fall 2005
ARI 434K:
Construction III. Interior Materials, Assemblies and Systems
Catalog Description (3 cr.)
Imparts a core body of knowledge about interior materials, assemblies, and systems. Includes material properties, attachments, detailing, environmental and sustainable issues, and product specifications. Case studies and field trips to sites of fabrication. Projects encourage manipulation and assembly of various materials systems. Workshops in the Materials Resource Center. Three lecture hours per week for one semester. Restricted to students in the School of Architecture.
Course Description
We often require materials to be supple, strong and wear resistant; we also want to be able to craft light and acoustic effects with them (among others). Few elements affect the outcome of design or our immediate tactile world more significantly than material choices. This course will examine raw sources of materials, processing, assembly, and installation. Parallel issues will be the impact on the exterior and interior environment and philosophies of structure and detailing. A portion of this lecture offers "a hands" on approach to understanding the content. Field trips to job sites, processing sources and fabricators will occur during lab time. In addition, projects throughout the semester scrutinize inherent properties, detailing and visual and tactile perception.
Objective
This course is meant to be both a celebration and a critical evaluation of material potential. Students are encouraged to dispel traditional notions of "finishes" in order to reveal a larger body of material choices. The course is broad in the range of content and very particular in that it offers a lens with which to make decisions in the built world.
Methods of Presentation
Lecture, discussion, student presentations, projects (based on readings and observation) illustrative materials, visual aids such as slides, films, and illustrations. Field trips and guest speakers.