Course Syllabus

Semester & Location:

Fall - DIS Copenhagen

Type & Credits:

Core Course 6 credits

Major Disciplines:

Architecture, Design

Faculty:

Jacob Nørløv, jacob@norlov-norlov.dk

Course Assistant:

Yoan Kim, yki@dis.dk

Program Director:

Henning Thomsen, ht@dis.dk

Time & Place:

Tue and Fri 3 hours in the timeframe 13:15-17:00 in V5-41

Description of course:

The Studio is the core course of your studies. Design projects are the basis for learning in the studio and will be the basis for discussions, presentations, and the development of individual design skills. The studios at DIS emphasize awareness and knowledge of designing in a context of site, society, and situation and use Copenhagen as an ‘urban laboratory’ for exploration and precedent study. Project work is done both individually and in teams.                                                             

Learning objectives of the course:

At the end of the course you will be able to:

  • Understand and apply a Scandinavian approach to design focusing on contextual, climatic, historical, social, and regulatory dimensions
  • Display enhanced design methods and skills
  • More effectively present design ideas both individually and as part of a team

Faculty:

Meet your faculty here.

Required texts:

Reading material for studio will be distributed by the studio faculty on Canvas.

Prerequisites

Documented background in fine arts or studio art, or completion of a course in drawing at university level.

Approach to Teaching

Studio instruction is a combination of one-on-one tutoring, discussions, and occasional lectures. The studios are organized as vertical studios, meaning that students of different levels will be taught within the same studio. Expectations will therefore relate to each individual student and their respective level of experience.  Studio work will include individual as well as team assignments, both of which are considered important as preparation for later work in the profession. Faculty will be teaching for 3 hours during the time period 13:15-17:00 - the time students are expected to be working in studio.

Expectations of the students

Students are required to be fully engaged in the studio discourse, be prepared for each individual desk critique, be present in studio Tuesday and Friday throughout the afternoon studio sessions (13:15-17:00), be present throughout the presentation and gallery crit sessions, and to invest time outside of studio hours developing projects. If not on field studies in another course, Wednesdays should be used to work on your studio projects as well. Mid-semester meetings with faculty will help align the expectations of the student and the professor to guide the rest of the semester.

Portfolio

Students should supply examples of their work in a portfolio to be shared with their studio faculty to help them become acquainted with the design skills of each student.

The portfolio should be A4 or US-Letter, submitted digitally on Canvas (under Assignments), and must contain the following:

  • A one-page resume (short and precise) listing any studios, courses, assignments, and other relevant material, beginning with the most recent information. Clearly state current year/position in school. Briefly state expectations of study at DIS.
  • Approximately 3 pages of project illustrations from one or several projects done in any studios (or independently if relevant), accompanied by short descriptions.

Awards

Design Excellence Award

Each semester we recognize one outstanding student in each discipline (architecture, interior architecture, furniture design, urban design, and graphic design) with an Award of Academic Excellence. The awards are given to students who have distinguished themselves through diligence, commitment, academic performance, and ideally a student who contributes to a positive, collaborative learning environment in class.

Core Course Week

The core of your studies in the AD Program at DIS is the studio. The core course week (CCW) is a full week of studies meant to contribute to the advancement of your architectural understanding and your studio work. We do this through a dedicated focus on key themes in Danish architecture and design and the crucial skill of visual note-taking. CCW falls in two interrelated parts:

The first part takes place in Copenhagen, both in class and on field studies. Visits to relevant case studies and exercises in visual note-taking are at the heart of the first days of CCW. The second part takes you on a three-day study tour to Western Denmark.

Field Studies and Study Tours

The study tours of the Architecture and Design Program at DIS form an integral part of the learning process. We travel to places to learn through experience and through analysis. We travel to places to understand and ultimately, to become better architects and designers. 

Field Studies

The half or one day field studies are excursions to sites within the Copenhagen capital region and are composed of significant, historical sites of design interest as well as contemporary case studies linked to the studio.

Short Study Tour

The three-day tour will include visits to both contemporary and historical sites on the island of Fyn and in Jylland.

Long Study Tour

The week-long study tour will expand your frame of personal experience from Copenhagen to include other countries in Northern Europe.  This is an opportunity to compare what you have studied thus far in Denmark with a larger European context and in turn with your previous experiences from your home country.  Visits will be to both contemporary and historical sites to provide background for understanding the design context you experience today.

Students prepare for the week-long study tour through precedent studies of the buildings and sites we visit on tour, in the studio, and through the assignments.

Using a Visual Journal

The very classical way in which architects throughout centuries have kept track of their experiences and learning is something DIS aims to maintain an understanding of among students. We have journal courses, which give students access to ways in which to sketch, note down, annotate and diagram experiences and learning drawn from the study of buildings and places.

In Core Course Week we have introductions to visual note-taking for students that chose not to enroll in an actual journal course. Thus all AD students get exposed, in one way or another, to the very important element of visual note-taking. On the study tours we have built in sessions where students and tour leaders look at the developing sketchbooks, to share and learn from each other.

Evaluation & Grading

Evaluation is based on daily work in studio and on final presentations. Assignments are generally presented to a panel of jurors including the student’s own instructor. Grades are given by the instructor in accordance with other jurors.

To be eligible for a passing grade, you must complete all of the assigned work.

The final grade is determined as follows:

Assignment

Percent

Assignment 1 - Process

15%

Assignment 1 - Presentation

25%

Assignmeent 2 - Process

25%

Assignment 2 - Presentation

35%

Evaluation Criteria for Assignments

Studio Process - Evaluation in studio is based on the following:

  • Approach: Student is motivated, positive, engaged in the project and in all studio activities, attending and prepared for every session in studio, inquisitive, self-critical, receptive to input from both faculty and fellow students.
  • Production: Student is diligent, productive, continuously engaged in sketching, prototyping, model making, and other forms of physical/digital design development, to support the progress of the project and the dialogue with faculty.
  • Innovation: Student is creative and experimenting, continuously willing to push the project forward, exploring different design opportunities, oriented towards generating unique design solutions.

Note, presence and participation at the introductions to assignments, gallery critiques, and Core Course Week events has an impact on your studio process grade.

 Final Presentation - Evaluation is based on completion of design goals agreed upon by student and studio faculty, and the criteria presented below:

  • Completeness: Student presents the required deliverables - well-crafted drawings, models and other visual presentation material - to convincingly communicate the scope and content of the project in a meaningful and creative manner.
  • Delivery: Student orally presents the project in a well-prepared and organized way, communicating the project intentions in a professional manner and engaging in a receptive and reflective dialogue with critics.
  • Design: Student presents a final product of high artistic quality that convincingly shows a conceptually clear and well-motivated design solution where the elements of the brief have been explored thoroughly and creatively.

Disability and resource statement

Any student who has a need for accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the Office of Academic Support (acadsupp@dis.dk) to coordinate this.  In order to receive accommodations, students should inform the instructor of approved DIS accommodations within the first two weeks of classes.

Policies

Attendance

You are expected to attend all DIS classes when scheduled. If you miss multiple classes the Director of Academic Support, and the Director of Student Affairs will be notified and they will follow-up with you to make sure that all is well. Absences will jeopardize your grade and your standing at DIS. Allowances will be made in cases of illness, but in the case of multiple absences you will need to provide a doctor’s note.

Academic Honesty

Plagiarism and Violating the Rules of an Assignment
DIS expects that students abide by the highest standards of intellectual honesty in all academic work. DIS assumes that all students do their own work and credit all work or thought taken from others. Academic dishonesty will result in a final course grade of “F” and can result in dismissal. The students’ home universities will be notified. DIS reserves the right to request that written student assignments be turned in electronic form for submission to plagiarism detection software. See the Academic Handbook for more information, or ask your instructor if you have questions.

Assigned work

To be eligible for a passing grade in this class you must complete all of the assigned work. Late hand-in of assigned work will not be accepted.

Student work

DIS has the right to use any student project whether it be for display, archive, documentation or any other educational purpose. In addition, DIS reserves the right to reproduce and publish images of any such student work in collegiate publications, printed or electronic, for the purposes of teaching, publicity and outreach.

Electronic Devices

Electronic devices are only permitted in class and on field studies when directly related to in-class exercises.

Course Summary:

Date Details Due