Showing papers on "Design studio published in 2004"

Collaborative Design and Learning: Competence Building for Innovation

Abstract: Introduction by Manuel V Heitor Building ad Conceptual Framework Challenges and Opportunities for Remote Collaborative Design by William J Mitchell Learning through Interaction: Perspectives for the University by Pedro Conceicao and Manuel V Heitor Advanced Tools and Logistics Expanding Learning Experiences: Possibilities and Limitations of Virtual Learning Environments by Juana M Sancho-Gil MIT-Miyagi 2000: An Experiment in Using Grammars for Collaborative Design by Jose Pinto Duarte Supporting a"Real World" Project-Based, Technology-Supported, Collaborative, Distance Learning Environment: The MIT-CICESE Distributed System Engineering Lab by Feniosky Pena Mora, Rhonda Struminger, Jesus Favela, Karim M Hussein and Robin Losey Information and Communication Technologies to Facilitate Collaboration in Architecutre, Engineering and Construction by Chimay J Anumba Information Logistics for Supporting the Collaborative Design Process by Raimar J Scherer Case Studies EHT World: New Perspectives for Collaborative Design by Gerhard Schmitt Remote Collaborative Design: Case Studies of Transatlantic Cooperation in Engineering and Architecture by Jaao Bento, Jose Pinto Duarte, Teresa V Heitor and Manuel V Heitor Global Teamwork: Cross-Displinary, Collaborative, Geographically Distributed eLearning Environment by Renate Fruchter Sharing Tacit Knowing or Informal Information in Remote Design Collaboration by Rysuke Naka Remote Compute Generated Physical Prototyping Based Design by Alvise Simondetti Collaborative Learning and Design in Architecture, Engineering and Construction by Karsten Menzel, Volker Hartkopf and Mustafa Emre Ilal Expanding Horizons Space, Time and New Media: Virtual Design Studio Revisited by Jerzy Wojtowicz

Metaphors in the design studio: implications for education

Abstract: Designers frequently use organizing principles derived from metaphors to tackle design problems. Metaphorical thinking enables to understand a design experience in terms of another experience. Despite its importance, little attention was yet devoted to study the use of metaphor as a cognitive device for design education. This research investigated the use of metaphors in the design studio. Its aim was to gain a basic understanding of the way first year design students apply metaphorical thinking to generate solutions during the design process. Reports obtained from students showed that the use of metaphors played a significant role in the definition of a concept, framing a design situation, and specifying goals. However, more knowledge and better skills are needed to improve the mapping and application of structural relationships to the design problem. It is proposed that the use of metaphors in the design studio can be considered as an alternative strategy to traditional design education approaches.

Tangible Interfaces in Design Computing

Abstract: Sensorial richness is essential in the design process, yet digital design tools do not respond to this need. Tangible interfaces offer an opportunity for interaction with design computing systems to explore means of supporting a wider range of experiences. In this paper we look at implementations of tangible interfaces through a framework based on the concept of affordance. We conclude with a brief introduction to experimental tangible interfaces that have been developed in order to carry out collaborative user evaluations in a design studio setting and evaluate these in the same framework.

Building the Design Studio of the Future

Abstract: The absence of software support for early-stage design suggests that conventional graphical user interfaces are inadequate for this task. Perceptual interaction ‐ in particular, pen-based interaction ‐ may afford more natural and intuitive user interfaces for design support. The development of a multimodal intelligent design studio poses several important research challenges. Natural multimodal interaction demands a better understanding of how designers use sketching in combination with other modalities to communicate ideas about design. Intelligent design feedback requires research on how designers want to interact with their tools, and how such interaction can be managed. This paper presents a research plan for developing an intelligent multimodal design studio. We will describe recently completed, ongoing, and planned empirical studies, as well as system components that we have built and plan to build.

Between studio and street : the role of the live project in architectural education

Abstract: As a core element of architectural education, the design studio is the place where most aspects of the course are assimilated. However, it is criticised for failing to address key aspects of both practice and education. In response, live projects are beginning to be undertaken in schools of architecture in the UK, as a way of introducing real clients or users into the design studio, and taking students into the 'real world'. Students often work in groups, in collaboration with other disciplines, and in the community, and are challenged to take on real issues, develop real relationships and often to make a real contribution. This thesis traces a history of the design studio, provides a description and critique of the current normative model, and summarises the criticisms of the current system, followed by ways in which architectural educators are addressing these criticisms. Both the studio and live projects are then explored in the context of education theory and praxis. This discussion culminates with the presentation of examples of live projects. The following empirical study uses a combination of autobiography, case study and survey methods to establish: the learning effects of live projects; what is perceived to be the important issues in experiencing the live project; how and why these differ to the traditional studio project. The research uses a feminist critique to expose the way that certain characteristics are conceptualised as being masculine and superior to others (which are conceptualised as being feminine and subordinate). The feminist position is thus focussed on reuniting and rebalancing polar opposites with the intention of creating a more inclusive approach. Ultimately the position allows both the masculine and the feminine to be celebrated for the benefit of both women and men in the development of the studio and ultimately the profession. This interpretative framework influences both the choice and approach to the literature study as well as the methodology for the empirical study.The research found live projects to be a valuable insertion into the studio repertoire. Students develop a range of attitudes and skills that can be seen to enrich, critique and develop those found in traditional studio work, and which contemporary education models support. Alongside this, live projects develop the potential for dialogue between the studio, the profession and the community. The culmination of the research is a best-practice guide for the implementation of live projects.

The Role of Glass in Interior Architecture: Aesthetics, Community, and Privacy

Abstract: Design education seeks to infuse students with knowledge, skills, and attitudes, regarding the design of the built environment. In the areas of knowledge and attitude, sophistication and competence are developed through both practice (largely carried out in the design studio environment), and engagement with critical analysis (largely carried out in seminar classes and traditional lecture format class environments). For design students the world of design is both to be known and understood, and to be created, at their own studio desk. In order to both know and create design, students often behave like nocturnal predators, seeking what is necessary in a mode that is often unobserved, and then returning to digest their catch, to produce responsive and synthetic work. One arena in which design students find rich fields of information is that of material characteristics. Materials used in the

The Internet as a tool for communication in design projects

Abstract: When entering a modern design practice, architecture & design students must not only be skilled in current CAD applications but must also be familiar in the transfer and organisation of information and data on the Internet. Similarly, the PgDip in Computer Aided Building Design (CABD) at the University of Strathclyde addresses not only the conventional spread of CAD tools but also investigates the promise of collaborative design through on-line communications and the sharing of project data. This aspect of technology forms the core of the Internet & WWW Module within which the aim is to investigate the strengths and weaknesses of the Internet as a design communication medium and also to promote group working, peer learning and the development of students ICT and organisational skills, while also encouraging co-operative and collaborative working.

‘Scripting’ – Personal Narratives in the Designing of Artefacts

Abstract: This paper explores the design process activity using a speculative metaphor which parallels the film-making process with the process of designing products. In the context of design, the scripting of artefacts is both verbally and non-verbally communicated through a storyboard of visual documentation, verbal discourse and textual information. The concept of ‘scripting’ is explored in this paper through one aspect of an ongoing research investigation of industrial design students, their educational context and the artefacts that are designed. A focus on ethnographic-oriented approaches allows for an exploration that includes but is not limited to the tradition of investigating explicit design procedure. Through in-depth involvement in the design studio an eight-week design project is documented and considerable insights are gained into the social and cultural forces that influence the ‘scripting’ of designed artefacts.

Formalizing Generation and Transformation in Design

Abstract: This paper is an integration of two substantial endeavours. One is a general purpose 3D modelling system, ICE that introduces a new notation and an entire family of graphic design functionalities based on generative structures and manipulation handles. The other is an exhaustively annotated design studio, in which the entire graphic output of students and the annotations of their faculty have been ethnographically recorded. In this paper, we are using the ICE notation to represent the key graphic products of a selected student and the transformation: between these representations. Our goal is to demonstrate that, through ICE’s formal notation (1) graphic entities in complex design sequence can be unambiguously represented, (2) transformations between graphic entities in complex design sequence can be unambiguously represented, and (3) the various design sequences can be formally captured for subsequent process or cognitive analysis

Earthquake Architecture Explorations

Abstract: This paper describes and reviews a design studio undertaken by senior undergraduate architectural students to explore issues of earthquake architecture. After a brief initial phase of broad earthquake engineering literature research, in some cases supplemented by computer and physical modeling, students identified a wide range of earthquake related phenomena capable of providing the basis for generating earthquake architecture. From lists that included geotectonic processes, engineering technologies and human perceptions of earthquakes, students were encouraged to develop two design concepts robust enough to sustain subsequent architectural development. A suburban library and a multi-storey office building functioned as vehicles for the design process. The tested and developed ideas became primary design concepts, informing as many aspects of their designs as possible; guiding both architectural formmaking and the resolution of design details. When integrated with site and programmatic requirements these ideas led to preliminary designs that, to various degrees of success, became examples of earthquake architecture. While the research phase of the project highlighted the diversity of earthquake related ideas that can provide inspiration for designers, the design projects revealed the latent possibilities for further enriching our built environment through earthquake architecture.

Building a computer lab that students will love: internet cafés and design studios

Abstract: What makes a computer lab a desirable space for students? Is it possible or desirable to tailor the layout and services in a computing facility in such a way that students enjoy working in the room? Colorado State University engineering students have responded very favorably to both the Design Studio and Internet Cafe that were built to provide both a general-purpose computer "lab" and a specialized atmosphere. Discussion focuses on targeting the purpose for a new or existing facility and the resulting layout, design, and technology needs that depend on the services desired by students. The goal is to provide the audience with an excellent groundwork for considering the best use of both current and future computing facilities with a strong focus on providing excellent service to students.

No more fear or doubt: electronic architecture in architectural education

Abstract: Operating electronic and Internet worked tools for Architectural education is an important, and merely a prerequisite step toward creating powerful tele-collabortion and tele-research in our Architectural studios. The design studio, as physical place and pedagogical method, is the core of architectural education. The Carnegie Endowment report on architectural education, published in 1996, identified a comparably central role for studios in schools today. 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 to 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 support collaboration over competition, diversify student experiences, and redistribute the intellectual resources of architectural education across geographic and socioeconomic divisions. The challenge is to predict 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.

O panorama digital interativo no estudo da arquitetura

Abstract: Digital tools in current use are designed to help in the production of project drawings in architectural offices. However, the same types of software have invaded students. practice in the design studio. The effect of their use in early stages of the design process show a deceitful professionalization of drawings. At the same time this alters deeply the design process and therefore how students learn to design. This work shows through examples of our Studios that unless the designer has an in-depth knowledge of the design process, the introduction of CAD works against creativeness. The reason is that students lack an extensive training both as CAD operators and as designers. Their creativeness is molded by the conventions of a half-learned software. The introduction of open software systems can improve their training, but this will demand a new approach to Studio teaching.

Computer-supported Furniture Design at an Early Sketching Stage

Abstract: In the "Material and Design Studio" at Chalmers University of Technology, several case studies have been conducted. These aim at developing different forms of integrated, IT-supported methods of furniture design in which engineers and designers collaborate in the design process. The present report is concerned primarily with describing an integrated furniture design procedure of this type and discussing continuing efforts being made to develop and implement new tools and methods for use in furniture design.

To rescue the designer from epistemic freedom and other challenges

Abstract: In the 1960s, Horst Rittel asked to what extent design could be made explicit. This question was based on the premise that only explicit processes could be scrutinized, and better understood and taught. Rittel’s approach served as the foundation for our proposed methodology for teaching design. While rejecting the idea that the design process can be systematized, we believe that certain tasks are integral to it. Our teaching methodology emphasizes the importance of understanding the own design process and suggests techniques to deal with the following issues: defining variables, generating alternative solutions, and engaging in decision-making. The proposed methodology has been successfully tested in upper division and graduate level design studios in architecture.

Technology enhanced construction technology teaching

Abstract: Design studio has been the heart of architectural education since late 18th C and thus students often consider other courses as peripheral to studio. In a majority of schools, the nature of the design studio pedagogy and the way that other courses are taught appear as two systems. Courses 'supporting studio' have been very much a teacher-centered didactic exercise, traditionally delivered in lectures. Understanding this background, this study examined the success of teaching technical courses such as construction technology by adapting different strategies mediated through a Web-based approach. This paper reports the findings of the study funded by The University of Hong Kong and the Universities Grants Commission of Hong Kong.

A organização do "habitar a cidade": O exame de um exercício de projeto colaborativo

Abstract: This communication is part of six other contributions from different authors, which aim to provide an overall discussion of a Brazilian Virtual Design Studio. This paper focuses the tools applied in a VDS within a Latin-American context of public universities with limited budget and its organization. The tools are discussed in three main phases of the exercise: the group formation, the design process, and the debates and crits. Despite the limited resources, we conclude and suggest that such experience should be pursued by other schools in similar conditions.

Assessment of the Use of 3D- Viewing and Mark-up Tool for Rich Network Design Communication

Abstract: Though there have been many successful examples of Virtual Design Studio, there still exist unsuccessful cases in which participants felt dissatisfied or even frustrated, especially at synchronous stages of design_communication. A discussion that required designers to refer to 3D models was one of the situations where technical support was insufficient to satisfy the expectation of designers. Assuming that an interactive viewing of 3D models and use of a markup utility on a shared PC window could enhance such design communications (though this also requires network bandwidth and computational power) the author conducted experiments in design discussion between two designers to test the capability and effects of these tools for network collaborations. This paper discusses the framework and results of the experiments, and proposes the next step for system developments.

Reconsidering the design studio: its role in engineering practice

Abstract: The studio is at the heart of modern design education. Whilst it is usually understood in the university context, studio activities in leading engineering and design firms are providing new perspectives on the ‘design studio’ model. In this paper we describe our observations from participation at the Arup Europe Division Design School. Here studio activities are structured as intensive ‘time out’ or ‘play’ in which young professional engineers work together in multi-disciplinary teams. The focus is on developing collaborative design skills and becoming part of an organisation-wide community of peers within the firm. We compare the role and function of this practice-based design studio with the university model and highlight implications for future research and practice.

Aligning renewable energy engineering units to a design studio based curriculum

Abstract: A number of constraints have initiated a major curriculum revision of the Bachelor of Engineering degrees offered at Murdoch University (MU). The new curriculum will have mostly traditionally taught units in first and second year followed by design studios in third and fourth year, incorporating problem and project-based learning. Two examples from European Universities where problem and project based learning have been embedded in engineering curricula are reviewed. They highlight many positive aspects of student-focused teaching methods, but also show that there is inevitably some loss of technical competency for engineering graduates. The paper then investigates the transition from two traditionally taught units in Photovoltaics and Wind Energy Engineering at MU to an engineering design studio that is part of the Renewable Energy Engineering specialisation. First core content centred learning objectives are determined before a number of possible projects are evaluated. It is found that, in order to achieve technical as well as process skill competency, students should be exposed to a number of projects and a combination of traditional and problem/project-based learning methods should be applied. The paper also discusses the challenges of a successful implementation of the design studio model at Engineering MU, which will require resources, training and support for staff so that they are prepared for their new roles in a more student focused learning environment.

Electronic pin-ups: on-line depository of graduation design projects

Abstract: The paper elaborates on the development of a repository of on-line graduation design projects. This repository has come to be as a side product of fast passed changes in the design studio culture in the Master of Architecture Program at Texas A&M University. The paper elaborates on such changes of culture, the emergence of a de-facto standard for on-line display of design work, and current efforts oriented towards making use of the repository in support of a wide range of pedagogic objectives.

Changing the Culture of Design Studio Reviews: The Use of Large Format Interactive Plasma Screens in Design Studio Reviews

Abstract: This paper elaborates on the use of electronic pin-ups in real-time local reviews making use of larger format interactive plasma screens. The paper briefly explains the technical aspects of an actual implementation in the College of Architecture at Texas A&M University. The main focus of the paper is placed on the use of a 61“ interactive plasma screen in a graduate design studio during the second semester of 2003 and the benefits that such an implementation has reported. The narrative explains how the use of an interactive plasma screen for informal as well as formal reviews is not only saving printing resources but it is also having a very positive impact on how we conduct design reviews.

Universal in the Local: Practiscing the Scholarship of Engagement

Abstract: The 'Scholarship of Engagement' is a burgeoning genre of scholarship exemplified by community-based pedagogic models used in schools of landscape architecture. This form of scholarship employs engagement with the multi-faceted particulars of local places and people, through which it can inform globally relevant principles and strategies. The paper describes attributes of the Scholarship of Engagement, which supports integrated teaching, research and service in landscape architecture and provides an example of the 'universal in the local'. It suggests that a framework for scholarship assessment developed by the Carnegie Foundation for Advancement of Teaching is effective in promoting scholarship in the design studio, incorporating the components: clear goals and problem definition; preparation through literature and research; methods including community participation, place analyses, case-study research and analysis, and solution testing through design; assessment of results; effective presentation of the results; and reflective critique by the students, community and faculty. This model frames the structure and description of community design studio work undertaken to help a small Alaskan town confront the impending influx and impacts of large chain stores, a problem communities are increasingly facing. In such an engaged-scholarship approach, the hierarchical values of cosmopolitan versus local are realigned, and faculty and students collaborate with community partners - whether global or local - to solve pressing issues. Can this integrated model of public scholarship be legitimised, supported and extended?

Alongside: A conversation about Sustainability and Teaching Design

Abstract: In this paper we draw on our experience of teaching in an undergraduate landscape architecture design studio that aimed to test ways in which sustainability could be incorporated into design teaching. In the studio we pursued an approach to teaching that challenged students to think critically about many of the taken-for-granted assumptions about what sustainability could or should mean, and how this unfixed, critical thinking about sustainability might translate into design.