Course syllabus for The building as a system

Course syllabus adopted 2021-02-26 by Head of Programme (or corresponding).

Overview

  • Swedish nameByggnaden som system
  • CodeARK481
  • Credits15 Credits
  • OwnerTKARK
  • Education cycleFirst-cycle
  • Main field of studyArchitecture
  • ThemeArchitectural design project 8 c
  • DepartmentARCHITECTURE AND CIVIL ENGINEERING
  • GradingUG - Pass, Fail

Course round 1

  • Teaching language Swedish
  • Application code 45114
  • Open for exchange studentsNo
  • Only students with the course round in the programme overview.

Credit distribution

0114 Project, part A 8 c
Grading: UG		 8 c
0214 Design exercise + laboratory, part B 3.5 c
Grading: UG		 3.5 c
0314 Laboratory, part C 1.5 c
Grading: UG		 1.5 c
0414 Written and oral assignments, part D 2 c
Grading: UG		 2 c

In programmes

Examiner

  • Henrik Markhede
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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

At least 90 university credits in CAD and 3D modeling in Years 1 and 2 of the Architecture program, or equivalent work from comparable architecture or design education. Swedish.

Aim

This course is intended to develop students' ability to design a complex building for a given urban context, with the building's spaces, functions, load-bearing structure, and climate control combining to form an organized system and an artistic whole.

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

Part A: DESIGN STUDIO (8.0 credits)
Present a building program interpreted in floor plans, sections, elevations, and a written description.
Show examples of spaces and spatial connections designed to accommodate functional demands, movement patterns, daylighting, and connections between inside and out.
Present the building and its context through drawings, images, and models.
Explain a building's expression in terms of its interaction with design detailing and the choice of materials and colors.
Present the building as a technical system through basic plans, sections, and models.
Demonstrate documented reflections on the project's design process.

Part B: ARCHITECTURE AND TECHNICAL SYSTEMS unit (3.5 credits)
Demonstrate examples of completed sketching and modeling work that explores the interplay between load-bearing structure and building design.
Conduct an informed discussion about various structural systems with an expert in building construction.
Explain the principles for regulating air quality, indoor temperature, and room acoustics in a building with a compound program of spaces.

Part C: ARTISTIC METHODS OF STUDYING AND COMMUNICATING unit (1.5 credits)
Demonstrate examples of studies of architectural problems that use artistic methods and tools.
Communicate their intentions for the building as an artistic whole using images and words.

Part D: CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE unit (2.0 credits)
Make reference to a repertoire of complex buildings with their associated processes and historical contexts.

Content

This course is based on the design of a new building with a compound program of spaces placed within a given urban context. Students broaden and deepen the knowledge and skills they developed in prior design studios. The broadening comes in particular from working on buildings with increasing complexity, longer spans, and greater demands on indoor climate control. The course includes recapitulation of and further training in general architectural skills. Students train in the professional tools of the architect, such as the ability to choose and develop relevant methods and tools to examine, analyze, sketch, design, and communicate. They train in process planning, developing the ability to interpret and further develop a given building program, to plan a design project, and to identify needs for further knowledge and ongoing skill training.

Organisation

This course has a practical-theoretical profile. The primary design studio assignment is illuminated by lectures, reading, seminars, exercises, experiments, and field trips. The secondary unit assignments are integrated with the studio project and include fundamental principles, central concepts, and recommendations for further, more in-depth study. The design studio portion is divided into four phases, each two weeks long, partly in order to provide periodic opportunities to give students some perspective on where they are in the design process, partly in order to apportion the time available to us to give each element of the course enough time, and partly to eliminate some of the drama from the design process and from the trial and error that are needed to eventually arrive at a clearly conceived and thoroughly designed project. Phase 1. IDEA AND CONCEPT: Generate and order systems. Phase 2. VERTICAL STRUCTURES: Frame, climate, and accessibility. Phase 3. WHOLE AND DETAIL: Architectural design of the building's technical details. Phase 4. COMPOSITION AND PRESENTATION

Literature

A reading list will be provided at the start of the course.

Examination including compulsory elements

A passing grade requires the following: An approved design studio project, presented according to the stipulated requirements. Completed and approved periodic studio assignments according to the stipulated requirements. Participation in and approved completion of secondary unit assignments according to the stipulated requirements. If the result is not considered as a pass in the course, then supplementation must be completed in accordance to written instructions and assessed in the next subsequent re-examination period. If this primary supplementation does not result in a pass and further supplementation is then required, this will also be notified in writing. This secondary supplementation will be assessed in the subsequent re-examination period. If the additions are then not deemed sufficient for passing the course, the course should be retaken.

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.