Architectural Design Studio (ADST) 655

Comprehensive Design of Complex Buildings (Revision 1)

Status:

Open

Delivery mode:

Grouped study or Paced study

Credits:

Area of study:

Architecture

Prerequisites:

Undergraduate Degree in Architecture

Precluded:

None

Faculty:

Faculty of Science and Technology

Notes:

This course will be offered in January, May and September. You may contact the FST Student Success Centre at 1-855-362-2870 for confirmation of other offerings.

This course is offered over 13 weeks. Students are required to attend one 3 hour evening video teleconference session per week.

Architectural Design Studio 655: Comprehensive Design of Complex Buildings is intended for students enrolled in the Graduate Diploma in Architecture (GDA) at the RAIC Centre for Architecture at Athabasca University.

Overview

ADST 655: Comprehensive Design of Complex Buildings is the first studio in the sequence of studios that comprise an important part of the PBDA. You will develop a design for a building type that is a place of assembly, according to a coherent architectural idea and in response to a complex architectural program. This studio requires that the spaces be designed in a way that is appropriate to each activity, and organized in accordance with the relationships required by the functional program and the site. Special attention will be given to the human dimension of both public and private spaces and to the integration and resolution of all building systems.

Outline

This studio course has three projects, as noted above, and two formal presentations. The first project is a precedent analysis of successful institutional projects. The second project, in which you design a complex building for a place of assembly, forms the majority of the course.

Each week, you will be asked to share your work in progress with your academic expert and the other students in the studio. This weekly session is the equivalent of a desk critique (a session during which the architecture student sits down with their instructor to review their designs) given in a face-to-face studio.

These interactive meetings will be held in an online environment that includes video conferencing, audio conferencing, and social media, and will allow the academic expert to provide feedback in the form of sketches, beside or as a layer over your work. This is intended to be a productive working session much like you would experience in an architect’s office. You will receive a full set of instructions for connecting to the virtual studio.

Learning outcomes

and three-dimensional design, architectural composition, and urban design.
Ability to use appropriate representational media, including freehand drawing and computer technology, to convey essential information at each stage of the pre-design and design process.
Ability to make technically precise drawings and develop an outline specification for a proposed building.
Ability to apply fundamental architectural principles in the design of buildings, interior spaces and sites, and to respond to natural and built site characteristics in the development of a program and the design of a project.
Ability to prepare a comprehensive program for an architectural project that accounts for client and user needs, appropriate precedents, space and equipment requirements, the relevant laws and standards, and site selection and design assessment criteria.
Ability to produce and document a comprehensive architectural project based on a building program and a site, and that includes the development of forms and spaces demonstrating an understanding of structural and environmental systems, building envelope systems, building assemblies and lifesafety provisions, and of the principles of sustainability and environmental stewardship.
Understanding of principles of structural behavior in withstanding gravity and lateral forces and the evolution, range, and appropriate application of contemporary structural systems.
Understanding of the basic principles and appropriate application and performance of environmental systems, including acoustical, lighting, climate modification systems and energy use.
Understanding of the basic principles and appropriate application and performance of plumbing, electrical, vertical transportation, communication, security, and fire protection systems.
Understanding of the basic building science principles and the appropriate application of building envelope materials and assemblies in the Canadian environment.
Understanding of the basic principles and appropriate application and performance of various construction materials, products, components, and assemblies common to the Canadian construction industry, including their environmental impact and reuse.
Ability to integrate appropriate technical systems into a complex building and to use appropriate representational media, including freehand drawing and computer technology, to convey essential technical elements at each stage of the design development process.

Evaluation

Your work in this course will be evaluated based on two projects. You are required to scan and submit your work at each stage to your academic expert via the Project links on the course home page.

Each project is weighted as shown below.

Activity	Weight	Complete by
Project 1: Precedent Study and Critical Analysis (Choose your Project 2 Option now.)	10%	Week 2
Review Project 2 and select your project site and option.		Week 2
Project 2A: Design Brief	15%	Week 4
Project 2B: Schematic Design	20%	Week 7
Mid-term Presentation		Week 7
Project 2C: Final Project	45%	Week 13
Final Presentation		Week 13
Project 3A: Reflecting on What You Have Learned	10%	Week 14
Project 3B: Submit 2 images to the Gallery.		Week 14
Total	100%

You must achieve a cumulative grade of 67% or greater to receive credit for ADST 655.

Materials

Although there is no textbook for this studio, the academic experts may assign readings as they deem appropriate during the course.

Other Resources

Student-Provided Tools and Equipment

You must provide a digital camera for your own use, as well as a few other tools. The items you will need to provide are listed below:

Photography tools:

Smartphone with camera, or digital camera (SLR preferable)

Drawing materials:

35.56cm × 43.18cm (14” × 17”) Strathmore 300 series acid-free drawing paper
22.86cm × 30.48cm (9” × 12”) Strathmore 300 series sketchbook
white or beige 2-ply card stock
trace paper

Drawing tools:

0.30 mm precision felt pen (or similar).
2H to 2B pencils or mechanical pencils
coloured markers and/or pencil crayons
compass
protractor
ruler
drawing board (recommended)

Modeling materials:

white or beige 2-ply card stock
clear plastic sheet

Modeling tools:

self-healing cutting mat: 18” × 24” (45.75cm × 60.96cm) or larger preferable.
metal-edge cork-back ruler (various sizes)
stainless steel knife
masking tape/painter’s tape
white glue
modeling set square

Use of Computers

You may use computers to design and complete your projects for this studio (except where noted), but remember that hand drawing and modeling skills remain essential to the development of an architect and we encourage you to use those skills wherever possible.

Course Home Page (online): The course home page houses all the online components of your course.

Course Information (online): The Course Information provides specific information about how to proceed through the course. Read the Course Information carefully before you begin reading the Study Guide.

Projects (online): The 3 projects are embedded on the course home page.

Forms: Forms you may need are available through the myAU portal.

Athabasca University reserves the right to amend course outlines occasionally and without notice. Courses offered by other delivery methods may vary from their individualized study counterparts.