This fall, the College of Design is offering a bounty of electives in each of its programs. Please see details below:
ARC 405
Digital Visualization + Representation | Workshop[s] Elective
Instructors: Marty and Regina Summers
Time: TBD
To develop a diverse digital and graphic skillset, students can participate in a series of modules/workshops during the semester as opposed to a semester-long course on a single software (i.e., Revit). Each module/workshop will provide 12 contact hours with the instructor(s) equaling one (1) credit hour. To receive your three (3) credit hours for ARC 405, you will be required to participate and fulfill the requirements for three (3) modules/workshops per semester enrolled. There will be about five to six different modules/workshops offered in the spring semester, ranging from the design of your portfolio to current software and workshops with SOA Lecture Series Guests.
ARC 594
Design of Timber and Masonry Structures
Instructor: Peyman Jahed
Tuesday/Thursday 3:30-4:45 p.m.
Current and historic design methods of buildings and their components using wood, wood products, bricks, and concrete blocks. Prereq: Courses in steel and reinforced concrete design at the senior level, or consent of instructor.
ARC 511 [Seminar]
Palladio and the Renaissance Architect
Instructor: Johanna Heinrichs
Tuesdays 2-4:30 p.m.
Andrea Palladio (1508-1580) is perhaps the most influential architect in history, but he began as a stonemason in a provincial Italian city. This seminar examines his works in their original context as well as the reception and appropriation of Palladio by later architects and theorists, especially in Britain and the Americas. By comparing Palladio with contemporaries such as Michelangelo, students will also investigate the varied backgrounds and practices of Renaissance architects as a way to understand the origins of the profession.
The course is open to architecture undergraduates who have completed ARC 314 and to architecture graduate students. All other students can enroll with the permission of the instructor.
ARC 599
Pattern Exploration: Fabrication at Multiple Scales
Instructor: Regina Summers
Wednesdays 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
In this elective, students will analyze naturally occurring patterns native to Kentucky as a generator for new designs. This analysis will be conducted through analog and digital methods of drawing, modeling and fabrication while leveraging contemporary tools and technology to explore potentials of biomorphic design strategies.
Students requirements:
An open mind + willingness to explore. Research precedents, develop one’s own knowledge base, present their concepts, and fabricate designs using multiple materials at three scales: the body, a container or vessel, a wall installation/screen or surface condition. Each student will be expected to develop and pursue his/her own research agenda through each of the constructed outcomes. Students will be required to participate in a minimum of two advanced digital workshops (which will occur at other times besides the organized class structure, typically on weekends) and incorporate the new software into their design projects.
Throughout the process, students are expected to seek out and learn tools that expand the potential of their research and their skills necessary in any design pursuit. Projects will be required to mix software in pursuit of ideas and unexpected results.
The elective is open to all College of Design Students with the Prerequisites of: Advanced Rhino Skills, Adobe Suites, and Maxwell Render. It is anticipated that, over the course of the semester, students will learn new software related to their research interests and evolve their designs while testing them via these new tools.
ARC 599
Envisioning in VR
Instructor: Mark O’Bryan
Mondays 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
The course will combine VR (Virtual Reality) with more traditional sketch models and drawings. The visual research investigations will be recorded using 360-cameras and placed within a VR environment. We will work back and forth, using new combinations of hand and digital drawings in VR, physical models and other animation media. The study will investigate the suggestive nature of sketches freed from the normal limitations of design rules and stylistic convention. Ultimately, these proposals will help us understand new models of design and ways of making. Students will be asked to document and record the process in a catalogue (book). Final Exhibition of work is required.
ARC 599
Design Innovation in Systemic Challenges
Instructor: Bruce Swetnam
Fridays 9-11:30 a.m.
Design thinking, combined with systems theory and interdisciplinary research, has the ability to produce innovative and impactful solutions that drive socio-politico-economic change. In this course, a group of interdisciplinary students will apply the principles of design thinking and human-centered design to consider global and local systemic challenges – from food security to violence against women – that threaten the growth of individuals and communities in both emerging and economically developed countries.
Upon the completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Identify and investigate the needs and wishes of target stakeholders within a systemic challenge, analyzing and synthesizing primary and secondary research findings.
- Generate and rapidly prototype design solutions based on research, test and iterate solutions, and learn individual and collaborative skills in the creative feedback processes.
- Interpret the complexities of a system, outlining opportunities for success and setbacks for implementation.
The course will challenge students to practice in realistic settings, work in interdisciplinary teams, and engage in collaborative learning to combine methods and expertise relevant to each disciplinary background. At the end of the course, students will be equipped with the skills and tools to apply design thinking and to generate breakthrough ideas across systems and industries.
ARC 499/599 & ID 359/559
Furniture Workshop
Instructor: Jill Leckner
Fridays 9-11:45 a.m.
This elective explores the use of digital design and fabrication tools in creating furniture elements. Students will research topics through case-studies and create small-scale digital and hand-crafted experiments using the various equipment available. The elective will include the design of two furniture prototypes. A special emphasis will be placed on building in-depth knowledge of the fabrication shop, craftsmanship and fine woodwork detailing and joinery. Furniture projects may include seating elements, lighting fixtures, sleeping, storage, etc. The design process will tie together research, sketching, design development, technical drawings, material studies, three-dimensional modeling and prototyping as a means of exploration and innovation.
HP 101-001
Historic Preservation
Tuesday/Thursday 2-5 p.m.
Introductory overview of the theory and practice of historic preservation in the United States.
HP 501-001
Selected Topics in Historic Preservation: Cultural Landscapes
Mondays 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
Examines the concept of the “cultural landscape” and its role in historic preservation theory and practice. Students learn about the field of cultural landscape studies, methods of documentation and evaluation, and several common landscape types.
HP 501-005
Shaker Village Documentation Seminar
Aug. 27-Nov. 9.
Aug. 27, Sept. 24 and Nov. 5: 6:30-8 p.m.; Sept. 8, 16 and 22 and Oct. 6, 13 and 20: 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Specialized seminar focused on documentation and analysis of historic buildings and landscapes at Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill near Harrodsburg, Kentucky. Shaker Village is a National Historic Landmark that commemorates a 19th-century religious community. Students will learn methods of documentation and analysis through intensive fieldwork sessions held on Saturdays in September and October at Pleasant Hill. Research and documentary records produced by students will assist in the long-term maintenance and preservation of Shaker Village.
HP 609
Revitalization
Tuesdays 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
Examines use of historic preservation as a tool for economic development. Students investigate the relationship between historic preservation and problems such as low-income housing, poverty, and gentrification. The course also examines the use of tools and techniques to promote the revitalization of economically distressed communities, including federal, state and local housing programs and the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Main Street program.
HP 616-001/ARC 499
Historic Preservation and Design
Tuesdays 2-5 p.m.
Overview of the relationship between preservation and design, with a focus on restoration, preservation and adaptive reuse. Focus of semester will be on rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of a historic building in downtown Lexington.
ID650
Survey of Current Theories and Literature
Tuesdays 2-4:50 p.m.
An intensive survey of the theoretical and empirical literature related to the student’s desired area of design specialization. Emphasis on conducting a literature search and theory building.
ID346
Professional Practice Prep
Tuesday/Thursday 9:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
Aug. 23-Oct. 16
A comprehensive review of professional career development needed in preparation for a design work experience or internship.
ID365
Interior Materials
Tuesday/Thursday 9:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
Oct. 18-Dec. 13
Students investigate interior design finish materials and production methods. Students explore health, safety and wellness factors; performance attributes; site/user requirements; and sustainability.
