Course Syllabus

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• Coleman Design Studio Statement of Pedagogical Intentions
• The Studios
• Studio Policy
• Sketch Book/Notebook
• Student Works Policy
• Grading Guidelines
• Course format
• Attendance
• Individual Property Rights and Plagiarism

I. Within the School of Architecture’s design curriculum, the pedagogy of the first three years forms a coordinated core. The first year of studio emphasizes strategic knowledge through the introduction of a syntax of form and composition, and the second year emphasizes conceptual knowledge through the self-critical development of a set of intentions, which directs deployment of formal strategies.

Arc 308, the sixth semester in the undergraduate design studio sequence, will address issues of materiality and building development as related to building design. During the spring Arc 308 studio, an advanced level of design development is undertaken by pursuing longer projects with clearly defined constraints of site and program. The physical site may be in an urban, exurbia or small town context where the building must participate in a wide matrix of formal and cultural references.

Research as a mode of inquiry is stressed in the third year, and this implies not only the gathering of factual information but also study of the implicit or explicit values, conventions and assumptions that make up the built environment. Research, through analysis of precedent, site investigation, critical readings and exploration of technique, is considered a creative activity, driven by hypothesis and providing the base for much of the production in the studio. In Arc 308, research is incorporated in order to help formulate positions regarding the material and urban response of a building, emphasizing the synthetic and comprehensive nature of building design. The research component of the studio work in third year is thus seen as a reciprocating agent in the design process, and will vary in type from studio to studio.

II. The materiality of architecture is not limited to its visual character, but engages all the senses. Materials weather, showing the marks of the passage of time. As a creative and constructional activity, the production of architecture addresses issues of materiality not as expedient, performance-based solutions, but in a broader and contingent sense. Material development of Arc 308 studio projects generally includes the schematic resolution of structural and mechanical systems and the identification of primary construction materials. As stressed above, these decisions are the expression of a set of self-critically derived values and intentions. In this respect, these studios introduce at a schematic level the synthesis of strategy and concept in material development, which is a primary emphasis of Arc 308.

The site of a building may be understood both as a precisely bounded area, with quantifiable physical attributes, or as a construct which may extend well beyond its immediate physical surroundings or legally-defined property boundaries. It may also encompass much larger spatial systems as well as extra-spatial phenomena such as socio-cultural, historical and ecological attributes. Accordingly, ‘site response’ is itself understood as a construct, which must be carefully and self-critically assembled, rather than as a value-free, predetermined, or single, universally applicable procedure.

Studying the intersection of architecture and physical place with issues of public realm forms part of the critique of urban practices engaged in Arc 307/8 studios, studios in Florence and Visiting Critic studios in Syracuse.

The production of architecture involves constructing the critical context in which a problem is theorized by the architect: the program and its resolution are also introduced as opportunities for conceptual learning. The programs of Arc 308 studios are generally more complex than those assigned in previous studios and present problems of distribution, circulation and other strategic challenges. For example, a building’s program may also be re-conceived as an institution which possesses particular socio-cultural meanings to those who encounter it and may be represented by typological form or some other mode of architectural signification. This extended understanding of the program raises the issue of conventionalized architectural representation and of the architect’s need to either embrace, reject, or transform such meanings and their representation in expression of a clearly articulated set of values and intentions.

Students who have reached the arc 307/8 sequence are capable of operating with more independence than in the preceding two years. The ability to fully engage in the exploration, both intellectual and crafted, of your design work is of paramount importance. This includes active participation in discussion of readings and design projects, addressing the issues raised in each project, ability to explore design methodologies and to initiate research pertinent to the work at hand. Individual initiative throughout a project, evidenced in clear explorations at the desk, represents your effort to assume critical responsibility for your work and learning. You are expected to integrate the lessons from previous semesters from all components of the professional curriculum.

The general studio content, the reading list and the lecture topics have been discussed and agreed upon by the faculty. While you will be assigned to one studio, this is an opportunity to explore multiple processes and outlooks by becoming aware of the course instruction in the other third-year studios through all-class lectures, discussions with classmates, and perhaps sitting in on reviews. In addition, you will be encouraged to attend some thesis and thesis prep reviews, as in the not-too distant future, you too will be engaged in a thesis exploration.

Students are required to attend all studio sessions, including group lectures, films, and studio-related field trips. Missed classes without a verified medical or religious-observance excuse cannot be allowed and may result in a lowered grade.

In order to benefit from discussions with classmates, students should work in the designated studio in Slocum Hall. The Arc 308 studio is a place of research and for the sake of your own work and that of surrounding colleagues you are asked not to have visitors or to conduct work for other classes during studio hours. Rowdy or otherwise obnoxious behavior should be reported to the studio instructor and the third-year coordinator. School-wide policy against drinking alcoholic beverages and smoking, and the use of adhesives, fixatives and paints in the building will be enforced; please report any transgressions.

During all studio reviews, juries and class discussions, all sound emitting devices, such as alarm watches, pagers, cell phones, etc., must be set so that no sound is produced.

ARC 308/308 students are required to maintain a sketchbook for the sole use in this class, for recording field research, exploration of precedents, lectures, reading notes, etc- Sketchbooks may be collected at any time and are to be a graded component of the course.

There are a modest number of handouts throughout the semester. You are required to maintain a tabbed three ring notebook to incorporate handouts, results of individual research, notes, photocopies of selected readings and other relevant material.

Group Lectures

There will be a schedule of required lectures provided by the Third Year Faculty and invited guests. There will also be the opportunity for a student generated symposium towards the end of the spring term-

Readings and Reading List

A suggested reading and reference list related to issues of the ARC 307 and ARC 308 design studios is provided. The books or articles on this list will be held on reserve in the reading room for your use. Each faculty will provide additional readings, which will address particular issues raised in that design section. See Supplemental Reading List.

In compliance with the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, works in all media produced by students as part of their course participation at Syracuse University may be used for educational purposes, provided the course syllabus makes clear that such use may occur. It is understood that registration for and continued enrollment in a course where such use of student works is announced constitute permission by the student.

After such a course has been completed, any further use of student works will meet one of the following conditions: (1) the work will be rendered anonymous through the removal of all personal identification of the work's creator/originator(s); or (2) the creator/originator(s)’ written permission will be secured.

As a generally accepted practice, honors theses, graduate theses, graduate research projects, dissertations, or other exit projects submitted in partial fulfillment of degree requirements are placed in the Library, University Archives, or academic departments for public reference.

A: Performance of superior quality; intellectually, formally and technically. There is clear evidence of genuine talent and architectural insight. Reserved for work that is extremely sound and not merely flashy.

B: Performance of good quality that has aesthetic merit and technical competence, although some problems are noted. Work reflects a solid commitment to the learning process and an understanding of the issues.

C: Performance of acceptable quality that meets the basic goals of the exercise, is presented in a complete manner and does not contain serious errors of judgment or omission.

D: Performance of inferior quality that may reflect a conscientious effort on the part of the student, but contains many serious errors of judgment, lacks aesthetic skill and/or is incomplete in presentation. The work did not meet the instructional goals in several areas.

F: Performance that is seriously deficient in merit and effort. Given to those projects that reflect a lack of class attendance, significant incompleteness and/or lack of interest in the subject material

It should be noted that students in studios are graded on the basis of actual performance rather than potential. Performance is defined as a combination of intent, participation and product. It is also important to remember that an average grade of C in the undergraduate core program is required over any two-semester period.

Studio:

Studio is, of course, the major component of the course. It requires the student to fully engage in the material at hand and to take the role of the principle designer.

Readings:

Readings are intended to enhance the material of the studio, to contribute additional thoughts and ideas as described by various architects, historians and theoreticians. Reading material may be directly related to the functional type of the project being designed or it may pertain to the ideas or concepts that underlie the project.

Reviews:

Project reviews serve as markers throughout the semester, they make public the work of the individual and the collective studio, they encourage public discourse on the topic of the studio and they provide a means to evaluate the progress of both the individual and the studio as a whole.

Attendance in the studio is critical, and expected. If, for some reason, you cannot attend studio please notify me as soon as possible so arrangements may be made to cover the material in some other fashion. The impromptu all studio meeting is a rather common occurrence. They are triggered by circumstances encountered in disk crits. Thus it is impossible to predict just when they will happen and what they will cover. Students who are not in the studio will miss them.

The study of architecture is a challenging endeavor. Students are encouraged to develop a working environment in which assistance is readily asked for and given. However, work, which is submitted in fulfillment of course requirements, must be the work of the individual student. Copying of another's work and submitting another's work as one's own, either wholly or in part, constitutes plagiarism and is a violation of university academic policy. Punishment may range from failure for the assignment to referral to the School's ethics committee.