![[Dept. of Landscape Architecture]](http://njaes.rutgers.edu/_common/images/subheads/landarch.gif "[Dept. of Landscape Architecture]"){kind=small}
gotos@cook.rutgers.edu
Lecture Times:
Group A: Monday 9:15-12:15(Blake 228)
Wednesday12:35-1:55 (Blake 152)
Thursday 9:15-12:15 (Blake 228)
Group B: Tuesday 9:15-12:15(Blake 228)
Wednesday 12:35-1:55 (Blake 152) Friday 9:15-12:15 (Blake 228)
Office Location: Blake Hall 222
Office Hours: Wed. (9:00-12:00)
Course Topic
Design with History
Project Description
Pedagogy
The mission of a landscape architect is to perform inspired service to society. Design is not only an aesthetic activity, but the resulting space must also be useful to someone. Space is also a technical accomplishment, achieved through the thoughtful, conscious arrangement of materials. Many talents and abilities are needed to perform this service, ranging from the artistic, to the pragmatic, to the technical.
This studio consists of four investigations, which are intended to establish the basis for a thoughtful and holistic approach to the design process for public recreational space. A series of design exercises will be undertaken to focus the students’ attentions on fundamental design principles. The sequence of the projects is ordered to allow for increasing complexity and to demonstrate a logical design methodology.
Course Objectives
- To develop a comprehensive understanding of the built environment.
- To develop an awareness of design process and related critical methods including an understanding of design problems and design problem solving, an understanding of critical and creative thinking - fundamental concepts as a method of investigation.
- To develop an awareness of design issues at various scales.
- To develop awareness of human factors, environment and culture as form determinants.
- To develop an understanding of visual design vocabulary.
- To develop an understanding of the value of self evaluation for process and productivity, including a further understanding of the anatomy of evaluation including critique.
- To introduce methods of representation related to design intentions and process.
- To develop an ability of site analysis.
- To develop and understand communication skills - visual and verbal.
- To develop an understanding of craftsmanship and an ability to produce work at a high level of craftsmanship.
Learning Outcomes
- An awareness of critical analysis through seeing, thinking, measuring, listening, and reading
- An understanding of design vocabulary and language
- An ability to conceptualize and to creatively solve problems at various scales
- An awareness and ability to communicate design ideas through verbal and visual means
- An awareness of observational and perceptual skills in recognizing spatial organization in a constructed visual field: depth, volume, light and shadow, composition, etc.
- An understanding of a high level of care and craftsmanship as evidenced in the project working process and submission
All projects incorporate the following areas of content and skill development:
- Environmental: implications of critical observations and analysis for imagining, creating, and inhabiting environments
- Systems and methods of spatial organization: geometry, proportioning systems, functional and contextual criteria
- Context: functional and spatial implications, content and meaning
- Further development of the uses of modeling, and plan, elevation, section, paraline and perspective views to convey design intentions
- Communication through design language: graphic, verbal and written
Recommended Texts
Ackerman, Diane, A Natural History of the Senses, 1st Edition (Toronto: Random Houses of Canada Limited, 1991)
Ching, F., Design Drawing (N.Y.: John Wiley & Sons Inc.)
Ching, F., Architectural Graphics, Fourth Edition (N.Y.: John Wiley & Sons Inc.)
Ching, F., Building Construction Illustrated (N.Y.: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1975).
Cooper, Dourglas, Drawing and Perceiving (N.Y.: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1992)
LaGro, James A. Jr. Site Analysis: Linking Program and Concept inLand Planning and Design (N.Y.: John Wiley, 2001)
Marsh, William, Landscape Planning : environmental applications (N.Y.: John Wiley, 1994)
Porter, Tom, and Bob Greenstreet, Manual of Graphic Techniques 1-4 (N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1985)
Evaluation
The performance of students will be evaluated with an emphasis on design process as well as design product. Students are required to develop conceptual design alternatives, to select and develop the most appropriate option, and to communicate graphically and verbally their process and product. Participation in the studio is mandatory. A minimum level of participation is defined as working in the studio during scheduled studio periods: one individual crit session per week; and attendance at all crit group review sessions, and final reviews. It is the student’s responsibility to be in attendance at all required class meetings and all holiday travel plans should be made in accordance with the schedule. Students should prepare scaled plans and sections in addition to sketches for each desk crit. Instructors may not be able to give adequate advise without having full preparation.
Project will be evaluated according to the criteria mentioned in the handout of each project. The following points will be considered in evaluation.
- Concept
The appropriateness and plausibility of the idea. - Development
The rational development of the concept in terms of establishing order in the plan and section, the elaboration of the parts and the overall system, etc. - Aesthetics
The economy with which the structure and landscape encloses the space in a beautiful way. - Representation
The quality of the drawings and models in terms of communicating the ideas of the project.
Interim grades for individual projects will be weighted as follows:
Project 1 10%
Project 2 30%
Project 3 15%
Project 4 35%
Sketchbook 10%
Sketchbook
This course is composed of 4 design projects and weekly drawing exercises. A new setting of objects will be provided weekly for in-class drawing exercises. Each student will be expected to spend at least one hour for drawing in each studio. Each student will be expected to be in the class entire studio time for desk crits, drawing exercise, and other studio works. All students are requested to purchase a sketchbook … It is available at the Cook/ Douglas Co-Op. No other kind of sketchbook can be used for this assignment. Sketchbook will be due the last day of classes for the spring semester.
Final Course Grade
The final course grade will be a translation of the conventional 4.0 scale to the Rutgers grading system (which does not include “minus” letter grades).
A >3.8
B+ >3.3-3.8
B >2.8-3.3
C+ >2.3-2.8
C >1.8-2.3
D >1-1.8
F <1
Late Submissions
Work not received on the assigned due date will have the grade reduced one full grade (i.e. from B to C.) For studio courses any unexcused late work not received within 7 days of the due date will receive a grade of F (0.0); excused late work not received by the last day of classes will not be accepted. Circumstances that warrant excusing work not completed by the deadline will be evaluated on a case by case basis and the instructor is not obligated to grant extensions.