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ARCH 24
FRESHMAN SEMINARS
MARTIN

(1) Course may be repeated for credit as topic varies. One hour of seminar per week. Sections 1-2 to be graded on a letter-grade basis. Sections 3-4 to be graded on a passed/not passed basis. The Berkeley Seminar Program has been designed to provide new students with the opportunity to explore an intellectual topic with a faculty member in a small-seminar setting. Berkeley Seminars are offered in all campus departments, and topics vary from department to department and semester to semester.

Extended Course Description

This seminar will meet for five weeks, beginning Wednesday, March 3, 2010 and ending Wednesday, April 7, 2010. Food for Thought dining arrangements will be discussed in class.  

This seminar will examine the historical foundations of the architectural profession, the role of education in preparing professionals, the structure of contemporary architectural practice and the changing context of the future of architectural profession. These aspects will be introduced by reading and discussing selected literature and case studies. This seminar is part of the Food for Thought Seminar Series.

Mike Martin is a Professor Emeritus of Architecture and former Undergraduate Dean of the College of Environmental Design and Chair of the Architecture Department. He studied architecture at the University of Colorado, the University of Washington and the University of California, Berkeley. He is the former Head of the Architecture Department at the California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. He is an architect specializing in the study of design education and its relationship to design methods and architectural practice with an emphasis on knowledge production in the profession. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and an active participant in the dialogue between education and professional practice. He is just completing a book “Design Informed: Translation of Evidence to Practice.

ARCH 98
SPECIAL GROUP STUDY
STAFF

(1-4) Course may be repeated for credit. Enrollment is restricted; see the Introduction to Courses and Curricula section of this catalog. One to four hours of directed group study per week. Must be taken on a passed/not passed basis. This is a special topics course intended to fulfill the individual interests of students, and provide a vehicle for professors to instruct students based on new and innovative developments in the field of architecture.

ARCH 100A
FUNDAMENTALS OF ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
DI NAPOLI/BUCHANAN/FRAKER/CRESCIMANO/BURGIN

(6) Two hours of lecture, six hours of studio, and two hours of computer graphics laboratory per week. Prerequisites: ED 11A-11B. ARCH 100A and 100B must be taken in sequence. Introductory courses in the design of buildings. Problems emphasize conceptual strategies of form and space, site relationships and social, technological and environmental determinants. 100A focuses on the conceptual design process.

ARCH 100B
FUNDAMENTALS OF ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
CREEDON/IWAMOTO/BOURDIER/SHEPHERD

(6) Two hours of lecture, six hours of studio, and two hours of computer graphics laboratory per week. Prerequisites: ED 11A-11B and ARCH 100A. ARCH 100A and 100B must be taken in sequence. Introductory courses in the design of buildings. Problems emphasize conceptual strategies of form and space, site relationships and social, technological and environmental determinants. 100B stresses tectonics, materials, and energy considerations. Studio work is supplemented by lectures, discussions, readings and field trips.

ARCH 101
CASE STUDIES IN ARCHITECTURE
UBBELOHDE

(5) Course may be repeated for credit as topic varies. Three hours of lecture and five hours of studio per week. Prerequisites: 100A-100B. Problems in the design of buildings of intermediate complexity. Each section deals with a selected topic and concentrates on developing conceptual strategies in the analysis and design of buildings: internal spatial relationships, material, form, tectonics, social and environmental considerations and built landscapes. Studio work is supplemented by lectures, discussions, readings, and field trips.

Extended Course Description

To come.

ARCH 108
ARCHITECTURAL INTERNSHIP
COMERIO

(5) Two hours of lecture/seminar per week for fifteen weeks and an additional sixteen hours of internship per week for ten of those weeks. Prerequisites: 100B or consent of instructor. Formerly 128.An intensive and structured exposure to the professional practice, using the resources of practicing architects' offices as the "laboratory." The seminar discussion focus on understanding how design happens, how projects are managed and how buildings are constructed.

Extended Course Description

Download the initial interview form (.doc) | Download the course calendar (.pdf)

This course provides an opportunity for students to evaluate professional practice in a seminar combined architectural office experience. Students will spend two full days per week in a local design office where they will be exposed to four areas of professional practice: 1) design and planning, 2) construction documents, 3) construction monitoring, and 4) office administration. Each week, students will also attend a two-hour seminar each week to discuss issues in contemporary professional practice in the context of their individual experience.

Entry Requirement: Senior Standing or Graduate Student
Prerequisites: Arch 100A and 100B
Seminar: Tuesday 9-11 a.m.

Internships require TWO FULL DAYS available to work in an office (M, W, Th, or F); half-days are not allowed by the participating firms.

NOTE: Students should enroll on the waitlist with TELEBEARS. Admission to the class is not finalized until the placements with firms are complete. Interested students should submit a completed initial interview form, a brief portfolio (five pages maximum in PDF format), and a one-page resume to Professor Mary Comerio by email by December 10. You will be contacted by Professor Comerio for an interview. Email your interview form, portfolio, and resume to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Note: Interviews will be in the weeks of December 7 and December 14. You will be contacted by Professor Comerio to schedule a time.

ANSWERS TO TYPICAL QUESTIONS ABOUT ARCH 128:

Students are asked to evaluate their own skill level and show their work in an interview. The initial interview form is available for download here, or from Professor Comerio. If you are interested in taking the class, you will need to schedule an interview with her.

In this class, we review the student's skill level and make a match with a firm that is on a roster of ones who regularly take Cal students from this class. This is not an AIA-sponsored internship. This is not like a job in the sense that you are not paid, and not treated exactly like an entry-level employee. Students in this class have a mentor at the firm, and they do work on a variety of projects, but they also get to go to job sites and meetings that most junior staff never have the opportunity to do. This is a professional practice class with on-site experience.

The time frame is fixed. The seminar meets on Tuesday from 9-11 a.m., so, you need NO CLASSES on TWO of the other four weekdays. NO DEALS are allowed. We place students with firms that have a have a long-term relationship with the class, and they have made it clear that they only want students who can commit to two full days each week. This is a five-unit class, so the time commitment is like a studio.

Note that you can choose any two days that fit into your schedule. The firms will let you pick the days, but they do not want any half days. It is a regular work day, typically 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., but remember, you have to get there and back so do not imagine that you can do an 8 a.m. class or a 5 p.m. class. Like a workday, you have to build in the commute time.

Note: There are no late placements — i.e., students cannot expect to get into the class if they do not make the effort this semester.

ARCH 111
HOUSING: AN INTERNATIONAL SURVEY
CALEGERO/ARBOLEDA

(3) Three hours of lecture per week. Introduction to international housing from the Architectural and City Planning perspective. Housing issues (social, cultural, and policy) ranging from micro-scale (house) to macro-scale (city) presented with a comparison of housing situations in developed and developing countries. 

Extended Course Description

To come.

ARCH 127
WORKSHOP IN DESIGNING VIRTUAL PLACES
KALAY

(4) Three hours of seminar and one and one-half hours of supervised laboratory sessions per week. This course introduces students to designing web-accessible, Multi User, Virtual Environments (MUVEs), inhabited through avatars. Such worlds are used in video games and web-based applications, and are assuming their role as alternative 'places' to physical spaces, where people shop, learn, are entertained, and socialize. Virtual worlds are designed according to the same principles that guide the design of physical spaces, with allowances made for the absence of gravity and other laws of nature. The course combines concepts from architecture, film studies, and video game design. It uses a game engine software and a modeling software to build, test, and deploy virtual worlds.

Extended Course Description

Rationale
Internet-accessible Multi User Virtual Environments (MUVEs) are a new type of ‘place,’ made possible through Web 2.0 technologies: an alternative to physical places, where people shop, learn, are entertained, and socialize. They provides unprecedented opportunities to architects, social scientists, archeologists, historians, journalists, computer scientists, game designers, film-makers, and other professionals, to create and inhabit web-accessible virtual worlds. Such worlds can be re-creations of physical places and culturally-significant human experiences that have existed in the past (like 1950s West Oakland or Medieval Cairo); or future places, yet to be built (as architectural CAD does); or they can be imaginary places, in the form of games like World of Warcraft and Lineage, or alternative realities like Second Life.

Such virtual places have once been the province of science fiction writers (like Neil Stephenson’s 1992 Snow Crash and William Gibson’s 1984 Neuromancer). But advances in computing, telecommunication, and our experience with the Web have made them possible and increasingly relevant, real, and economically viable. Video games are a multibillion dollar industry, which encompasses dozens of disciplines and employs thousands of people worldwide. On-line shopping, education, entertainment, and other human activities that have traditionally taken place in physical venues are migrating to cyberspace.

Virtual places are used for similar types of activities that ‘take place’ in physical places, performed by human beings (or their proxies). Therefore, they must be designed according to the same principles that guide the design of physical places, including form-related aspects (what do they look like?), social aspects (what kinds of social and cultural interactions do they support?), and phenomenological aspects (what does it feel like to ‘be’ there?). At the same time, natural and man-made laws that govern physical space do not always apply in cyberspace: gravity can be suspended, there is no climate to control, solid objects can be penetrated at will, and great distances can be traversed instantly. The design of virtual places, therefore, needs to reconcile the familiar with the possible, and result in places that are appropriate for their own intended functions and inhabitants.

Methodology
This course examines both the theoretical and technical aspects of creating virtual places, and allows students to design and experience virtual places. The course combines architectural place-making theory, on-line games technology, and cultural/social issues into a comprehensive and innovative whole. It provides students with the opportunity to learn how to create web-accessible, immersive, interactive, inhabitable places that can accommodate many visitors, and respond to some aspects of their lives, such cultural heritage, education, commerce, or entertainment.

The course uses the metaphor of stage-play to guide the development of virtual places: it comprises a stage (a context), a narrative (the play), and actors (the players):

• The stage is the context of the place. It comprises both space and time, forming the spatial and temporal environment for the actors and their activities. It includes spatial components like buildings, trees, topography, sky, and ‘props’—objects that can be manipulated by the actors or can act on their own (trains, cars, etc.).
• The narrative is the content of the place. It includes all aspects of the activities that take place in the environment (known together as simulation/action). They tell a story (or stories), and afford the freedom to participate in the story.
• The ‘actors’ are the inhabitants of the place, and include visitors (or PCs—player characters), which are controlled by the people who are logged into the system; agents (or NPCs—non-player characters), which are pre-animated, semi-autonomous entities that perform pre-scripted roles, and have action modification capabilities based on some sensory input (e.g., they can start some action sequence when a visitor approaches within some pre-defined range); and animations, which are pre-scripted action sequences that are not responsive to the presence of visitors or agents.

Course project
The course uses principles and practices of Web-accessible Multi User Virtual Environments (MUVEs) to develop virtual worlds. Specifically, students will use Second Life (a commercial virtual world platform) to design, implement, and explore a world of their own. Students will have the opportunity to design, implement and test their ideas, and invite fellow students to ‘visit’ their worlds.

The course uses the format of a design studio, or workshop, which affords the introduction of theoretical aspects together with the opportunity to test them through a project. Students, in groups of 3-4, will design and build a virtual place. Their designs will be guided by critiques of the instructors and guest critics. They will explore the nature of designing virtual places, implement them through the use of a game engine, and inhabit them.

To help the students develop their projects, they will be guided by a series of exercises that include concept design, project proposal, design development, implementation, and evaluation.

Note
The focus of this course is on hands-on design experience. Another course, which taught in parallel, explores the theoretical aspects of place-making. That 3-unit seminar course is:

ARCH 129/229: The Nature of Place: from cultural heritage to New Media (and back)

Interested students are invited to sign up for both courses.
 

ARCH 129
SPECIAL TOPICS IN DIGITAL DESIGN THEORIES AND METHODS
KALAY

(1-4) Course may be repeated for credit as topic varies. One hour of lecture/seminar per unit per week. Prerequisites: Consent of instructor. Topics cover advanced and research-related issues in digital design and New Media, related to architecture.

Extended Course Description

The Nature of Place: from cultural heritage to New Media (and back)

ARCH 130
INTRODUCTION TO ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN THEORY AND CRITICISM
CRYSLER

(4) Three hours of lecture and one hour of discussion per week. Prerequisites: Open to upper division undergraduates. Formerly 130A. This class introduces students to the history and practice of design theory from the late 19th century to the present, with emphasis on developments of the last four decades. Readings and lectures explore specific constellations of theory and practice in relation to changing social and historical conditions. The course follows the rise of modernist design thinking, with particular emphasis on the growing influence of technical rationality across multiple fields in the post World War II period. Systematic approaches based in cybernetics and operations research (amongst others) are examined in the context of wider attempts to develop a science of design. Challenges to modernist design thinking, through advocacy planning and community-based design, the influence of social movements and countercultures, and parallel developments in postmodernism within and beyond architecture, provide the critical background for consideration of recent approaches to design theory, including those informed by developments in digital media and technology, environmental and ecological concerns, questions surrounding the globalization of architectural production, and the development of new materials.

Extended Course Description

To come.

ARCH 136/236
THE LITERATURE OF SPACE
STONER

(3) Three hours of seminar per week. The concept of space as it is applied to the fields of architecture, geography and urbanism can be understood as a barometer of the condition that we call "modernity." This course explores connections between the larger cultural frameworks of the past century, and the idea of space as it has been perceived, conceived and lived during this period. Readings include essays from the disciplines of philosophy, geography, architecture, landscape, and urbanism, and short works of fiction that illustrate and elucidate the spatial concepts. The readings are grouped according to themes that form the foundation for weekly seminar discussions. Chronological and thematic readings reveal the force of history upon the conceptualization of space, and its contradictions.

Extended Course Description

The concept of space as it is applied to the fields of architecture, urbanism and geography can be understood as a barometer of the condition that we call “modernity.” Many spatial themes unique to modernity emerge in short fiction and novels; these themes overlap with developments in critical theory. This course will explore connections between the larger literary and cultural frameworks of the past century and the idea of space as it has been perceived, conceived and lived during this period.

Adrian Forty’s essay on “Space” (Forty, 2000) provides an entry into the literature of the course. The course reader opens with this text, and includes some of Forty’s references, to which are added other key works from the disciplines of philosophy, geography, architecture, landscape, and urbanism. The readings are grouped according to themes that are in turn tied to the idea of space as a modern phenomenon. The themes will form the foundation for weekly seminar discussions.

One reading from each group belongs to the consecutive decades of the 20th century. This structure is balance by thematic readings that are not chronological—thus revealing both the force of history upon the conceptualization of space, and its contradictions. This duality further clarifies a key theme within much of the literature—the displacement of history by geography as the essential quality of the modern condition. The weekly classes will begin with a very short introduction to key events and intellectual developments of the relevant decade.

In addition to the theoretical readings, each week’s selection includes one or two works of twentieth-century short fiction, thus complementing the intellectual content with texts that reveal the geography of the imagination. Students will also read one novel from the period, which will serve as the foundation for the final paper.

ARCH 140
ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT
BENTON

(4) Three hours of lecture and three hours of discussion/laboratory per week. Prerequisites: Physics or equivalent, or consent of instructor. This course provides undergraduates and graduates with an introduction to issues of physical building performance including building thermodynamics, daylighting, and solar control. The course presents the fundamentals of building science while recongnizing the evolving nature of building technologies, energy efficiency, ecology, and responsible design. The course begins with a detailed explication of the thermal properties of materials, heat transfer through building assemblies, balance point temperature, solar geometry, and shading analysis. Students apply these principles later in the course to a design project. The latter part of the course also provides a survey of broader building science topics including mechanical system design, microclimate, and current developments in energy-efficient design.

Extended Course Description

To come.

ARCH 154
DESIGN & COMPUTER ANALYSIS OF STRUCTURE
BLACK

(3) Thirty hours of lecture and 45 hours of laboratory per semester. Prerequisites: 150. Design and analysis of whole structural building systems with the aid of finite element analytical methods. Advanced structural concepts explored in a laboratory environment.

ARCH 160
INTRODUCTION TO CONSTRUCTION
STAFF

(4) Three hours of lecture and three hours of laboratory per week. This introduction to the materials and processes of construction takes architecture from design to realization. The course will cover four material groups commonly used in two areas of the building assembly (structure and envelope): wood, concrete, steel, and glass. You will understand choices available and how materials are conventionally used. By observing construction, you'll see how our decisions affect the size of materials, connections, and where they are assembled. Architects must understand not only conventions, but also the potential in materials, so we will also study unusual and new developments.

Extended Course Description

To come.

ARCH 170B
AN HISTORICAL SURVEY OF ARCHITECTURE & URBANISM
CASTILLO

(4) Forty-five hours of lecture and 15 hours of seminar/discussion per semester. The first part of this sequence studies the ancient and medieval periods; the second part studies the period since 1400; the aim is to look at architecture and urbanism in their social and historical context.

Extended Course Description

To come.

ARCH C174
ARCHITECTURE IN DEPRESSION AND WAR
SHANKEN

(3) Three hours of seminar and one hour of discussion per week. The Great Despresion and World War II are arguably the two most influential events for the development of the built environment in the 20th century. Not only did they alter the socio-economic and political landscape on which architecture and urban planning depend, but they also led to technological innovations and vital debates about the built environment. this course examines the 1930's and 1940's topically, studying the work of the New Deal, corporate responses to the Depression and war, the important connections between architectgure and advertising, the role of the Museum of Modern Art in the promotion of Modernism, the concept of the ideal house, and key test, theories, and projects from the period. Also listed as American Studies C111A.

Extended Course Description

To come.

ARCH 179
AN HISTORICAL SURVEY OF ARCHITECTURE & URBANISM

(1-4) Fifteen hours of lecture/seminar per unit per semester. Prerequisites: 170A-170B and consent of instructor. Credit option: Course may be repeated for credit. Special topics in Architectural History.

ARCH 179 SEC 1
AN HISTORICAL SURVEY OF ARCHITECTURE & URBANISM
CENZATTI

Spaces of Local Development (3 units)

This course focuses on the workshops, firms, activities and labor skills that are present – even if in an embryonic form – in a given area and can be starting points for local (re)development. Drawing from industrial district studies (which deal with the success of geographical clusters of small firms in related activities), in this course we will pay particular attention, to the close-nit social and economic relationships that characterize these complexes of small firms. Students will be asked (1) to research specific case studies either of an already existing industrial district (e.g., the garment district in NY, urban agriculture in Berkeley), or of an underdeveloped area, and (2) to propose interventions on spaces that can facilitate the interactions necessary for the successful growth of the selected cases.

ARCH 198
SPECIAL GROUP STUDY
STAFF

(1-4) Course may be repeated for credit. Enrollment is restricted; see the Introduction to Courses and Curricula section of this catalog. Must be taken on a passed/not passed basis. Studies developed to meet needs.

Section 001, 2 Units, Baker, L

The purpose of this course is to familiarize students with the careers in the field of sustainable design, construction and operation. We will cover three key aspects of the field: the technical issues, the business and regulatory issues, and the philosophical aspects of “green building”.  The technical component will cover the basics of the LEED Green Building Rating System.  The business/regulatory component will include discussions and case studies on how “green” buildings are getting built in today’s construction market.  Finally, we will base our studies in a thoughtful consideration about the philosophical issues and considerations of sustainability, through class discussion, readings, and reflection papers.

ARCH 199
SUPERVISED INDEPENDENT STUDY AND RESEARCH
STAFF

(1-4) Course may be repeated for credit. Must be taken on a passed/not passed basis. Enrollment is restricted by regulations in the General Catalog. Studies developed to meet individual needs.

Extended Course Description

To come.