Structural Design II

This course is a continuation of GSD 6227 and completes the introduction to the analysis and design of building structures. Both 6227 and 6229 are the required courses to satisfy (and exceed) accreditation requirements for structures in the MArch I program. 

The course has three closely related pedagogical components. First, it introduces additional methods for structural analysis and design—numerical analysis techniques, physical model analysis, ultimate strength design of reinforced concrete elements, and structural design software. 

Second, it completes the introduction to the elements of structures by introducing 3-D trusses, continuous beams, statically indeterminate frames, shells, and membranes. In addition to timber and steel, we introduce the design of reinforced concrete structures. 

Finally, this course dedicates a significant amount of time to the design of structural systems, addressing both gravity as well as lateral loading scenarios. The design of structural systems is not treated as a purely quantitative exercise but as a design activity that synergizes architectural design and the mechanics of structural principles. Design exercises and case study analysis serve to expose the relationship between structural systems and architectural form and space. Students will learn to identify typical design strategies for structural system strategies and understand their spatial and formal ramifications. They will learn to select and apply appropriate methods of analysis when conducting structural analysis studies in order to make informed decisions throughout the architectural design process. 

A computer-based structural analysis program (Multiframe 3-D) will be used during the course. Together with its first part, GSD 6227, this course: 

– Provides an understanding of the behavior of structural systems. 
– Gives students an exposure to basic and advanced structural concepts and teaches simple calculations and the use of computer tools applicable in the early stages of the design process in order to select and size the most appropriate structural systems. 
– Teaches the engineering language in an effort to improve communication with the engineers in the design team 

The Monday class meeting is an optional review session. 

Prerequisites: GSD 6227 or equivalent. 

The first day of GSD classes, Tuesday, September 5th, is held as a MONDAY schedule at the GSD. As this course meets on Monday, the first meeting of this course will be on Tuesday, September 5th. It will meet regularly thereafter. 

Ecologies, Techniques, Technologies I

This course recognizes plants as one of the most expressive materials of the artform — a living medium that distinguishes the discipline from the other applied sciences and fine arts. The goal of the course is to introduce the global potential of plants as a means of design for shaping the character of a place for individual and collective human experience. Investigations that straddle hand-drawn, digital and analog mediums will explore the universally accessible and adaptive power of plants in making healthy, resilient ecologies and socially dynamic spaces.

The course emphasizes the use of empirical observations and investigation to explore multiple-scaled thinking about plants and their habitats, including cultural and vernacular attributes and larger ecological systems. It is not a comprehensive overview of the horticultural or botanical history of plants, however students will employ an important methodology for how to learn plants that can be translated to any locale, including the rote memorization of botanical and common plant names combined with recognition of a plant's visual features.

Through case studies, field visits, lectures, and readings students will learn to identify approximately 50+ plants, define notational systems, and translate plant characteristics into design languages that they can apply in future design work. The course exposes students to the understanding of plants from non-managed plant communities to managed living systems.

Products of the course will include mixed media drawings that explore typologies of designed and non- designed plant communities. Videos, photographs, black and white field notes, sketches, diagrams, and a series of curated drawings in axon, plan, and section will be the vocabulary of the course. Regular "plant walks” which will provide great opportunities to observe plants in situ and learn how to use plants to shape the experience of place.

The first day of GSD classes, Tuesday, September 5th, is held as a MONDAY schedule. The course will meet for the first time on Thursday, September 7th and will meet regularly thereafter.

Construction Systems

This course introduces students to methods of construction: conceptually, historically, and practically. We will consider how construction techniques emerge in relation to architectural desires and technical criteria in order to emphasize the architect’s agency in shaping construction systems within the collaborative environment of contemporary building design. Construction has material, structural, spatial, economic, environmental, and cultural consequences. As such, this foundational course will have the dual charge of understanding not just how, but also why we build in a particular manner.

An overview of construction systems will be provided including a review of wall, roof, envelope, and foundation systems. Students will learn about construction systems through lectures, readings, and a series of research assignments that ask students to apply methods of dissection (by drawing and modeling selected systems in detail) and to speculate on the larger societal and cultural relevance of architectural technologies. Students will be evaluated on the basis of their research assignments and participation in course discussions. Select course materials will be made available online for students to review outside of class hours for asynchronous engagement and discussion.
 
This course is part of the core curriculum in architecture for MArch I and MArch I AP students.

Environmental Systems 1 [Module 1]

This course is the first of a two-module sequence in building technology (6121, 6122) and constitutes part of the core curriculum in architecture.

Objectives:
– To study selected aspects of the physical environment which directly affect people and their buildings, such as climate, weather, solar radiation and heat gain and loss.
– To study the means by which environmental factors may be wisely utilized, controlled, and modified as an integral part of the architectural design.

“Environmental Systems 1” will undertake the study of human needs, comfort, performance, and sense of well-being in relation to the physical environments, both natural and man-made, that occur in and around buildings. Recent environmental problems have been traced to the energy and waste products used or created by buildings. These environmental problems make it imperative that architects be familiar with the systems that affect building energy use.

Students in this course will become familiar with those elements of a building that contribute to the heat and cooling loads in the building and will be introduced to methods that reduce the energy consumption. Different methods of analysis, evaluation, and simulation will be introduced and used.

The first day of GSD classes, Tuesday, September 5th, is held as a MONDAY schedule at the GSD. As this course meets on Monday, the first meeting of this course will be on Tuesday, September 5th. It will meet regularly thereafter. 

Environmental Systems 2 [Module 2]

Purpose: This course is the second of a two-module sequence in building technology (6121, 6122) and constitutes part of the core curriculum in architecture.

Objective: To continue the study of environmental considerations in architectural design.

Content: The course will cover building systems and their technologies including the conventional and emerging HVAC systems, renewable energy systems, and other active building systems. It will also introduce daylight and electric lighting in buildings along with manual and computer-based methods for analyzing daylight design. The course also covers fundamental concepts of acoustics and their application in architecture.

In this course, students will:
– Learn the fundamentals of HVAC systems in architecture and practice the schematic design of such systems;
– Learn the basic principles and applications of daylighting and acoustic considerations in architecture; and
– Continue to develop analytical and creative thinking regarding sustainability and energy issues in building design.

Class format: Includes lectures and workshops. Where noted, attendance at evening workshops may be mandatory. In all classes, the goal is an interactive format, so questions, comments, and other forms of active participation are encouraged.

Urban Stack: Practice Methods for a Complex World

The Urban Stack is a pedagogical framework for understanding the infrastructures of power that operate in relationship to practice. These constructs shape the design and production of the built environment in our time of increasing uncertainty, project complexity, and risk. The course is designed to explore, translate and generate alternative readings of our built context; to imagine how design and planning practice can shape the environmental, social, cultural, and experiential qualities of urban form within our emerging 21st century context. A primary objective of the course is to identify gaps and opportunities in the layered socio-technical systems that guide the production of the built environment; to enable culturally and socially transformative development with the goal of practical application in the real world.

This course addresses the practice of design as it inevitably confronts and interacts with infrastructures of policy, technology, and finance. Theoretical frameworks will help us seek space for design impact and agency through established and emerging modes of practice and projects that operate upon, within, or against these systemic constructs. Our task is to collectively answer the following questions: As urban projects grow in complexity, swelling and speeding up to attain maximum impact, is our work inevitably defined and shaped by the pressures of finance, automation, and regulation? Where does our agency as designers of the built environment lie in current practice?

The first day of GSD classes, Tuesday, September 5th, is held as a MONDAY schedule at the GSD. As this course meets on Monday, the first meeting of this course will be on Tuesday, September 5th. It will meet regularly thereafter. 

Frameworks of Practice

How should we practice today?

The discipline, the profession, and the practice of architecture are invented and designed things. And the roles, relationships, protocols, and expertise that define architecture’s overarching frameworks are neither ancient nor fixed, even if buildings and the people who design them have existed for millennia. That said, for much of the twentieth century, the pace of change in the discipline, profession, and practice of architecture—and how one navigates these in the course of building a career—has been but gradual.

Crisis, however, is a powerful accelerant. Since the turn of the century, a series of interrelated economic, social, climate, and health crises have not just challenged architectural practices and practitioners, but are necessitating a wholesale reconsideration of the underlying frameworks of practice inherited from the twentieth century. While many architects will struggle to adapt, some are discovering and inventing new frameworks with which to confront not only specific crises, but to take a more proactive role in addressing the needs of society.

In Frameworks of Practice this fall, we will critically examine the challenges and opportunities created by crisis, and seek to understand how architects have designed new ways of practicing in direct response to crises ranging from economic collapse to structural racism to natural disaster to global pandemic. Acknowledging that the discipline, the profession, and the practice of architecture are invented, designed concepts, our ultimate aim is to uncover and imagine new ways of practicing in an increasingly upended world.

Course Format: Lectures by course instructor and guests; full-class and small group workshops and tutorials; discussions and team exercises; collaborative and individual projects.

Requirements: Consistent class attendance and engagement; satisfactory participation in and completion of collaborative and individual projects.

Prerequisites: The course is open to all degree programs at the GSD and certain cross-registration students from MIT. M.Arch I candidates must have completed the core professional practice course (PRO-07212) in order to enroll in PRO-07408. Prior work experience is beneficial but not required.

 

The first day of GSD classes, Tuesday, September 5th, is held as a MONDAY schedule. As this course meets only on Tuesdays, the first meeting of this course will be on Tuesday, September 12th. It will meet regularly thereafter. 

Practices of Landscape Architecture

This course presents the application of landscape ideas as a process of engagement and building amidst financial, legal, cultural, political, and professional contexts.  The course aims to introduce conventions and circumstances that may be encountered throughout one’s career while stimulating new and creative, alternative dimensions of practice in a global context of universal agency.
 
Course content includes lectures, workshops and discussions led by the instructor and guests from around the globe, and incorporates student research, readings and discussion.   Though concepts appear iteratively throughout the term, early topics focus on design leadership and community agency, professional identity, firm marketing and business development.   Visiting lectures by established professionals from around the globe speak about their practices and a variety of topics including their career trajectories, firm development and working contexts, as well as their current endeavors. Topics then move to conventions and circumstances influencing legal, ethical, financial and operational aspects of practice, particularly those that can contribute to and detract from the success of firms and their projects.    During the third part of the course, academic trajectory, future impacts on practice and historic documentation practices are featured, in addition to the sharing of ongoing research by students.  During the course, lecturers and work by Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) and LBGTQI people will be present.  Issues of diversity within the profession and in our work endeavors will be considered in depth during an evening event featuring guest panelists from non-profit entities.
 
Recognizing that architecture, planning and landscape architecture share many aspects of practice, this course incorporates nuances and scope that are typically the focus of current landscape architectural practice itself, such as soils as a living medium; grading and planting; landscape architectural documentation and construction; landscape advocacy and stewardship; community contexts and agencies; and liabilities specifically associated with the practice of landscape architecture.   
 
Class Sessions  The course meets twice a week for 1.25 hours (2.5 hours total).   Guest lecturers will participate in Gund and remotely (zoom).  Two sessions will be held at alternate class times; excused absences or other arrangements can be arranged with the instructor in the event of a personal schedule conflict.

The first day of GSD classes, Tuesday, September 5th, is held as a MONDAY schedule. The course will meet for the first time on Thursday, September 7th and will meet regularly thereafter.

Due to room capacity, enrollment is likely limited to Landscape Architecture students who are required to take the course. Please contact the instructor with questions.

Integrative Frameworks for Technology, Environment, and Society I

This graduate-level seminar course is part of the MDE program's first-year core curriculum, comprising a two-course sequence spanning one year. The course focuses on building an integrated intellectual framework to explore the complex relationships between science, engineering, manufacturing, design, innovation, environment, sustainability, culture, aesthetics, business, public policy, and government. Through the study of various frameworks and lenses, students will gain insights into real-world problem-solving.  The course fosters critical thinking and intellectual literacy, providing a holistic perspective on the interplay between scientific progress, technological innovations, manufacturing systems, and their broader implications for industry and society. Through readings, discussions, and exercises, students will develop interdisciplinary knowledge and problem-solving skills, empowering them to address multifaceted challenges effectively in their professional endeavors.

Fall Semester Modules Topics:
   – Knowing and Understanding
   – Science, Engineering, and Design
   – Intellectual Property and Industry Standards
   – Basic Accounting and Finance
   – Manufacturing Processes and Systems
   – Business Strategy
   – Industry Architecture and Technological Innovation

Course Learning Objectives: The main learning objectives of this course are:

Critical Thinking for Problem Solving
– Ability to differentiate between various types of information, such as observations, assumptions, facts, opinions (assertions), beliefs, and prejudices, to facilitate unbiased and evidence-based decision-making
– Ability to reason at the level of first principles, fostering deeper understanding and innovative problem solving
– Proficiency in identifying significant problems, delving into their root causes, and proposing insightful and well-founded solutions

Integrative Analysis – Consilience across Disciplines
– Ability to integrate knowledge from engineering, business, design, sociology, psychology, government, and philosophy to approach real-world problems with a comprehensive mindset
– Ability to propose realistic and practical solutions that address the needs and perspectives of multiple stakeholders, bridging various disciplines

Intellectual Literacy – Establishing a Broad Background
– Broad knowledge base that will serve as a foundation for effectively solving real-world problems with interdisciplinary insights
– Broad knowledge base that will facilitate continuous learning

Course Structure and Format: This course will involve a significant amount of assigned readings from primary reference materials in science, engineering, business, economics, and management as well as prepared course materials and case studies based on specific companies.  In addition, attendance and active in-class participation in discussions of the readings, case studies and other group activities are expected and will be a significant factor in grading.  For the Fall semester, there will be a group project to analyze an assigned industry.

Recommended Background and Prerequisites: undergraduate level background in Physics, Chemistry, and/or Engineering and in Economics (none for MDE students). This course is for students enrolled in the Master in Design Engineering (MDE) graduate program. A small number of other students may be allowed to enroll by permission of instructor. After receiving approval, SEAS/FAS students should enroll in SEAS ES235A. MDE and all other students should enroll in GSD PRO 7231. This course does not count for concentration credit for SEAS undergraduate concentrators; this course does not count as a disciplinary course for SEAS Ph.D. students.

This course will meet for the first time as scheduled, on Tuesday, September 5th.

Foundations of Practice

For students in the fifth semester of the MArch I degree program, this course examines models and issues that define contemporary professional practice. Requiring students to examine a broad range of legal, financial, organizational, and ethical topics, the course prepares students to engage and lead in the production of the built environment. The course takes advantage of the multidisciplinary programs of the GSD, bringing a wide breath of experienced professionals to share insights and develop the tools necessary for productive collaborations within the complex space of specific professional, practical, and disciplinary obligations. 

Each week the course explores professional practice through a critical reading of primary texts that frame key concepts and models, as well as relevant case studies and applications for stress testing the boundaries of these models. 

Course format: Combination of lectures, guest lectures, and workshops. Each subject area contains supplemental material that provides standard references and supplemental case studies that highlight the boundaries and thresholds of practice. This is intended to provide students with an exposure to critical aspects of practice—from accounting to contracting and from project delivery to professional ethics. In addition, students will explore the wide-ranging roles of respective professional associations in shaping contractual relationships, public policy, and the parameters of practice itself. In more immediate terms, students will explore: 

– Client communications and engagement; 

– The drafting and execution of standard AIA contract series; 

– The interpretation and due process considerations of local government regulations; 

– The strategic advancement of public design reviews or public procurement opportunities; and 

– The financial economics of operating a practice. 

Connecting each of these dimensions of practice are the codes of professional ethics and various elements of statutory and case law that collectively define the professional standard of care. The intent is for students to develop a reflexive understanding of their duty to clients, third-party consultants, and the general public consistent with their obligations as design professionals and community leaders. This course serves as a foundation from which students may develop further interests and skills in the GSD’s professional practice distributional elective course offerings. 

 

The first day of GSD classes, Tuesday, September 5th, is held as a MONDAY schedule at the GSD. As this course meets on Monday, the first meeting of this course will be on Tuesday, September 5th. It will meet regularly thereafter.