ARCH8716

Thesis Definition is the first studio course of a two-studio course sequence offered in the final year of the B.Arch. program. The coursework prepares students for the culmination of their undergraduate academic professional preparation in architecture by providing a guided framework that will encourage the student to independently discern, discretely delimit and plan, research, manage, and successfully complete a comprehensive thesis project. Significant emphasis on research, planning, and iterative investigation of a topical architecture issue frames the project in which students will work closely with a thesis committee composed of a chief faculty mentor, a secondary faculty mentor, and a volunteer member of the profession. Throughout the duration of the semester each student will complete a research plan and a significant research and precedent study that will result in a rigorous and controlled schematic design. The initial output from this course will comprise the first portion of a 2-part publication and design project that will serve as the basis for further exploration, research, and development in the ARCH 8776 course that follows in sequence. The course is structured into a communal lecture section that will encompass weekly seminar discussions, and weekly tutorials on scientific method, design process, and the iterative process. Attendant to the lecture section is a lab section that is led by the primary thesis advisor for each individual student. Periodic, interim, and final critiques are scheduled as a function of the lecture section.