HOUSE DESIGN

Housing design is complex and important. A house must be functional, but at the same time it can not keep from also being the loudest visual and aesthetic statement made by most people. A house is a philosophical statement involving the largest and most public material asset owned (or leased) by most people. As such it speaks volumes about the implicit values of the designer, builder, developer, realtor, city planner, owner, and/or renter. Many issues are decided in designing and/or selecting a house. These decisions are based on explicitly stated or assumed implicit values. Decisions are ultimately based on the opinion about what is most important in a particular circumstance. Often decisions are not very rational, and even people who live in extremely well designed houses can identify obvious shortcomings once they have used the house for a few years. Frank Lloyd Wright's best designs had seriously leaky roofs. In spite of this, many consider him this countries greatest architect, not because the roof leaked, but because his designs made strong statements about his beliefs.

Major Learning Goals

1. Identify and clarify the issues around the decision making criteria in house design. Houses work and talk? What makes it function well and what makes it say the right things? What factors help a house correctly reflect the values of its designer and owner?

2. Develop your abilities to design creative, expressive, appropriate, and functional houses that meet the criteria you decide is most important. This should take the form of inspired problem solving. Where do top designers and architects go for their best inspiration? How does the designer's values and tastes effect the outcome?

3. Gain skills. Acquire significant, usable (possibly marketable) practiced skills in computer assisted drafting and visual presentation of house designs.

Types of Assignments

Reading reported, discussed, and/or tested. Assigned from text, libraries, and other materials.