Field Studies in Real Estate, Urban Planning and Design
This field study course is designed to provide students with an understanding of the dynamics and complexities of real-world development challenges that create contemporary urban physical environments. The course emphasizes the integration of design and financial feasibility with development aspects of projects that respond to realistic market demand and political, environmental, and other regulatory constraints—how financial implications affect planning and design, and vice versa. The course is intended for real estate professionals, architects, urban planners, urban designers, and landscape architects to broaden their understanding of urban development issues and public-private development implementation strategies, as well as to improve their skills in design and financial analysis.
Please note that this course has scheduled a first irregular meeting on on Monday, August 31, at 4.35-6 pm. Please make sure to check the Canvas site of the course for the meeting Zoom links.
Cities by Design I
“Cities by Design I” is concerned with in-depth longitudinal examination of urban conditions in and among selected cities in the world. The broad aims are: to engage in both comparative study for the purpose of broadening definitions of what it is to be urban; to identify characteristics that render particular cities distinct; to understand the manner in which geography, locational circumstances, and related infrastructural improvements both constrain and promote opportunities for city development; and to gain insight into the role of human agencies, planning institutions, and design cultures in shaping cities and their role in broader regions.
In Fall 2020, the cities under examination are: Boston, Berlin, Barcelona, Paris, Shanghai, Rio de Janeiro, and Mumbai. Each will be the subject of three lectures, and a live Q&A discussion session with the speaker after the third and final lecture on each city. In addition to the city-based lectures, broader comparative frameworks will be provided by two lectures on Metropolitan Spatial Dynamics and Historic Conservation. “Cities by Design I” is mandatory for all incoming Master of Architecture and Landscape Architecture in Urban Design students. Grading in this fall semester will be based on performance in discussions sessions, general class participation, and the mid-term and final papers.
In Fall 2020, Cities by Design I will consist of 24 sessions. Session 1 is an introduction, while sessions 14 and 15 are lectures on Metropolitan Dynamics and Historical Conservation. The rest are seven groups of 3 lectures, covering Boston, Berlin, Barcelona, Paris, Shanghai, Rio de Janeiro, and Mumbai. Lectures will be pre-recorded, released weekly, and viewable asynchronously. There will be ten live sessions throughout the semester requiring student attendance. These include the introduction at the beginning of the semester, Q&A Sessions for the seven cities, usually at or around the end of the third and final lecture on each city, and two discussion sections around Thursday, 8 October and Tuesday 1 December.
Land Use and Environmental Law
As a scarce and necessary resource, land triggers competition and conflict over its possession and use. For privately owned land, the market manages much of the competition through its familiar allocative price-setting framework. However, because one person’s use of privately owned land affects the individual and collective interests of others, and because market mechanisms alone are not always adequate to protect or promote such interests, laws enacted by legislative bodies, administered by government agencies, and reviewed by courts play a significant role in determining the use of land.
Encompassed in local ordinances, higher-level legislation, administrative rules, constitutions, judicial opinions, discretionary governmental decisions, and private agreements, land use laws and environmental laws shape the look, feel, and socioeconomic dynamics of cities, suburbs, and rural areas worldwide. For example, zoning’s use restrictions affect whether neighborhoods are homogeneous or heterogeneous. Its density and lot area restrictions scatter, cluster, or even drastically curb housing production. Its height and setback restrictions sculpt the skyline. Environmental laws govern the extent to which land uses pollute air, water, and land, whether habitat is available for endangered species, whether wetlands are preserved, and whether individuals build in areas vulnerable to floods, hurricanes, forest fires, and earthquakes. Do these laws achieve the types of environments desired by everyone? Do they serve some groups more than other groups? Are they an undue infringement on individual rights to property, free speech, and other constitutionally protected rights? Do they stifle design creativity? Are they up to the task of addressing the anticipated consequences of climate change?
This course is about land use laws and environmental laws and introduces students to their content and controversies. Although the course operates on the assumption that incoming students have no legal knowledge or background, those with a background in law can also benefit. Students will gain a working knowledge of popular legal techniques, their implementing institutions, and their judicial reception, along with an understanding of theories that explain and justify the demand for law’s control over privately owned land. For pedagogical reasons, laws from the United States will be used as primary sources, but comparisons and distinctions with laws in other countries will be regularly made. The role of nonlawyer professionals, such as planners, designers, public policymakers, real estate developers, and community activists in influencing, drafting, and implementing land use and environmental laws is unpacked. The course defines and distinguishes law’s method from those employed by other disciplines and fields. Reading assignments come from primary sources such as legislation, judicial opinions, and constitutions, as well as secondary sources such as law review articles, journal articles, book excerpts, and professional reports. A written exercise requires students to examine one provision in a zoning ordinance and draft its replacement. An oral final exam will measure overall fluency with the subject matter.
Jointly Offered Course: HKS SUP-663
Note: the instructor will offer live course presentations on 08/31, and/or 09/01. To access the detailed schedule and Zoom links, please visit the Live Course Presentations Website.
Real Estate Finance and Development
This course teaches the fundamentals of real estate finance and development. Lectures and case studies introduce students to the full range of financial analysis skills and analytical processes for evaluating private and public development and investment in real estate. All major property types and land uses are covered as well as all stages of the development process, including site selection, market analysis, financial feasibility, design and legal considerations, construction, lease-up, operations, and sale of the final product. The cases are designed to place students in a number of decision-making situations commonly faced by real estate professionals. Prior or supplementary study of microeconomics is useful, but not required. Students studying business, law, and government, as well as selected undergraduates will be admitted, space permitting.
Introduction to Computational Design
#GSD6338 is an introductory course on Computational Design, with particular focus on architecture, landscape and urbanism.
In this course, we will understand "Computational Design" as the set of methods borrowed from fields such as computer science, mathematics and geometry, applied to solving design problems. Chances are that a significant portion of your typical design workflow is mediated by digital tools and, in particular, computer software that has been designed and created by a third party, and therefore, your creativity is partially biased by someone else's opinions. However, the real craftsman is the one who understand their tools so well that they can change, improve and adapt them to their own desires. In this course, you will learn how to think algorithmically, and how to understand and create computer software, so that you will be able to explore new creative opportunities and relate them to your personal interests.
The course will be conducted as a mix of lectures, hands-on workshops and sections that will introduce you to the conceptual and technical foundations of Computational Design. Coursework will be a blend of focused technical exercises and open-ended assignments, culminating in a final project of your choice at the end of the semester.
For this virtual semester, main lectures will be delivered asynchronously, and followed by a live in-class session with group breakouts, homework share-outs and social activities. Hands-on workshops will be delivered live synchronously. All meetings will be recorded and made privately accessible to students on Canvas for later consultation.
To participate in this course, you will need to own a computer capable of running Windows OS. Having a computer setup with at least two screens is highly recommendable, to be able to better follow hands-on workshops. Basic knowledge of Grasshopper is strongly desired although not required; if you feel you do not meet this requirement, you will be required first week to follow a series of tutorials and complete a small exercise. Additionally, previous knowledge of computer programming is NOT required; this is part of what you will learn in this course.
If you are interested in getting a better glimpse of what the course will look like, you can check last year’s lectures on http://bit.ly/GSD6338-Fall2019. Additionally, you can download last year’s Project Catalog from http://bit.ly/GSD6338-Fall2019-Project-Catalog.
Note: the instructor will offer live course presentations on 08/31, and/or 09/01. To access the detailed schedule and Zoom links, please visit the Live Course Presentations Website.
Ecologies, Techniques, Technologies III: Ecology and the Design World
Required for both MLA 1 and MLA AP students taking the third LA core-studio.
Ecological Principles for Design (David Moreno-Mateos):
Landscape architecture incorporates an additional layer of complexity to design that is less present in other design disciplines: living organisms. The relationships among those organisms and between them and the environment define the dynamics of populations, communities, and ecosystems. Ecology is the science that aims to understand how all these relationships work and how they change through space and time. Landscape design can incorporate many of those relationships to create spaces that go beyond human value-laden functions and design complex systems that are able to self-organize and respond to current global changes, with lasting impact for centuries. Through lectures, discussions, readings, case studies, and design projects, the goal of this course is to understand the complexity of living systems. In particular, we will investigate the processes and functions that emerge from ecosystem structure to fine tune how you can integrate these components in your future designs to create resilient and resistant landscapes, and even create ecosystems within them. From tiny projects where one or several processes or ecosystem components can be integrated at the core of urban areas or buildings, to large scale projects aiming to design entire landscapes, you will learn how to use the power of life in design. The centerpiece of this course will be a research project where you will find ways to integrate the immense potential of biological systems into design to create more resilience and resistant landscapes to ongoing global changes.
An Introduction to Woody Plants as a Design Medium (Chris Matthews):
Recognizing that plants are one of the essential mediums of landscape architecture, this module seeks to introduce the student to the relationships between plants and people (horticulture) and the relationships between plants and the environment (ecology). The class focuses on the following topics and objectives:
– Concepts and practices necessary for using woody plants as a design medium.
– An introduction to the spatial, visual, functional, temporal, and sensorial qualities of woody plants in the landscape.
– An introduction to the horticultural requirements of woody plants particularly as it relates to the urban environment.
– Techniques and practices for using woody plants in the designed landscape.
The additional Wednesday session taught by Chris Matthews is taken only by MLA AP students.
Note: the instructor will offer live course presentations on 08/31, and/or 09/01. To access the detailed schedule and Zoom links, please visit the Live Course Presentations Website.
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
This year the course will include a range of synchronous and asynchronous options for students to learn and access the material when and where they wish. For much of the term only the Thursday class will be required. Other meeting times are optional at least for those modules that are fully pre-recorded.
Prerequisites: GSD 6227 or equivalent.
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 virtual 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.
Objectives
To hone powers of observation about the quintessential character of plants through their form, habit, seasonal and ornamental features.
To teach a methodology for learning plants in any particular location.
To nurture eye, brain, and hand communication as ways of learning about a dynamic medium.
To develop empathy for plants as living, intelligent beings.
To cultivate individual points of view and sensibilities about plants.
To understand plants as part of larger biological communities and systems.
To promote the use of abstraction with plants in conceptualizing planting design and spatial experience.
Requirements
Virtual attendance at lectures and discussion sessions.
Evidence of thoughtful preparation of assignments, and individual presentations.
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
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.
Content:
“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.
Method:
The course will be presented in lecture format on M and W. The course material consists of a required book and assigned provided readings. Grades will be based on homework problems, projects and examinations.
Text book:
– Required Book: Vaughn Bradshaw, Building Control Systems, 3nd Edition, John Wiley and Sons, New York, 2006.
– Recommended Reference: Stein, Reynolds, Mechanical and Electrical Equipment for Buildings, 12th Edition, John Wiley and Sons, New York, 2015.
Grading:
– 50% homework
– 50% Final exam