Date: April 4, 2004

To: All 4th Year Architecture Students: PLEASE PRINT THIS AND READ IT CAREFULLY

From: Allan Cooper, Interim Director, Architecture Department

Jonathan Reich, Fifth Year Design Coordinator

Subject: Fifth Year Design Studio Selection 2004-2005

In the Fall, you will embark on a rigorous, disciplined, and rewarding nine month course of study leading to your professional degree. We are now entering the fifth year studio selection process which begins with three things:

1. Prospecti generated by the fifth year faculty describing their studio offerings and posted on the web.

2. A digital, web based “Studio Preference Form”, to be filled out by the student & submitted.

3. A Statement, generated by the student (hard copy only), submitted to the Architecture Department.

After April 15 see Fifth Year Studio Prospecti at: http://www.calpoly.edu/~arch/program/program.html#fifth

Your fifth year thesis can have a major impact on the direction of your subsequent professional development and career choices in the field of architecture. Make informed decisions about your 5th year preferences following an honest self-assessment of your initial professional goals, and content of the studios described in the Prospectus. If you are on campus visit the studios, talk with the current fifth year students, look over their work. Please do not hesitate to contact 5th year faculty and discuss any questions you may have about their offerings, their objectives or any 5th year design projects you may have in mind.

Submit Digital “Fifth Year Studio Preference Form” by May 4

Read all of the material and study it carefully. After you have become fully informed, complete the electronic

"Fifth Year Studio Preference Form" included on the department web site:

http://www.calpoly.edu/~arch/program/program.html#fifth

Completed Studio Preference Forms Should Be Returned no Later Than May 4, 2004, 5:00 PM Pacific Daylight Time (electronic submission only).

Submit hard copy “Statement of Purpose” by May 11

You are asked to submit a separate general “Statement of Purpose” in hard copy of 5 pages maximum.

Please give your separate statement careful consideration to provide explanation of:

- A little about your experience of the last 3 years (prior studios taken, work, travel, other relevant experiences, etc)

- Samples of your work are always a good idea

- Your immediate professional goals upon graduation,

- Your fifth year goals and objectives,

- List any minors or joint degree programs you will be attempting

- Provide any graphics or other support materials you see fit as long as it all fits in the 5 page limit.

While you may discuss thesis interests, please do not specify the particular faculty or particular studio preference in the Statement.

This Statement is very important to the faculty when they make their final selection of studio assignments. It is very important that the Statement clearly demonstrates your personal educational goals and objectives for this year and a taste of who you are as an intern architect. The Statement may be text and images, hand made, or digitally constructed, but a hard copy must be submitted.

If you are studying abroad you mat wish to get together with other students and share the cost of Fedexing a group of statements together to insure timely delivery. Statements should be mailed or hand-delivered to:

Heather LÈger

Architecture Department (#05-212A)

Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, CA 93407

Tel: 805-756-1316

Completed Statements must be received no later than May 11, 2004, 5:00PM Pacific Daylight Time.

(HARD COPY ONLY ! - no electronic, e-mail attachments or fax submissions)

Questions about the process, dates, or other aspects of the structure of fifth year design are welcome and should be addressed to, the Fifth Year Design Coordinator:

Jonathan Reich

jreich@calpoly.edu

805.756.1351 voice

Fifth Year Architectural Design Program

The fifth year program consists of two sets of courses leading to a comprehensive building design and research project in an architectural concentration area. (The prerequisites are Arch 442, Arch 453, and 5th year standing.)

Fifth Year Design: Arch 481/521 - 15 units (3 sequential 5 units per quarter studios)

Thesis Seminar: Arch 492 - 3 units (Fall Quarter only)

The Architecture Department recognizes the difficulty of attempting to predict the future of a rapidly changing profession in a rapidly changing society. The Department does not, therefore, promote any single idea about the discipline, any idiosyncratic design method or a single design "style". Demonstration of professional competency in integrating of architectural theory, principles and practice with creative, organization and technical abilities in architectural programming, design systems integration, material selection and design/technical research is a common goal. The Architectural Design Studio concentrations described in the Prospectus represent not one but several attitudes toward design and architectural practice. The presentation of these concentrations challenges you to consider:

a. a review of your academic experience to date and speculation about the direction of your academic and professional future;

b. developing an understanding of differences in approach to architectural design, focus of subject matter and instructional methods represented by the concentrations offered;

c. the choice and selection of a concentration for one year of a rigorous and disciplined course of architectural study;

d. developing your professional sense of judgment and values in architecture.

Next year's concentrations were selected based on their academic and professional rigor, the quality and diversity of their academic and professional content, and their relevance to the profession. The goal of each is to help you, both professionally and personally, to adapt to and work successfully in the discipline of Architecture.

Thesis Project Guidelines

Specific and detailed project guidelines for studio options and thesis requirements are at the individual instructor's direction. These guidelines are in the concentration's description in the Prospectus and the course syllabus issued at the beginning of the Fall Quarter by each instructor. In general the 5^th year architectural thesis project should:

-Involve clearly written & graphically illustrated architectural positions based on documented architectural theories, case studies, precedents, aesthetic assumptions and/or real world scenarios.

-Provide significant planning and design challenges as would be expected of a capstone course as well as a range of design solution alternatives & opportunities

-Offer appropriate design challenges resulting from combinations such as landscape features, adjacent development, neighborhood context, legal constraints and issues of regional character, historic or cultural value

-Support consideration of patterns of human activity, user & client needs and user expectations

-Involve investigation of and response to specific climatic and micro-climatic conditions

-Offer demonstration of design skill from concept origination through design development levels as interpreted by the studio instructors.

Final Fifth Year Studio Disposition Procedures

Completion and submission of your 5th Year Preference Form (electronic submission) and Statement (hard copy mailed or delivered) by the specified due dates are critical. If your form and statement are not complete and on time, you will have lowest priority in studio assignment. After the due date for Preference Forms and Statement, the 5th year faculty will review them. Design studio assignments are made on a combination of:

a. studentπs preference,

b. the compatibility of your declared educational objectives with the focus, goals and objectives of the studio concentrations, as judged by the faculty; and

c. a maximum enrollment of 18* students per studio (* Higher than normal projected enrollments are due to the current California state budget crisis)

Final 5th year studio lists will be posted on the Architecture Department notice board and website on or about Friday, June 4, 2004. Once notified of the finalized class lists, you are encouraged to contact your 5th year instructor as soon as possible to discuss ideas for your thesis proposal and preparations prior to Fall Quarter that would be helpful to the implementation of your project. Every effort will be made to provide students with a higher preference, but this cannot be guaranteed.

Every attempt will be made on the part of the Department Interim Director and fifth year faculty to create a balanced studio situation.