Introduction to Design Theories & Methods Professor W. Mike Martin GSI’s Humberto Cavallin Elena Paparizou Architecture 130 Spring 2001
General Information 1. Course: ARCH 130 (3 units). 2. Title: Introduction to Design Theories and Methods. 3. Semester: Spring Meetings: 10 weeks (Jan 17 — March 23) Three 1-hour lectures per week for the first four weeks, two 1-hour lectures per week thereafter. In addition there will be four 2-3 two-hour workshops, three exam reviews, and 3-4 major discussion sessions during the term.
5. Prerequisites: Upper division standing, Arch100A and B, mathematics requirement. 6. Examinations: Exam 1, Feb 2, Exam 2, Feb 31, Final Exam Mar Major Project: A major term paper pages based on rigorous library research and fieldwork. Workshops will be provided to help develop the paper during the term. The topic of the major paper will be discussed in a future class session. 8. Evaluation: Examinations 75%, Major Paper 25%
OBJECTIVES: Arch 130 is a survey course. The emphasis is on the foundations for systematic approaches to design and on providing an overview of these approaches, their advantages and disadvantages. Some methods will be studied in detail, exemplifying some typical modes of reasoning. In particular, the course will: —describe and discuss various philosophies and styles of design, —identify particular difficulties of designing and investigate their nature, —present and demonstrate various tools, techniques, and methods as they become relevant in the process of designing.
As a result, the student should become familiar with the theoretical and methodological issues of their work, and they should achieve some critical knowledge of the various approaches in design. In addition, they should be able to apply some concepts and procedures to their own design problems.
SUBJECT MATTER What is design? What is the nature of its problems? What are the specific difficulties of designing? How to cope with these difficulties? TEACHING METHOD The series of lectures will develop the material. Weekly section meetings will serve to discuss, clarify, and elaborate the issues, as well as to assist in the development of the major paper.
Course Calendar Wee k DateLecturesAssignments 1 Jan Why study Design? Designers' Self-images Readings: Cuff, Royal Institute Definitions of Design A Model of Design Doctrines of creativity Readings: Cuff (continued), Jones (1), Siegel Proposal Workshop Feb 2 Morphological Methods I Topological Methods I Examination 1 Readings: Jones (2), Schön (1) Paper Proposal Due
Values in Design and Formation of Judgement An Evaluation Method Evaluations by Groups (Juries) Readings: Dehlinger, Protzen Paper Draft Workshop Schemes of Evaluation Cost-Benefit Analysis Readings: Bross, Haldane, Thompson Assignment 3 due in section Hand-out of Assignment 4: Self- Image PRESIDENTS' DAY HOLIDAY anticipating the context of design The unknown user and the unknown context Readings: Archer, Simon (1 & 2)
Orders of magnitude Procedural vs Prescriptive Theories. Examination 2 first generation theories Technical Rationality Design as a Staged-Process (Asimow, Archer) Readings: Schön (3), Rittel/Webber, Rittel (1) Paper Draft Due 8 Mar 5 7 Design as Information Processing (Simon) Design as Decomposition (Alexander) Readings: Rittel (2 & 3), Schön (3) second generation theories Paradoxes of Rationality Design Problems are Wicked Design as Argumentation Final Paper Due
Design as Reflection-in-Action conclusion final exam Pin-up and Review of Assignment 6