fall 2005
ARC 385K:
Construction I. Material Taxonomies
COURSE SUMMARY
Construction One is the first course in a series of four required courses in the building structures and building construction sequence. Construction One is a broad survey of materials, material systems and construction methods including both conventional and emerging technologies. This course is organized material by material, in a taxonomic structure. Its content will challenge each student to think about materials and design by engaging both technological fact and material concept.
The profession of architecture classifies materials based on type or taxonomy (masonry, metals etc...) and affiliates their assembly with building system (foundations, roofs etc...). Contemporary material and construction practices have evolved at a radical pace suggesting architects and designers must develop a material attitude which allows for a shifting material taxonomy, one which involves multiple scales and technologies.
The NINE materials covered by this course:
- concrete
- composites
- masonry
- wood
- fibers
- fabrics
- polymers
- steel
- glass
will be examined accordingly:
- microstructure
- appropriation, synthesis or harvesting regimes
- manufacturing processes and unitization
- assembly or conventions of adjacency and layering
- structural and non structural systematization
- hybridization
- proprietary systematization hybridization.
How do we begin to understand what is possible with materials? The content of this course will be assembled, disassembled and reassembled, and framed by an attitude that we are equipping ourselves with knowledge about current, emergent and potential building practices and working methodologies. Over the next fifteen weeks, each student will be challenged to overlay attitudes of convention, invention and intervention onto nine materials in seven different physical states. Our thorough material research will result in an inclusive understanding of the forces which shape the way we conventionally approach construction and design. As we proceed with our research these attitudes should differentiate themselves. In this course each student will discover the necessity for material convention, but also the grounds for invention in design.
Course Requirements
Required Reading:
FRANCIS D.K. CHING'S BUILDING CONSTRUCTION ILLUSTRATED 3RD EDITION
CONSTRUCTION I COURSE PACKET
Required reading assignments are posted weekly on this course's ELECTRONIC RESERVES site. Assignments will also include supplemental reading suggestions, WWW links, charts, graphs and exam review summaries. Electronic reserves are accessed through the University of Texas at Austin Libraries link or at www.lib.utexas.edu.
Discussion Questions:
Each graduate student is required to post a question on the electronic reserves site prior to Tuesday's lecture. Your question is derived from the weekly assigned reading. Each student is then required to post a response to a colleagues question prior to LAB on Thursday.
Lab:
The construction I lab serves as a place for discussion, lecture review, and hands on material experimentation. Lab is conducted by your TA. The location for your lab will vary week to week. It may be held in the assigned classroom, Materials Lab or the experimentation deck at Goldsmith Hall. The course syllabus will indicate the Lab location.
Examinations:
Examinations will typically cover the content of lecture, assigned readings and lab experience. Content for examinations may also be taken from student presentations. Two examinations are scheduled during the fifteen week semester. EXAM 3 will be given during final examination week.
Group Presentation:
Each student is required to participate in a group research and presentation. Presentations are scheduled during lecture throughout the semester.
Research Project:
Each student is required to conduct individual semester research. While this research is typically finalized in a paper format, its form may vary.
Attendance Policy
Lectures meet T, TH 9:30 - 11:00. Lab meets Thursday from 2 - 5. Classroom assignments will be announced.
Students with three unexcused absences between lecture and lab will receive a full grade letter drop in their final grade for the course. Absences are excused only for medical conditions and personal or family emergencies. Your TA will require written documentation for any excused absence.
A student who is absent from a class or examination for the observance of a religious holy day may complete the work missed within a reasonable time after the absence, if proper notice has been given. Notice must be given at least fourteen days prior to the classes scheduled on dates the student will be absent. For religious holy days that fall within the first two weeks of the semester, notice should be given on the first day of the semester. It must be personally delivered to the instructor and signed and dated by the instructor, or sent certified mail, return receipt requested. A student who fails to complete missed work within the time allowed will be subject to the normal academic penalties.
Grading
Grades are derived from two semester examinations, a final examination, group project presentation, research projects, lab assignments and participation. A late paper or project presentation will receive one letter grade reduction per class period. Grading will be based on a 100 point scale with 90 - 100 an A, 80 - 89 a B, 70 - 79 a C, 60 - 69 a D, 59 and below an F. The grades accumulated over the semester are averaged as follows:
| exam 1 | 15% |
| exam 2 | 25% |
| exam 3 (final) | 30% |
| paper | 15% |
| group presentation | 10% |
| lab participation | 5% |
Students with disabilities
The University of Texas at Austin provides upon request appropriate academic accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. For more information, contact the Office of the Dean of Students at 471-6259, 471-4641.