SUSTAINABLE DESIGN CAPSTONE SEMINAR UNIT 3: DESIGN CATALOGUES AND PRECEDENTS (25 POINTS)
From the cover of Lo-TEK: Design by Radical Indigenism (Julia Watson, 2019)
SCHEDULE
October 11-13: Lecture and reading discussion (online); Unit 3 assignment launch (see email and below)
October 18: Guest lecture on sustainability in interior design (Jason Walker/Benjamin Moore)
October 20: In-class work session
October 25: Groups 1 & 2 Presentations
October 27: Groups 3 & 4 Presentations
READINGS
Selections from Farshid Moussavi, The Function of Form (2009) PDF
Julia Watson, “Introduction: A Mythology of Technology,” Lo-TEK: Design by Radical Indigenism (2019) PDF
ADDITIONAL REFERENCES
Mark Francis, “A Case Study Method for Landscape Architecture”
Landscape Architecture Foundation Case Study Briefs
Gehl Institute Public Life Tools Guide
Gehl Institute Worksheet: People Moving Count
READING RESPONSES (Due Thursday October 13)
How do your two selected quotations support the overall argument the authors are making?
What are some relationships between the methods chosen (cataloguing through drawings, models, photographs) and the ideas in the readings? What are ways in which design necessitates visual representation?
What does the "catalogue" as a type of publication offer us as an audience?
What design interests of yours might be well-suited to this method of representation / research?
ASSIGNMENT
In the lecture, we discussed the catalogue and the design precedent (or case study) as methods for carrying out design research. Select a topic of your interest and choose one of these methods to showcase your research into the topic. Some suggestions are below, but you are by no means limited to these.
For your presentation, explain how your chosen method was most appropriate for your selected topic. What relationships are important when considering how to represent information and research? How did you choose to organize your information to tell us a story? What relationships do you create between visual and textual information to represent design?
Campus Catalogue (Minimum 25 images with 200-word summary and supporting captions—use Illustrator or InDesign to make one 24x36 digital board for presentation)
Deciduous or evergreen trees
Shrub or flower varieties
Bike or scooter racks
Water management strategies (topography, swales, rain gardens, manholes, etc.—suggest photographing during the rain)
Specific architectural features (doors, doorknobs, facade materials, columns, archways, stairs, handrails, etc.)
Natural and artificial lighting conditions
Space use on a campus quad or in a residential building (use Gehl Worksheets to document people over multiple days)
Case Study (Minimum 10 images and 1000 words text on a single design example—use InDesign to make an 8.5x11 document with multiple pages as needed)
One built building or landscape that demonstrates sustainable design principles
One building material that has multiple applications for sustainability
One design firm or construction company focusing on sustainable practices