86008 Communication and Construction: Representation
Warning: The information on this page is indicative. The subject outline for a
particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source
of all information about the subject for that offering. Required texts, recommended texts and references in particular are likely to change. Students will be provided with a subject outline once they enrol in the subject.
Subject handbook information prior to 2020 is available in the Archives.
Credit points: 6 cp
Result type: Grade and marks
There are course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.
Recommended studies:
An active participation in Orientation Weeks is recommended.
Description
This subject is a comprehensive introduction to spatial and architectural representation. It is divided into two main exercises intended to familiarise students with 2D and 3D languages of representation. Graphic standards will be organically explained and historically contextualised through interactive lecture sessions.
Students learn by practice and refinement the principles of orthographic, axonometric and oblique projections, perspective, scales of representation, composition, hierarchies and narrative construction. Students examine these principles by actively deploying processes that combine analogue and digital techniques.
During the first exercise, students will engage with well-known spaces to understand the inherent relations between space (as a physical entity) and its representation at multiple scales. Through a process of survey and depiction, students will translate real spaces into drawings and models.
During the second exercise, students will explore a variety of analogue and digital tools to incorporate material and immaterial aspects to the representation of spaces. As a result of this exercise, the drawings become part of a broader communication assemblage that incorporates narrative and discourse. Students will finally curate the produced work to set-up a performative exhibition.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
On successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:
| 1. | Survey, measure up, collect and sketch information. |
|---|---|
| 2. | Understand and deploy principles of orthographic projection. |
| 3. | Understand and manage tools, codes and systems for the accurate representation of space in 3 dimensional projections. |
| 4. | Understand and adequately employ the different scales of representation relevant to the discipline. |
| 5. | Understand, compose and make use of different reproduction formats for the development of an effective communication strategy. |
| 6. | Observe and accurately represent hierarchies between material and immaterial spatial entities. |
| 7. | Observe, survey, and depict time-based dynamics and immaterial features. |
| 8. | Understand the relevance of the construction of narratives, establishing relations between physical entities and events. |
| 9. | Orchestrate and manage team dynamics by combining individual and group contributions for the elaboration of cooperative work. |
| 10. | Observe, interrogate, develop and express critical positions using exploratory languages of representartion. |
Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)
This subject also contributes to the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes:
- Ability to take autonomous responsibility for actions and decisions (A.1)
- Ability to develop and establish an informed and ethical understanding and/or position toward social, technical and environmental practices (A.2)
- Ability to work cooperatively as part of a team, initiate partnerships with others, take a leadership role when required and constructively contribute to peer learning and critique (C.1)
- Ability to communicate ideas effectively, including oral, written, visual, analogue and digital presentations (2D and 3D) (C.2)
- Ability to apply experimentation in thinking and practice as a means toward developing an individual design approach (I.1)
- Ability to initiate and execute meaningful self-directed iterative processes (I.3)
- Ability to apply and utilise appropriate communication techniques, knowledge and understanding to enable practical applications in spatial design (P.1)
- Ability to rigorously explore, apply and extend multiple representational techniques (P.2)
- Ability to apply and deploy disciplinary learning, with a continuing commitment to professional development (P.3)
- Ability to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of interior and spatial design precedent and to contextualise one's work within the extended discipline (R.3)
- Ability to reflect on, challenge and interrogate theoretical speculation (R.4)
Contribution to the development of graduate attributes
The term CAPRi is used for the five Design, Architecture and Building faculty gradduate attributes. The course content, learning strategies and assessment structure is explicitly designed with these attributes in mind.
C = communication and groupwork
A = attributes and values
P = practical and professional
R = research and critique
I = innovation and creativity
Teaching and learning strategies
86008 “Communication and Construction: Representation” runs in two complementary scenarios:
- Interactive lecture sessions: where students will engage with essential theoretical and historical foundations of architectural and spatial representation. Students will practise the presented techniques and re-examine the lecture contents both during studio sessions and outside them.
- Studio sessions: students receive feedback and reflection from design professionals, tutors and peers while continuing to work on their projects. The studio is an active space where students will be either working on their projects or participating in debates, conversations, presentations and quick exercises. Weekly pin-ups will require all students to bring printed work every week for review, mark-up and improvement. For regular studio sessions, students will be allowed to compose their large formats out of smaller prints (A4 or A3) to reduce costs. On submission days, students must print in the required format.
Both during studio time and outside of it, students should research and develop their own/group understanding of the brief. They must reflect and debate possible responses to it.
An A5 notebook will assist students to keep a record of all the learnt principles and to translate space into drawings accurately. Hand drawing is a fundamental technique for the learning process of this subject. Sketches are useful to survey, annotate or communicate ideas quickly; to carefully archive, analyse and study precedents; or to interrogate ideas as part of the design-thinking process. Specific requirements (amount of hand-drawings per week, assessment criteria, techniques and due dates of presentation) will be further detailed in assessment handouts and lectures.
It is important to remark that 86008 “Communication and Construction: Representation” is not a computer lab subject. Although some basic training will take place in computer labs, students must further explore the use of the software in their own time. Software video-tutorials (explicitly developed for this subject) will be available to students through UTSOnline. For further training, students must access the video-tutorials from Lynda.com (available through UTS Library).
The subject uses design professionals as tutors and guests to ensure that all content and tasks are relevant to current professional practice in a global context.
All subject documents and messages about activities and exercises will occur through UTSOnline and UTS email.
Content (topics)
This subject addresses the following issues and topics:
- Spatial Survey and Depiction
- Orthographic Projection
- Axonometric and Oblique Projections
- Three-Dimensional Representations of Space
- Scales of Representation
- Graphic Post-production
- Layout and Composition
- Construction of Spatial Narratives
- The Domestic Space
- Urban Interiorities
- 1-to-1 Model
- Exhibition Design
Assessment
Assessment task 1: A01 - Orthographic Representation of the Domestic Space. Physical Realities.
| Intent: | Assessment A01 runs along the first half of the Autumn Session and is delivered in two consecutive submissions: A01A & A01B. Interactive lectures and studio sessions during this block help students to translate space into its graphic representation following processes that combine analogue and digital tools. Students will start by surveying, measuring-up, sketching and photographing elements of different sizes, ranging from objects and bodies to architectural elements (walls, partitions, windows, doors, ceilings, stairs and rooms). Students will later use the collected information to depict the constellation of elements that construct their domestic spaces using CAD (computer-aided drafting) software. Space, objects, elements, materials and bodies must be hierarchically represented with intention and clarity in plans, sections, elevations and axonometric or oblique projections. Students are expected to reach appropriate levels of definition according to different scales of representation. By the end of the exercise, students will have produced a multi-scalar set of documents that demonstrate their understanding of:
It is necessary to test-print several times before the Assessment submission day. Poor printing quality might ruin the presentation and result in a drastic quality reduction. For regular studio sessions, students will be allowed to compose their large formats out of smaller prints (A4 or A3) to reduce costs. On submission days, students must print in the required format. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Objective(s): | This task addresses the following subject learning objectives: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 This task also addresses the following course intended learning outcomes that are linked with a code to indicate one of the five CAPRI graduate attribute categories (e.g. C.1, A.3, P.4, etc.): A.1, I.3, P.1, P.2, P.3 and R.4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type: | Design/drawing/plan/sketch | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Groupwork: | Individual | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 50% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Criteria linkages: |
SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes |
Assessment task 2: A02 - Postproduction Techniques and Multi-format Narratives. Use Dynamics.
| Intent: | Assessment A02 runs along the second half of the Autumn Session, and it is also delivered in two consecutive submissions: A02A & A02B. If Assessment A01 explored the technical depiction of space, Assessment A02 delves into the cinematic and performative qualities of architectural communication. This exercise challenges students to incorporate time-based dynamics and immaterial qualities to the representation of space. Students will critically examine and portray a selection of urban interiors from Sydney, and incorporate post-production, narrative and discourse to the communication strategy. Students will investigate post-production techniques using image editing software, such as pixel-based software (Adobe Photoshop) or vector-based software (Adobe Illustrator). Students might also create animated GIFs or quick videos to convey their critical observations. For the final presentation (Assessment A02B) students will recombine, refine and curate all the produced material and present it to an audience of academics, professionals and peers. Students will select their best work (collectively and individually) and use it to produce a performative and multi-media exhibition. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Objective(s): | This task addresses the following subject learning objectives: 10, 3, 5, 7, 8 and 9 This task also addresses the following course intended learning outcomes that are linked with a code to indicate one of the five CAPRI graduate attribute categories (e.g. C.1, A.3, P.4, etc.): A.2, C.1, C.2, I.1, I.3 and R.3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type: | Design/drawing/plan/sketch | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Groupwork: | Group, group and individually assessed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 50% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Criteria linkages: |
SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes |
Minimum requirements
The DAB attendance policy requires students to attend no less than 80% of formal teaching sessions (lectures and tutorials) for each class they are enrolled in to remain eligible for assessment.
Required texts
- Scolari, M. 2012, Oblique Drawing: A History of Anti-Perspective (Writing Architecture), The MIT Press.
- Steyerl, H. 2012, In Free Fall: A Thought Experiment on Vertical Perspective (from the book “The Wretched of the Screen”), Sternberg Press.
- Evans, R. 1997, Translations from drawing to building, Architectural Association Press, London.
- Cook, P. 2014, Drawing: the motive force of architecture, Chichester, West Sussex.
- Lus Arena, K. & Klaus. 2013. ‘Narrative’, Mas Context Magazine, Issue 20, Chicago
(free available online: http://mascontext.com/pdf/MAS_Context_Issue20_NARRATIVE.pdf) - Delaney, M. & Gorman, A. 2015, Studio Craft and Technique for Architects, Laurence King, London.
Recommended texts
- Abalos, I. 2001, The Good Life: a Guided Visit to the Houses of Modernity, Gustavo Gili, Barcelona.
- Colomina, B. 2007, Domesticity at War, Actar, Barcelona.
- Jaque, A. 2016, ‘The Home as Political Arena’, Domestic Urbanism. Monu Magazine, Issue 24, Rotterdam
References
- Atlier Bow-Wow, 2007, Graphic Anatomy, Toto Shuppan, Tokyo.
- Atlier Bow-Wow, 2014, Graphic Anatomy 2, Toto, Tokyo.
- Atlier Bow-Wow, 2001, Made in Tokyo: Guide Book, Tokio.
- Lai, J. 2012, Citizens of No Place: An Architectural Graphic Novel, Princeton Architectural Press, Chicago.
- Tschumi, B. 1994, Manhattan Transcripts, Academy Editions, London.
- Ware, C. 2012, Building stories, Pantheon Books, New York.