An art piece comprised of wooden furniture combined with metal grids sits in a windowed room.

SAIC

Architecture, Interior Architecture, & Designed Objects

Graduate Curriculum & Courses

Master of Architecture

SAIC offers a National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) accredited Master of Architecture (MArch) degree: a full, 3-year MArch and a 2-year, accelerated MArch track for students with an undergraduate, pre-professional bachelor's in architecture or architectural technology.

  • Program Requirements and Specifications

    • Completion schedule: Students have a maximum of six years to complete the degree. This includes time off for leaves of absence.
    • Transfer credit: Generally transfer credits are not accepted. All requests for transfer credits are reviewed individually by the director of the department at the time of admission and are subject to approval at that time. No transfer credit will be permitted after a student is admitted.
    • Full-Time Status Minimum Requirement: 12 credit hours
    TermCredit Hours
    First Year Fall15
    • AIA 5110 Arch/Inarch: Grad Studio 1 (6)
    • AIA 5113 Arch/Inarch: Construction Systems (3)
    • AIA 5123 Arch/Inarch: Structures 1 (3)
    • ARTHI 5102 Global History of Architecture, 1750–1900 (3)
    		 
    First Year Spring15
    • AIA 5120 Arch/Inarch: Grad Studio 2 (6)
    • AIA 6221 Arch/Inarch: Structures 2 (3)
    • ARTHI 5122 Critical Terms in Modern Architecture (3)
    • Elective (3)
    		 
    Second Year Fall15
    • ARCH 6110 Architecture: Grad Studio 3 (6)
    • AIA 6112 Arch/Inarch: Nodes/Networks (3)
    • Art History (3)
    • Elective (3)
    		 
    Second Year Spring15
    • ARCH 6120 Architecture: Grad Studio 4 (6)
    • AIA 6123 Codes, Specs, Joints (3)
    • Art History (3)
    • Elective (3)
    		 
    Third Year Fall15
    • ARCH 6210 Architecture: Grad Studio 5 (6)
    • AIA 6212 Arch/Inarch: Choreographed Systems (3)
    • AIA 6213 Arch/Inarch:Thesis Strategies (3)
    • Elective (3)
    		 
    Third Year Spring15
    • AIA 6220 Arch/Inarch: Grad Studio 6 - Thesis (9)
    • AIA 6222 Arch/Inarch: Practice Economies (3)
    • Elective (3)
    		 
    Participation in four Graduate Critiques—Participation in Critique Week is mandatory for the final four semesters of study at SAIC. 
    Participation in AIADO Graduate Exhibition 
    Total Credit Hours90

  • Program Requirements and Specifications

    • Completion schedule: Students have a maximum of four years to complete the degree. This includes time off for leaves of absence.
    • Transfer credit: Generally transfer credits are not accepted. All requests for transfer credits are reviewed individually by the director of the department at the time of admission and are subject to approval at that time. No transfer credit will be permitted after a student is admitted.
    • Full-Time Status Minimum Requirement: 12 credit hours
    TermCredit Hours
    First Year Fall15
    • ARCH 6110 Architecture: Grad Studio 3 (6)
    • AIADO 6112 Arch/Inarch: Nodes/Networks (3)
    • Art History Elective (3)
    • Elective (3)
    		 
    First Year Spring15
    • ARCH 6120 Architecture: Grad Studio 4 (6)
    • AIADO 6123 Codes, Specs, Joints (3)
    • AIADO 6221 Arch/Inarch: Structures 2 (3)
    • ARTHI 5122 Critical Terms in Modern Architecture (3)
    		 
    Second Year Fall15
    • ARCH 6210 Architecture: Grad Studio 5 (6)
    • AIADO 6212 Arch/Inarch: Choreographed Systems (3)
    • AIADO 6213 Arch/Inarch: Thesis Strategies (3)
    • Elective (3)
    		 
    Second Year Spring15
    • AIADO 6220 Arch/Inarch: Graduate Studio 6 - Thesis  (9)
    • AIADO 6222 Arch/Inarch: Practice Economies (3)
    • Elective (3)
    		 
    Participation in four Graduate Critiques 
    Participation in Graduate Design Exhibition 
    Total Credit Hours60

Master of Architecture with a Track in Interior Architecture

SAIC offers two Master of Architecture (MArch) with a Track in Interior Architecture degrees. Both are professional degrees accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB). Unique among architecture graduate degrees, SAIC’s two MArch with a track in interior architecture options recognize and underscore the significance of architectural design where form, structure and enclosure are considered in proximity to materials, objects, human needs, and experience. Housed within an interdisciplinary educational community, the degrees provide a provocative and intellectually stimulating context for exploring the social, cultural, and technological implications architectural spaces designed from the inside out.

Interior Architecture is a growing professional field where architects have an increasing impact. In the MArch programs, we teach through hands-on inquiry, experimentation and exploration to develop the skills and critical knowledge necessary for the development of new spatial ideas and invention in the field of interior architecture.

The curriculum is centered on the series of project-based studios supported by courses in building structures, building technology, professional practice, and electives in architectural history and theory. MArch students are encouraged to develop and expand their practice by taking courses in other departments across SAIC, as well as by applying to AIADO’s External Partnership courses. In their final year, students complete a rigorous comprehensive design studio and pursue a self-directed design thesis under the supervision of faculty in the department.

  • The 3 year, 90-credit option is a carefully choreographed studio sequence, offering students the skills and sensibilities required of the contemporary interior architect, while grounding them in the histories and theories that are specific to the design of interior spaces. Each semester includes a conceptual cluster of classes with a 6-credit design studio, a 3-credit technical support studio, and 3-credit seminars.

    Degree Requirements and Specifications

    • Completion schedule: Students have a maximum of six years to complete the degree. This includes time off for leaves of absence.
    • Transfer credits: Normally transfer credits are not accepted. All requests for transfer credits are reviewed individually by the director of the department at the time of admission and are subject to approval at that time. No transfer credit will be permitted after a student is admitted.
    • Full-Time Status Minimum Requirement: 12 credit hours
    TermCredit Hours
    First Year Fall15
    • AIADO 5110 Arch/Inarch: Grad Studio 1 (6)
    • AIADO 5113 Arch/Inarch: Construction Systems (3)
    • AIADO 5123 Arch/Inarch: Structures 1 (3)
    • ARTHI 5102 Global History of Architecture, 1750–1900 (3)
    		 
    First Year Spring15
    • AIADO 5120 Arch/Inarch: Grad Studio 2 (6)
    • AIADO 6221 Arch/Inarch: Structures 2 (3)
    • ARTHI 5122 Critical Terms in Modern Architecture (3)
    • Elective (3)
    		 
    Second Year Fall15
    • INARC 6110 Interior Arch: Grad Studio 3 (6)
    • AIADO 6112 Arch/Inarch: Nodes/Networks (3)
    • Art History (3)
    • Elective (3)
    		 
    Second Year Spring15
    • INARC 6120 Interior Arch: Grad Studio 4 (6)
    • AIADO 6123 Codes, Specs, Joints (3)
    • Art History (3)
    • Elective (3)
    		 
    Third Year Fall15
    • INARC 6210 Interior Arch: Grad Studio 5 (6)
    • AIADO 6212 Arch/Inarch: Choreographed Systems (3)
    • AIADO 6213 Arch/Inarch: Thesis Strategies (3)
    • Elective (3)
    		 
    Third Year Spring15
    • AIADO 6220 Arch/Inarch: Grad Studio 6 - Thesis (9)
    • AIADO 6222 Arch/Inarch: Practice Economies (3)
    • Elective (3)
    		 
    Participation in four Graduate Critiques—Participation in Critique Week is mandatory for the final four semesters of study at SAIC. 
    Participation in Graduate Design Exhibition 
    Total Credit Hours90


     

  • Students with undergraduate pre-professional bachelor's degrees in architectural studies, architectural technology, or interior design may be accepted into the two-year, 60-credit accelerated program. Students admitted into the Option 2 program may also be lacking one or two specific topical architectural classes, and if so will be required to take those classes at SAIC.

    Degree Requirements and Specifications

    • Completion schedule: Students have a maximum of four years to complete the degree. This includes time off for leaves of absence.
    • Transfer credits: Normally transfer credits are not accepted. All requests for transfer credits are reviewed individually by the director of the department at the time of admission and are subject to approval at that time. No transfer credit will be permitted after a student is admitted.
    • Full-Time Status Minimum Requirement: 12 credit hours
    TermCredit Hours
    First Year Fall15
    • INARC 6110 Interior Arch: Grad Studio 3 (6)
    • AIADO 6112 Arch/Inarch: Nodes/Networks (3)
    • Art History Elective (3)
    • Elective (3)
    		 
    First Year Spring15
    • INARC 6120 Interior Arch: Grad Studio 4 (6)
    • AIADO 6221 Arch/Inarch: Structures (3)
    • AIADO 6123 Codes, Specs, Joints (3)
    • ARTHI 5122 Critical Terms in Modern Architecture (3)
    		 
    Second Year Fall15
    • INARC 6210 Interior Arch: Grad Studio 5 (6)
    • AIADO 6212 Arch/Inarch: Choreographed Systems (3)
    • AIADO 6213 Arch/Inarch: Thesis Strategies (3)
    • Elective (3)
    		 
    Second Year Spring15
    • AIADO 6220 Arch/Inarch: Graduate Studio 6: Thesis  (9)
    • AIADO 6222 Arch/Inarch: Practice Economies (3)
    • Elective (3)
    		 
    Participation in four Graduate Critiques 
    Participation in Graduate Design Exhibition 
    Total Credit Hours60

Master of Design in Designed Objects

The Master of Design in Designed Objects (MDDO) is a two-year, 66 credit hour program with a carefully sequenced course-based curriculum, built for students who seek immersion in the critical and technical skills specific to the extended practice of object design.

  • Degree Requirements and Specifications

    • Completion schedule: Students have a maximum of four years to complete the degree. This includes time off for leaves of absence.
    • Transfer credit: Generally transfer credits are not accepted. All requests for transfer credits are reviewed individually by the chair of the department at the time of admission and are subject to approval at that time. No transfer credit will be permitted after a student is admitted.
    • Full-Time Status Minimum Requirement: 12 credit hours
    TermCredit Hours
    First Summer Intensive 6  
    • DESOB 5050 Refresh: Summer Intensive (6)
    		 
    First Year Fall15  
    • DESOB 5150 Studio 1: Reset (3)
    • DESOB 5152 Research Methods Lab (3)
    • DESOB 5164 Material Intelligence Studio Seminar (3)
    • ARTHI 5120 Survey of Modern and Contemporary Arch. and design (3)
    • Elective (3)
    		 
    First Year Spring  15  
    • DESOB 5160 Studio 2: Discover (6)
    • DESOB 5162 Prototyping Methods Lab (3)
    • ARTHI 6120 Critical Issues in Designed Objects (3)
    • Elective (3)
    		 
    Second Year Fall 15  
    • DESOB 6150 Thesis Studio 1: Initiate (6)
    • DESOB 6152 Material Futures Studio Seminar (3)
    • Art History Elective (3)
    • Elective or Internship (3)
    		 
    Second Year Spring 15  
    • DESOB 6160 Thesis Studio 2: Manifest (6)
    • DESOB 6162 Positioning Methods Lab (3)
    • Elective (3)
    • Elective (3)
    		 
    Participation in four Graduate Critiques 
    Participation in Graduate Design Exhibition 
    Total Credit Hours66

MFA in Studio

The MFA in Studio Program offers an expansive educational model in which designers engage history, critical thinking, and work across disciplines.

  • The Master of Fine Arts (MFA) program is designed to offer maximum flexibility in addressing the needs of each individual student. Following admission through a department, students design their two-year plan of study based on optimizing the offerings and opportunities available throughout SAIC. 

    Degree Requirements and Specifications

    • Completion schedule: You have a maximum of four years to complete your MFA in Studio degree. This includes time off for leaves of absence. Students will have access to studios for four semesters only.
    • Transfer credits: You must complete a minimum of 45 credit hours in residence at SAIC. You can request up to 15 transfer credits at the time of application for admission, which are subject to approval at that time. No transfer credits are permitted after a student is admitted.
    • Art History requirement: MFA students are required to take ARTHII 5002 Graduate Survey of Modern and Contemporary Art OR ARTHI 5120 Survey of Modern and Contemporary Architecture and Design. Art History courses must be at the 4000-level and above.
    • Undergraduate studio courses: Graduate students are permitted no more than one undergraduate studio course (3000-level and above) per semester without permission of the Dean of Graduate Studies. Courses at the 1000 and 2000-level are allowed only with permission.
    • Full-time status minimum requirement: 12 credit hours is required to maintain full-time status as a graduate student.
    AreaCredit Hours

    Studio

    • MFA 6009 Graduate Projects (21)
    • MFA 6009 Exhibition (3)

    24

     

    Seminar

    • Graduate Level Seminar
    		12

    Art History

    • ARTHI 5002 OR ARTHI 5120 (3)
    • Art History Courses, 4000-level or above (9)
    		12

    Electives—any course in any area at 3000-level or above 

    • Additional Graduate Projects sections used as electives must be approved by the Graduate Program Advisor
    • Students interested in writing a thesis must take a research methodologies course elective
    		12
    Participation in four graduate critiques 
    Participation in ONE of the following as appropriate to artistic practice: Graduate Exhibition, Graduate Performance Event, Graduate Screenings. Students who wish to use an alternative venue or presentation outside of these options must receive permission from the dean of graduate studies. 
    Total Credit Hours60

  • The Master of Fine Arts (MFA) program is designed to offer maximum flexibility in addressing the needs of each individual student. Following admission through a department, students design their two-year plan of study based on optimizing the offerings and opportunities available throughout SAIC. 

    Degree Requirements and Specifications

    • Completion schedule: You have a maximum of four years to complete your MFA in Studio degree. This includes time off for leaves of absence. Students will have access to studios for four semesters only.
    • Transfer credits: You must complete a minimum of 45 credit hours in residence at SAIC. You can request up to 15 transfer credits at the time of application for admission, which are subject to approval at that time. No transfer credits are permitted after a student is admitted.
    • Art History requirement: MFA students are required to take ARTHII 5002 Graduate Survey of Modern and Contemporary Art OR ARTHI 5120 Survey of Modern and Contemporary Architecture and Design. Art History courses must be at the 4000-level and above.
    • Undergraduate studio courses: Graduate students are permitted no more than one undergraduate studio course (3000-level and above) per semester without permission of the Dean of Graduate Studies. Courses at the 1000 and 2000-level are allowed only with permission.
    • Full-time status minimum requirement: 12 credit hours is required to maintain full-time status as a graduate student.
    AreaCredit Hours

    Studio

    • MFA 6009 Graduate Projects (21)
    • MFA 6009 Exhibition (3)

    24

     

    Seminar

    • Graduate Level Seminar
    		12

    Art History

    • ARTHI 5002 OR ARTHI 5120 (3)
    • Art History Courses, 4000-level or above (9)
    		12

    Electives—any course in any area at 3000-level or above 

    • Additional Graduate Projects sections used as electives must be approved by the Graduate Program Advisor
    • Students interested in writing a thesis must take a research methodologies course elective
    		12
    Participation in four graduate critiques 
    Participation in ONE of the following as appropriate to artistic practice: Graduate Exhibition, Graduate Performance Event, Graduate Screenings. Students who wish to use an alternative venue or presentation outside of these options must receive permission from the dean of graduate studies. 
    Total Credit Hours60

  • The Master of Fine Arts (MFA) program is designed to offer maximum flexibility in addressing the needs of each individual student. Following admission through a department, students design their two-year plan of study based on optimizing the offerings and opportunities available throughout SAIC. 

    Degree Requirements and Specifications

    • Completion schedule: You have a maximum of four years to complete your MFA in Studio degree. This includes time off for leaves of absence. Students will have access to studios for four semesters only.
    • Transfer credits: You must complete a minimum of 45 credit hours in residence at SAIC. You can request up to 15 transfer credits at the time of application for admission, which are subject to approval at that time. No transfer credits are permitted after a student is admitted.
    • Art History requirement: MFA students are required to take ARTHII 5002 Graduate Survey of Modern and Contemporary Art OR ARTHI 5120 Survey of Modern and Contemporary Architecture and Design. Art History courses must be at the 4000-level and above.
    • Undergraduate studio courses: Graduate students are permitted no more than one undergraduate studio course (3000-level and above) per semester without permission of the Dean of Graduate Studies. Courses at the 1000 and 2000-level are allowed only with permission.
    • Full-time status minimum requirement: 12 credit hours is required to maintain full-time status as a graduate student.
    AreaCredit Hours

    Studio

    • MFA 6009 Graduate Projects (21)
    • MFA 6009 Exhibition (3)

    24

     

    Seminar

    • Graduate Level Seminar
    		12

    Art History

    • ARTHI 5002 OR ARTHI 5120 (3)
    • Art History Courses, 4000-level or above (9)
    		12

    Electives—any course in any area at 3000-level or above 

    • Additional Graduate Projects sections used as electives must be approved by the Graduate Program Advisor
    • Students interested in writing a thesis must take a research methodologies course elective
    		12
    Participation in four graduate critiques 
    Participation in ONE of the following as appropriate to artistic practice: Graduate Exhibition, Graduate Performance Event, Graduate Screenings. Students who wish to use an alternative venue or presentation outside of these options must receive permission from the dean of graduate studies. 
    Total Credit Hours60

  • The Master of Fine Arts (MFA) program is designed to offer maximum flexibility in addressing the needs of each individual student. Following admission through a department, students design their two-year plan of study based on optimizing the offerings and opportunities available throughout SAIC. 

    MFA 6009 Graduate Projects

    MFA 6009 Graduate Projects advising, an ongoing individual dialogue with a wide range of faculty advisors, is at the heart of the MFA program at SAIC, encouraging interdisciplinary study across the curriculum. Standard enrollment consists of two MFA 6009 Graduate Projects advisors, one graduate-level seminar, and an art history course each semester. The remainder of credits required for the full-time 15-credit hour load may include academic or studio electives. All MFA students must register for a minimum of one and no more than two MFA 6009 sections each semester. Students may request permission from the Graduate Program Advisor to take a third MFA 6009 section after priority registration.

    In their final year, students must take one MFA 6009 Exhibitions section. The advising and grade for this course will be tied to the final exhibition. When taking undergraduate studio coursework, the student is responsible for understanding the faculty member’s expectations about completion of assignments, attendance, and any other criteria for earning credit. MFA students interested in completing a written thesis must take a research course and MFA 6009 Research section and obtain approval from the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies.

    Graduate Critiques

    As one of the principle means of assessment each semester, you will be required to participate in Critique Week, a week-long schedule of critiques during which classes are suspended.

    Fall semester critiques are organized by department with panels representing the discipline. This provides you with an opportunity to understand the department’s expectations, have your work reviewed from a disciplinary point of view, and to reiterate the expectations for graduate study.

    Spring semester critiques are interdisciplinary, with panel members and students from across SAIC disciplines. Interdisciplinary critiques allow for a broad range of responses to your work, and are intended to assess the success of your work for a more general, albeit highly informed audience. Critique panels include faculty, visiting artists, and fellow graduate students.

    Graduate Exhibition or Equivalent

    At the conclusion of your studies, you will present work in the SAIC Graduate Thesis Exhibition, other end-of-year events at SAIC, or the Gene Siskel Film Center—or arrange with the graduate dean or division chair for an alternative thesis of equal professional quality. Each year more than 200 graduate students exhibit work, screen videos and films, and present time-based works, writings, and performance to a collective audience of 30,000 people.

    Students wishing to install work around prevalent themes, strategies or stylistic affinities can participate in a juried and curated section of the SAIC Graduate Thesis Exhibition. A faculty and staff committee conducts extensive studio visits and as a collaborative project with student participants, organizes and installs the show in designated space at the exhibition.

    Undergraduate Courses

    MFA students are advised to understand the expectations of their faculty when enrolled in undergraduate studio classes. Although graduate students are an asset to the group dynamic, faculty requirements for graduate students in undergraduate classes are variable. The student is responsible for understanding the faculty member's expectations about completion of assignments, attendance, and any other criteria for earning credit. To assure that graduate students are working at degree level, they are permitted no more than one undergraduate studio course (3000 level and above) per semester without permission of the dean of graduate studies. Courses at the 1000 and 2000 level are allowed only with permission.

Course Listing

Title Catalog Instructor Schedule

Description

Introduces the meaning and making of architecture and interior architecture through individual and group design projects. Students learn design processes by experimenting with materials and exploring architectural and interior architecture representation, and measure the implications of their work on broader cultural contexts. Students work on design projects using the latest software and digital tools, and develop techniques for integrating analog and digital design and fabrication processes. Students research historic precedents and contemporary culture and design to inform their work. This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template.

Class Number

1045

Credits

3

Department

Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects

Location

Sullivan Center 1256

Description

This course introduces students to the creative scope of the Designed Objects program, and the ideas, skills, and methods used in the process of designing objects. Students will learn about the design of objects by studying their form, function, assembly, materiality, use, value and significance (both subjective and objective). Emphasizing thinking through making; students students build their visual vocabulary and develop an understanding of the design process. The goal of this class is to help students imagine the possibilities of the object design field and identify their aptitude for becoming an object designer.

The course will explore the intentionality of object design, exploring the works of a ranging from James Dyson to Ron Arad to Zaha Hadid. Readings and screenings will vary but typically include Mu-Ming Tsai's Design Thinking and Gary Hustwit's Objectified.

Students should expect to produce a body of work consisting of several minor exploratory projects and two fully fleshed out finished Objects (mid-term and final).

This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template.

Class Number

1379

Credits

3

Department

Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects

Area of Study

Product Design

Location

Sullivan Center 1231

Description

Introduces the meaning and making of architecture and interior architecture through individual and group design projects. Students learn design processes by experimenting with materials and exploring architectural and interior architecture representation, and measure the implications of their work on broader cultural contexts. Students work on design projects using the latest software and digital tools, and develop techniques for integrating analog and digital design and fabrication processes. Students research historic precedents and contemporary culture and design to inform their work. This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template.

Class Number

1046

Credits

3

Department

Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects

Location

Sullivan Center 1226

Description

This course introduces students to the creative scope of the Designed Objects program, and the ideas, skills, and methods used in the process of designing objects. Students will learn about the design of objects by studying their form, function, assembly, materiality, use, value and significance (both subjective and objective). Emphasizing thinking through making; students students build their visual vocabulary and develop an understanding of the design process. The goal of this class is to help students imagine the possibilities of the object design field and identify their aptitude for becoming an object designer.

The course will explore the intentionality of object design, exploring the works of a ranging from James Dyson to Ron Arad to Zaha Hadid. Readings and screenings will vary but typically include Mu-Ming Tsai's Design Thinking and Gary Hustwit's Objectified.

Students should expect to produce a body of work consisting of several minor exploratory projects and two fully fleshed out finished Objects (mid-term and final).

This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template.

Class Number

1387

Credits

3

Department

Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects

Area of Study

Product Design

Location

Sullivan Center 1255

Description

Introduces the meaning and making of architecture and interior architecture through individual and group design projects. Students learn design processes by experimenting with materials and exploring architectural and interior architecture representation, and measure the implications of their work on broader cultural contexts. Students work on design projects using the latest software and digital tools, and develop techniques for integrating analog and digital design and fabrication processes. Students research historic precedents and contemporary culture and design to inform their work. This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template.

Class Number

1047

Credits

3

Department

Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects

Location

Sullivan Center 1230

Description

Introduces the meaning and making of architecture and interior architecture through individual and group design projects. Students learn design processes by experimenting with materials and exploring architectural and interior architecture representation, and measure the implications of their work on broader cultural contexts. Students work on design projects using the latest software and digital tools, and develop techniques for integrating analog and digital design and fabrication processes. Students research historic precedents and contemporary culture and design to inform their work. This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template.

Class Number

1056

Credits

3

Department

Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects

Location

Sullivan Center 1255

Description

This course is a comprehensive introduction to two-dimensional architectural and interior architectural representation. Students learn hand-drawing and digital techniques to produce orthographic, axonometric, isometric, and perspectival projections in individual and group projects. Students move between two- and three-dimensional representation, developing robust skills for design drawing.

Typically the course will review the work of architects and designers throughout the history of architecture representation. Readings will vary and focus will be concentrated on understanding and putting into practice the mechanisms of drawing.

Course work consists of building techniques and practice of drawing. Classes will develop incremental skills through assignments and projects that culminate into complex drawings and representations. This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template.

Class Number

1049

Credits

3

Department

Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects

Area of Study

Digital Communication

Location

Sullivan Center 1255

Description

Comprehensive introduction to three-dimensional architectural and interior architectural representation and fabrication. Through individual and group projects, students learn hand-modeling and digital fabrication techniques, and become super-users of the School?s shops and Advanced Output Center. Students work on design projects using the latest software and digital tools, and develop techniques for integrating analog and digital design and fabrication processes. Students move between two- and three-dimensional representation in the development of robust skills for design communication. This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template.

Class Number

1040

Credits

3

Department

Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects

Area of Study

Digital Communication, Digital Imaging

Location

Sullivan Center 1240

Description

This two-day core design studio is the introductory course in the Arch/Inarc core studio sequence. Students learn architecture and interior architecture design processes including precedent research, formal analysis, schematic design, and design development, all using the latest software and tools. This course exemplifies the rigorous model of the architecture studio. It encourages design experimentation and provides an analytic framework for developing an advanced understanding of how drawing and model making shape design processes.

This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: ARCH/INARC 1001 or DES OB 1001

Class Number

1050

Credits

6

Department

Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects

Location

Sullivan Center 1406B

Description

This two-day core design studio is the introductory course in the Arch/Inarc core studio sequence. Students learn architecture and interior architecture design processes including precedent research, formal analysis, schematic design, and design development, all using the latest software and tools. This course exemplifies the rigorous model of the architecture studio. It encourages design experimentation and provides an analytic framework for developing an advanced understanding of how drawing and model making shape design processes.

This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: ARCH/INARC 1001 or DES OB 1001

Class Number

1051

Credits

6

Department

Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects

Location

Sullivan Center 1406A

Description

This course will provide the student with the skills to create design concept sketches (ideation/thinking) that will communicate with the viewer and visualize the design concept as a design object using sketch renderings to define and communicate the object's form and function. Instructions will focus on freehand marker sketching for ideation/thumbnails, shading, form development and rendering, followed by orthographic projection (measured technical drawing) and two-point perspective. Each of these skills will be demonstrated in class and on a one to one basis during the semester

In each class I will share design drawings from my collection that show a history of sketching styles for presentations using Prismacolor Pencils and NuPastels to markers, along with marker drawings for clients that I and other designers have created in product, packaging and display projects. These presentations will also be used to lecture on the history of design drawing styles and techniques.

Students will be given three design projects in which they will go through the design process of starting with ideation sketches, followed by design selection, renderings and an orthographic drawing of the final design. The first project focuses on the development of forms, the next two projects have an emphasis on ideas and drawing skills.

This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template.

Class Number

1380

Credits

3

Department

Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects

Area of Study

Product Design

Location

Sullivan Center 1241

Description

This course will provide the student with the skills to create design concept sketches (ideation/thinking) that will communicate with the viewer and visualize the design concept as a design object using sketch renderings to define and communicate the object's form and function. Instructions will focus on freehand marker sketching for ideation/thumbnails, shading, form development and rendering, followed by orthographic projection (measured technical drawing) and two-point perspective. Each of these skills will be demonstrated in class and on a one to one basis during the semester

In each class I will share design drawings from my collection that show a history of sketching styles for presentations using Prismacolor Pencils and NuPastels to markers, along with marker drawings for clients that I and other designers have created in product, packaging and display projects. These presentations will also be used to lecture on the history of design drawing styles and techniques.

Students will be given three design projects in which they will go through the design process of starting with ideation sketches, followed by design selection, renderings and an orthographic drawing of the final design. The first project focuses on the development of forms, the next two projects have an emphasis on ideas and drawing skills.

This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template.

Class Number

1393

Credits

3

Department

Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects

Area of Study

Product Design

Location

Sullivan Center 1255

Description

This one-day studio focuses on colors infinite influence on the human experience and the lived environment. Color interpretation and cultural connectivity will enable students through rigorous representation techniques, and experiments develop a personal color sensibility. Color palettes are examined to distinguish critical and creative thinking in design. Color Theory is studied to identify atmosphere and spaces that affect each of us both psychologically and physiologically. Principles of color usage is explored, how it effects form, light and material.

Some relevant topics we will study include Color and Culture, how people experience their environment through the senses, time, emotions and spatial awareness. Color and Light inseparable partners in the process of perception forming part of the overall design of space. Color, Material and Structure (CMS) are experienced through two important senses, sight and touch. The effectiveness of CMS in design depends upon its relationship to form, also recognizing that materials and finishes, whether glass, granite or paint, contribute color to all space. Some scholars we will study include Josef Albers, Albert Munsell, and Joann and Arielle Eckstut.

The deliverables for the class are precedent research, in-class assignments, relevant readings, Mid-term Project presentation and Final Studio Project presentation at the site presented to the clients.

Class Number

1052

Credits

3

Department

Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects

Location

Sullivan Center 1241

Description

Architectural preservation, art conservation, archiving and collecting, even environmental protection: all these practices share a desire to preserve things of value, but how do we decide what's valuable? Using the laws, policies, and practices of architectural preservation as a starting point this studio will ask and propose answers to the question: what's worth preserving? Students will explore how preservation practice overlaps and complements the work of different museums, archives, and collections that define value and how they protect it; and propose strategies for assembling and maintaining their own collections in whatever media they choose.
Course readings will focus on the history and contemporary practice of preservation, conservation, and collecting, including texts by Ariella Aisha Azoulay, Daniel Bluestone, Amanda Cachia and Alice Wong, the De-Colonial Collective on Migration of Objects and People, Shannon Mattern, and Jacqueline Hoang Nguyen, Jorge Otero-Pailos, Leah Samples, The South Side Home Movie Project.
Course work will include weekly readings and in-class discussions and lectures. Students will work individually throughout the course to research how different institutions assemble and protect their collections, identify a subject of personal interest for preservation, and propose a preservation strategy for it in any medium of their choice.

Class Number

2312

Credits

3

Department

Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects

Area of Study

Community & Social Engagement, Public Space, Site, Landscape, Art/Design and Politics

Location

Sullivan Center 1255

Description

This core skills studio teaches how to generate impactful visual materials to effectively communicate interactions with objects, digital interfaces and within virtual spaces.

Students will learn professional communication tools for prototyping screen-based interfaces, vector illustration, typographic and visual composition, and data visualization.

As well as aiding design development, the tools covered will enable the successful communication of storyboarded scenarios, design research, and finished proposals for physical and screen-based presentation.

This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template.

Class Number

2157

Credits

3

Department

Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects

Area of Study

Digital Communication

Location

Sullivan Center 1241

Description

As the beginning course in the Designed Objects department, students will have an opportunity to explore different methods of working in order to begin establishing a practice that works best for them. Students will be building a strong foundation of skills and techniques needed to navigate an informed design process and successfully complete a design brief. In this hands-on class, students will learn how to find inspiration for an idea, develop that idea into a concept, and use that concept to design and fabricate a high-level, final prototype. Basic research theories and methods are introduced which are then applied towards studio projects. Fabrication and prototyping techniques are also incorporated in order to test out ideas and discover new ones. Students advance through definition, research, ideation, sketching, and modeling phases toward two? and three?dimensional representations (digital and physical) of their work that are orally defended during group critique.

Readings and lecture content will vary and will focus on examples of historically relevant and contemporary designers, artists, studios, and design movements; as well as design practices that highlight different motivations of the designer.

In addition to the two main projects that focus on different methods of approaching design? where students will be producing high-level prototypes, this workshop-style class consists of one-day projects and exercises designed to introduce techniques and skills such as technical drawing and sketching, form-finding, prototyping, and inspiration research, among others.

This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: Sophomore-level or above.

Class Number

1381

Credits

3

Department

Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects

Area of Study

Product Design

Location

Sullivan Center 1255

Description

As the beginning course in the Designed Objects department, students will have an opportunity to explore different methods of working in order to begin establishing a practice that works best for them. Students will be building a strong foundation of skills and techniques needed to navigate an informed design process and successfully complete a design brief. In this hands-on class, students will learn how to find inspiration for an idea, develop that idea into a concept, and use that concept to design and fabricate a high-level, final prototype. Basic research theories and methods are introduced which are then applied towards studio projects. Fabrication and prototyping techniques are also incorporated in order to test out ideas and discover new ones. Students advance through definition, research, ideation, sketching, and modeling phases toward two? and three?dimensional representations (digital and physical) of their work that are orally defended during group critique.

Readings and lecture content will vary and will focus on examples of historically relevant and contemporary designers, artists, studios, and design movements; as well as design practices that highlight different motivations of the designer.

In addition to the two main projects that focus on different methods of approaching design? where students will be producing high-level prototypes, this workshop-style class consists of one-day projects and exercises designed to introduce techniques and skills such as technical drawing and sketching, form-finding, prototyping, and inspiration research, among others.

This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: Sophomore-level or above.

Class Number

1397

Credits

3

Department

Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects

Area of Study

Product Design

Location

Sullivan Center 1240

Description

We will work with the processes by which product designers develop compelling objects that communicate ideas, values, functions and purpose. Projects are designed to study the language of form through an analysis of user interaction, the implications of material choice, finishes, and craftsmanship on the success of a product concept, and how these choices support and promote function, desirability and perceived value. There is also an emphasis on expanding student material exploration and making techniques for optimal results, and the value of iterative prototyping in a successful design process.

The course will address universal product design issues and methods, starting with defining and understanding the project, considering form and function, appropriate material selection, construction techniques, finishes, iteration, and well-crafted final products. We will cover concepts such as semiotics, ergonomics, families of objects, multi-functional products, and emphasize clear communication of finished design ideas through schematics, and graphic representation using descriptive photography.

Relevant contemporary design examples are provided as reference for each project, and students will spend additional time researching contemporary designers such as Front Design, Raw Edges, Nendo and Ron Arad. Students will be introduced to high-end professional design sources in a business setting through a field trip to the Merchandise Mart.

The course is built around 3 main projects, each with instructional presentations, Design research assignments, ideation and sketching, group discussions, and iterative prototyping, resulting in the creation of a final product and printed graphic document, all presented and discussed in a group critique.

This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template.

Prerequisites

Pre: DES OB 1006 or 2020

Class Number

1382

Credits

3

Department

Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects

Area of Study

Product Design

Location

Sullivan Center 1240

Description

This course provides an introduction to sustainable design, covering topics such as raw materials, energy, food, water, global and local production, global supply chain, green chemistry, and circular economies. Students will learn about the three pillars of sustainability and the fundamental concepts and principles of sustainability. The course will cover the importance of renewable resources and closed-loop systems to reduce waste in sustainable design. Students will explore renewable energy sources and energy-efficient technologies. The importance of food and water in sustainable design, global and local production systems, the precautionary principle, and the ethical sourcing of materials will also be covered. The course will examine green chemistry as a means of reducing the environmental impact of chemical processes. Finally, students will learn about circular economies and the importance of designing products and processes that promote the reuse and recycling of materials. By the end of the course, students will be able to apply their knowledge of sustainable design principles and practices to their projects in and out of school.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: Sophomore-level or above.

Class Number

2158

Credits

3

Department

Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects

Area of Study

Product Design, Sustainable Design

Location

Sullivan Center 1241

Description

This furniture studio will critically engage the chair as an archetype. Chairs have long been a fascination of designers as they require a developed understanding of structure, material, and form. Importantly, chairs represent the cultural mores of the time in which they are produced and are inextricably linked to larger systems of power, technology, and economy. This course will explore the chair as a fluid, dynamic furniture category that is in a reciprocal relationship with culture, technology, and politics and will emphasize a hands-on approach to design and production.

Readings from art and design historians and critics including Galen Cranz, David Getsy, Richard Sennett, Glenn Adamson, and Alice Rawsthorn will be integral to an expansive conversation about the chair. Class readings and discussions will also help contextualize different approaches to construction and fabrication at different scales of production. A wide range of both contemporary and historical design precedents will be explored ranging from traditional Shaker Furniture to Wendell Castle, Faye Toogood, Max Lamb, Egg Collective, Jasper Morrison, and Scott Burton.

By the end of this course, students should expect to have completed technical drawings and a series of detailed scale models.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: Sophomore-level or above.

Class Number

1398

Credits

3

Department

Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects

Area of Study

Product Design, Furniture Design

Location

Sullivan Center 1242