Studio Overview:

As the first in the sequence of studios in the Master of Architecture I Curriculum at ISU, this course introduces representational tools and methodologies foundational to the study and practice of architecture. The primary objective of the course is to cultivate facility in and understanding of architectural representation, including both physical and digital means, as a medium of visualization and inquiry.

Methods and Format:

This studio course is integrated with Arch 595: Seminar on the Built Environment I: History.  The two courses will unfold in tandem, content from each is designed to reinforce the other through a feedback loop of making and thinking. The studio will progress through orthographic projection, parallel projection, descriptive projection, analysis and design; analog and digital drawing, model-making, and fabrication are infused at each stage of the semester. Alongside these studio-based activities of making, prehistorical, ancient, medieval, renaissance, and modern architectural histories will be investigated through seminar-based activities including interdisciplinary readings, critical reflections, discussion, workshops, research methods, student presentations, and research projects. The studio will feature a sequence of projects that bridge between these ways of seeing and the projection of new architectures. Some projects include teamwork while others are to be authored individually by each student. Reading assignments accompany these applied studies to expand on their conceptual implications.

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Learning Objectives:

The primary learning objective of the class is for students to cultivate understanding and skill in utilizing architectural representation - including various modes of drawing, graphic and visual media, and fabrication - as means of studying and proposing architectural spaces and elements.

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