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ARCH 24
FRESHMEN SEMINARS
MARTIN

(1) Course may be repeated for credit as topic varies. One hour of seminar per week. Grading option: Sections 1-2 to be graded on a letter-grade basis. Sections 3-4 to be graded on a passed/not passed basis. The Berkeley Seminar Program has been designed to provide new students with the opportunity to explore an intellectual topic with a faculty member in a small-seminar setting. Berkeley The topics vary from department to department and semester to semester.

ARCH 84
SOPHOMORE SEMINARS
BUNTROCK

(1, 2) Course may be repeated for credit as topic varies. One hour of seminar per week per unit for fifteen weeks. One and one half hours of seminar per week per unit for 10 weeks. Two hours of seminar per week per unit for eight weeks. Three hours of seminar per week per unit for five weeks. Prerequisites: At discretion of instructor. Grading option: Sections 1-2 to be graded on a passed/not passed basis. Sections 3-4 to be graded on a letter-grade basis. Sophomore seminars are small interactive courses offered by faculty members in departments all across the campus. Sophomore seminars offer opportunity for close, regular intellectual contact between faculty members and students in the crucial second year. The topics vary from department to department and semester to semester.

Parsing CED Lectures over Pizza

This seminar will usually meet Wednesdays from 6:30 - 9:00 p.m.; dates will be based on the CED/Architecture lecture series. A final schedule will be established on the first Wednesday evening of class on August 31. In addition to attending lectures, there will be fourteen hours of discussion.

This freshman/sophomore seminar group will collectively attend major College of Environmental Design and Architecture lectures during the Fall semester, and afterward discuss the lectures in greater depth over pizza in a Wurster Hall classroom. The architects who have the biggest presence in journals and awards craft a professional story of who they are; we'll try to develop an understanding of some of these stories. Dana Buntrock will organize these sessions, but members of the faculty and graduate students from the Department will also be invited to participate. Students will be required to develop a sketchbook of notes during the course of the semester. This class is intended for students who would like to become practicing architects, and are interested in dissecting how discourse and positioning affects professional reputation.  

Dana Buntrock is especially interested in architecture, construction, Japan, publication and exhibition–and how all these things go together.  She has written criticism on buildings, exhibitions, and books for the popular press, trade journals, refereed journals and the internet.

ARCH 98
SPECIAL GROUP STUDY
KERAMIDA-STRAHL/SHANKEN

(1-4) Course may be repeated for credit. One to four hours of directed group study per week. Enrollment is restricted. Grading option: Must be taken on a passed/not passed basis. This is a special topics course intended to fulfill the individual interests of students, and provide a vehicle for professors to instruct students based on new and innovative developments in the field of architecture.

ARCH 100A
FUNDAMENTALS OF ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
THE STAFF

(6) Two hours of lecture, six hours of studio, and two hours of computer graphics laboratory per week. Prerequisites: ED 11A-11B. ARCH 100A and 100B must be taken in sequence. Introductory courses in the design of buildings. Problems emphasize conceptual strategies of form and space, site relationships and social, technological and environmental determinants. 100A focuses on the conceptual design process.

ARCH 100B
FUNDAMENTALS OF ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
CREEDON

(6) Two hours of lecture, six hours of studio, and two hours of computer graphics laboratory per week. Prerequisites: ED 11A-11B and ARCH 100A. ARCH 100A and 100B must be taken in sequence. Introductory courses in the design of buildings. Problems emphasize conceptual strategies of form and space, site relationships and social, technological and environmental determinants. 100B stresses tectonics, materials, and energy considerations. Studio work is supplemented by lectures, discussions, readings and field trips.

ARCH 101
CASE STUDIES IN ARCHITECTURE

(5) Course may be repeated for credit as topic varies. Three hours of lecture and five hours of studio per week. Prerequisites: 100A-100B. Problems in the design of buildings of intermediate complexity. Each section deals with a selected topic and concentrates on developing conceptual strategies in the analysis and design of buildings: internal spatial relationships, material, form, tectonics, social and environmental considerations and built landscapes. Studio work is supplemented by lectures, discussions, readings, and field trips.

ARCH 101 SEC 1
CASE STUDIES IN ARCHITECTURE
FIELDS

Description to come.

ARCH 101 SEC 2
CASE STUDIES IN ARCHITECTURE
THE STAFF

Description to come.

ARCH 108
ARCHITECTURAL INTERNSHIP
COMERIO

(5) Two hours of lecture/seminar per week for fifteen weeks and an additional sixteen hours of internship per week for ten of those weeks. Prerequisites: 100B or consent of instructor. Formerly 128. An intensive and structured exposure to the professional practice, using the resources of practicing architects' offices as the "laboratory." The seminar discussion focus on understanding how design happens, how projects are managed and how buildings are constructed.

Extended Course Description

This course provides an opportunity for students to evaluate professional practice in a seminar combined architectural office experience. Students will spend two full days per week in a local design office where they will be exposed to four areas of professional practice:  1) design and planning, 2) construction documents, 3) construction monitoring, and 4) office administration.  Each week, students will also attend a two hour seminar each week to discuss issues in contemporary professional practice in the context of their individual experience.

Entry Requirement:  Senior standing or Graduate Student
Prerequisite: Arch 100A and 100B
Seminar Tuesday 9:00-11 am

Internships require TWO FULL DAYS available to work in an office (M, W, Th, or F); half days are not allowed by the participating firms.

NOTE: Students should enroll on the waitlist with TELEBEARS. Admission to the class is not finalized until the placements with firms are complete. Interested students should submit a completed questionnaire and a one page resume to Prof. Mary Comerio by email by December 9. They will be contacted by Prof. Comerio for an interview. Send email forms and CV to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Note: Interviews will be in the weeks of Dec. 5. Sign up sheets will be posted on the door of 382 Wurster. Students have to be on the waitlist to complete the process.

ANSWERS TO TYPICAL QUESTIONS ABOUT ARCH 108:

Students are asked to evaluate their own skill level and show their work in an interview.  There is a questionnaire available on the department web site, or from Prof. Comerio. If you are interested in taking the class, you will need to schedule an interview with her.

In this class, we review the student's skill level and make a match with a firm that is on a roster of ones who regularly take CAL students from this class. This is not an AIA sponsored internship. This is not like a job in the sense that you are not paid, and not treated exactly like an entry-level employee. Students in this class have a mentor at the firm, and they do work on a variety of projects, but they also get to go to job sites and meetings that most junior staff never have the opportunity to do. This is a professional practice class with on-site experience.

The time frame is fixed. The seminar meets on Tues 9:00-11AM, So, you need NO CLASSES on TWO of the other 4 weekdays. We place students with firms that have a have a long-term relationship with the class and they have made it clear that they only want students who can commit to two full days each week. This is a five unit class, so the time commitment is like a studio. Students are not allowed to take this course and studio unless they have permission from Mary Comerio.

Note that you can choose any two days that fit into your schedule. The firms will let you pick the days, but they do not want any half days. It is a regular work day typically 8:30 to 5:30, but remember, you have to get there and back so do not imagine that you can do an 8am class or a 5pm class. Like a workday, you have to build in the commute time. The questionnaire and resume are due by Dec 9 (or at the interview). Interviews will be set up by appointment (a sign up sheet on Room 382 will be available Dec 1) during the week of Dec. 5 with Prof. Comerio.

The purpose of the seminar is to allow students to compare the operations of different offices. How are they managed? Who does design? Who does marketing? How are people paid? These are typical questions and each student can describe the working of their office to the others, so in the end, the students see the different cultures of the offices. There are three brief homework assignments designed to allow students to ask questions at their offices.

Note: There are no late placements—students cannot expect to get into the class if they do not make the effort this semester.

Interview form to be submitted by email to M. Comerio is on the next page.
NOTE the reason we ask these questions is to make a good match between you and the various offices. Some want students with high proficiency computer skills, others are more flexible. What you tell us will help us match you up with a firm.

ARCH 109
SPECIAL TOPICS IN ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
CHOW

(1-4) One to four hours of seminar per week. Prerequisites: Consent of instructor. Course may be repeated for credit as topic varies. Selected topics in the theories and concepts of architectural design.

The Life of Form

At the core of an architectural discipline is a literacy with form. Whether form is generated by a designer, homeowner, or builder, after its construction, any initial meaning ascribed to a form is inconsequential.  Instead, as we bring our use and associations to form, its content and attributes becomes known. As such, forms act and have autonomous life within the environment -- whether urban, landscape  or architectural.

The seminar develops such a literacy by exploring an autonomy of form within shifting frames of associations: cultural, material, scalar, etc. It also initiates what should be an on-going practice to observe, record and reason with spatial structures. In addition to reading, weekly exercises alternate between recognition and interpretation of five form themes. Participants will contribute an array of precedents and diagrams as well as two- and three-dimensional collages to help develop a coherent understanding of form within a composition.

ARCH 111
HOUSING: AN INTERNATIONAL SURVEY
THE STAFF

(3) Three hours of lecture per week. Introduction to international housing from the Architectural and City Planning perspective. Housing issues (social, cultural, and policy) ranging from micro-scale (house) to macro-scale (city) presented with a comparison of housing situations in developed and developing countries. 

Extended Course Description

To come.

ARCH 129/229
SPECIAL TOPICS IN DIGITAL DESIGN THEORIES AND METHODS

(1-4) Course may be repeated for credit as topic varies. One hour of lecture/seminar per unit per week. Prerequisites: Consent of instructor. Topics cover advanced and research-related issues in digital design and New Media, related to architecture.

ARCH 129/229 SEC 1
SPECIAL TOPICS IN DIGITAL DESIGN THEORIES AND METHODS
HURCOMB

All Tomorrow's Parties

With today’s advances in the abilities of modeling tools, architectural representation and design have radically shifted in both their conception and execution. For architecture is both informed by and through these specific tools. This advanced course is organized as an amalgamation of architectural objectives and representational techniques that weave together the 2D, 3D, and 4D universes that we inhabit today. Students will be amplifying and developing their skill sets through the use of Autodesk Maya, Adobe After Effects, Illustrator, and Photoshop, as well as Rhinoceros.

ARCH 129/229 SEC 2
SPECIAL TOPICS IN DIGITAL DESIGN THEORIES AND METHODS
APARICIO

Future Cities: Urban Data Streams

Over half the world’s population now lives in urban areas, and 75% will call a city home by 2050. In a city driven by real-time digital data, systems and networks; connectivity and the location of its users; transportation networks mobility of people and vehicles in the city is becoming ever more interconnected. This course will explore how such urban data streams can be visualized and become tools for planners, architects, designers, city officials, city inhabitants and other decision makers in creating new strategies for urban design through parametric modeling tools. Students will learn to use Elk, Firefly and Grasshopper to help generate maps using open source data. Additionally, students will learn how the Internet of Things may be used to inform intelligent digital city models to help designers make better more informed decisions.

ARCH 130
INTRODUCTION TO ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN THEORY AND CRITICISM
CRYSLER

(4) Three hours of lecture and one hour of discussion per week. Prerequisites: Open to upper division undergraduates. Formerly 130A. This class introduces students to the history and practice of design theory from the late 19th century to the present, with emphasis on developments of the last four decades. Readings and lectures explore specific constellations of theory and practice in relation to changing social and historical conditions. The course follows the rise of modernist design thinking, with particular emphasis on the growing influence of technical rationality across multiple fields in the post World War II period. Systematic approaches based in cybernetics and operations research (amongst others) are examined in the context of wider attempts to develop a science of design. Challenges to modernist design thinking, through advocacy planning and community-based design, the influence of social movements and countercultures, and parallel developments in postmodernism within and beyond architecture, provide the critical background for consideration of recent approaches to design theory, including those informed by developments in digital media and technology, environmental and ecological concerns, questions surrounding the globalization of architectural production, and the development of new materials.

Extended Course Description

To come.

ARCH 136/236
THE LITERATURE OF SPACE
STONER

(3) Three hours of seminar per week. The concept of space as it is applied to the fields of architecture, geography and urbanism can be understood as a barometer of the condition that we call "modernity." This course explores connections between the larger cultural frameworks of the past century, and the idea of space as it has been perceived, conceived and lived during this period. Readings include essays from the disciplines of philosophy, geography, architecture, landscape, and urbanism, and short works of fiction that illustrate and elucidate the spatial concepts. The readings are grouped according to themes that form the foundation for weekly seminar discussions. Chronological and thematic readings reveal the force of history upon the conceptualization of space, and its contradictions.

Extended Course Description

INTRODUCTION
The concept of space as it is applied to the fields of architecture, urbanism and geography can be understood as a barometer of the condition that we call “modernity.” Many spatial themes unique to modernity emerge in short fiction and novels; these themes overlap with developments in critical theory. This course will explore connections between the larger literary and cultural frameworks of the past century and the idea of space as it has been perceived, conceived and lived during this period.
Adrian Forty’s essay on “Space” (Forty, 2000) provides an entry into the literature of the course, and the course reader opens with this text. The weekly readings are grouped according to themes that are in turn tied to the idea of space as a modern phenomenon. These themes are tied to the consecutive decades of the twentieth century, and the weekly classes will include a short introduction to key events and intellectual developments of the relevant period.
The readings themselves, however, are not chronological—thus revealing not only the force of history upon the conceptualization of space, but also the sense of prophecy that comes with hindsight. The contradictions between sequential and rhizomatic orders of time further clarify a key theme within much of the literature—the displacement of history by geography (of time by space) as an essential quality of the modern condition.
In addition to the theoretical readings, each week’s selection includes one or two works of twentieth-century short fiction, thus complementing the intellectual content with texts that reveal the geography of the imagination. Students will also read one novel from the period, which will serve as the foundation for the final paper or presentation.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE COURSE
1.    To understand the relationship between the concept of “space” and the condition of modernity.
2.    To become familiar with key texts from a range of disciplines, and to explore the interdisciplinary themes that connect the texts. In particular, the course material explores links between the design disciplines of architecture, landscape architecture and planning, and the theoretical disciplines of geography and philosophy.
3.    To engage in a collaborative seminar in which ideas are discussed and debated.
A selection of readings linked by a common theme is assigned each week, and forms the foundation of the seminar discussions and workshops.

WEEKLY RESPONSES
Each week, students will write a two-paragraph (300 – 400 words) response to the assigned readings, focusing on two of the selections.  We will use a method of “peer review”, as well as instructor response, to comment upon and clarify the spatial themes revealed through these exercises. Reading responses will be posted on the course B-space site.

SHORT LECTURES, DISCUSSIONS & WORKSHOPS
We will use part of each class time for a short lecture, and the remainder for informal group workshops and discussion of the readings. Students will take turns leading these discussions. Workshops may involve conducting an informal debate, or diagramming the spaces within a work of fiction. As we approach the end of the semester, one of these workshops will be directly related to the content of the final project.

FINAL PROJECT: ORAL PRESENTATION
Students will prepare an oral presentation of approximately 10 minutes, including graphic material and text. Presentations should be structured to stimulate questions and discussion. The exact method of scheduling these presentations will depend upon the size of the class. These presentations may be done in partnership.

NOVELS
Kobo Abe, The Woman in the Dunes
Franz Kafka, The Trial
J. M. Coetzee, Waiting for the Barbarians
Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale
Alain Robbe-Grillet, In the Labyrinth
Arthur Koestler, Darkness at Noon


Note:
Undergraduates are admitted only by permission of instructor, and must have upper-division status.

ARCH 140
ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT
BRAGER

(4) Three hours of lecture and three hours of discussion/laboratory per week. Prerequisites: Physics or equivalent, or consent of instructor. This course provides undergraduates and graduates with an introduction to issues of physical building performance including building thermodynamics, daylighting, and solar control. The course presents the fundamentals of building science while recognizing the evolving nature of building technologies, energy efficiency, ecology, and responsible design. The course begins with a detailed explication of the thermal properties of materials, heat transfer through building assemblies, balance point temperature, solar geometry, and shading analysis. Students apply these principles later in the course to a design project. The latter part of the course also provides a survey of broader building science topics including mechanical system design, microclimate, and current developments in energy-efficient design.

Extended Course Description

This introductory course covers a wide range of topics that affect the experiential qualities of the indoor environment, and the energy that we use to heat, cool and light spaces in order to create those experiences. The course presents the fundamentals of building science while recognizing the evolving nature of building technologies, and throughout the course we emphasize the connection of these principles to understanding whole building performance, and making informed design decisions.  Topics include climate- and comfort-responsive design, energy flows in buildings, thermal properties of building materials, solar geometry, shading analysis, daylighting, passive heating and cooling, and mechanical and electrical lighting.  By starting with physical principles, students form an intellectual basis for evaluating buildings, and understand the new technologies that will inevitably be introduced to the field.  Students will also become skilled at using a variety of tools and modeling techniques that will enable them to evaluate the thermal and visual needs of their building, and can use them to design, predict or evaluate the success of a design or existing space.  In the final project for the course, students work in teams of 3-4 to redesign the façade of an existing building to balance solar control and daylighting.  The exercise requires students to assimilate many of the concepts and design tools covered during the course of the semester, and to integrate technical performance issues with formal design concerns.  Interactive laboratory sessions involve a range of analytical, experiential, and experimental exercises.

ARCH 169
SPECIAL TOPICS IN CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS
BUNTROCK

(1-4) Course may be repeated for credit. Fifteen hours of lecture/seminar per unit per semester. Prerequisites: 160 and consent of instructor. Formerly 169X.

Rebuilding Japan

On March 11, this year, three large earthquakes struck almost simultaneously off the coast of northern Japan.  The three together—within a mere six minutes—resulted in a force measured at Magnitude 9. The USGS lists significant earthquakes dating back over a millennium; this is the 4th strongest seismic event on its list.  That earthquake shifted our globe, shortening the day by 1.8 microseconds.

Earthquakes are not isolated events: they unleash fires, tsunami and other catastrophes. All these happened. So much occurred at once, in fact, that even today Japan’s political and professional community struggles to understand the work that lies ahead. It is clear that there are important lessons to be learned about town sites, about energy, and about the increased dangers from natural phenomena that exist as populations age. It is not clear how to address these challenges and changes in a short time, in an age of economic austerity.

This class is not about answers, it is about probing those questions. We will start with historical studies  and invite experts with specialist knowledge to the classroom.  Students will be expected to do extensive reading, develop a set of short position papers, and end the class with a rigorous written argument that proposes a course for the future.

Required texts will include Clancy, Gregory. EARTHQUAKE NATION (available to UCB students through the UC Press ebary) and Comerio, Mary. DISASTER HITS HOME.  More recent material will be made available digitally through bSpace.

ARCH 170B
AN HISTORICAL SURVEY OF ARCHITECTURE & URBANISM
CRAWFORD

(4) Forty-five hours of lecture and 15 hours of seminar/discussion per semester. The first part of this sequence studies the ancient and medieval periods; the second part studies the period since 1400; the aim is to look at architecture and urbanism in their social and historical context.

Extended Course Description

To come.

ARCH 179
AN HISTORICAL SURVEY OF ARCHITECTURE & URBANISM

(1-4) Fifteen hours of lecture/seminar per unit per semester. Prerequisites: 170A-170B and consent of instructor. Credit option: Course may be repeated for credit. Special topics in Architectural History.

ARCH 179 SEC 1
AN HISTORICAL SURVEY OF ARCHITECTURE & URBANISM
SHANKEN/MORAN

Theming America

This course is being co-taught with American Studies 102

From Disney to Las Vegas, Americans frequently encounter environments that are self-consciously themed, rather than unconsciously developed. These spaces have been dismissed as fake, artificial, evidence of postmodern alienation, even of the homogenizing effects of the global economy. This course proposes to expand the repertoire of themed environments in an effort to reevaluate their meaning in American life. Close attention will be paid to the obvious sites of theming: world’s fairs, consumer environments, and suburbs, but also to how theming has penetrated into film, advertising, “nature,” leisure, historic preservation, and museums.

ARCH 198
SPECIAL GROUP STUDY
CRYSLER/STONER/CRAWFORD

(1-4) Course may be repeated for credit. Enrollment is restricted; see the Introduction to Courses and Curricula section of this catalog. Must be taken on a passed/not passed basis. Studies developed to meet needs.

Creative Activism

Over the last decade there has been a resurgence of interest in what has been
variously described as “alternative,” “community-based,” “participatory,” “public interest”
or “socially responsive” design. Last year’s “Small Scale/Big Change” exhibition at the
Museum of Modern Art, and the recent “Design with the other 90%” at the Cooper
Hewitt Museum in New York are only a part of the much larger international
constellation of debates, publications, collaborations, experimental practices and
education initiatives that seek to question and redefine the social dimensions of
architectural practice. The creative activity in this area is global in scale, and ranges
from design/build programs and temporary urban installations to educational programs
that link architectural schools to grassroots organizations. Some of the most provocative
initiatives are based in California.

undergraduate and graduate students

Speakers: The following are among this year’s speakers: Sanjit Sethi, Chair of the
Community Arts Program at CCA; Emily Pilloton, a founding member of Project H
Design (originally based in San Francisco); Valery Casey, Founder and Executive
Director of the Designer’s Accord; Raphael Sperry, current Board Member and past
President of Architects / Designers / Planners for Social Responsibility; Liz Ogbu,
Design Fellow at IDEO; Jeremy Till, Dean of the School of the Built Environment at the
University of Westminster; and Dan Pitera, Director of the Detroit Collaborative Design
Center.

ARCH 298 SEC 4
SPECIAL GROUP STUDY
GILLETT

Constructing Detail

This course seeks to cultivate an understanding of materials, connections and assemblies through the exploration of architectural details. Over the course of seven weeks we will work in groups to develop a language and understanding of construction details to produce a series of full scale constructions of specific building assemblies. The final installation will be a permanent fixture in the building to serve as a constructed detail library for students in the college to use as a reference in the development of their understanding of materials and assemblies of foundation, wall, floor and roof.

This 2 unit course will be taken for a letter grade and will involve meeting once a week for the first seven weeks of the semester. Class time will be used for presenting research, reviewing drawings, determining how to construct the details, and reviewing mock-ups and the final installation. An additional 2-4 hours of work outside of class will be expected.