Introduction to Design Theories & Methods

Professor W. Mike Martin

GSI’s

Humberto Cavallin

Elena Paparizou

Architecture 130 Spring 2001

General Information 

1. Course: ARCH 130 (3 units).2. Title: Introduction to Design Theories and Methods.3. Semester: Spring 2001.4. Meetings: 10 weeks (Jan 17 — March 23) Three 1-hour lectures per week for the first four weeks, two 1-hour lectures per week thereafter. In addition there will be four 2-3 two-hour workshops, three exam reviews, and 3-4 major discussion sessions during the term.

5. Prerequisites: Upper division standing, Arch100A and B, mathematics re quirement.6. Examinations: Exam 1, Feb 2, Exam 2, Feb 31, Final Exam Mar 237. Major Project: A major term paper 25-30 pages based on rigorous library research and fieldwork. Workshops will be provided to help develop the paper during the term. The topic of the major paper will be discussed in a future class session.8. Evaluation: Examinations 75%, Major Paper 25%

OBJECTIVES: Arch 130 is a survey course. The emphasis is on the foundations for systematic approaches to design and on providing an overview of these approaches, their ad vantages and disadvantages. Some methods will be studied in detail, exemplifying some typical modes of reasoning. In particular, the course will:— describe and discuss various philosophies and styles of design,— identify particular difficulties of designing and investigate their nature,— present and demonstrate various tools, techniques, and methods as they becomerelevant in the process of designing.

As a result, the student should become familiar with the theoretical and methodological issues of their work, and they should achieve some critical knowledge of the various approaches in design. In addition, they should be able to apply some concepts and procedures to their own design problems.

SUBJECT MATTERWhat is design?What is the nature of its problems?What are the specific difficulties of designing?How to cope with these difficulties?

TEACHING METHODThe series of lectures will develop the material. Weekly section meetings will serve to discuss, clarify, and elaborate the issues, as well as to assist in the development of the major paper.

Course CalendarWeek

Date Lectures Assignments

 1

 Jan 17 

19

  Why study Design? 

Designers' Self-images 

 Readings: Cuff, Royal Institute ...  

 2

 22 

24 

26

 Definitions of Design

 A Model of Design

  Doctrines of creativity 

 Readings: Cuff (continued), Jones (1),Siegel  Proposal Workshop

 3

 29 

31 

Feb 2

 Morphological Methods I

Topological Methods I 

Examination 1

 Readings:Jones (2), Schön (1)  Paper Proposal Due 

 4

  5

  7 9

 Values in Design and

Formation of Judgement 

An Evaluation Method 

Evaluations by Groups (Juries)

   Readings:Dehlinger, Protzen Paper Draft Workshop  

 

 5

 12  

14  

  Schemes of Evaluation 

Cost-Benefit Analysis 

 Readings:Bross, Haldane, Thompson Assignment 3 due in section Hand-out of Assignment 4: Self-Image 

 6

 19    

21  

 PRESIDENTS' DAY HOLIDAY anticipating the context of design 

The unknown user and the unknown context

 

      Readings:Archer, Simon (1 & 2) 

 7

 26 

28 

31

 Orders of magnitude

 Procedural vs Prescriptive Theories.

Examination 2 first generation theories 

Technical RationalityDesign as a Staged-Process(Asimow, Archer)

 

 Readings:Schön (3), Rittel/Webber, Rittel (1) Paper Draft Due  

 8

 Mar 5

  7

 Design as Information

Processing (Simon) 

Design as Decomposition(Alexander)

 

 Readings:Rittel (2 & 3), Schön (3) 

 9

   

12  

14

 second generation theories 

Paradoxes of RationalityDesign Problems are Wicked

 Design as Argumentation

 

   Final Paper Due

 10

 19  

21 

23

 Design as Reflection-in-Action

  conclusion final exam 

 Pin-up and Review of Assignment 6