ARCH 3450: Advanced Architectural Communication 2013 Summer Session 2 Northeastern University School of Architecture Chris Ryan [ch.ryan@neu.edu] Anthony Piermarini [a.piermarini@neu.edu] Sam Choi [sa.choi@neu.edu] James Forren [j.forren@neu.edu] Course Overview This course will expand students' representation and visual communication abilities by introducing a variety of graphic techniques that emphasize visual analysis and narrative. Course content will draw examples from the fields of architecture, graphic design and information design in order to equip students with representational techniques that can enrich their analytical thinking and communication skills. Over the course of six weeks, the instructors will introduce principles of visual analysis and graphic excellence through lectures and reading assignments. Students will draw on these techniques to tackle one graphic representation exercise per week. The site for the morning class will be the Boston Common, Public Garden and its context. The site for the afternoon class will be a segment of Massachusetts Avenue and its context. See attached drawings. The techniques covered in this course build on traditional architectural representation methods such as plan, section, elevation, axonometric and perspective, and explore advanced methods for representation. It is expected that students have a strong facility with these drawing types and understanding of their deployment. Students are required to have a strong working knowledge of Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop and at least one 3-D modeling and rendering software (i.e. Sketchup, Rhino, ArchiCAD, Kerkythea, V-Ray, etc.). The focus of this course is on the principles of graphic representation and design communication. Course content will emphasize the theory and design methodologies of representation, not software tutorials. Class time will be devoted to lectures, work sessions and pin-ups. Evaluation and Policies Attendance Class will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Class attendance and completion of all assignments are mandatory. 4 unexcused absences will constitute an automatic failure, and 3 will result in a full letter grade penalty for the course. Class sessions should be used for coursework; unproductive use of class time will result in a recorded absence. The school policy is published online: http://www.northeastern.edu/camd/architecture/academics/resources/attendanceparticipation/ Grading Assignment grade breakdown is as follows: 10% Exercise 1 25% Exercise 2 + 3 25% Exercise 4 + 5 30% Final Project (revisions and synthesis of Exercises 1 through 5) 10% Readings, effort, attendance and class participation You are also required to submit your digital model as a file at the end of the course.
Work Submission Exercises should be submitted on Flickr to the public image groups below. You will present your work via projection, and should also print on 11x17. The final project should also be submitted here. Faculty will evaluate work through these image groups. Files that are emailed to your instructor will not be accepted. 2013_Arch3450_Piermarini 2013_Arch3450_Ryan 2013_Arch3450_Choi_AM 2013_Arch3450_Choi_PM 2013_Arch3450_Forren These files should be named as follows: assignment number-lastname.filetype (for example: 01-yourname.jpg) Academic Honesty Northeastern University is committed to the principles of intellectual honesty and integrity. All members of the Northeastern community are expected to maintain complete honesty in all academic work, presenting only that which is their own work in tests and assignments. If you have any questions regarding proper attribution of the work of others, contact your professor prior to submitting work for evaluation. The university policies and resources are available here: http://www.northeastern.edu/osccr/academicintegrity/ Readings Readings will be discussed at the start of each exercise. It is important that you read the material before the lectures on the topics. The readings for the exercises will be sent by your instructor via a Dropbox link. In addition, the text below is required: Thinking With Type by Ellen Lupton (available in NU Bookstore) http://www.papress.com/thinkingwithtype http://www.thinkingwithtype.com There are also two texts that are highly recommended for this course and that can serve as reference books as you continue in the architecture program: The Visual Display of Quantitative Information by Edward Tufte Envisioning Information by Edward Tufte These are available at most local bookstores or online book sellers such as amazon.com. Sketchbook Students are required to make sketches, and take visual notes during in-class lectures. Notetaking on the computer is not permitted.
Narrative Outline of Classes Schedule for Introduction and Topics 1: July 02 (Tue): Course Intro, Lecture Topic 1, and Site Visit July 04 (Thu): Holiday July 09 (Tue): Desk Crits for Exercise 1 and Site Documentation. Discuss readings. July 11 (Thu): Submit Exercise 1 (paper copy, start of class) Review work should be in 11x17 format; this one exercise does not need to be uploaded to Flickr. Pay careful attention to linework, labeling, color, legibility, text and typeface (selection, spacing and color). Reading Assignments: Worpole, The Bankside Urban Forest Proposal (50-53) Lupton, Thinking with Type (13-37, 80-85) Tufte, Color and Information, in Envisioning Information (81-95) Introduction: Site Sketches, Documentation and Experiential Map Take photographs and sketches of your site. Sketches should include a range of observations (plans, sections, elevations, textures, views) and a range of scales (urban, block, human). Take particular documentation of spaces and buildings of interest, as you will develop a detailed digital model of these areas throughout the course. Present the following in 11x17 format and/or original sketch page format: Basic photo documentation and hand drawn sketches of your site. A map that represents your personal subjective experience. (Include the various events, experiences, and types of urban spaces related to your visit.) A critical section through your site: (1) careful hand drawing and (1) photo panorama. Topic 1: Representation and Mapping Basics: Base Map Lecture: Subjective/Objective Mapping. Exercise 1: Students will implement the techniques and concepts introduced in the lecture as well as the readings to create a dynamic base map: an axonometric or annotated aerial photo of the site and its context. The drawing must be to scale. Choose the extents carefully. Include a north arrow and graphic scale.
******* Schedule for Topics 2 + 3: July 11 (Thu): Lecture Topics 2 + 3. Discuss readings. July 16 (Tue): Desk Crits July 18 (Thu): Desk Crits July 23 (Tue): Review Exercises 2 + 3 Review work should be in 11x17 format, and slides uploaded to the class Flickr site. Pay careful attention to linework, labeling, color, legibility, text and typeface (selection, spacing and color). Reading Assignments: Czerniak, in Assemblage No 34, Challenging the Pictorial: recent Landscape Practice (110-120) Allen, Practice: Architecture, Technique and Representation (1-17) Allen, Practice: Architecture, Technique and Representation (31-45) Tufte, Narrative of Space and Time, in Envisioning Information (97-119) Tufte, The Visual Display of Quantitative Information (16-27) Friendly & Palsky, Visualizing Nature and Society, Maps-Finding Our Place in the World (207-253) Topic 2: Time Series: Change and Evolution Lecture: Diagrams that use time as the primary organizing principle to describe changing spaces, buildings and environmental conditions. Exercise 2: Students will use one of the techniques introduced in the lecture to create diagram(s) describing the development history and potential future of the site. Themes that should be explored include the evolution of the topography, urban morphology, infrastructural changes, etc. The diagram type can be based on an exploded axonometric or series of plans (small multiples) interactive website, or animation (30-60 seconds). Topic 3: Data Maps Lecture: Diagrams that use space and environment as the primary organizing principle. Exercise 3: Students will use one of the techniques introduced in the lecture to create an informational map of the area in and around the site. Define the specific data filters to work with, for example: traffic flows, light and shadows, environmental conditions, programmatic shifts, infrastructure, etc. Discuss these filters with your instructor for clarity of intent. The diagram type can be a plan, axon or hybrid.
******* Schedule for Topic 4 + 5 and Final Review: July 25 (Thu): Lecture Topics 4 + 5. Discuss readings. July 30 (Tue): Desk Crits Aug 01 (Thu): Desk Crits Aug 06 (Tue): Review Exercise 4 + 5 Aug 08 (Thu): Aug 13 (Tue): Aug 15 (Thu): Desk Crits Desk Crits Final Review Review work should be in 11x17 format, and slides uploaded to the class Flickr site. Pay careful attention to linework, labeling, color, legibility, text and typeface (selection, spacing and color). Final review presentation will require one large format sheet, in addition to 11x17 format. Reading Assignments: Perez-Gomez, Architectural Representation beyond Perspectivism (21-39) Lewis, Tsurumaki, Lewis, Opportunistic Architecture (6, 168-176) Bosselman, Representation of Places: Reality and Realism in City Design (49-61) Sarkis, Le Corbusier's "Rule of Movement" at the Carpenter Center (114-125) Topic 4: Perspective and Narrative Lecture: Section and Perspective Representation Strategies for Narrative and Meaning. Exercise 4: Students will use the combination of section and perspective techniques introduced in the lecture to create a perspective illustration describing the relationship between human activity/use and the spatial character of the site. Students must identify a specific theme, story or characteristic associated with the space and clearly articulate it in the illustration (generic architectural perspectives are not acceptable). Topic 5: Time Series: Space, Sequence and Experience Lecture: Diagrams that use time and space to describe spatial sequence and human experience. Exercise 5: Students will use one of the techniques introduced in the lecture to create a diagram or storyboard describing the experiential sequence through the site. The diagram type can be a storyboard, hybrid diagram-storyboard or 30-second animation/film. Final Project Drawing format = 30 x40. Revise the exercises based on criticism. The form of representation for each exercise should be reconsidered with respect to its own graphic language, technique, and content. At the same time, consider how the five exercises can work together as a coherent narrative about your site. Formulate an argument about the site and synthesize the separate exercises accordingly.
Additional Resources In addition to course readings, it is an essential part of this course that students become familiar with several on-line sources for information on both computer-aided design and architecture. Obviously, the internet provides many directories and resources that can both inform and answer questions in times of need. It also a source of incredible misinformation and a select few sites have been vetted and are listed below for your use. Maps, data and digital models of the City of Boston Boston Atlas http://www.mapjunction.com/bra/ Models: http://www.bostonredevelopmentauthority.org/bra_3d_models/index.html Bostongraphy: http://bostonography.com/ Pictograms AIGA Symbol Signs: National Park Service: Color Resources Kuler: ColourLovers: Color Brewer: Other References Ellen Lupton: Edward Tufte: http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/symbol-signs http://www.nps.gov/hfc/carto/map-symbols.htm http://kuler.adobe.com/ http://www.colourlovers.com/ http://www.personal.psu.edu/cab38/colorbrewer/colorbrewer_intro.html http://www.papress.com/other/thinkingwithtype/index.htm http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/ Software If students do not already have them, they are responsible for purchasing the Adobe Creative Suite and a 3D modeling program of their choice. Digital Storage Any information that you create on the computer is susceptible to erasure. It is therefore in the students best interest to invest in at least two methods of backup. Northeastern s MyFiles offers 2 GB for this use. Printing For each assignment, you are required to submit work digitally as well as on paper. For 11x17, there is printing in Snell Library through your free Husky print credits. You may also print in the Ruggles studio, at cost. The final project requires one large format plot. Off-campus providers are Service Point, Air Graphics, Makepeace, and BFS. In general, it is less expensive if you submit work by the company s upload deadline.