ARC 351R
Design Exercises in Wood
Instructor: Mike Farmer

Prerequisite: Third-year standing for Architecture majors

Educational Objectives

1. To introduce students to principles and practice of millwork with hand and power tools.

2. To develop a sensitivity to materials in the context of design.

3. To provide a supportive context for the realization of a designed object.

4. To establish an experiential basis for the understanding of project management, cost control, contingency strategy, and contractual calendars.

5. To provide the student with personal standards with which to gauge such intangibles as "craft," "workmanship," "beauty," and "skill."

Educational Approach

This is a hands-on course intended to start simple and end complex. Instruction in manual skills and technique start in a lecture/demonstration format and shift to individual tutoring as the students' project designs evolve. Handouts provide background in step with demonstrations and discussion. Students will spend extensive library time during the design phase of this effort. Field trips will acquaint the student with materials availability and commercial practices.

The core experience of this course is the designing of a makeable thing, and the making of the thing designed.

Evaluation

One-fourth of the course grade will reflect improvement in manual and power tool techniques during the semester. One-half of the grade will reflect the design/production of the semester project. The last one-fourth of the grade will reflect procedural issues such as atttendance, timeliness in submissions, and completion of the chosen work.

A substantive paper OR an oral presentation will be required.

Required Texts

Readings will include (but are not limited to):

Pye, David. The Nature and Art of Workmanship.
Yanagi, Soetsu. The Unknown Craftsman: A Japanese Insight into Beauty.
Joyce, Ernest. Encyclopedia of Furniture Making.