Classes

Introduces fundamental design principles as a way to demystify design and provide a basic introduction to all aspects of the process. Stimulates creativity, abstract thinking, representation, iteration, and design development. Equips students with skills to have more effective communication with designers, and develops their ability to apply the foundations of design to any discipline.

Provides instruction in architectural design and project development within design constraints including architectural program and site. Students engage the design process through various 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional media. Working directly with representational and model making techniques, students gain experience in the conceptual, formal, spatial and material aspects of architecture. Instruction and practice in oral and written communication provided.

Overview of design as the giving of form, order, and interactivity to the objects that define our daily life. Follows the path from project to interactive product. Covers the overall design process, preparing students for work in a hands-on studio learning environment. Emphasizes design development and constraints. Topics include the analysis of objects; interaction design and user experience; design methodologies, current dialogues in design; economies of scale vs. means; and the role of technology in design. Provides a foundation in prototyping skills such as carpentry, casting, digital fabrication, electronics, and coding.

Provides an introduction to visual communication, emphasizing the development of a visual and verbal vocabulary through the lens of typography. Presents the fundamentals of shape, composition, visual hierarchy, word/image relationships, and type systems as building blocks for communicating with clarity, emotion, and meaning. Students develop their ability to analyze, discuss, and critique both their work and the work of the designed world, with an emphasis on type as a visual and conceptual medium.

Introduction to cultures of form in architectural design, representation, and production, including material cultures, geometric discourse and analysis, Western and non-Western modes of perception and representation. Through a series of acts of forming and making, provides a primer and venue to rehearse skills such as 3D modeling and the reciprocity between representation and materialization. Exercises accompanied by lectures from practitioners, who each represent a highly articulated relationship between form and material in a body of design research or built work.

Studies design as an interrogative technique to examine material sciences, media arts and technology, cultural studies, computation and emerging fabrication protocols. Provides in-depth, theoretical grounding to the notion of 'design' in architecture, and to the consideration of contemporary design methodologies, while encouraging speculation on emerging design thinking. Topical focus varies with instructor. May be repeated for credit with permission of department.

Provides a practical hands-on introduction to digital fabrication, including CAD/CAM/CAE, NC machining, 3-D printing and scanning, molding and casting, composites, laser and waterjet cutting, PCB design and fabrication; sensors and actuators; mixed-signal instrumentation, embedded processing, and wired and wireless communications. Develops an understanding of these capabilities through projects using them individually and jointly to create functional systems.

Schedule & Information

Explores the foundations of design through a series of bracketed methods of production. These methods exercise topics such as form, space, organization, structure, circulation, use, tectonics, temporality, and experience. Students develop methods of representation that span from manual to virtual and from canonical to experimental. Each method is evaluated for what it offers and privileges, supplying a survey of approaches for design exercises to follow. First in a sequence of design subjects, which must be taken in order.

Interdisciplinary approach to design through studio design problems that engage the domains of building technology, computation, and the cultural/historical geographies of energy. Uses different modalities of thought to examine architectural agendas for 'sustainability'; students position their work with respect to a broader understanding of the environment and its relationship to society and technology. Students develop a project with a comprehensive approach to programmatic organization, energy load considerations, building material assemblies, exterior envelope and structure systems.

“Nada es inventado, pues está escrito en la naturaleza primero” - Antoni Gaudí 
("Nothing is invented, for it is written in nature first.") 

“La arquitectura es la expresión de una época, de un lugar y de un momento, pero debe aspirar a la atemporalidad” - Rafael Moneo 
(Architecture is the expression of an era, of a place, and of a moment, but it must aspire to timelessness.)  

Architecture of the Earth explores a philosophy that treats the building not as an object placed upon the landscape, but as an extension of the earth itself. The course will challenge students to design a new structure near a site of historical and geological significance, where they will explore how architecture can emerge from the raw materials and ancient memory of the land. 

The project is a deep dive into an approach where natural landforms are the primary sources of architectural language. Students will investigate how the built form can blur its boundaries with the natural environment, creating a new layer in the timeless dialogue between human creation and the earth. The goal is to create a space that respects its past while embodying a future where culture and nature are inseparably linked. 

Research Methodology: 
This course employs an immersive, research-driven methodology to explore a new architectural language. The process begins with a departure from sensitive design, encouraging the generation of spatial ideas and innovative techniques that are unconventional and 
context-specific. A key part of this approach is a deep engagement with the local environment, investigating indigenous materials and production methods to create a symbiotic relationship between the building and the landscape. 

The design process is iterative, moving fluidly between digital and physical realms. Students will develop prototypes and physical models to test their concepts, using digital scanning and other audiovisual tools to document their evolution. This blend of hands-on and digital methods is formalized through the creation of instruction manuals, which document the process and provide a framework for future application. A central concern throughout is the project's environmental impact, with a focus on sustainable, low-impact construction that honors the site's natural and historical integrity. 

Castillo de San Felipe, Menorca, Spain (St. Philip’s Castle / Fort) 
Architecture of the Earth is a development of the On/Off hybrid studio, situated between Hands-On models sessions and online classes, in which students will integrate research, fabrication, and design. This studio will focus on imagining and designing a Theater Space in Castillo de San Felipe, Menorca, Spain.  Site Location Link 

The Castillo de San Felipe, situated at the entrance of Mahón's natural port in Menorca, stands as a formidable testament to centuries of strategic importance and turbulent history. Originally conceived in the mid-16th century following a devastating Ottoman raid in 1558, its construction and subsequent expansions transformed it into one of the Mediterranean's most significant defensive fortresses. 

Its strategic location made it a coveted prize for various European powers, particularly the British and French, leading to multiple sieges and changes of control throughout the 18th century. Each conflict further underscored the port's critical role in naval dominance. Ultimately, its demolition by the Spanish in the early 19th century symbolized an end to an era of intense foreign intervention. Today, its extensive underground ruins offer a poignant glimpse into Menorca's past, embodying the island's enduring resilience and the perpetual interplay between human ambition and the powerful forces of its landscape. 

Student Learning Outcome Objectives: 
This course is structured around a hands-on-line studio that emphasizes collaboration and shared learning. Students will work together to challenge preconceived notions and explore the unknown through a research-driven, iterative process. The primary goal is to empower students to generate original spatial ideas and techniques that diverge from conventional standards. True innovation lies in the ability to break free from established norms and find new ways of understanding and engaging with the built environment. 

The learning journey integrates theoretical understanding with practical application. Students will engage in in-depth research through a series of case studies, analyzing the models, drawings, engineering, and construction of exemplary projects. This research will inform a series of iterative model studies and prototypes, which will form the core of the design process. The hands-on exploration of materials and form is central to our methodology. 

To support this workflow, the course will introduce students to advanced 3D scan techniques, including the relevant hardware and software. They will learn to apply these skills through post-processing of the data, enabling them to create 3D printed models, test structural reinforcements, and experiment with concrete casting. This blend of digital and physical methods is designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of how concepts can be translated into tangible form. 

The entire process will be meticulously documented using the Google Suite platform, which will serve as a class diary to track the evolution of each project. This shared digital space will foster an environment of continuous feedback and shared knowledge. Additionally, students will participate in seminars designed to expand their technical skills and prepare them for the hands-on fabrication and prototyping phases. The final deliverable will be a comprehensive portfolio of models, drawings, and digital documentation that demonstrates a deep understanding of the course's principles, from initial research to final fabrication. This holistic approach ensures students are well-equipped to not only design but also realize their architectural visions. 

Mandatory lottery process.

Under One Roof explores the agency of the roof as public device.

Following two semesters focused on Enclosures, and on the primacy of the plan, Under One Roof will continue our investigation on collective form through a radical 90-degree turn, placing the section (and the worm’s-eye view) at the center of the discourse.

As for the previous iterations, the studio intends to stimulate an accurate research into the possibilities generated by a fundamental act of spatial delimitation. The project will be explored as selective device, capable of framing contemporary rituals, activating possible scenes of public life.

Under One Roof is not so much about the object roof itself as the covered space beneath it, understood as a plural and shared territory. A portion of space that interests us because of its specific spatial qualities: structure, proportions, light, atmospheric conditions, material expression.

Criteria of rationality, efficiency and climatic performance will meet the monumental, the archaic, the symbolic, the unconscious.

The expression Under One Roof can be read both literally and metaphorically. It describes an act of collective recognition - the effort of a multitude - as well as the form of the thing: the way it manifests itself to the sensible world.

Under One Roof celebrates the value of being physically present: the risk of bringing one’s own body in a specific place - sharing it with other bodies - as a basic form of democratic participation. It also celebrates the city as a place of material and immaterial accumulation, injecting architectural meaning and providing a condensed collective experience.

he studio will operate as a project-driven research unit. 
The design work will unfold in two segments:  
A Roof for 10-100 (weeks 1-5) and A Roof for 100-1,000 (weeks 7-14).

Throughout the semester, we will conduct local site visits to examine architectural precedents.

The students will participate in a series of Rooftalks: online conversations with the authors of some of the proposed case studies. Every talk will focus on one project, that will be presented and discussed in depth.

Mandatory lottery process.

assemblies for collective life & work 
in Argentina’s rural landscape 

The Argentinian Pampas is a vast territory, widely known for its agricultural fields and productive infrastructures. This huge portion of the country is populated by hundreds of small towns—once vibrant centers of collective life that blossomed in the late 19th century and became home to many migrants.

Today, many of these towns are facing a slow but persistent exodus, leaving behind a hybrid landscape of tiny villages suspended in the middle of expansive crop fields.

What does it mean to inhabit this rural landscape in contemporary times? Are there possibilities for new collective forms of work and life in this extraordinary ecosystem of farms, ponds, rivers, migrant workers’ heritage, warehouses, and factories—all coexisting under the presence of an infinite horizon?

Learning from La Pampa is an invitation to discover this land located in the south of Córdoba, and to propose subtle architectural interventions aimed at rethinking the role of the Argentine countryside and the social and economic life of its historic towns.

The studio will be structured around two design exercises: a small rural infrastructure, or “a shadow,” and a cooperative with collective housing.

A Small Rural Infrastructure
Or, a shadow on the fields.

This first exercise is an approximation to the territory. It has the intention to understand the technological landscape of the countryside and the artifacts that populate the fields.

We will approach the exercise through a curated selection of remarkable Argentine films, literary texts, and photographs that reflect our rural culture and history, allowing us to explore together the beauty and complexity of the site.

Students will analyse a series of popular and local architectures that can be found when driving or walking in the campo (field) and propose an architectural intervention that could establish some dialogue with one or some of them.

The space will not have a specific program and has no prescribed size; it could be very small or extend up to 100 meters. Its scale will be determined by the idea and logics of the project. The technology, details, and structure of this infrastructure will emerge from a close study of the existing elements on the site: windmills, water ponds, silos, billboards, factories, and more.  

The shadow will be conceived as a place to rest within the vastness of the rural landscape. It could be nothing more than a simple roof or remain entirely outdoors. It could also include an interior—a room, a place to spend a night while traveling, perhaps a small bathroom, or a space to store a few belongings, the essentials one might wish to have when finding oneself in the “middle of nowhere.”

For this project students will produce a ¼ scale model, plans, sections, elevations, axonomtrics, collages and a 300-word text.

A Cooperative & Housing for the town 
Or, a second chance to live & work in the countryside.

Cooperatives have long been and continue to be key to life in Argentina. In the late 19th century, small neighborhood cooperatives emerged in areas where the State did not reach, enabling the construction of essential infrastructure such as electricity, telephone lines, potable water, and local employment.

Housing cooperatives helped families build homes collectively. Agricultural cooperatives allowed small farmers to store and sell crops and purchase supplies at fair prices. Educational and cultural cooperatives created schools, libraries, and community centers that became hubs of learning and social life.

n rural towns, cooperatives were especially crucial, fostering solidarity, community participation, and social cohesion while providing basic services and meeting spaces.

During the 2001 economic crisis, many companies went bankrupt or were abandoned by their owners. To save their jobs, workers took control of these businesses, turning them into worker-run cooperatives or recovered factories, where employees collectively manage operations and share profits. This model preserved jobs, sustained local economies, and promoted self-management.

Today, Argentina has approximately 30,000 active cooperatives across a wide range of sectors.

This second and final exercise of the studio will focus on the design of a cooperative in one of the rural towns located in the south of Córdoba, along provincial routes 4, 6, 11, and 8. Each student will select a town and place their project on a vacant lot, on the edge of the village, or in the surrounding rural fields.

The purpose of each cooperative will vary: some will be linked to the region’s agricultural production, others will be educational, cultural, or sports-oriented, and some may promote new productive activities that could benefit the people that live in the town. The specific program will be proposed and defined by each student.

As part of the proposal, each cooperative will include collective housing for its members, most likely those working within the cooperative itself. This introduces the dimension of living and working together, and invites a rethinking of how communal life in the Argentine countryside might be imagined today.

All cooperatives will be owned by the town’s neighbors and envisioned as spaces that strengthen community life, foster social ties, and contribute to the growth of these small urban centers.

The projects should be both rigorous architectural proposals and strong utopian visions, capable of resignifying the beauty of collective living in the Pampas.

Students will produce models at different scales, plans, sections, elevations, axonometrics, collages, and a 500-word text.

As a collective outcome, the studio will develop a small publication in the form of a book and host an exhibition for the final review at the Long Lounge.

Learning from La Pampa is an opportunity to enjoy architectu-re through a sensitive and slow understanding of the site and the culture of the rural Argentinian landscape. It is an invita-tion to look closely, to value the knowledge embedded in simple things, and to find pleasure in designing places that can intro-duce subtle, yet meaningful, changes in the lives of those who live here and those who may come.

Mandatory lottery process.