Course syllabus for Architectural design and aesthetics

The course syllabus contains changes
See changes

Course syllabus adopted 2023-02-13 by Head of Programme (or corresponding).

Overview

  • Swedish nameIntroduktion till form och rum
  • CodeACE240
  • Credits7.5 Credits
  • OwnerTKARK
  • Education cycleFirst-cycle
  • Main field of studyArchitecture
  • ThemeArchitectural design project 6 c
  • DepartmentARCHITECTURE AND CIVIL ENGINEERING
  • GradingUG - Pass, Fail

Course round 1

  • Teaching language Swedish
  • Application code 45132
  • Open for exchange studentsNo
  • Only students with the course round in the programme overview.

Credit distribution

0123 Project 6 c
Grading: UG		6 c
0223 Written and oral assignments 1.5 c
Grading: UG		1.5 c

In programmes

Examiner

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Eligibility

General entry requirements for bachelor's level (first cycle)
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Specific entry requirements

The same as for the programme that owns the course.
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Course specific prerequisites


Aim

The course gives students an introduction to applied aesthetics and morphology and introduce them to a set of tools and concepts that enables the understanding and development of the subject of architecture, as well as give them the skills to work exploratory and methodically with design. The course also gives students an introduction to the different scales that architects work with, from details of a building to public spaces of the city and the relationships between the scales. Through design laboratories, students get the opportunity to analyze and creatively investigate place, form and space using various design methods. The course also gives students the basics of different means of architectural expression and sensuous qualities based on, for example, colour, light, sound and materiality. Furthermore, students will become familiar with different design, analysis and communication methods as well as explore how analogue and digital tools can support the design process. A specific aim is to promote critical thinking in relation to different design methods as well as types of media and tools, which develops the students' independent assessment of their possibilities and limitations.

Learning outcomes (after completion of the course the student should be able to)

  1. Describe place, form and space using for architecture primary concepts related to applied aesthetics, morphology and design.
  2. Carry out exploratory investigations of place, form and space using different architectural design methods.
  3. Evaluate design proposals and make informed choices based on subjective values as well as rational viewpoints.
  4. Describe the role and purpose of drawings and models for architecture, both in the design process and as communication tool.
  5. Use different analogue and digital tools and reflect on its application and possibilities of combining them.
  6. Reflect on your own work and learning and formulate development needs that can be met in future courses.

Content

The course consists of two modules.

Project

The first module introduces design theory, applied aesthetics and morphology, including basics of colour theory and technology. In this module, students also get an introduction to the different stages of the design process, which are covered in separate exercises.

Written and oral assignments

In the second module, students get an introduction to the role of drawings and models in the design process and get skilled in using various analogue and digital tools for analysis, design and communication of both the process and results. The content of these two modules is often combined in the same design exercise but will be examined separately.

Organisation

The course begins with an introduction to the school's premises and their role in education, which includes an introduction to the school's workshop. The course uses project-based teaching where students learn from and with each other in the studio in combination with tutoring by teachers. The course consists of lectures, several short design laboratories and seminars. The lectures introduce specific subjects such as morphology and drawing technique and aim to be both knowledge imparting and inspiring. The design laboratories give students, based on relatively simple design tasks, knowledge about basic architectural concepts and skills to explore different design alternatives that are further developed in the more complex design projects in future courses. Seminars aim to give students an opportunity to reflect on the topics introduced, as well as learn from both others and their own work. The course ends with a moment of reflection on acquired experiences from the course which are collected and recorded in a portfolio.

Literature

Literature will be announced at the start of the course.

Examination including compulsory elements

Examination takes place through
  • ­ Continuous examination of the project that corresponds to 6.0 credits and mainly examines learning outcomes 1, 2, 3 and 5
  • ­ Assignment on Design and representation media that corresponds to 1.5 credits and primarily examines learning outcomes 4 and 5
  • ­ Obligatory reflection which mainly examines learning outcome 6
  • ­ Active participation in the course

Continuous examination means that examination takes place through several presentation sessions with clear submission requirements that are announced at the start of the course. Also, compulsory moments are announced at the start of the course.

A student who is not approved in the course after the regular examination must be given the opportunity to be examined through supplementation after the end of the course if the examiner considers it feasible. If, after two attempts at completion, the student still cannot be approved, the student must retake the course. Assessment of completions takes place during Chalmers' re-examination periods. It is the student's responsibility to check reported study results in Ladok after each study period and to contact the course examiner for instructions on supplementation if an approved result is missing.

The course examiner may assess individual students in other ways than what is stated above if there are special reasons for doing so, for example if a student has a decision from Chalmers on educational support due to disability.

The course syllabus contains changes

  • Changes to course rounds:
    • 2023-06-28: Examinator Examinator changed from Meta Berghauser Pont (meta) to Björn Gross (bjogro00) by Viceprefekt
      [Course round 1]