1.- Objectives

Studio Mexico is a comprehensive traveling studio that provides students the opportunity to experience Mexican culture, architecture and landscape by complementing the design studio with traveling, drawing and architectural research.

The program is structured to allow students a rigorous exploration of the rich legacy of Mexican pre-Columbian, Colonial and Modern architecture, as well as an enriching interaction with Mexican students. During Studio Mexico 2007 we will work with the School of Architecture of the University of Veracruz-Villa Rica and the Universidad Autonoma de Mexico.

2.- Prerequisites

Studio Mexico participants must be eligible for Advance Design Studio. The program offers in addition to the Advanced Design Studio, a Visual Communication class and a History of Mexican Architecture class.

Students joining Studio Mexico are expected to participate in all the requirements set out for the entire semester, regardless of the specific classes they are registered for.

3.- Program Description

The program is divided into three parts.

3.1. First Part. (Austin)

Duration: 4 weeks

- History of Mexican Architecture . See Appendix I for Class Schedule

The first four weeks of the semesters will be intensively devoted to the study of Mexican architecture and placemaking. Architecture will be understood broadly, as a physical manifestation intricately connected to the culture and the landscape that supports it. There will be extensive reading requirements, as well as a series of lectures complemented with class discussions and presentations by the students. We will cover the main periods of Mexican architecture: pre-Columbian, Colonial and Contemporary.

- Reading Notes: Students must turn in their notes from the readings assigned for each class period.

- Presentations. See Appendix III for list of topics

Teams of two students will prepare two 30-45 minutes presentations.

You are encouraged to integrate graphic material, such as photographs or analytical drawings in your presentations. The use of visual information is especially suited for the skills of architects, both as a research tool and to present relevant arguments about buildings or sites.

See Third Part for required paper. See Item # 6 for Reading Packet and Text Books.

3.2. Second Part. (Mexico)

Duration: 4 weeks + 1 week optional. .

- Trip. See Appendix II for Itinerary.

We will spend the first part of the trip in Mexico City and vicinity. It will include visits to museums, pre-Columbian sites (Tenotchtitlán and Teotihuacan) historical buildings (churches and palaces in the historic district) and contemporary works including the University Campus and buildings by architects like Barragán, Legorreta and Félix Candela.

The next part of our trip will include visits to cities and towns around Mexico City. In these towns you will be exposed to different scales of colonial city making strategies. You will also study in situ numerous plazas, the very active communal spaces that still constitute the heart of city life all over Mexico. Students may extend their stay in Mexico for one week on their own during the Spring Break.

- Sketch Book. See Appendix IV: Mapping / Drawing

All students will be required to produce an organized and well-documented sketchbook. There will be specific topics of investigation associated with the different sites that we will visit. At the end of the semester, all students must turn in a triptych of three 11x17 “collages” of their best sketches and photographs, organized in themes. The studio as a whole will also turn in a CD with all the individual triptychs in digital form.

3.3. Third Part. (Austin).

Duration: 7 weeks

- Design Project. The main focus of this part will be the design of a project at the Ciudad Universitaria, the campus of the UNAM, premier Mexican university located in Mexico City. The campus has recently been added to UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites. More information about the project will be provided when we travel to Mexico.

- Paper. There is one paper due at the end of the semester. The paper should be a sort of graphic essay, incorporating 10 pages of text with newly produced drawings, photographs, analytical studies, iconography, etc. You should select a possible topic during the first four weeks in Austin and then experience first hand issues relevant to your topic during the trip. Back in Austin, you will develop the essay in the final seven weeks. This final essay could be a development of one of the presentations of the first part of the semester.

4.- Cost

The total cost of the Studio Mexico is $ 1,875 per student, to be paid in full prior the departure to Mexico. It includes the following:

- Accommodation

- Two meals a day (except alcoholic drinks)

- Entrance to all museums and sites

- Transportation within Mexico

It does not include:

- Transportation back and forth from Austin

- Personal expenses (phone calls, film, etc.)

The school can provide scholarships of up to $800 for each student. Any money still available at the end of the trip will be refunded to the students.

5.- Office Hours

By appointment. My office is located at Godsmith, Gol. 4.116, my telephone number is 471 0182 and my e-mail is jmiro@mail.utexas.edu

6.- Reading List

A Course Packet prepared for the class must be purchased at Speedway in the Dobbie Mall (478 3334). Refer to Appendix I for required readings from books on reserve and from the Course Packet. The following three books will serve a “text books” for the three periods of Mexican architecture (you can buy them at the Coop):

- The Art of Mesoamerica, by Mary E. Miller

- Architecture and its Sculpture in Viceregal Mexico, by Robert J. Mullen

- Modernity and the Architecture of Mexico, Edward R. Burian (ed.)

These books are concise paperbacks that provide an overview of the three main periods of Mexican Architecture. You must bring them with you to the trip in Mexico to re-read them as we visit many of the places discussed in the books.

In addition to the textbooks, the following books are on reserve at the Architecture Library:

- Andrews, George. Maya Cities. Placemaking and Urbanization

- Angulo Iñiguez, Diego. Historia del Arte Hispanoamericano

- Cetto, Max. Modern Architecture in Mexico

Coe, Michael. Mexico

_______________The Maya

Early, James. The Colonial Architecture of Mexico

Gutierrez, Ramon. Arquitectura y Urbanismo en Iberoamerica

Katzman, Israel. La arquitectura Mexicana. Precedente y Desarrollo.

________________Arquitectura del Siglo xix en Mexico

Kubler, George. Mexican Architecture of the 16^th Century

_______________ Studies in Ancient American and European Art.

Marquina, Ignacio. Arquitectura Prehispanica.

McAndrew, John. The Open Air Churches of the 16^th century

7.- Grading

All students are expected to participate in all the activities and comply with all the requirements for the whole program. Grades will be assessed on student performance as follows:

-Mexican History / Architectural Research

- Class participation 25%

- Presentations 25%

- Paper 50%

- Visual Communication

- Sketch Book 50%

- Graphic material from papers and presentations 25%

- Studio 25%

- Advanced Design Studio.

Establishing grades for projects of a creative nature is a more complex matter than grading in other academic areas. While each project contains certain quantifiable elements by which it may be evaluated, a significant portion of each grade is derived from a broader, more subjective set of issues.

Grading for studio courses is broken into three components for each given mark:

1/3 grasp (the ideas and understanding of the project at hand, combined with an appropriate process of inquiry),

1/3 process (the consistent and rigorous development and testing of ideas) and

1/3 resolution (the demonstration of competence, completeness, and finesse through representation).

Your work will be evaluated on its rigor and evolution over the semester.

grade descriptions

A : excellent work

Project surpasses expectations in terms of inventiveness, appropriateness, verbal and visual ability, conceptual rigor, craft, and personal development. Student pursues concepts and techniques above and beyond what is discussed in class. Project is complete on all levels.

B : good work

Project is thorough, well researched, diligently pursued, and successfully completed. Student pursues ideas and suggestions presented in class and puts in effort to resolve required projects. Project is complete on all levels and demonstrates potential for excellence.

C : required work

Project meets the minimum requirements. Suggestions made in class are not pursued with dedication or rigor. Project is incomplete in one or more areas.

D : poor work

Project is incomplete. Basic skills including graphic skills, model-making skills, verbal clarity or logic of presentation are not level-appropriate. Student does not demonstrate the required design skill and knowledge base.

F : unacceptable work

Project is unresolved. Minimum objectives are not met. Performance is not acceptable. Note that this grade will be assigned when you have excessive unexcused absences.

X : (excused incomplete)

Can be given only for legitimate reasons of illness or family emergency. Simply not completing work on time is not an adequate cause for assigning this evaluation. It may only be used after consultation with the Associate Deans' offices and with an agreement as to a new completion date. Studio work must be completed before the second week of the next design semester in which you are enrolling, according to School of Architecture policy.

ALL GRADES ARE SUBJECT TO DEDUCTIONS FOR ABSENCES, LATE WORK AND LATE ARRIVALS.

8.- Attendance

Attendance is mandatory. Participation is expected. Students with three (3) unexcused absences may be dropped from the course without further notice. The minimum penalty for more than three unexcused absences is a full letter drop in your final grade for the course. Please contact the instructor prior to class if you expect to be late or miss class.

A student who misses classes or other required activities for the observance of a religious holy day should inform the instructor as far in advance of the absence as possible, so that arrangements can be made to complete an assignment within a reasonable time after the absence. A student who fails to complete missed work within the time allowed will be subject to the normal academic penalties.

9.- Disabilities

Please notify your instructor of any adaptation you may require to accommodate a specific physical need. You will be requested to provide documentation to the Dean of Students' Office, in order that the most appropriate accommodations can be determined. Specialized services are available on campus through the Services for Students with Disabilities, also found via the web at http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/ssd/.

10.- Security, safety and the studio

The studio is an exceptional learning environment. Since it is a place for all, it necessitates the careful attention to the needs of everyone in it. Please see your instructor if there are any problems (music, visual pollution) that you are unable to resolve on your own. All spraying of fixative, spray paint or any other substance should be done in the shop. Security is a necessary component for a studio that is accessible to you and your colleagues 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Please be mindful not to admit any uninvited visitors and keep all exterior doors locked after hours.