Course syllabus adopted 2024-02-02 by Head of Programme (or corresponding).
Overview
- Swedish nameDigital design
- CodeACE605
- Credits10.5 Credits
- OwnerTKARK
- Education cycleFirst-cycle
- Main field of studyArchitecture
- ThemeArchitectural design project 7.5 c,Environment 1.5 c
- DepartmentARCHITECTURE AND CIVIL ENGINEERING
- GradingUG - Pass, Fail
Course round 1
- Teaching language Swedish
- Application code 45131
- Open for exchange studentsNo
- Only students with the course round in the programme overview.
Credit distribution
Module | Sp1 | Sp2 | Sp3 | Sp4 | Summer | Not Sp | Examination dates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0124 Project 7.5 c Grading: UG | 0 c | 7.5 c | 0 c | 0 c | 0 c | 0 c | |
| 0224 Written and oral assignments, part A 1.5 c Grading: UG | 0 c | 1.5 c | 0 c | 0 c | 0 c | 0 c | |
| 0324 Written and oral assignments, part B 1.5 c Grading: UG | 0 c | 1.5 c | 0 c | 0 c | 0 c | 0 c |
In programmes
Examiner
Jonas Lundberg- Lecturer, Architectural Theory and Method, Architecture and Civil Engineering
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
- Architectural design and aesthetics, or equivalent
- Building design: Space in buildings, or equivalent
- Housing design: Space for living, or equivalent
- Urban design: Space in cities, or equivalent
The course is part of the learning sequence Design and builds on and deepens knowledge of digital tools in architecture which were covered in the above-mentioned courses.
Aim
In the course students develop knowledge, skills, and abilities in digital design, representation, and manufacturing, building upon the skills introduced during the first year. The course specifically refers to tools and methods, as well as communication, representation, and the transformation of digital information into instructions for prototyping and full-scale construction. The combination of these techniques gives students the opportunity to develop individual abilities to adopt an investigative approach in the development and realization of a design concept.The course introduces specific digital techniques to train students in using digital tools to make design decisions through an iterative and exploratory process with integrated feedback mechanisms linked to a specific design challenge.
The course can thus be divided into three focus areas:
- Design, analysis, and evaluation
- Representation and communication
- Manufacturing
Learning outcomes (after completion of the course the student should be able to)
- Describe various digital tools, their foundations, applications, and pros and cons by analyzing, comparing, and strategically thinking about the use of different digital tools and methods in relation to design, analysis, evaluation, representation, communication, and manufacturing.
- Utilize various digital programs for spatial and artistic exploration at different scales, from building design to urban planning.
- Employ various design media (e.g., drawings, diagrams, mapping, geometry, models, prototypes, video, virtual reality, 3D scanning, etc.) to illuminate specific conceptual issues and inform and guide their design process.
- Use different digital design methods for the production of digital models, drawings, physical models, and prototypes using digital manufacturing.
- Evaluate various design options quantitatively and qualitatively with the support of digital tools by measuring and visualizing the proposal's performance in relation to sustainability aspects and highlight synergies and conflicts.
- Reflect on the use of digital tools in architecture and its role linked to design, sustainability, representation, and manufacturing, as well as develop an approach in relation to the rapid development within digitization.
Content
The course is organized into three modules: design project, design and representation media, and sustainable development.Module Design Project
This module focuses on digital design work through exercises and the completion of a smaller architectural design project in preparation for more complex challenges later in the education. Each session directs the design challenge and project task towards a current question or debate on digital design and representation in architecture and/or urban design. The design project is presented at the beginning of the course.
Module Design and representation media (Written and oral assignments, part A)
This module primarily emphasizes the development of skills in the use of digital tools. It also provides an overview of various tools, their foundations, applications, pros and cons, and the opportunity for reflection on the role of media in architecture and approaches in relation to the rapid development in digitalization.Module Sustainable development (Written and oral assignments, part B)
This module focuses on evaluating and qualifying various design options, including synergies and conflicts, with the support of digital tools. It also involves quantifying these effects and weigh alternatives through a number of concrete cases using analysis and simulations.To absorb as much of the course content as possible, it is important to work continuously from the start of the course and try to learn tools and skills during the course and assignment, which is a more effective way of learning than first learning the tool and then using it in a design task. Since the course largely revolves around skill development, the investigative process is more important than the final product. The process should be documented according to the submission requirements announced at the start of the course.
The course has two mandatory moments for presentation, discussion, and accompanying critique. Formative feedback is provided at the mid-critique, and formative and summative feedback is given at the final critique.
Organisation
The implementation of the course is based on Studio Based Learning) in the studio with guidance and support from teachers and assistants, where the latter mainly assist with software and technology. Learning and skill development largely occur individually or in small groups through pre-recorded exercises and demonstrations, supplemented by lectures, live demonstrations, and laboratories.The course is a studio-based course that focuses on a design challenge and its associated design project. Learning is structured around teacher guidance and independent practice and project work based on the development of digital skills, sustainability issues, and representation.
Guidance is complemented by a workshop, weekly program demonstrations, and review sessions, along with a few lectures. The design project with associated submission requirements is presented at the course's start. The project will change annually to address a current issue.
The course includes weekly partial submissions. Students collaborate in small groups, but a portion of the submission is done individually.
Literature
Mollie Claypool (2019). The digital in architecture. Now then and in the future. Space 10.
Stephen Eskilson (2023), Digital Design: A History.
Jenny Eringstam and Nina Sandahl (2022), Arkitekt 3.0 Guide för projekterande arkitekter.
Dominik Holzer (2023), Design Technology in Contemporary Architectural Practice.
Further information will be given at the start of the course.
Examination including compulsory elements
The examination is conducted through:- Submission of documentation of an investigative design process and oral presentation of the design project at two mandatory occasions, equivalent to 7.5 credits, primarily assessing learning objectives 2, 3, 4, and 5.
- Written and oral assignments, part A related to Sustainable Development, equivalent to 1.5 credits, primarily assessing learning objective 4.
- Written and oral assignments, part B related to Design and Representation Media, equivalent to 1.5 credits, primarily assessing learning objectives 1 and 6.
- Active participation in 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.