ARCH: 251, 252, 253 FUNDAMENTALS OF DESIGN College of Architecture and Environmental Design Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo Professor: Donna Duerk Office: Office Hours: Office Phone: Home Phone: E-Mail: Dexter 220A (SEE Group Suite) M 10-1130, TWR 10-11 in 05-220 756-5083 543-7166: after6:30am & before9:00 pm dduerk@.calpoly.edu Course Description Development of knowledge and abilities in the theories, processes, and methods of creative problem solving; basic visual and verbal communication; basic two and three-dimensional design and composition and the analysis of the built environment. How do you define these terms? These courses will focus upon process, composition, concept and craft in design. They will explore the relationship between an abstract concept [idea] and a specific implementation of that concept. They will investigate the attributes of objects and the organizational concepts that create the perception of relationships between things. It will examine the processes of designing and communicating the design product. Finally, values or meaning will be examined, because our values [the things that have meaning for us] are the basis for decisions concerning the attributes and organizational concepts that are employed in compositions to convey our intended meanings. Whew! That was a mouthful!!! Think about what this means to you. Course Emphasis Design is the process that transforms ideas into objects. It changes intangible thoughts into physical realities. One of design's fundamental concerns in this process is aesthetics [the study of the sensory, formal, and symbolic factors that create the perception of things as beautiful or pleasurable]. Another fundamental concern is function [the fit of the object to its use]. Purpose and user are primary here. A third issue will be process — the rules we make for how to do design. We will work to make our creative processes conscious rather than unconscious, and add skills and techniques to our design process. I am teaching/modeling ways of seeing, of understanding, and of participating. There are many ways to design: try on the ones I'm teaching for how well they suit you. In the end you will take with you what works and discard what does not work for you. Understand why what does not work does not serve you before you discard it. The fourth issue is craft [level of expertise in the techniques of production of objects] as it relates to the ability to translate and represent ideas in two- and three-dimensional form. We produce drawings, models, diagrams, written descriptions, electronic images, and photographs to assist the design process. The primary mode for the three quarters will be model making — the representation of the things in three-dimensional form. The models will at times be the thing itself and at times a representation of an idea: at times an electronic image and at times a solid form. In addition, drawing skills learned in 111, 112, and 113 will be reinforced and developed. Aesthetics, function, process, and craft will be organized around a sequence of exercises and projects that will involve discovery, skill development, theory, and synthesis. Principles of composition and design will be the central focus of 251. Some emphasis will be placed on color and craft.   The elements of architecture (floors, walls and roofs), expression, and space definition will be the focus of 252. Light will be introduced as a design element. Context (site & climate), clients, and expression will extend our grasp of architectural concerns in 253. Structure will be introduced as a design element.