelling …) Through this approach, students are introduced to the idea at a fundamental level, they accordingly rely on questioning the design subject itself, what could it be? Their respond to this guess opens the probabilities for different interpretations and their architecture is thus born out of the human needs and activities Responding to the design problem from its first principle appears to have the potential to create designs that could be more different from existing designs than other design methods(Rosenman and Gero, 1993) It also gives students the opportunity to examine the requirements divorced from structural representations (at least at that level of representation) In designing from first principles most of the creativity is achieved in formulating the operational objectives, which is in the investigation of the requirements and what is needed to satisfy them in terms of required performance Therefore, this process of goal decomposition forms an important part of creative design Teachers, on their side can help students focus on pattern recognition through encouraging a perspective which emphasizes a more integrated and holistic view 67 Studio Brief The evaluation of the “Evaluation” stage Generally in the beginning studio projects, the students’ design process is seen as important as their end product But in evaluating the final stage’s success, the steps taken from the beginning of the process until the end are more important (Utaberta et al., 2010, Seymour, 2008) Chances for monitoring the students’ progress are greater for the final stage’s projects as the allocated time is probably enough and consequently more focus is given to the design process Firstly, the focus is given to the evaluation of their selflearning process, the way in which they have benefited from precedents, their previous experimentations and the whole year teachings Secondly, the evaluation of the evaluation of their self-criticism, the rationale behind their decisions, the logic they based their evaluation on, the pedagogical outcome of the previous (Rolheiser and Ross)’s stages and most importantly the way they did respond to it in the transformation of design and the generation of alternatives In order to better understand how students design, a set of techniques should be developed for monitoring, analyzing and criticizing their design processes As students complete design projects, data could be collected on the methodologies that they followed and analyzed to profile how effective did the beginning design students apply their learned knowledge and how did they went through their own design process This will also identify those design practices that are most likely to be either problematic or successful; this should be highlighted while giving students feedback that they could use to improve the quality of their work Experiencing may include role playing Finally, it is time for students to make order in the world they deal with It could be worth trying to take students from their design boards and monitors seats to experience design at a more realistic way Even if this included some role playing, clients conversation or site problems investigation or anything that captures the attentions and stimulates the sense for a more realistic experience REMEMBER THAT: Once the abstractness of the design problem fades away, unveiling some concrete meanings, the students’ response will become more significantly affected by their own perception of the problem With regard to this stage’s examples, the problem is clearly architectural, it is therefore not unexpected to see some architectural reflections in the students’ work from their surrounding environment These reflections are the outcomes of what could be described as contextual preconceptions 68 Studio Brief Architecture design studio 1D: Brief “Creating Places and Spaces that enrich the lives of the people who use them is the foundation of Architects work Every building can and should engage in a dialog with the history, beliefs and needs of a particular place and time Identification of place lies as a generative core of architecture Place is to architecture as meaning is to language Recognition, memory, choice, sharing with others, the acquisition of significance; all these contribute to the process of architecture.” (Unwin, 2003) “Architecture is the physical language of city-and community-building The city is a living organismwith a unique culture and a past called a “contextual history” and a future in which new buildings act as the threads that weave the cities living traditions into new and whole fabric Architecture projects need to be perceived as part of implementing an urban design project which entails gathering insights into urban fabric and how people use urban spaces The role of a Designer is to work on many scales, thoughtfully designing public places and spaces, to build on the unique local character and the best qualities of the forms inherent in that geographic region.” (Gindroz and Levine, 2002) However reluctantly, it must be admitted that many large American cities are somewhat hostile to humanity Due to a seeming revival of interest in the ‘quality of living’ these cities are becoming better places to live in and spend time We continue to look towards the ‘world cities’ and their architecture for good examples, souvenir cities and buildings of royalty and gracious places – urban plazas, squares and arcades , water-fountains, glimpses of history preserved, cafes open to promenades and urban parks, visual surprises and contrived delights Our cities should have these pedestrian urban spaces where the quality of life in a particular city clearly perceives the tangible and intangible elements – the power of anticipation and surprise, the mystery, the pull of waterfront, the excitement of arcades, the appeal of people-watching in plazas, the surfaces and objects of the city We move from appreciating the natural context to another place, in another context, a Man-Made one We also move from designing from outside to inside to the opposite side from inside to outside (Specter, 1974) 69 Studio Brief 1D01- TO DWELL: Experiencing Architecture As a progression from ‘to appreciate', the task of ‘to dwell’ is more complex and has more aspects to be considered We are through with simple needs, we need to survive and flourish, it is time to stay, reflect, and inhabit a landscape; it is time to make a home and build a future What determines if ‘this place/structure/space is right?’ what does ‘to dwell’ mean? “Man dwells when he can orientate himself within and identify himself with an environment, or, in short, when he experiences the environment as meaningful Dwelling therefore implies something more than ‘shelter’ It implies that the spaces where life occurs are places, in the true sense of the word A place is a space which has a true character.” Christian norberg-schulz, genius loci: towards a phenomenology of architecture THE PROJECT Development plans based on new projects and investments offer large numbers of work opportunities, especially for young graduates Those plans usually include midclass housing projects Hence, within the framework of the national development plan of the governorate of Marsa Matrouh, and more specifically El-Salloum Plateau, on the North-Western coast of Egypt, it is suggested to design a residential project It is supposed to be a nucleus for a new environmentally friendly, contemporary architecture as an extension for the city of Salloum On a maximum area of 10000 m2 across El-Salloum Plateau, your project shall take advantage of the natural topography characterizing the Plateau, its temperate climate, and its location overlooking the Mediterranean Sea ASSIGNMENT (1) Within a maximum area of 120 m2, your task is to design a dwelling Your designed unit, HOME for a family of four (father, mother, and two kids), must accommodate the following:  Reception zone  Dining zone  Living zone  Sleeping zone  Facilities: kitchen and bathroom(s) Based on your research of the theories and space requirements of residential units; the specification of zones’ areas and their relations to each other is part of your task 70 Studio Brief ASSIGNMENT (2) This home is not a stand-alone building; it is the basic modular unit in an APARTMENT COMPLEX With respect to the site, environmental aspects (sun direction, daylight considerations, and natural ventilation), families’ privacy, and accessibility (horizontal and vertical circulation), design different arrangements for your basic unit to create a modular composition of apartments Using 90 apartments distributed over a minimum of floors and a maximum of 5, you are encouraged to provide space for terraces and gardens, to create green community, easily accessible spaces, with nice views and connections with surroundings SUBMISSIONS Start Tuesday 19th of March – End Tuesday 14th of May (8 weeks) ASSIGNMENT (1) Housing unit research Sat 23rd March Mid Term Exam Tue 2nd April Design review (Sketches & study model) (unit) Sat 6th April Design review (Drawings & study model) (unit) Sat 13th April Design review (Full drawings set) (unit) Sat 20th April ASSIGNMENT (2) Housing Compounds research Tue 23rd April Design review (units composition) Tue 30th April Design review Tue 7th May (Composition, accessibility, vertical & horizontal circulation) Sat 11th May Final Design review (Layout model, presentation technique, Typography, Diagrams etc) Tue 21st May Submission DELIVERABLES (Scale to be confirmed) On A2 Photohole boards you are required to submit the following:  Site view (showing your site surroundings, entrance, … etc)  Furnished Plan (Unit + Cluster)  Elevations (Unit + Cluster)  Sections (Unit + Cluster)  Perspectives  in addition to any other drawings and diagrams that support your design MATERIALS Drafting tools; enough amounts of A4/A3 tracing-paper Appropriate model-making materials 71 Studio Brief REFERENCES Neufert, E & Neufert, P, (2000) Architects' Data (3rd Edition) Blackwell Science Ltd London ASSESSMENT CRITERIA DESIGN Spatial integration Design Performance Visual Impact VISUAL COMMUNICATION Orthogonal Drawings Rendering & Presentation 70% 20 % 40 % 10 % 30% 15 % 15 % 72 Studio Brief 73 Studio Brief 74 Studio Brief 75 Studio Brief 76 Studio Brief ALEXANDRIA UNIVERSITY FACULTY of ENGINEERING Briefs & Workshops’ Appendix Department of Architecture 2012-2013 This section contains supporting materials for the studio’s experimentations (assignments and workshops).This includes a variety of tutorials, examples or guidelines shown on lectures and are expected to be useful for students to consider when responding to the required task 1B03 -A-SEEING SHAPES THE TUTORIAL’S EXAMPLE 77 Studio Brief 78 Studio Brief 79 Studio Brief 1W01 -A- TAKING VISUAL NOTES TIPS FOR USING YOUR CAMERA IN THE FACADE SURVEY Use a 35 mm camera with wide-angle lens (24 mm), if possible If the back of the camera is held parallel to the face of the building, the photograph of the building will have the same proportions as the building itself If the camera is tilted up or down, or held at an angle to the building, you will get a distorted photograph To make sure the camera is parallel, use a tripod Use a small builder's level to make sure that the camera is not tilted Taking the photographs Position yourself in front of the building so that you can see the whole facade in the viewfinder of your camera Stand as close to the building as you can get without having to tilt the camera Aim straight at a point directly opposite to you on the building facade Take a photograph A known reference (human or a meter stick) placed against the building in the photograph will give a scale that will allow you to take measurements from the photographs Repeat this procedure for each facade of the building It is not always possible to photograph a whole facade at once without tilting the camera • If the building is too high, try to photograph the upper part from the upper floor of a building across the road • If the building is too long, you will need to take a series of photographs Stand at the same distance from the building for each photograph Make sure that each photograph overlaps the one before it, so that no part of the facade is left out • If the facade has very deep indentations (a central block with two projecting wings, (for example), take separate photographs of each part Stand at the same distance from the facade for each photo Take some measurements and record them Take an overall measurement of the length of each facade and a few detailed measurements of parts of the facade (a standard-sized block, or a window that is repeated several times, for example) These notes will allow you to produce a set of photographs or drawings which are all to the same scale 80 Studio Brief 81 Studio Brief