Design Communication 1

woodbury university

INSTRUCTOR: HEATHER FLOOD

FALL 2016

Various drawing skills used in two-and three-dimensional methods and media of representation are introduced. Methods of perception, technique, composition, critical evaluation and presentation are studied through representational assignments. Emphasis is placed on orthographic projection and documentation and constructed hard line drawing techniques.

When the term ‘Design Communication’ is used in relationship to architectural drawing, two different meanings can be inferred. The first meaning is that drawing in architecture is an act of design in and of itself. This idea positions drawing as a generator of architecture. In this sense, the term ‘Design Communication’ refers to a two-dimensional playground for the imagination of three-dimensional forms. The second meaning is that drawing in architecture is an act of representation. This idea positions drawing as a communicator of architecture. In this sense, the term ‘Design Communication’ refers to the two-dimensional description of three dimensional forms. While it is important for an architectural education to encompass multiple points of view regarding the role and value of drawing, this course privileges the second meaning articulated above. Design Communication 1 focuses on fundamental techniques of architectural representation including plan, section, and axonometric. Within this narrow bandwidth of drawing types, the course will explore both quantitative and qualitative modes of representation. The quantitative modes of representation will aim to describe three things: 1. the shape and size of an architectural form, 2. the shape and size of space defined by an architectural form, and 3. the specific geometry that underpins architectural form. These drawings make no attempt to visually represent what one would see when looking at architecture. Rather, they intend to describe the geometric, formal, and spatial logic of architectural objects. The qualitative modes of representation will aim to describe formal and spatial features such as suppleness, illumination, and depth of field.