Program of thesis research leading to the writing of an SB thesis. Intended for seniors. Twelve units recommended.
Program of research and writing of thesis; to be arranged by the student with supervising committee.
Required for doctoral students in HTC as a prerequisite for work on the doctoral dissertation. Prior to candidacy, doctoral students are required to write and orally defend a proposal laying out the scope of their thesis, its significance, a survey of existing research and literature, the methods of research to be adopted, a bibliography and plan of work. Work is done in consultation with HTC Faculty, in accordance with the HTC PhD Degree Program guidelines.
Selection of thesis topic, definition of method of approach, and preparation of thesis proposal. Independent study supplemented by individual conference with faculty.
Selection of thesis topic, definition of method of approach, and preparation of thesis proposal. Independent study supplemented by individual conference with faculty.
Practical experience through summer and January IAP internships secured by the student in the field of architecture, urbanism, digital design, art, or building technology. Before registering for this subject, students must have an offer from the organization and complete the Department of Architecture application with their advisor's signature. Upon completion of the internship, students must submit an evaluation form available from the departmental academic office. Students are limited to a total of three approved experiences.
Provides the material system knowledge and fabrication process skills to successfully engage with all areas of the shop, from precision handwork to multi-axis computer numerically controlled (CNC) machining. Progresses through a series of basic exercises that introduce the material and workflow, concluding with more complex problems that explore opportunities and issues specific to architecture.
Practical experience through summer and January IAP internships secured by the student in the field of architecture, urbanism, digital design, art, or building technology. Before registering for this subject, students must have an offer from a company or organization and complete the Department of Architecture application signed by the advisor. Upon completion of the internship, students must submit an evaluation form available from the departmental academic office. Students are limited to a total of three approved experiences.
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.
In an era of expanding climatic concerns, cities are facing pressures to plan and implement ways to alleviate the consequences of heat exposure. Rapidly increasing temperatures and heat waves are becoming more prevalent worldwide, putting strain on city inhabitants and resources. In the US alone, the frequency of heat waves has increased from an average of two heat waves per year during the 1960s to six per year during the 2010s and 2020s. In more vulnerable contexts, rapid urbanization will amplify the projected air temperature change, resulting in increasingly warming conditions in dense urban settings. At the core of this issue is an alteration of microclimate conditions, an increased use of cooling energy in buildings and in its most extreme form, a threat to occupant health and mortality. The climate imperative hence has drawn focus to the built environment, as it is particularly susceptible to those changes and in turn has a strong impact on urban heat flows in both indoor and outdoor environments. The challenge then becomes to conceptualize new approaches to measure the effect of heightening heat levels and formulate integrated solutions that are sensitive to the scales of both indoor and outdoor environments.
This class explores the linkages (under the lens of measurements and solutions) between scales, from the component, to the building and the urban level. Expanding the system boundary is key to arriving at more holistic outcomes that are rooted in finding long-term resilient strategies. The contents presented in this course will provide students the necessary tools to tackle such questions as:
Course Format:
Introduction to the indoor and outdoor implications of heat in the built environment will be covered. Students develop the first intuition for the multi-faceted aspects of the problem and critically analyze heat assessment methods and strategies for intervention. During morning sessions, a series of lectures and concept-based short discussions strengthen the engagement with each of the four main topics presented in a 4-step framework (Designing across scales, Leveraging data, Measuring impact and Framing action). In the afternoon, a combination of hands-on group exercises and discussions present the technical challenges of assessing the impact of heat at each scale and the formulation of design solutions.
