Course detail

Designing Architectural Elements

FA-DAP-KAcad. year: 2020/2021

The course develops creativity and invention of master's degree students who focus on the design and realization of a building/architectural detail/element. The course builds on the knowledge from art courses from the bachelor's degree. The assignments are individual and are related to the previous studio projects. The design must meet the requirements on function, production and used technologies. The course creates space for unrealized design, e.g. details of existing larger projects, or smaller projects of less common topics. The outcome is a A0 design poster in electronic form which contains the design, ideas and technical description and technical documentation corresponding to the topic and in quality graphical form.
In the study programme “Architecture and Urban Design” the course is part of the technical courses.

Language of instruction

Czech

Number of ECTS credits

2

Mode of study

Not applicable.

Department

Department of Drawing (UZ)

Learning outcomes of the course unit

– Students will develop their creativity and invention as well as their rational thinking. Searching and finding a design topic that would bring fulfillment and accompany the students throughout the whole process, is connected with important exploration of individual creative capacity and the ability to use it rationally.
– Students will get experience with detailed focussing in the design process with a strong accent on the feasibility of the result.
– Students will come across particular questions during the design process and will look for concrete and practical answers which will be related to the realisation, material and real use of the designed work.
– Students will be forced to harmonise the phantasy and trickiness of free assignment with the feasibility of the practical result of their design process.
– Students will consolidate their knowledge of forming graphical outcomes – posters and their required features as work with type fonts, text and graphical elements.

Prerequisites

Not applicable.

Co-requisites

Not applicable.

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

The course opens up with a lecture which presents the content and possibilities of the topic, requirements on the outcome, and which is related with illustrations of various solutions of building or architectural detail/ element. The focus of the course lies in the consultations of design development. The consultations frame the evolution moments in the process of design, and help students to clarify, formulate and develop the design. The course enables students to gain knowledge, research and analysis of professions related to the selected topic and lead them to the application of the knowledge in a creative way. Students are led to cultivated expression and encouraged to original resulting outcomes in terms of content as well as art and graphical form.

Assesment methods and criteria linked to learning outcomes

Credits are awarded for quality and extent of work during the semester.
Credit requirements: Presentation A0 poster in electronic form/ PDF (possibly two posters or upon the agreement) in print quality, and adequate participation at consultations.
Marks are given for: quality of project and its realisation, realisation of the graphical form of the poster, as well as e.g. originality or creative approach to the topic or realisation, something more - mode, design drawing, application or realisation, gaining insight into the selected topic etc.

Course curriculum

Semester block schedule:
I. Introductory lecture
II. Selection of topic, sketches, research
III. Development of design
IV. Finalization of the design and work on the presentation poster
V. Presentation poster – review of content and graphical solution

Work placements

Not applicable.

Aims

The aim of the course is to develop cognitive processes of the students in master's degree and to point students to more detailed focusing in the design process with a strong accent on creativity and aesthetics in relation to rational thinking. Students work on a design which is supposed to be close to or potentially realisation.

Specification of controlled education, way of implementation and compensation for absences

The introductory lecture and consultations of design development are compulsory. The rhythm and frequency of consultations are adapted to suit the topic as agreed with the teacher, but there always must be these phases: selection and approval of topic by the teacher, sketches and research, development of individual project, design representation - visualisation or drawing, model and photo etc., definition of the content and character and graphical form of the poster, review of all required features of the project and poster, submission.
In the case of a student's apology and with approval of the subject guarantor, personal attendance may be substituted with online attendance in the classes.

Recommended optional programme components

Not applicable.

Prerequisites and corequisites

Not applicable.

Basic literature

Detail (časopis). Intitute fur Internationale Architektur. ISSN 011-9571. (EN)

Recommended reading

Smith Courtenay: Xtreme Houses, 2002 (EN)
John McKean: Pioneering British "High-Tech", 1999 (EN)
Zschokke Walter: Architektur Stadtebau Design, 2001. (DE)

Classification of course in study plans

  • Programme N_A+U Master's, 1. year of study, winter semester, compulsory-optional

Type of course unit

 

Lecture

2 hours, optionally

Teacher / Lecturer

Seminar

24 hours, compulsory

Teacher / Lecturer