ARCH 1101 INTRODUCTION TO ARCHITECTURE

4 lab hours, 2 credits

Course Description

The Introduction to Architecture provides a foundation for students entering the BArch / BTech program to develop a “visual literacy” of the built environment. Using New York City as a living laboratory, students explore concepts of design, composition, and construction in the context of the city through their direct experience of buildings. By practicing the basic skills of drafting, sketching, and reading about buildings, and with the opportunity to present their understandings to others through written assignments and verbal presentations, students will develop methods of representing and presenting architecture verbally and graphically.

Course Goals and Objectives

Observe buildings in their totality and in detail and convey your observations in sketches. Learn to identify the various styles and tectonic elements within the built environment.
Translate on-site measurements of a building into scaled drawings and models that relate the plan, section, and elevation of a building following basic graphic standards.
Understand the basic concepts of composition such as scale, proportion, balance, and symmetry as expressed in the built environment, and be able to express them in drawing and writing.
Read different formats of architectural writing and become familiar with the way architecture is discussed.
Develop a vocabulary specific to the architecture and construction.
Research case studies of buildings and urban spaces.
Work together as a team, learning how to divide responsibilities and manage time.
Present your work to a jury as an individual and with a team.

It is assumed that students entering this class have no background in architecture and no experience in drawing. Drawing assignments will begin with simple exercises that become more complex as the semester progresses. Students will be evaluated by their determination and improvement during the semester, and on their ability to grasp an understanding and ability to represent the built environment graphically, verbally, and in writing.