Showing papers on "Design studio published in 2002"

Designs for Learning: A New Architecture for Professional Development in Schools

Abstract: Preface List of Tables and Figures About the Author Part I: Redesigning Professional Learning for Educators 1. Breaking the Box: New Designs for Professional Learning in Schools 2. Building Beneath the Surface: Footings and Foundations for Professional Development 3. Creating a Professional Learning Community Part II: Creating Learning Spaces In and Beyond Work 4. Professional Development As Work: Essential Work for Educators 5. Professional Development In Work: Continuous Learning in Classrooms and Schools 6. Professional Development At Work: Benefits and Drawbacks to Workplace Learning 7. Professional Development Outside of Work: Creating Support for Off-Site Learning 8. Professional Development Beyond Work: Inward and Outward Learning Journeys Part III: Evaluating and Implementing New Designs for Professional Learning 9. Evaluating the Architecture of Professional Development 10. From Design Studio to School Site: Creating Learning Spaces in Your School References Index

Robotic Design Studio: Exploring the Big Ideas of Engineering in a Liberal Arts Environment

Abstract: In this paper we argue that it is important to introduce liberal arts students to the essence of engineering. Toward this end we have developed Robotic Design Studio, a course where students learn how to design, assemble, and program robots made out of LEGO® parts, sensors, motors, and small embedded computers. The course has no prerequisites and has attracted students from a wide range of backgrounds. The course culminates in an exhibition where students show off the robots that they have designed and built. These creative projects tie together aspects of a surprisingly wide range of disciplines. Robotic Design Studio represents an alternative vision of how robot design can be used to teach engineering in a way that is more inclusive and provides more room for artistic expression than contest-centered formats. A web site with detailed descriptions of student projects and all other course materials can be found at http://cs.wellesley.edu/rds.

An Affordable Immersive Environment in Beginning Design Studio Education

Abstract: This paper presents work exploring the potential of virtual reality (VR) within an affordable environmentin the early years of architectural education has been limited. Through an immersive environmentsystem in the studio, students create space by manipulating solids and voids while evaluating theanthropometric relations of the proposed solution. The students are able to study and test conceptualdetails in a virtual environment from the very beginning of their architectural design project.We carried out a usability study in order to assess student perception of the usefulness of varioussystem attributes for diverse tasks. Thirty-five surveys were collected from the students who had usedthe system. Observations indicate that within the architectural context, virtual reality techniquesinvolving depth perception can convey relevant information to students more efficiently and with lessmisrepresentation than traditional techniques.

Importing Artistry: Further lessons from the design studio

Abstract: This paper considers what it would take to translate the language and logic of learning in the design studio to that of the general curriculum. Using the practice of exhibition as a case in point, the ground-breaking work of Donald Schon is revisited and the lessons of the design studio are recast in light of Schon's influence on what has come to be known as the reflective practice movement. Rather than seeking to operationalize the general notion of reflection, a closer look is undertaken of the phenomenon of reflection-in-action as it occurs in the particular context of the design studio. This view offers a set of lessons built around what Schon called 'artistry'. The image of exhibition as a pedagogical system rather than merely an assessment strategy suggests a powerful metaphor for instruction, one that might enable practitioners to import the essence as well as the language of artistry into the general curriculum.

From atelier to e-telier: virtual design studios

Abstract: The design studio, as physical place and pedagogical method, is the core of architectural education. Ateliers clustered around rue Napoleon in Paris defined the Ecole des Beaux Arts. The Carnegie Endowment report on architectural education, published in 1996, identified a comparably central role for studios in schools today. From programs, schemes, and parti to desk crits, pin-ups, and charrettes-language and behavior learned in the studio establish the profession's cultural framework. Advances in CAD and visualization, combined with technologies to communicate images, data, and "live" action, now enable virtual dimensions of studio experience. Students no longer need gather at the same time and place to tackle the same design problem. Critics can comment over the network or by e-mail, and distinguished jurors can make virtual visits without being in the same room as the pin-up-if there is a pin-up (or a room). Virtual design studios (VDS) have the potential to favor collaboration over competition, diversify student experiences, and redistribute the intellectual resources of architectural education across geographic and socioeconomic divisions. The catch is predicting whether VDS will isolate students from a sense of place and materiality, or if it will provide future architects the tools to reconcile communication environments and physical space.

Collaborative studio in a virtual environment

Abstract: Recently, virtual environments (VE) have been increasingly used as settings for design and research. Using VE to visualize ideas from the initial steps of design, the architect is challenged to deal with perception of space, solid and void, without translations to and from a two dimensional media. The goal of the authors' studies was to identify how designers use and communicate early design ideas by using immersive three-dimensional (3D) VEs and how they describe 3D volumes using a different media. A series of experiments were undertaken, including navigation- and perception-tasks, designing in IVE, transcription of design, remote communication between design partners and controlled observations. They explored initial intentions of 3D-immersive design schemes, textual descriptions and collaborations within IVE. They discuss frameworks and factors influencing how architectural students communicate their proposals in an immersive Virtual Environment Design Studio, and how this approach of design studio enables to understand volumes and spatial relationships.

Design, communication & collaboration in immersive virtual environments

Abstract: Virtual Environments (VE) are increasingly offered as environments for design. Using VE to visualize ideas from the initial steps of design, the architect is challenged to deal with perception of space, solid and void, without translations to and from a two dimensional media. From this new ability, we might expect new forms of design expression. The goal of our study was to identify how designers use and communicate early design ideas by using immersive three-dimensional VEs. We set-up a series of experiments including navigation- and perception-tasks, designing in immersive VE, transcription of design, remote communication between design partners and controlled observations. We explored initial intentions of three-dimensional (3D) immersive design schemes, textual descriptions and collaborations within immersive VE. This article describes the outcome of creation, interpretation and communication of architectural design, by using a 3D maze together with text-based communication in a series of collaborative design experiments. We conducted the first successful attempt of a Joint Design Studio, which uses immersive VE as tool of design and communication between remote partners. We discuss frameworks and factors influencing how architectural students communicate their proposals in an immersive Virtual Environment Design Studio (VeDS), and how this new approach of design studio enables new forms of design expressions.

The "Algorithms Studio" project: using sketch-based visualization technology to construct and discuss visual representations of algorithms

Abstract: The "Algorithms Studio" project explores a novel, studio-based approach to teaching an undergraduate course on computer algorithms. Inspired by the design studio commonly used in architecture education, the approach emphasizes conceptual design activities in which students use sketch-based algorithm visualization technology to create their own visual representations of the algorithms under study. They then discuss their representations with their peers and instructor within the context of regularly scheduled critique sessions. A diverse program of planned empirical studies will investigate the value and role of visualization technology in learning algorithms at the cognitive, social, and cultural levels.

A Pilot Study of Role-Interplay in a Web-Based Learning Environment

Abstract: This paper examines how an individual enhances their learning about design and interacts dynamically in the Web-based learning environment. The idea of individuals playing different roles assists their thinking about design in different contexts and enables them to explore possible responses to design challenges. The World Wild Web (WWW) provides unlimited sources, fast information exchange and many spaces for exploring teaching methodology, especially in design-oriented courses. Nevertheless, the traditional design studio still plays a crucial role in design education. One-on-one sessions in traditional design studios remain the most significant aspect of the architectural curriculum. The main difference between traditional design studios and other non-design subjects is that design cannot be regularized in a sequential process of learning patterns. While there may be some similarity among the design outcomes for the same design project, the processes of achieving them might be totally different. Thus, d...

Survivor Studio @ Philadelphia University: Promoting sustainability in the design studio through collaborative game playing

Abstract: The paper describes how, in the first few weeks of each semester, the architecture students and faculty at Philadelphia University participate in a Survivor Competition. Inspired by the campy show where contestants battle the elements and each other for a million dollars, Survivor Studio pits teams of design students and faculty against each other to accumulate points in a variety of physical, intellectual and design challenges. Geared towards heightening the students’ respect for natural systems, understanding of indigenous cultures and the poetic potential for sustainable technologies, the challenges attempt to develop relationships with the students’ non‐design studio curriculum. This included a game show on the history of architecture, the reading and interpretation of a novel called Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit, and a research documentation project focused on sustainable architecture and technologies developed by indigenous cultures. Physical challenges included scavenger hunts around campus that highlighted strategy, teamwork and knowledge/sensitivity to local environments. The main challenge for the students was to design a small community that could sustain the team without food or power or any supplies for one year. It elaborates on the ideas, pedagogical concepts, teaching strategies and eventual results of the Survivor Studio as a vehicle for exploring new and innovative ways to activate students’ imagination, energy and innate knowledge about sustainable design.

Internet Studios: Teaching Architectural Design On-Line between the United States and Latin America

Abstract: This article analyzes the pedagogical use of high-end computer graphics and low-and high-bandwidth Internet technology for international architectural education among numerous universities in the Americas. The findings can be applied to any discipline that involves a large number of participants within a design setting. The experiments have allowed design studios from seven schools of architecture in the U.S. and South America to work concurrently in a semesterlong design studio. Most of the collaboration was accomplished by using low-bandwidth Internet communication such as web publishing, chat, computerassisted design software and other technologies such as ISDN broadcasting. The author anticipates future experimentation with high-bandwidth technologies on the Internet2 Abilene Network.

Teaching Virtual Environment Design

Abstract: In a previous paper, the authors considered the design and development of virtual environments (VEs) pointing out the need for a new direction within architectural education, leading towards a generation of VE architects. It was suggested that there is an urgent need for educating practitioners who will contribute to the design of 3D content for multimedia and virtual reality applications. This paper focuses on the application of these principles and ideas into the structure and methodology of three VE design courses, taught by the authors. These courses are by no means suggested as exhaustive examples of teaching this subject. They are seen as preliminary approaches, adapting to the educational context they are integrated within. Bearing in mind the problems relating to teaching large numbers of students with a design studio approach, difficult concepts, resources availability, fighting misconceptions, techno-phobia the following areas are discussed in the hope that they will contribute to VE design curricula in the near future.

Interaction in virtual building space

Abstract: This paper presents the results from two experiments in working on descriptions of form in immersive virtual environments (IVE). Recently, Virtual Environments (VE) are increasingly used as environments for design and research. Using VE to visualize ideas from the initial steps of design, the architect is challenged to deal with perception of space, solid and void, without translations to and from a two dimensional media. From this new ability, we might expect new forms of design interaction and expression. The goal of our studies was to identify how designers use and communicate early design ideas by using immersive three-dimensional (3D) VEs and how they describe 3D volumes using different media. We set-up a series of experiments including navigation- and perception-tasks, designing in IVE, transcription of design, remote communication between design partners and controlled observations. We explored initial intentions of 3D-immersive design schemes, textual descriptions and collaborations within IVE. This paper describes the outcome of creation, interpretation and communication of architectural design, by using an Immersive Joint Design Studio, as well as the description and translation of a 3D cubic structure. We discuss frameworks and factors influencing how architectural students communicate their proposals in an immersive Virtual Environment Design Studio (VeDS), and how this approach of design studio enables to understand volumes and spatial relationships.

Complementary Virtual Architecture and the Design Studio

Abstract: Complementary virtual architecture combines physical architecture with virtual buildings to address a single program. This bimodal approach serves clients whose activities span both worlds, and it ...

Virtual Tactility: Working to Overcome Perceptual and Conceptual Barriers in the Digital Design Studio

Abstract: In the digital age, what is the role of tactility in the digital design process as it is taught in schools ofarchitecture today? Often, students are never taught to appeal to any sense other than sight,particularly now as digital media is embraced as a valuable design tool. Yet, are there some essentialcharacteristics of architecture and the phenomenology of place making that is being cast aside due tothe nature of the tools being used? However true or enigmatic this may be, there is a way of workingand teaching that exists somewhere between the digital and the tactile.This paper postulates a hybrid working environment in the design studio that not only takes advantageof the strengths of various design media, but also focuses on reinterpreting its limits and drawbacks.The ultimate outcome will be a new digital media (intermedia) pedagogy that can revolutionize the waythat we teach architecture and, moreover, computer “aided” design.

Open architecture solves large 3D puzzles

Abstract: Version 2.0 of CST's Design Studio modeling environment allows the seamless interaction of any number of solvers and simulation tools, as well as models and test data.

Physical and Digital Media Strategies For Exploring "Imagined" Realities of Space, Skin and Light

Abstract: This paper will discuss an unconventional methodology for using physical and digital media strategies in a tightly structured framework for the integration of Environmental Control Systems (ECS) principles into a third year design studio An interchangeable use of digital media and physical material enabled architectural explorations of rich tactile and luminous engagement The principles that provide the foundation for integrative strategies between a design studio and building technology course spring from the Bauhaus tradition where a systematic approach to craftsmanship and visual perception is emphasized Focusing particularly on color, light, texture and materials, Josef Albers explored the assemblage of found objects, transforming these materials into unexpected dynamic compositions Moholy-Nagy developed a technique called the photogram or camera-less photograph to record the temporal movements of light Wassily Kandinsky developed a method of analytical drawing that breaks a still life composition intn diagrammatic forces to express tension and geometry These schematic diagrams provide a method for students to examine and analyze the implications of element placements in space (Bermudez, Neiman 1997) Gyorgy Kepes's Language of Vision provides a primer for learning basic design principles Kepes argued that the perception of a visual image needs a process of organization According to Kepes, the experience of an image is lOa creative act of integration" All of these principles provide the framework for the studio investigation The quarter started with a series of intense short workshops that used an interchangeable use of digital and physical media to focus on ECS topics such as day lighting, electric lighting, and skin vocabulary to lead students to consider these components as part of their form-making inspiration In integrating ECS components with the design studio, an nine-step methodology was established to provide students with a compelling and tangible framework for design: Examples of student work will be presented for the two times this course was offered (2001/02) to show how exercises were linked to allow for a clear design progression

Pre-Architecture Studio: The Pattern Project

Abstract: In this, the first project in the first-year design studio, we analyze a common household tool until we feel we know it intimately. Paradoxically, it becomes less familiar the longer we explore it. “Making strange” and the reciprocal relations between analysis and invention are our operating principles. The project culminates in drawings and constructions that faithfully describe the tool and stand as marvelous things in their own right.

On the Nature of Walking and Learning Pedestrian Environments

Abstract: This phase of a one-year urban design research project focuses on the question of how to measure variables that impact walking for health, spiritual renewal and commuting and how to design to encourage pedestrians to walk. The results of this phase of the research project contribute to (1) identification of significant environmental variables to which pedestrians respond, (2) the creation of a video and still imagery archive of ranked pedestrian spatial sequences, and (3) a data base for pedestrian design . The research project is attached to a landscape architecture design studio at Texas A&M University. A multi-disciplinary team of graduate students oversees the literature research, the technical video and graphic support and the development of software technology. A videographic data base of a variety of pedestrian spatial sequences, with both qualitative and quantitative attributes has emerged as a result of the research to date. The case studies used in the research are specific pedestrian routes that the students selected based upon their everyday experience of commuting, health and spiritual renewal walks.

1:1 @ Carleton University School of Architecture

Abstract: There exists a long-standing tradition of full-scale construction in the design studio at the Carleton University School of Architecture. The mantra “building as speculation” is explicitly evoked in varying studio and workshop contexts, ubiquitous within the fabric of the curriculum and design culture of the school. The value placed on 1:1 material engagement and construction techniques is qualified by an understanding of drawing (traditional and technological) as a form of critical, theoretical, and practical speculation. “Building speculations” at Carleton, in other words, are not constrained to conventional notions of design/build, but occur freely in the studio as a form of “sketching” or “modeling” that informs a wide range of design activities. Supported by a fully equipped metal and wood shop and photographic, video, and digital facilities, the “build” tradition at Carleton continues to adjust and transform according to the demands of architectural pedagogy.

Bridging the gap between building science and design studios

Abstract: Design studios and building science courses have been conducted independent of each other, mainly due to a lack of tools that allow quick and easy consideration of building science criteria, such as comfort and energy requirements, during the design process. Existing tools are not user-friendly and their use requires significant effort in gaining familiarity with the input requirements, understanding the modeling assumptions and interpreting the output. This paper is about the Building Design Advisor (BDA), an evolving computer-based tool intended to bridge the gap between design studios and building science considerations by addressing the above-mentioned limitations of existing tools. BDA allows automatic preparation of input files to multiple simulation tools while the user is working in a CAD environment. BDA automatically activates the relevant simulation tools when the user selects performance parameters to be computed and provides the results in a graphical form, allowing comparison of multiple design options with respect to multiple performance criteria. The paper includes considerations for the use of the BDA in the design studio and ends with a description of the current development efforts and future plans.

Teaching Knowledge Management using Distributed Practice Simulation

Abstract: The paper describes attempts by the authors to convey the importance of teamwork in architecture to students, be it in the process of architecture or the object itself. One of the main postulates of the work is that pedagogically, teamwork is better trained than taught. This is further compounded when the technological burden of distributed practice is introduced. Using Internet based communication technologies, the authors have sought to create a design studio environment that simulates real world situations where major planning partners are located in different cities and even different countries. Using experience gained over four years of networked studios, the authors were able to enrol five other universities for a semester-long experimental design studio. In essence, the students undertook to solve the design problem in teams spread over different universities. From 43 students, 14 teams (each with 3 members and one with 4 members) were assembled with no two students from the same university in the same team. Furthermore, each team was assigned a tutor from a fourth (or fifth) university. The different universities were far enough separated so as to preclude easy face to face meetings. Instead, the Internet was used as a communication medium. The entire range of available technologies was put to use. A central web site which logged user presence served as a virtual "place" where the students and tutors could meet to carry out informal discussions or arrange to transfer the discussions elsewhere (e.g. to a chat room or a videoconference). The web site platform also provided the entire group with supporting information such as personal diaries, common calendar functions, email lists and directories of student work. The students made their work available on the web throughout the semester in order to communicate with their tutor as well as with one another. Essential to the successful communication was an initial acquaintance session. This took the form of a 3-day workshop at the beginning of the semester. While this workshop ostensibly focussed on the design problem, it effectively served as a social engineering exercise in order to shake out compatibility among potential team members. After the workshop, the group met again 15 week later for a final review. Halfway through the semester, the individual teams travelled to their tutors for a mid-term review. Otherwise, all communication took place over the Internet (or through conventional telecommunication methods). The theme itself was certainly selfreferential: to design a centre for a virtual university. This cross-pollination of design method and design theme was an additional encumbrance for most students, but also provided a fertile bed for a wide range of design solutions. It is important to note that all of the teams were able to complete the assignment and postsemester questionnaires show an overwhelming positive reaction to the experimental studio, notwithstanding the high costs of travel and telephone. The paper discusses the feedback from the students and possible implications for future iterations of the concept.

Design reviews with remote critics in an asynchronous environment

Abstract: A familiar activity to students of design is the design review -- where students present their work-to-date to receive feedback and guidance from others They take place throughout the term, providing students with multiple opportunities to present and develop their ideas (Schon, 1987) At Georgia Tech, we have been exploring how simple technologies can be used to increase opportunities for dialog in the design studio by expanding the range of topics, ways of participating, and set of participants in that dialog One thread of this research deals with using remote critics in design reviews Using technology, remote critics are able to view students' work and comment on it without traveling to the studio In addition to solving some logistical problems of bringing visitors to the studio (eg scheduling, expense), we speculated that allowing remote critics to participate in design reviews had the potential to not only expand the set of participants in the dialog, but to change it in fundamental ways

The Morgan Project: technological solution building with regard to personalized content management and storage

Abstract: The Morgan Project, an acronym for Media Organization And Networking, was started as a Web-based application for the clients of a Web interface design studio to manage their account and monitor the progress of work being done for them. The aim of this Web site was to allow users to view proofs of design work, comment and request changes, accept or reject these changes and order hard copy of proofs. The system was also designed to include a variety of communication tools such as e-mail and notification tools, for example SMS and a news reader.

Architectural studios online: the "internet studio network"

Abstract: The "Internet Studio Network" is an initiative designed to create academic relationships among architectural schools to work on semester-studio projects collaborating via the Internet. Past participants included a maximum of 300 architectural students from Miami, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador and Venezuela, who collaborated in semester-long design studios via the Internet and videoconference technology during the Fall, 2001.

Knowledge-Based Representation in the Design Studio: A Case Study Investigation

Abstract: ion capacities, and completes its systemic description, with emergence defined as the process of "making properties which were not explicitly represented at the outset become represented explicitly."" -The application of the internal contra/mechanisms among the nodes: The control mechanism has to maintain an information consistency of the graph to allow the bi-directional exploration of the representation, from state 1 to state 2 and back. It is important to note that, at a conceptual level, that exploration is not strictly circular, i.e. always coming back to the same starting point, it rather spirals: a first step of exploration from state 1 to state 2 is coupled with an emergence of a particular property of state 1 which,