Various skills used in two- and three-dimensional methods of representation employing digital media are introduced, with an emphasis on their use as design tools that merge traditional and electronic techniques.

Design Communication 1 taught students fundamental digital modeling and drawing techniques. The digital modeling techniques introduced methods of operating on primitives. The drawing techniques introduced conventions of two-dimensional architectural representation. Emphasis was placed on slicing objects and extracting information. Design Communication 2 will further the skills of first year students by introducing them to techniques for modeling and drawing surfaces and frames. The shift from primitives (cube) to surfaces and lines will be marked by a shift from Rhino to Grasshopper as the primary means of design generation.

As stated above, the second semester curriculum expands upon the conceptual and technical skills that were learned during the first semester. The goal of this expansion is to open-up new forms of architectural expression. The first half of the semester aims to expand technical skill by introducing Grasshopper, a parametric software. Grasshopper is visual coding software that requires users to define the logic that underpins geometry. The value is that once the logic is established, modifications can be made instantaneously. The second half of the semester will be dedicated to a case study project. Case study projects introduce students to exceptional examples of architecture that build an intellectual foundation and advance the understanding of a specific topic. The combination of grasshopper and a case- study project will ensure that one foot is planted firmly in the present while the other is planted in the past. It’s the ambition of this course that students develop an understanding of the relationship between yesterday and today.