The need for affordable housing throughout North America is a never-ending problem. The need for affordable housing has been in crisis since the beginning of time. This is especially the case with the growing need for replacement, rescue and replenishment of housing is greater than it has ever been.  The greatest need at the moment, is in rural environments. Labor shortage and low interest in carpentry means that we need to discover new ways to deliver products.

What is new is that the computation, digital fabrication and robotics offers a new promise for design and delivery of affordable, permanent housing. We will explore the idea digital delivery through the production of Tiny Housing.

This course starts with five critical exercises for digital fabrication and design computing. We will explore varying areas of geometry as curved, folded and planar shapes. These exercises will provide points of entry towards a deeper understanding of surface, mesh & solid modeling and machine control. Simultaneously, traditional methods of construction will be presented as case studies with an in-depth overview of past and present industrial-based systems of home production.

The second half of the course will support student projects with weekly presentations and lab sessions focused on application of new digital techniques. Course deliverables will be four design exercises and a final research question and project.

Additional work required of graduate students.

Introduces the design and behavior of large-scale structures and structural materials. Emphasizes the development of structural form and the principles of structural design. Presents design methods for timber, masonry, concrete and steel applied to long-span roof systems, bridges, and high-rise buildings. Includes environmental assessment of structural systems and materials. In laboratory sessions, students solve structural problems by building and testing simple models.

Introduces artistic practice and critical visual thinking through three studio-based projects using different scales and media, for instance, "Body Extension," "Shaping Time," "Public Making," and/or "Networked Cultures." Each project concludes with a final presentation and critique. Students explore sculptural, architectural, performative artistic methods; video and sound art; site interventions and strategies for artistic engagement in the public realm. Lectures, screenings, guest presentations, field trips, readings, and debates supplement studio practice. Also introduces students to the historic, cultural, and environmental forces affecting both the development of an artistic vision and the reception of a work of art.

Builds on Core I skills and expands the constraints of the architectural problem to include issues of urban site logistics, cultural and programmatic material (inhabitation and human factors), and long span structures. Two related projects introduce a range of disciplinary issues, such as working with precedents, site, sectional and spatial proposition of the building, and the performance of the outer envelope. Emphasizes the clarity of intentions and the development of appropriate architectural and representational solutions.