Architecture

Master of

M. Arch

Col

umbi

a U

nive

rsity

GSA

PP

1Columbia GSAPP

Architecture

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Overview

3Columbia GSAPP

The Master of Architecture Program is a three-year professional degree which situates the exploration of architecture and architectural concepts in relation to disciplinary questions, and in response to historical and contemporary issues in an evolving and increasingly urbanized global culture.

Columbia GSAPP’s commitment to critical probing and experimentation as it recasts the discipline within an expanded field of design thinking and research can be experienced throughout the M.Arch curriculum. The richness and open-endedness of the exploration of architecture culture is combined with the highest levels of knowledge and expertise, with the program providing a system for integrating the various aspects of architectural study and the acquiring of required skills.

The M.Arch curriculum is broadly divided into the study of history and theory, technology, methods, visual studies, and design. Learning about architecture involves on the one hand examining the historical, social, cultural, technical, and economic forces that shape buildings, and on the other, mastering these forces with both traditional means as well as cutting edge technologies. The design studio remains the main focus of the curriculum, in that it offers the opportunity to integrate and synthesize what is being studied. Around the studio, a variety of conversations are instigated to create a context for students’ learning and investigations while also providing an opportunity to further integrate the various sequences of the M. Arch curriculum.

Being part of an elite university located in a major metropolis has determined much of what is unique about the Architecture Program. The GSAPP is not only able to attract excellent faculty members, it is also able to draw upon the large and diverse community of architects, theorists, practitioners, and scholars in New York as well as from around the world. Thus the program exposes students to architecture as a complex and pluralistic cultural endeavor.

As it seeks to impart basic principles and knowledge, to develop visual and analytical skills, and to relate creativity to given cultural situations, the school offers student-architects the means to use their knowledge and insight to better respond to and improve the built environment, while also contributing to expanding the field of architecture and design in meaningful ways.

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Studio Schedule

and Events

5Columbia GSAPP

Hours

6pm

Monday

Tim

e

Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

5h 5h 2h

1pm

4pm

2pm

Total:12h/week

Total:12h/week

Hours

6pm

8pm

Monday

Tim

e Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

5h 5h 2h

1pm

5pm

3pm

Transfer Dialogues

WorkingLunch

EveningLecture

Symposium

Symposium

ArchitecturalVisualization

since 1900

Perspectiveson Technology

CoreIII

AdvIV

Adv V + VI

Hours

6pm

Monday

Tim

e

Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

5h 5h 2h

1pm

4pm

2pm

Total:12h/week

Total:12h/week

Hours

6pm

8pm

Monday

Tim

e Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

5h 5h 2h

1pm

5pm

3pm

Transfer Dialogues

WorkingLunch

EveningLecture

Symposium

Symposium

ArchitecturalVisualization

since 1900

Perspectiveson Technology

CoreIII

AdvIV

Adv V + VI

Core I & II

Core III to Adv VI

Architecture - Studio Schedule and Events

6

History/Theory

Visual Studies/

Professional Practice

ArchitecturalTechnology

Design Studio

Total: 108 pts

Course Semester 1Fall

Semester 2Spring

Semester 3Fall

CORE ADVANCED

Semester 4Spring

Semester 5Fall

18 pts 18 pts 18 pts 18 pts 18 pts 18 pts

Semester 6Spring

Visual Studies I:Architectural Drawing

+ Representation I

Visual Studies II:Architectural Drawing

+ Representation II

Visual StudiesElectives

ProfessionalPractice

2 Electives

History ofArchitecture I

History ofArchitecture II

HistoryDistribution I

HistoryDistribution II

HistoryDistribution III

HistoryDistribution IV

ArchitecturalTechnology I

ArchitecturalTechnology II

ArchitecturalTechnology III & IV

ArchitecturalTechnology V

ArchitecturalTechnology VI Dist.

CoreStudio I

CoreStudio II

CoreStudio III

AdvancedStudio IV

AdvancedStudio V

AdvancedStudio VI

12 pts

6 pts

6 x 3 pts: 18 pts

6 x 3 pts: 18 pts

6 x 9 pts: 54 ptsAdvancedStudio IV

AdvancedStudio V

AdvancedStudio VI

Degree Requirements

7Columbia GSAPP

History/Theory

Visual Studies/

Professional Practice

ArchitecturalTechnology

Design Studio

Total: 108 pts

Course Semester 1Fall

Semester 2Spring

Semester 3Fall

CORE ADVANCED

Semester 4Spring

Semester 5Fall

18 pts 18 pts 18 pts 18 pts 18 pts 18 pts

Semester 6Spring

Visual Studies I:Architectural Drawing

+ Representation I

Visual Studies II:Architectural Drawing

+ Representation II

Visual StudiesElectives

ProfessionalPractice

2 Electives

History ofArchitecture I

History ofArchitecture II

HistoryDistribution I

HistoryDistribution II

HistoryDistribution III

HistoryDistribution IV

ArchitecturalTechnology I

ArchitecturalTechnology II

ArchitecturalTechnology III & IV

ArchitecturalTechnology V

ArchitecturalTechnology VI Dist.

CoreStudio I

CoreStudio II

CoreStudio III

AdvancedStudio IV

AdvancedStudio V

AdvancedStudio VI

12 pts

6 pts

6 x 3 pts: 18 pts

6 x 3 pts: 18 pts

6 x 9 pts: 54 ptsAdvancedStudio IV

AdvancedStudio V

AdvancedStudio VI

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Curriculum

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Architecture - C

urriculum

Laura Buck, Sean Kim, Alejandro Stein, Ray Wang, Spring 2013, Enrique Walker studio

Rodrigo Valenzuela Jerez, Summer 2013, Kersten Geers & David van Severen studio

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Fall 2014, Cristina Goberna Studio

Joshua Ehrlich, Fall 2014, Yannis Aesopos Studio

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The Master of Architecture Program at GSAPP stresses the importance of understanding and applying architectural concepts in relation to broader historical and contemporary issues. The objective of the program is to enable students to develop a theoretical basis for decision making in design, while maintaining intense exposure to a broad spectrum of philosophical and cultural attitudes. At the core of the Columbia experience are four key components:

1. An inquisitive and highly diverse student body — geographical as well as intellectual — with an interest in the profession of architecture as well as in the expanded field of research and design.2. A faculty of experienced and also diverse teachers, leading practitioners, scholars and researchers in the field.3. A program of study consisting of lectures, seminars, and studios, whose objectives are definable but whose form is malleable in response to changing cultural attitudes and social needs.4. A setting of the most effective physical facilities, including classrooms, studios, auditoriums, shops, and libraries which are in a constant state of redesign as new pedagogies are outlined.

As the moment of integration, the Architecture Design Studio weaves together the knowledge acquired in the five other areas of studies. The History and Theory Sequence broadens the student’s perceptions through the historical and theoretical examination. The Building Technology Sequence prepares the student to understand the structural, material consequences, and constraints on design decisions. The Visual Studies Sequence provides specialized investigation that complements the normal studio work, including both manual and computer-aided drawing courses. The Methods and Practice Sequence prepares the student to undertake management and professional practice activities. The Elective Sequence permits the student to pursue individual interests in architectural and environmental topics. While the Design Studio sequence is roughly divided between Core and Advanced Studios, the intent is for a gradient from Core to Advanced with every semester offering a combination of both.

To graduate with a Master of Architecture degree, a student is required to complete 108 graduate-level course points that are a combination of required courses from five different categories: Studio, History/Theory, Building Technologies, Visual Studies, Methods/Practice, and Elective.

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The Studio Sequence is the focus of the M.Arch Program. During the three-year, six-term program each student may study with as many as six different critics. All studio work is subject to formal public design review, and design juries include visiting architects, historians, artists, critics, and engineers, as well as faculty members from the Architecture, Urban Design, Planning, Historic Preservation, and Real Estate Development Programs of the School.

Design Studio

node: projection

node: reading nook

dry classroom: theatre

dry classroom: breakout space

dry classroom: library extension 01

existing library &plinth condition

service: mechanical box

service: mechanical box

public entry stair

public thorough-fare

dry classroom: library extension 03

wet classroom: library extension 02

wet classroom: art station

wet classroom

wet classroom

dry classroom

service:accessible roofscape

existing roof w/new structure

dry classroom

node: column

1'-0"

11"

21'-1

0"

1'-9"

3'-11

"

6'-9"

15'-1

1"7"

8'-11

"2'-

4"

8"1'-

0"

3'-7"

10'-6

"

7'-2"

4'-10"

6"11

"11

'-5"

11'-3

"

1'-11

"

11"

9'-2"

3'-7"

5’-0"

7'-1"

10'-4

"

11"

2'-9"

2'-9"

1'-5"

13'-2

"

2'-10

"1'-

5"

1'-0"

6'-5"

1'-0"

24'-3

"

10'-4

"

1'-0"

8'-3"

1'-0"

2'-11

"

6"1'-

2"6"

7'-7"

6"3'-

4"6"

4'-3"

28'-6

"2'-

10"

11'-3

"7"

16'-4

"4"

11'-4

"

11'-0

"

2'-6"

11'-0

"

10'-4

"11

"1'-

11"

2'-0"

4'-9"

3'-10

"

2'-8"

3'-10

"

1'-11

"

1'-5"

1'-11"

1'-0"

4'-9"

11"

11"

5'-0"

9"11'-3"11"

6" 6"11'-5"

6" 6"8'-9"

3'-1"

3'-8"

2'-10"

6" 6"5'-11"

6"5'-8"

1'-9"

2'-2"

1'-9"7'-5"2'-11"

21'-7"

1'-9"

8'-7"6"9'-9"

5'-3"

17'-1" 9" 8'-2"9"1'-8"8'-4"7'-4"1'-8"1'-8"21'-9"

6" 6"11'-3"

15'-10"18'-7"9'-2"

6" 6"5'-9"

6"8'-4"

6"

1'-9"

11'-5"

3'-0" 3'-0"

7'-4"7"6"

1'-11" 10'-8" 2'-10"

8'-7"22'-2"

9"9" 11'-5"

6" 9"9'-0"6" 6"6'-2"

travertine entry stair connected to existing Amsterdam parking garage entrance

structurally reinforced concrete column

6’ x 6’ air handling unit feeding four nodes integrated study table for library

6” diameter structural steel columnwhite intumescent paint finishcolumns below plinth hung in tension

load bearing structural steel corridor wall framealuminum exterior finish gypsum wallboard painted interior finish

structural steel grid embedded in existing roofsupporting structural steel columns hangingin tension

existing roof beam

new structural steel roof joists and beams

structural steel grid connecting reinforced roof structure with structural steel columns

curved steel floating tread stair with 1/2” steel floating railing

supply and return diffuser embedded in ceilingwet node used as science and art resourcerear wall homosote finish for pinup spacetable doubles as pathway when node is unused

non-structural corridor wall framew/ unitized glazing infillnoise dampening curtain adjustable finish

floor embedded supply and return diffuser

student play-space with 6’x6’ air handling unitmonkey bars with climbing ladder

mesh benchbent aluminum fort enclosures

curved structural steel floating tread stair

existing cast concrete roof structureconcealing structural steel grid

reading room extension of existing library

existing New York Public Library book stacks

wood plank swing hung from pipesplay-space in front of existing book stacks

existing cast concrete plinth

unpacked node prepared for film screeningdrop-down projector screen

unstacked chairs

washroom with curtain enclosure

corridor structural framing system

packed node

exterior mechanical play-space

P.S. + Lincoln Center

Laura Buck, Sean Kim, Alejandro Stein, Ray Wang, Spring 2013, Enrique Walker studio

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Architecture - C

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esign Studio

Yoonseok Lee, Xiaoxu Liu, Cristina Vargas, Fall 2014, Andres Jaque Studio

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Year 1:Core Design Studios

Hilary SampleDirector, Core Architecture Studios

At the GSAPP, the core design studios introduce students to architecture through an inclusive understanding of history, cities, typology, and performance. Today, students engage the world through the increasingly global information on buildings, materials, structures, digital processes, media, and communications. These digital processes and networks that were once theorized have become a commonplace part of our contemporary world. As a result, architecture is less and less of an exclusive and autonomous profession. These social aspects are perhaps the hardest things to teach within a school, but remain a critical part of the Columbia GSAPP pedagogy.

The core is structured through a sequence of carefully constructed design studios where students increasingly gain new knowledge through making, implementing ideas, and experimenting with the problems of architecture: from form to materials, from small to large scale, and from comfort to environment. Studios explore architecture within urban contexts from New York City and other cities around the world, situating experimental architectural thought within the world-at-large.

Rather than moving from the extra small to the large, the Core sequence builds in the small and the large in relation to one another throughout the first three semesters of the M.Arch sequence. After the first semester’s focus on acquiring analytical and drawing skills, Core II takes as a project the design of an institutional building, and Core III culminates in the Housing Studio. This semester serves as a conclusion to the Core but also as a transition to the Advanced Studios, specifically transitioning to the Scales of Environment.

While the studios are structured to present knowledge about fundamentals of architecture as they apply to design, from the scale of a house to that of a building or housing project, the core sequence aims to inspire a shift in thinking about architecture in relation to the world.

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Nile Greenberg and Grete Grubelich, Fall 2014, Hilary Sample studio

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ore Studio

Jenny Lin, Spring 2014, Amale Andraos Studio

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David BenjaminCoordinator, Scales of Environment Studios In the context of rapid urbanization and climate change,

Studio IV develops a multi-scalar, ecological framework for designing the architecture, cities, and landscapes of the future. Studio IV emphasizes a common discussion across the class, while allowing each of the eight studios to explore unique ideas and approaches. Exploring past, present, and future models of environment and technology, the studio includes a series of guest lectures and debates that focus on current innovative practices, and on the study of environment and technology from a historical perspective.

The studio builds on the concept of design with resilience. Additionally, the Circular Economy is an emerging concept for a new era of design based on creating ecosystems with two types of nutrients: biological nutrients that are designed to circulate without unhealthy waste products, and technical nutrients that are designed to circulate at high quality without material impact. We design new models for addressing the competing demands of waterfront development, access, and ecology, applying the best of our new models and techniques to the design of visionary and viable school buildings.

Hilary SampleCoordinator, States of Housing StudiosThe Housing studio focuses on the many different states

of housing that architects typically encounter in practice. The studio is structured to present knowledge about fundamentals of architecture as it applies to designing housing projects, as well as aiming to inspire a shift in thinking about architecture in relation to the world-at-large. There is perhaps nowhere better to study housing than at Columbia GSAPP, with a nearly 40-year history of offering housing studios focused on the deeply rich history of New York City. Expanding to the global scale, the Studio-X locations serve as studies for some of the world’s most intense urban housing conditions. In the instances of places like Rio de Janeiro and Johannesburg, among others, health and housing are subjects that undergo critical questioning when thinking about the future. While the core studios are structured sequentially, States of Housing is also situated to absorb and be influenced by research in the Advanced Studios, because of its unique placement at the conclusion of the Core Studios.

Year 2: Core III Studio States of Housing

Year 2: Adv IV StudioScales of Environment

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Lindsey Wikstrom-Lee, Spring 2015, David Benjamin studio

Kyong Kim, Joan Kim, Fall 2013, Hilary Sample studio

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urriculum - States of H

ousing & Scales of Environm

ent

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Juan HerrerosDirector, Advanced Architecture Studios The Advanced Studios are intended to build upon the

ideas and skills developed in the Core Studios, working as laboratories of discussion and exploring new ways of reading every architectural ingredient: concepts, programs, and methods of working. Nearly twenty studios work on the themes and programs defined by their individual critics in the limits of the discipline trying to find new instruments, formats, and approaches to everyday topics. Themes and programs carry both an educational objective and present an opportunity for the critic to develop with his or her students a specific area of work or research. That means that an experimental attitude grounds our environment, while the coexistence of different ways of thinking stimulates dialogue and positive discussions in which the students learn to build, defend, and rectify their arguments in a dialectical practice that is as important as drawing, making a model, or inventing a digital resource. In contradistinction to the Core Studios, the Advanced Studios are open to M. Arch students as well as to the AAD professional degree students.

Studio culture in itself makes up an extraordinary accumulation of essays and research, in both conceptual and disciplinary fields that can be considered a section of the present. We are all aware of this wealth and appreciate the special energy stored in this “white noise” that involves many instructors, TA’s and students working together. Every week, the Transfer Dialogues series tries to make visible such intensity and make it available to the academic community of the school, allowing students to access what is going on in other GSAPP Advanced Studios while getting helpful panoramic information. The intention is to open a new space for architecture and its parallel disciplines in the social, political, intellectual and economic arena with a critical position focused on the construction of the future.

Year 3:Advanced Design Studio

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Sabine Aoun, Andrea Jimenez, Spring 2015, Eric Bunge studio

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dvanced StudiosBruno Gondo, Mathias Sant’Anna, Fall 2014, Phu Hoang Studio

20Ricardo A Leon, George Louras, Hao Li, Laura Peterson, Fall 2014, Goberna Studio

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Tiffany Rattray, Fall 2013, Laurie Hawkinson studio

Lucas Lind, Jack Schonewolf, Fall 2013, Rafi Segal studio

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Reinhold MartinDirector, History and Theory

The History and Theory curriculum stresses a broad social and cultural approach to architectural history, with particular attention to emerging global concerns. Architectural history is seen in terms of a rich matrix of parameters—political, economic, artistic, technological, and discursive—that have had a role in shaping the discipline. Most instructors of architectural history and theory at GSAPP have both professional and academic degrees. A shared intention is to cultivate relations between practice, historical knowledge, and theoretical debates.

The course offerings are structured to provide each student with an opportunity to gain both a broad general background in architectural history and a degree of specialized knowledge in areas of his or her selection. The two-semester core inaugurates a sequence in which students may then choose from among the many history and theory classes offered within the School. Students may also take courses in other departments of the University, such as art history, history, philosophy, or elsewhere in the humanities, providing they meet basic distribution requirements.

History and Theory

Xiaoxi Chen, Fall 2014, Craig Konyk and Jorge Otero-Pailos Studio

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istory and Theory

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Architectural Visualization since 1900Reinhold MartinAs a rule, architects do not build. They draw, write, anno-

tate, diagram, model, map, sketch, photograph, animate, and otherwise visualize objects, spaces, territories, and processes; they make visual and verbal presentations; they compile visual and written analyses and reports; and they issue visual and written instructions. This lecture course surveys these activities across the twentieth century through selected episodes in the history of architectural visualization in a variety of geographic and cultural contexts.

Urban History Daniel ShererUrban morphology and city life in Western cities from

antiquity through the capital cities of mid-18th-century Europe, showing connecting trends in architecture and urban form; the discourse on cities, civic culture and civic ritual; public and pri-vate space; the role of the architect and urban planner; cultural and formal complexity; and adaptation to change.

European Urbanism & Cartography in the 16th-18th CenturyVictoria SangerThis course takes cartography as a point of departure

for understanding the design of some major European cities in the Early Modern Period (16th- 18th centuries). It examines how maps document and influence their built environment. It gives students the tools to see how they function as carriers of deeper scientific, political and rhetorical meanings. The class will focus on a few major European cities and students will work with original maps in New York Collections.

Politics of Space: Cities, Institutions, EventsMary McLeodThis seminar explores the relations between space, power,

and politics in the urban environment from the Enlightenment period to the present. General theoretical introduction (Henri Lefebvre and Michel Foucault), the urban environment (institu-tions, public/private dichotomies, urban monuments, events) and the relation between space and power in actual situations.

Traditional Japanese ArchitectureKunio KudoJapan is dramatically changing as a society, dynamically

evolving. It is no more a country of stainless purity of self disci-pline as described by Ruth Benedict in The Chrysanthemum and The Sword. No excuse was allowed in any failure before, but now all are excused with self-justification and aggressive self-asser-tion. Is the apparent change a paradigm shift or adding another disguising layer to respond to new global world?

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Architecture History IMary McleodDevelopments in architectural history during the modern

period. Emphasis on moments of significant change in architec-ture (theoretical, economic, technological, and institutional).

History of Architecture IIKenneth FramptonThe course traces the history of modern architecture and

its transformation under the influence of two major forces: the process of modernization and the development of ideology. The first of these derives from the material changes brought about by technology and industrialization; the second stems from the received idea of progress and from the utopian legacy of the Enlightenment. The period covered runs from the high point of the Art Nouveau to the death of Le Corbusier.

The Predicament of Modernity: Politics, Philosophy and Architecture, 1848-1988Kenneth FramptonThis course is based on a sequence of technological, ideo-

logical, cultural, and political transformations that took place under the sign of modernity and modernization between 1848 and 1988. The first two meetings consist of introductory lec-tures given by the instructor (sessions 1-3), followed by student presentations developed under the supervision of the instruc-tor.

Contemporary Theory and Criticism, 1960-Present Structuralism/Poststructuralism Mary McLeodThe seminar engages issues in architecture theory and

criticism that have emerged in the past two decades. Topics include semiology, postmodernism, rationalism, typology, and Marxist cultural theory.

Japanese UrbanismLynne Breslin Using an interdisciplinary approach, this seminar will ex-

plore Japanese urbanism and Tokyo. Urban theories, history, geography, fictions, films, sociology and anthropology along with cultural critiques will help situate the more personal experienc-es of the metropolis and the new “global city.” In considering the formation of urban/geographical entities, its infrastructure and underlying ideologies, we will also attempt to uncover the mechanisms of the development of collective identities and individual reconciliations.

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The History of Architecture TheoryMark Wigley Architecture emerges out of passionate and unending

debate. Every design involves theory. Indeed, architects talk as much as they draw. This class will explore the way that theory is produced and deployed at every level of architectural discourse from formal written arguments to the seemingly casual discus-sions in the design studio.

Exotic Moderns “Globalizations and ‘Other’ Modernities“Jyoti HosagraharThis seminar explores the fragmented, complex, and par-

adoxical urbanism of contemporary cities outside the conven-tional West. We will examine what happens when global moder-nity engages with particular places, localities, and traditions. Student will select a city of their choice for their research projects to comparing historical/traditional built forms with contemporary designs and interventions.

Thinking Race, Reading ArchitectureMabel Wilson Thinking Race, Reading Architecture will examine the na-

scent topic of the racial in architecture. Students in the course will closely read primary treatises and manifestos, scholarly essays and books, along with drawings, models, buildings, and urban plans to trace a genealogy of how the racial shaped mod-ern architectural discourse and practices.

Modern HousingGwendolyn WrightThis seminar will explore key themes and examples of 20th-

and 21st-century modern housing around the world.

Italian Renaissance Architecture, 1400-1600; Regola and InvenzioneDaniel ShererThe course will provide a historical overview of the major

figures of Italian Renaissance architecture from 1400 to 1600—Brunelleschi, Alberti, Leonardo, Bramante, Raphael, Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, Michelangelo, Peruzzi, Giulio Romano, Sanmicheli, Sansovino, Palladio, Serlio.

Representing the Chinese Built Environment in Context and PrintAmy Lelyveld The seminar examines the shape and habits of English

language in-print coverage of the Chinese built environment over the last 100 years—a period of history matching China’s post-imperial history. This investigation will run in tandem with the second project of the course, the very real opportunity

27Columbia GSAPP

Architecture - C

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istory & Theory

Chelsea Hyduk, Abraham Bendheim, Fall 2014, Laurie Hawkinson Studio

Lucas Lind, Jack Schonewolf, Fall 2013, Rafi Segal studio

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Lina Gao, Jiaying Fang, Jialin Yuan, Summer 2011, Andres Jaque Studio

29Columbia GSAPP

of designing a shift in the character of this discussion going forward.

The Contemporary (Ideas and Concepts from 1968 to the Present)Bernard Tschumi The “Architecture as Concept” seminar takes as its starting

hypothesis that there is no architecture without a concept, and that concepts are what differentiate architecture from mere building. It will attempt to demonstrate that the most import-ant works of architecture in any given period are the ones with the strongest concept or idea rather than simply those with the most striking form or shape.

New Spaces of HousingMichael Bell & Brian Loughlin This seminar will explore the decreased role of direct

federal expenditures play in lower-income and public housing development in the United States since the advent in the 1980’s of low-income housing tax credits (LIHTC) and other tax based incentives for housing development. The seminar lectures will address how changes in funding mechanisms have affected not only the development and design of lower-income and public housing, but also how they these changes in means have been perceived and what impact they had on the engagement of planning and architecture practices with issues of poverty and low-income housing.

Art Power + Space in the Middle EastMario GoodenThe seminar will examine the production, consumption, and

dissemination of Middle Eastern art and the subversive strate-gies of artists to engage in new spaces for social and political critique. The seminar will uncover pedagogies and method-ologies for artistic practices to locate new sites of meaning in contested territories and among contradictory landscapes.

Dictionary of Received IdeasEnrique WalkerThis seminar is the fifteenth installment in a decade-long

project (2006—) whose aim is to examine received ideas—in other words, ideas which have been depleted of their original intensity due to recurrent use—in contemporary architecture culture. Based on Gustave Flaubert’s unfinished project, Le dictionnaire des idées reçues, this ongoing series of theory seminars and design studios proposes to disclose, define, and date—and in the long run archive—received ideas prevalent over the past decade, both in the professional and academic realms, in order to ultimately open up otherwise precluded possibilities for architectural design and architectural theory.

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ProgramEnrique WalkerThis seminar will examine the trajectory of the notion of

program. Specifically, it will focus on the various terms coined in the field since the fifties to describe—in fact, to reduce—actions in space: from function to behavior, from situation to event, from use to organization. The seminar is structured upon twenty exemplary projects regarding questions of program. Each ses-sion will interrogate two projects, and scrutinize the concepts they articulated, the objectives they pursued, the critiques they entailed, and the practices they implied. Ultimately, the seminar will attempt to trace a genealogy of design strategies formulat-ed to program architecture.

Latin American Architecture 1929 – 2012Alfredo BrillembourgCase studies of the work of prominent and lesser- known

architects will be presented that emphasize the relationship with the human and natural landscapes of different regions of North, Central, Antillean, and South America. Four generations of architects will be studied. These cultural exchanges will be analyzed and their stories will help us see all at once the com-plexity and contradiction inherent in the particular modernity of this large territory.

Postwar Japanese ArchitectureKunio KudoThis course looks into Japanese post war with together US

and Euro, how thoughts and forms were migrated, influenced and merged each other to create the newer the more excited through each other countries, cultures and domains.

Arab Cities in EvolutionAmale AndraosWhile focused specifically on production in the Arab World,

the seminar will attempt to both learn from local specificities and move beyond them, considering the issues apprehended, from questions of representation to the challenges posed by globalization, as presenting a wealth of critical opportunities to learn from and point to alternate possibilities, not only for the region’s cities but also for our increasingly urbanized world.

Vauban’s Military UrbanismVictoria SangerThis course highlights how warfare shaped the Early Modern

City (ca. 1500-ca. 1800). We will begin with the origins of the bastion and its effect on town planning in the Renaissance peri-od and conclude with a study of the impact of this approach to cities in the eighteenth century to the present day. Throughout we will question the relevance of this period to current consid-

31Columbia GSAPP

erations of national defense, power relations and surveillance.

The New UniversityReinhold MartinThis seminar will reflect on the future of the American re-

search university—what Jonathan Cole, summarizing its extraor-dinary success over two centuries, has called the “Great Amer-ican University”—in a rapidly changing world context. Together, readings and guest speakers will offer a variety of perspectives on the challenges and possibilities faced by large research uni-versities in the United States and worldwide.

History of The American CityGwendolyn WrightThe process of continuity and change in American cities

from the colonial period through the 20th century, covering industrialization, political conflict, reform movements, geo-graphical and ethnic diversity, bureaucratic rationalism, and urban culture—with a focus on how physical form responded to or influenced social and political forces over time.

Imperatives of UrbanismJeffrey InabaThe lecture course will examine the urban problematics

defined by architects from the 1970s to the present, invento-rying the conditions they believe to impact urban form, disci-plinary debates, and the role of the designer. From the Culture of Congestion to Landscape Urbanism, the course will probe the concepts architects have developed to give form to the city.

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istory & Theory

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Geoff Bell, Spring 2012, ADR II, Michael Young, critic

Sukwon Lee, Fall 2013

33Columbia GSAPP

Laura KurganDirector, Visual Studies

Joshua UhlProgram Coordinator, Visual Studies

Today, what can be defined as visual in design has multiplied exponentially, especially by way of computation, and demanded that we rethink our pedagogy, projects, and practices. This diversity of the visual and its tendency toward impermanence has not lessened its potential to communicate an extraordinary vision. Through a careful survey of drawing’s new temporal nature, students discover methods to harness drawing’s new potentials. The Visual Studies sequence at the GSAPP offers a wide range of tools and techniques designed to expose students to the potentials and limits of these same techniques and tools. The sequence is divided into three broad sets of workshops: analysis/representation, design environments, and fabrication. The variety of trajectories possible within the sequence of workshops promotes an individual approach to visualization and fosters invention.

Visual Studies

Visual Studies IArchitecture Drawing and Representation IUhl, Nagy, Rebek, TaeyoungIn this course, we will engage drawing’s new temporal

nature and try to harness its potential. What does it mean to make a drawing in the ‘Post-Projection’ era? What is lost when an understanding of the constructed nature of a drawing is gone and the tools of projection are relegated to a secondary role? What can be gained through understanding these tools more completely and then re-appropriating them in contemporary investigations?

Visual Studies IIArchitecture Drawing and Representation IIKurgan, Nagy, ShimaVisualization tools and drawing have changed radically over

the last century, in both the practice and pedagogy of archi-tecture. The course charts these shifts, beginning with the presumption that there are strong links between old and new media, analogue and digital methods, drawing with pencils, and drawing with software.

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Beyond PrototypeIvaliotisThe relationship between the components of structure and

the components of enclosure is conventionally considered to be mutually exclusive. However, in an environment where material efficiency and speed of fabrication is becoming more import-ant, there exists an opportunity for the architect to intervene within the fabrication process to assimilate both structure and envelope into one hybridized system that abolishes exclusivity and attains a higher level of efficiency. This course will encour-age and enable students to use digital software as a generative tool and the laser cutter, CNC Mill, plastic bender and welder as a means to bring virtual systems into the physical realm.

The Topological Study of FormSanchezThis class will start with an introduction of Polygon tools,

NURBS tools and procedures use in form making for industrial design. From the industrial design introduction, we will focus on the topological study of form using anamorphic time-based geometry tools.

Simulation Origin of Tangible FormSanchezThe workshop will focus on generation of visual constructs

dealing with the notion of simulation and representation. We will undertake simulation as the origin of a reality, not as a representation of a formal construct, which can deal with the generation of behavioral models and abstract events without a tactile origin, hence avoiding representing an environment or event.

Techniques of The UltrarealBrennan & CrupiThe use of perspective and rendering is often an after-

thought. With the abundance of 3D modeling software and the ability to see every angle of a project instantaneously, render-ings are often a last minute tool for representation. This class challenges the participants to not only think of rendering as a method of presentation, but also a tool for design. We encour-age the use of perspective and rendering early and often in the process.

Imagining The UltrarealBrennan & CrupiThe use of perspective and rendering is often an after-

thought. With the abundance of 3D modeling software and the ability to see every angle of a project instantaneously, render-ings are often a last minute tool for representation. This class challenges the participants to not only think of rendering as a method of presentation, but also a tool for design.

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Architectural PhotographyAttaliThe scope of this course focuses on using the medium of

architectural photography as a critical tool for analyzing and representing buildings. By contextualizing and framing the rela-tionship between an architect and his or her work, it becomes easier to understand the intent behind the design process. On a practical level, the class teaches soon-to-be architects what to expect and what to desire from documentation of buildings they might design in the future.

Architectural Photography IIAttaliThe course will discuss photography as a medium to inter-

pret aesthetic intent and express subjective understanding of building or urban space. Students will explore these issues by producing a series of images that cover a range of architectural themes: cityscape, urban landscape, residential, commercial and public spaces. Technical, historical and aesthetic aspects of photography will be covered in this course.

Search: Advanced Algorithmic DesignHasegawa & CollinsThis workshop promotes simple, visual programming as

a vehicle for designers to take their ideas to the next level by collaborating with the computer at its most potent level: code. We teach programming through a series of workshops, compe-titions and project work. We work in Processing, an open source programming environment created for visual thinkers working in two and three dimensional media. No programming experience is required.

Re-Thinking BIMLee & Green What is the place of BIM in architecture? Is it only meant for

production, or can architectural design benefit from the real time feedback of Building Information Models. BIM can, and will change the profession--this generation is responsible for how that will be. Not having to deal with professional demands, stu-dents in this course will be able to explore BIM strategies which in the workplace are not possible.

Graphic Presentation IChoi & MeierThe Graphic Architecture Project is a way of thinking about

the intersection of the flat and the deep. Over the past few years we have been looking at how design concepts like brand-ing, display and advertising affect the practice of architecture. This semester we want to examine, in rather minute detail, aspects of presentation: that is the visual rhetoric employed to convey design concepts. We are especially interested how

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diverse forms of representation—plan, section, elevation, per-spective, diagram, rendering, etc—combine with typographic language in complex graphic and discursive narratives.

Graphic Presentation IIChiao & YunThe Graphic Architecture Project is a critical investiga-

tion into the intersection of architectural design and graphic form. This class looks specifically at diagramming and graphic communication through the lens of the architectural process. The course will focus on key touch points in the process from pre-design to post occupancy that will help frame visual repre-sentation throughout the design process. The content of these exercises will be drawn directly from your studio/research projects.

Cinematic CommunicationSzotThis workshop focuses on digital video as a tool for dis-

secting and reinventing the physical environment. It is designed to introduce students to the architectural potential within the advanced features of Adobe Premiere and basic functions of Adobe After Effects. Presentations and discussions throughout the workshop are organized around two brief assignments that will cover advanced pre-production techniques, advanced mo-tion graphics, and basic compositing techniques.

Other Design Seminar: Multi-Screen ExperiencesRock & StanescuIn this seminar we will consider the challenges of multi-

ple screen experiences focusing specifically on the design and narrative possibilities of a mobile theater designed for moving image and sound. Together we will research the history of the multi-screen theater and the artistic, financial, technical and design constraints that will shape possible outcomes. The class will consist of readings, class discussion, research presentations and a concept design presentation.

Adaptive Fabrications 01ModesittThis session will focus on CATIA as a tool for authoring

adaptive, parametric geometry. As the evolving nature of design requires us to handle more complexity at a faster pace, it is becoming increasingly important to create flexible, scalable systems that can accommodate change.

Adaptive Formulations 02ModesittThis session will be dedicated to the use of Catia as a col-

laborative environment for coordinating design. We will use its unmatched ability to organize, visualize, navigate and analyze a

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vast amount of geometry in conjunction with native tools for dy-namic sectioning, 3D annotation and measurement to propose alternate, more efficient methods of communicating design beyond the 2D drawing.

Field of Play: Agency Mapping SiteBrushThis class will investigate techniques in GIS for visualiz-

ing spatial data as instrumental geometry for design. We will explore these techniques within the conceptual framework of “territory.” No experience in GIS is required, however familiari-ty with Rhino and Max is suggested.

Parametric RealizationsBearek & BordersParametric modelers are commonly used in the develop-

ment of digital architectural models, but they are rarely taken to the point of becoming physical realities. This course will look at the process of generating parametric algorithms then turning those models into physical realities. Students will work in groups to design a product that will be the physical realization of their scripted protocol.

Special Topics in Fabrication: Field FabricationDraper & HaganFormworks will be staged in two sessions over the semester.

The second session, Field Fabrications, will iterate the proto-types, producing a larger array of robust servo devices. Full castings will be made using the system. The course will focus on pre-cast facade tiling to maximize the graphic qualities of the process.

Special Topics in Fabrication: Design MachineDraper & HaganFormworks will be staged in two sessions over the semes-

ter. The first session, Design Machine, introduces students to mechatronics techniques using Firefly, Arduino and two basic servo devices - stepper motors and linear actuators. Students will make a prototype servo device, which forms the basis of a larger system, to mechanically and computationally demon-strate a system of non-repetitive but parametrically related castings.

Field of Play IIBrushThis course will investigate techniques for visualizing spatial

data as instrumental geometry for the design and fabrication of a full-scale site-specific outdoor exhibition pavilion to be built at OMI International Arts Center near Hudson NY at the end of the semester. The second session will focus on translating these visualizations through parametric protocols in Rhino and Grass-

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hopper into 3D models detailed for fabrication at the GSAPP Laboratory for Applied Building Science. The final product of the course will be the fully-realized installation at OMI.

MetatoolLeeMETATOOL is a course about designing experimental de-

sign tools, utilizing the Grasshopper software environment as a meta-tool: a tool that enables the creation of other tools. The course is grounded in a solid technical understanding of Grasshopper and hovers around a set of critical history/theory texts and group discussions. Each new experimental tool will result from an examination of an existing design tool, and will be oriented towards the creation of a new design process with-in Grasshopper (with the optional integration of Python/C#/VB.net).

Sustainable Fabrication and Living FormsParkesThis course investigates new materials and new creation

processes for biomaterials which present an alternate future for building which taps into the natural processes of living things for growth and fabrication. We will investigate concepts includ-ing mycelium (fungal based) bricking systems, 3D fabrication using live silk worms, solar 3D printing from sand, and textiles grown from bacterial cellulose.

Approaching ConvergenceBogosian & LlagunoThis course emerges from the assertion that the architect

of the very near future will design workflow and software as integrally as projects and buildings. Navigating explorations through, between, and within multiple applications, our stu-dents will launch into agenda-driven opportunities for advanced and fluid interoperations to develop built forms out of the environmental big data (abiotic/climatic and social/user data) instead of as previously, occupying it with an imported simula-crum.

APP-itectureCollins & HasegawaThe goal of this seminar is for each student to develop

a “spatial app” (a loose description that means to stimulate thinking on the notion of mobile and embedded technology) that ultimately will be distributed on the Apple App Store at the conclusion of the workshop.

Form Function and New MaterialParkesHuman-centered design has emerged as one of the tenets

of contemporary design, and studies in ergonomics have taught designers to revere the form and abilities of the body as the

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Vahe Markosian, Spring 2014, Craft in the Digital Age, Nathan Carter

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James Stoddart, Ray Wang, Fall 2013, David Benjamin studio

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standard for analysis in interaction. This course will examine the body in presentation- how the languages of fashion photogra-phy, installation, and performance art work in the construction of narrative and fantasy and how technological augmentation can work to recontextualize the relationship between the body, clothing and the environmental experience.

Craft In The Digital AgeCarterThe aim of the class is twofold: 1) To explore craft, develop-

ing a personal understanding of materials, tools, and techniques to directly inform the design process. 2) To frame this explora-tion in a larger context of analog and digital design and fabrica-tion, highlighting efficiencies and limitations, and rethinking the orchestration of the two by the designer.

Encoded MatterBlasettiThis workshop will be devoted to the design and prototyp-

ing of architectural immersive environments via computational generative methods. At present computational techniques are predominantly employed in the optimization, rationalization or surface decoration of more traditionally created forms and spaces.

Integrated Parametric DeliveryLee & GreenThis workshop will insist on interoperability between var-

ious platforms, magnifying the strengths of each tool. We will investigate the process of integrating multiple parametric tools simultaneously into a single architectural project. Specifically, we will be designing and developing workflows. Quickly becom-ing the industry standard for BIM, Revit will be presented as the primary tool for hosting and documenting.

Hacking The Urban ExperienceLocke This course seeks to assert the relevance of the fabrication

skills at our disposal as potentialities for social and environmen-tal relevance. Through the re-appropriation and re-imagining of existing urban conditions, the student will harness their entre-preneurial spirit to design and fabricate a series of fast, working prototypes that embrace the messy reality of New York.

X Information ModelingWilsonThis course will examine the maturity of the 21st centu-

ry metropolis by moving past conventional benchmarks and preconceptions of growth to develop flexible design systems founded on a holistic approach to economic, environmental, and social problems that will allow for speculation on many possible futures for the city

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Designing Interactive Narrative Through Data VisualizationBernerIn this course, we will delve into why a set of data requires

depiction, research to uncover the story within, and strive to integrate our visualization and its narrative. The course has two main goals: first, to provide grounding in the design of elegant and meaningful data visualizations, and second, to provide a technical introduction to implementing data visualizations using D3 and web technologies.

Intelligent Systems / Interactive ArchitecturesPayneThis class will focus on hardware and software prototyp-

ing techniques; primarily focusing on a wide range of sensing and actuation modalities in order to build novel interactive architectural prototypes. Using remote sensors, microcontrol-lers (Arduino), and actuators, we will build virtual and physical prototypes that can communicate with humans and the world around them.

XIM: Parametric Massing & OptimizationWilsonThis course will examine the maturity of the 21st centu-

ry metropolis by moving past conventional benchmarks and preconceptions of growth to develop flexible design systems founded on a holistic approach to econ mic, environmental, and social problems that will allow for speculation on many possible futures for the city.

Drawing After the ComputerBryanWhether we are translating into the flat, planar mode of a

drawing or the tectonic mode of a physical model, the purpose of this act should be more than to merely satisfy an established convention or fulfill an arbitrary requirement. However, in a world in which we still feel obligated to render these construc-tions after the design is complete, we must ask ourselves why we still bother at all. This series shall serve as a laboratory in which these very questions shall be explored.

Lines not Splines: Drawing is InventionKumpuschThis intensive workshop course is rooted in three propo-

sitions: that drawing is as much a way of seeing as it is a means of representation; that drawing is not bound to digital versus analog categorizations; and that drawing remains the primary vehicle to record, communicate and create architecture.

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Modeling After the ComputerBryanStarting with the same virtual model, this second half-

course shall explore the act of modeling as more than an act of physical embodiment/scale/construction. As with drawing, embedded within the desires of the modeling is also an attitude towards exploration/explanation/evaluation. Students shall pro-duce a method of fabricating that not only establishes how an object becomes constructed, but also examines the underlying principles of construction.

Algorithms and Urbanisms: SimCityWilsonThis course will investigate the range of algorithms, met-

rics and benchmarks increasingly used today for tracking the performance of cities. Students will begin by using the met-rics available in SimCity to evaluate historic, ideal, and con-temporary cities. They will next develop additional evaluation criteria--both quantitative and qualitative--they think lacking in SimCity but critical for understanding the performance of cities. Through this process, we will discuss the underlying urban assumptions and algorithms built into SimCity and how they impact a general understanding of the design and function of cities.

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Andrew Maier, Spring 2014, Leslie Gill studio

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Chi Feng Wu, Spring 2014 Juan Herreros Studio

Ray Wang, Talene Montgomery, Spring 2012, Charles Eldred Studio

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Craig SchwitterDirector, Building Science and Technology

For the next generation of architects, technology has become a greater and more differentiating force than ever before. As computational power increases at exponential rates and data becomes ubiquitous, formal methodologies in architectural design are giving way to an evidence basis. New modes of making in architecture are being disrupted through changes in manufacturing, materials, and information technologies in a globalized world. What bricks and mortar may have been to earlier methods of architecture, today the focus is squarely on performance of design in the built environment. Does design drive greater productivity? A better sense of community and well being? Lower energy use? Less material waste? Broader and shared economic development? The subjective narratives of decades past on these subjects are today turning into data and hard facts. Performance and its measurement and verification have become a function of an architecture searching for the right solutions.

Urban conditions continue to drive discourse on the global stage. As cities grow globally and see the effects of unprecedented migration, the effects of design are ever present. Scarcity of resources, driven by rapid population growth and demographic change, need to be addressed head on by the architectural community. Energy and it efficient performance in buildings has become the critical issue across architecture to address the questions of global climate change. And even while working harder inside the building construct, architects must think outside the building boundary, to wider notions of integration in systems including water, transportation, waste, and energy. These are the pieces of a global puzzle that will be waiting for them as they graduate.

The technology sequence is fundamental to changing the course of architecture. It is an integral part of the school and part of the training for the next generation of architects that will shape our built environment. Students must explore and experiment as always, but realize that abilities to rationalize and prove are more interconnected with design as it touches every aspect of development across the world.

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Environments in ArchitectureTuckerThe goal of this course is to enable students to understand

the interaction of natural and constructed environments in or-der to develop and quantify appropriate responses that create comfortable and efficient buildings. Through the focus of this course on the dynamic relationship of external environmental forces, building, and occupants students will learn how to ma-nipulate this relationship through building form and orientation, construction and materiality, and mechanical, electrical and hydronic systems. The ability and confidence in making both quantitative and qualitative statements about building perfor-mance will enable students to develop design solutions that are derived from fundamental principles and to free themselves from formalistic or empiric solutions.

Structures in ArchitectureKosturaThis class will provide students with an understanding of

what “structural design” means, and how it is carried out. Stu-dents will gain familiarity with basic elemental forms, struc-tural assemblies and systems, and new and emerging materi-als. Through project-based and hands-on work, the class will work together to gain an intuitive understanding of structure, empowering students to integrate into architectural concepts a level of structural coherence and technical inspiration that allows load resisting systems to both perform and intensify the spatial experience.

Envelopes in ArchitecturePrandelli & VerboonThe building envelope is no longer seen as a static boundary

between exterior and interior, but rather a performative build-ing system that has a direct impact on the environmental and comfort performance of the building as a whole. This course is an introduction to building contemporary building envelope sys-tems, their constituent materials, and necessary performance criteria. Students will be exposed to a number of current façade system strategies as well as the process of façade design and engineering that will prepare them for more detailed ex-plorations of design in their studio efforts. Particular attention will be paid to the various aspects of façade performance that include energy, sustainability, comfort, and constructability.

Building Systems IntegrationSchwitter & selected criticsThe role of architects as integrators of complex systems is

essential to the development of architecture that balances dar-ing form with pragmatic solutions. Building Systems Integration focuses on developing the basic skillsets across the many facets that make up a building including structural, environmental, mechanical and envelope systems. Topics from previous core curriculum classes are advanced through modules addressing key aspects of integrated systems design. Students work in groups over the semester to develop a contemporary building design within a studio format with weekly crits from leading architects and building engineers.

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Urban Systems IntegrationSchwitter & selected criticsUrban scale issues are increasingly driving the next mode

of architecture. From climate change to rapid urbanization, architects will develop a fundamental understanding of scaled integration as it applies at the building as well as the city scale. Key aspects of infrastructure integration are explored across transportation, energy, water and waste aspects. A semester focused project at scale is developed with weekly crits from leading voices in landscape and infrastructure design.

Sustainable DesignNorrisSustainable Design recognizes that the architect’s primary

challenge is the poetic integration and inspired balancing of multiple technical, and sometimes conflicting, sustainable op-tions. To address this, the course introduces the student to the core technical principles that govern sustainable design and, in parallel, requires their inspired and poetic application to the design of a small and sustainable dwelling.

Sustainability + Existing StructuresKienzlThe built environment plays a critical role in society’s

environmental footprint. Given the urgency to address Climate Change, owners, designers, and policy makers are therefore focusing on improvements to the built environment as a key mechanism to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. While much of this work in recent years has focused on efforts for new buildings, it is becoming increasingly clear that only improving new buildings will not result in the significant changes needed to avert catastrophic Climate Change. This course builds on the core principals of Environments in Architecture and challenges students to apply the lessons from that class to the realm of ex-isting building improvements. Students will learn how to survey building system concepts and create base documents of the project’s architecture as well as the HVAC and energy systems. The course will provide a deeper understanding of building envelopes, energy systems and daylighting/lighting and will take energy and daylight modeling to a higher level.

Man, Machine & the Industrial LandscapeGallagherThis course examines past and present strategies of meet-

ing the growing industrial and infrastructural demands of our society. In order to identify areas where industrial technolo-gies and/or landscapes might be re-calibrated to serve future infrastructural networks the course explores new relationships between the public, local ecology and industry.

Advanced Energy Performance in ArchitectureSchwitterEnergy is increasingly a driving factor behind architectural

design. Sustainable design today is giving way to resilient design, buildings that not only use less energy, but are more robust in the face of challenges from climate change. But how is energy used efficiently? How can it potentially define form and influ-

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ence key client decisions? Advanced Energy Performance will expand upon previous work in the AT sequence and will explore the integration of three primary aspects of built form: energy use, envelope design and lighting. An understanding of the integrated nature of these design influences will be the ultimate outcome of the course including computational modeling that is current state of the art in building design for thermal perfor-mance and optimization.

Evolutionary DesignHasegawa & CollinsThis seminar presents evolutionary systems, alongside oth-

er iterative design approaches, as pragmatic and open-ended tools for realizing architectural structures. Evolution provides a powerful framework and example of how natural systems can bootstrap to increasingly more sophisticated outcomes. The seminar is an introduction to evolutionary design concepts such as mutation, fitness and selection alongside their potential ap-plications in the world of design and beyond. A combination of lectures, workshops and individual project support are goaled to introduce existing as well as incubate new design methodolo-gies in which evolutionary mechanics are at work.

Architectural DaylightingNorrisThis course will focus on the daylight as a prime generator

and articulator of architectural space. A systematic approach will be explored for daylighting technology and strategies start-ing with key relationship of light to the eye and its perception. Light will be explored with its primary relationship of the sun to a building over time as well as the basic means by which daylight interacts with both the environment and the building. Students will deliver a final daylighting project where they will design a light articulating space of their own choosing and then use a daylighting model to show its interactions of light and space.

AcousticsPatel This course covers the fundamentals of acoustics and its

application to design in the built environment. The format is in-teractive; lectures have images, video, listening, sound creation, sound visualization and sound measurement. We will investi-gate the relationship between sound and architectural space, encouraging students to think about how different types of buildings sound as well as understanding the impact that sound, noise, and vibration, have on design in the built environment.

Digital Detailing: Simulation & AnalysisCollins & HasegawaThe goal of the class is to incubate a series of research pro-

posals on the topic of performance design. For the next gener-ation of structures, a critical understanding of concepts such as search, evolution and performance will be necessary to operate in the data deluge. We define performance as optimally work-ing within a defined context of measurement, including but not limited to structural performance, energy, lighting, acoustics and even aesthetics and beauty. The seminar will look at several

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performance modeling software approaches in a workshop environment to explore the role of simulation in design.

Transformable Methods in ArchitectureHobermanArchitects have long imagined a built environment that is

fundamentally dynamic. Portable buildings, retractable cover-ings, kinetic facades, and spaces that morph: these transform-able structures have become part of the lexicon of architectural possibilities. This course will provide a theoretical overview and practical methods for designing objects that can change their size, shape, and surface. Within the class, we will build up a systematic methodology for the creation and development of transformable mechanisms. Through the use of geometric tools, parametric analysis and digital fabrication, students will develop a semester long built project that demonstrates the possibilities of transformable mechanisms in architecture.

Digital WorkflowMarbleThis seminar is aimed at students who are interested in

rethinking architectural practice. It is based on the premise that any significant change in the architectural, engineering and construction (AEC) industry will come through a disruptive shift in the culture of the industry driven by the next generation of architects...you. It is less about how practice and industry work now and more about how it could work in the future. Students will be exposed to the most current thinking on the structure of industry with an emphasis on the role that digital communica-tion tools are having in its reorganization.

Surface, Screen & StructureVidichThis course focuses on the design and digital fabrication

of sun screening systems. Primarily an applique, the screens will perform as ornamental expression and functional shad-ing. Students will design thoughtful solutions that are graphic, spatial and creatively resolve light transmittance and structural requirements.

Fast Pace / Slow SpaceBearak & BordersParametric and computational software offer designers a

high degree of specificity which can be used to create complex forms, intricate details, and material efficiency, yet high-level results become insignificant if construction methods are too complicated to be timely. Fast Pace/Slow Space will focus on the marriage of complex form and logical assembly, with detailing, hardware and construction methods informing design decisions from the onset.

VDC and the Digital Domain in ConstructionCeroneThe traditional drawing set has had a good, long run. But

the future points elsewhere. Tomorrow’s architects will work in a virtual, cloud-based environment, encouraging owners, archi-tects and contractors alike to form strategic relationships and

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In addition to those courses listed previously, any of which may be taken as an elective, courses offered by the Urban Plan-ning and Historic Preservation Programs when taken as electives may be applied toward completion of the M.Arch. degree.

Electives in Other Schools and DepartmentsStudents may choose courses from other schools and

departments of the University for M.Arch. elective credit. These courses should be directly related to the student’s professional program within the School, and these courses must be at the graduate level (course numbers 4000 and above). Exceptions may be granted only by the Associate Dean. Approval for these courses must be obtained during the registration period for the semester during which they are to be taken and provided to the Associate Dean for Admissions, Financial Aid, and Student Affairs.

Electives

deliver built work. At the heart of the process is set of evolving tools and techniques that have come to be known as Virtual Design and Construction (VDC). In a multi-dimensional, 4D+ environment, VDC is the process of digitally simulating the com-plexities of a design project. Technology-focused lectures will be paired with, and informed by, presentations of real-world precedents from current project work. The course will share the current state of construction communication in the AEC industries—and why it must be radically changed.

Advanced Curtain WallHeintgesAn in-depth exploration of the practical technical knowl-

edge necessary to undertake in practice the design, detailing, specification, and construction administration of the building enclosure, with an emphasis on available and emergent technol-ogies of the curtain wall.

Designing Through Material Properties: WoodMarbleThe seminar will explore the structural, material and

aesthetic properties of wood as a conceptual inspiration and performative driver for design, from the microscopic scale of its anisotropic composition to its capacity for regenerative growth to its inherent beauty as a building material. This will be a lab based, hands-on seminar where students will combine material knowledge with making. Students will be conducting research to gain a knowledge of the natural properties of wood and an understanding of its state-of-the art applications in architec-ture through explorations of the properties of wood both by hand and through various types of machining.

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ethods and Practice

The Methods/Practice Sequence introduces the student to various aspects of professional practice including comput-er-aided design, project and office management, developmental processes, legal and planning regulation, etc. These serve as an introduction to areas to be further developed during the three-year apprenticeship period (following completion of the M.Arch Program) required for professional licensing.

Professional PracticePaul SegalTurning designs into buildings. A general introduction to

the business of architecture, covering architects’ services to owners, contractors’ services to owners, financial managements of office and projects, and public constraints such as zoning and building codes.

Research I & IIDanielle SmollerEach student selects and area for investigation, plans and

approach to his or her chosen subject matter, and develops and adequate presentation of findings. The project may involve ex-perimentation, accumulation of physical data, consultation with recognized knowledge of the chosen subject.

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Student Body

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Countries of Origin, 2012-2014

2015–2016

Col

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GSA

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