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Visual Media Curriculum ReviewNYIT School of Architecture & DesignProfs. M. Dockery & F. GandhiSummer 2009
Table of Contents
1. Introduction 1 2. Context 1
3. Course Content 23.1. Overview of Existing Courses 3.2 Assessment
3.3 Overview of Proposed Curriculum
4. Facilities, Equipment & School Culture 74.1 Challenges & Objectives4.2 Assessment
4.3 Proposed Changes
5. Proposed Course Materials 105.1 ARCH-140 5.2 ARCH-2405.3 ARCH-327 5.4 ARCH-340
Acknowledgements 10
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1. Introduction This document is a summary of proposed revisions to the Visual Media curriculum and the
circumstances under which it is delivered. Its provisions are the result of an ongoing, informal
assessment of existing coursework and facilities, as well as emerging trends in teaching and practice. In
addition, several combined years of teaching under the current curriculum have provided an important
frame of reference.
The purpose of this effort is three‐fold; first, we hope to provide faculty and administrators with a
framework for discussion and informed criticism. Second, we aim to provide instructors with draft
Course Outlines that establish clear goals, expectations and pedagogical parameters. Third, we intend
to provide evidence of self‐assessment for accreditation purposes.
2. Context Evidence suggests general dissatisfaction with the results of the Visual Media sequence among faculty
and students. Rapidly shifting computing standards, instructor attrition, transfer‐credit ambiguity,
prerequisite waivers and a debilitating ‘digital divide’ within the School culture have evolved into an
incoherent array of courses that are sequential in name only. The result is a wide divergence of quality
and content whose low range undermines our reputation for career preparation and is inconsistent with
the mission of the Institute.
Seismic technological change continues to impact the design disciplines in profound ways. Building
Information Modeling (BIM), 3D printing, digital fabrication and energy modeling are changing the way
buildings and objects are conceived and delivered. Should we fail to constructively engage these tools,
our students will learn how to use them in alternate venues. To maintain our integrity, accreditation
and competitive advantage as a professional degree program, it is imperative that we claim emerging
technologies. To maintain our core values as a humanistic enterprise, we must do so in a careful and
comprehensive manner, and on terms that are consistent with our shared priorities.
This is not a zero‐sum game between humanism and technology; critical appropriation of digital media
can be (and has been) achieved without categorical dismissal of traditional methods. Synthesis can only
begin, however, with the recognition by our full community that both digital and analog media are
essential for visualizing architectural ideas, that prohibition of the new media in our coursework is both
counterproductive and futile, and lastly, that a rich middle ground of ‘cross‐over’ techniques exists
whose full potential has yet to be imagined. We believe an opportunity exists to pioneer such methods,
and this summary hopes to provide an outline for doing so.
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3. Course Content 3.1 Overview of Existing Courses The Visual Media Sequence is currently comprised of four three‐credit courses that are required for both
BARCH and BSAT degrees. Half of the twelve credits are scheduled for First Year, and three each for
Third and Fourth Years. ARCH‐140, 240 and 340 (Visualization I, II and III respectively) are intended to
be sequential. ARCH‐327 ‘Computer‐Aided Construction Documents’ has been conducted as a stand‐
alone course.
(Fig. 1) BARCH Degree Map
Course descriptions from the NYIT 2008‐2009 Undergraduate Catalog are as follows:
• ARCH‐140 / Visualization I
The course focuses on three areas simultaneously: technical drawing, graphic and fine arts, and an
introduction to computer applications in architecture. It includes descriptive geometry, art composition,
mediums and techniques, analysis and theory of fine art and computer software application. The course
assists the production of the required Design Studio portfolio.
• ARCH 240 / Visualization II
Continuation of ARCH 140 introducing basic CAD skills and architectural drawing as it pertains to
producing drawings of buildings. AutoCAD skills and software, printing and plotting hardware are
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(Fig. 2) BSAT Degree Map
taught. The application of these combined with other visual presentation techniques are explored in
relation to the design process and presentation. The course supports the design studio. Prerequisite
ARCH‐140
• ARCH 327 / Computer Aided Construction Drawings
Modern Methods of construction drawing development, purpose and organization, through the use of computer‐aided design and drawing. Study is directed and guided in the preparation of a complete set of drawings: plans, sections, elevations, details, schedules, and an introduction to specifications through digital media. Prerequisites: ARCH 202, 211, 221, 222
• ARCH 340 / Visualization III
Continuation of ARCH 240 to develop skills with advanced drawing and multi‐media techniques as well
as state of the art digital skills. The emphasis is on working with a wide range of techniques available to
the architect and on the graphic art of presentation. Prerequisite ARCH‐240
3.2 Assessment In practice, continuity and coordination between these courses and other areas of the curriculum is the
exception rather than the rule. Specific examples of discontinuity include:
• First Year Vis courses are severed by the ‘Digital Divide’; Vis I prohibits computer use, and Vis II, by
default, hand‐drawing. As such, digital technology is being introduced as a replacement for, rather than
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addition to, a comprehensive set of skills from which on can exploit pontential, efficiency and hybrid
expression.
• Vis I is off‐sequence with Design Fundamentals I. Essential skills (i.e. orthographic and perspectival
projection) are covered too late in the term to be of use in Studio.
• ARCH‐327 and Vis II have evolved into the same course – ‘AutoCAD 101’. Neither is coordinated with
Design Fundamentals II, which prohibits computer use.
• Aside from Architectural Graphics by Francis Ching, no readings and/or texts are required within the
visualization curriculum to promote critical discussion of how specific ideas, tools, and techniques, both
analog and digital, are changing the theoretical underpinning and practice of design.
• Building Information Modeling (BIM) instruction has been sporadic, rather than comprehensive and
integral. An emerging consensus suggests that BIM is the future of project delivery and integrated
practice, and its potential as a design tool is far from realized. (It is too important to occupy the
periphery of the curriculum.)
• Hardware instruction (plotters, scanners, laser‐cutters) has not been incorporated systemically into
the coursework. Students learn these skills from each other, and often in ways that are not in the
interest of the School.
• Graphic design has not been adequately represented in the coursework (system‐wide).
• Vis III does not reflect the divergent agendas of the BARCH and BSAT degrees, and yet remains a
requirement for both.
• Communication between sections is rare and brief. To‐date there has been no mechanism made
available to easily post and exchange work, or download course documents from the web.
3.3 Overview of Proposed Curriculum
The Visual Media Sequence should continue as 12‐credit sequence. The revised courses are proposed,
however, as a four‐part sequence (Vis I‐IV) in two stages (First Year and Third Year) with an optional fifth
course (Vis V) offered as a seminar in the Fall of the Fifth Year for BARCH students.
• First Year courses (Stage One) should be characterized by an aggressive integration of Visual Media
and Design Fundamentals. To that end, we propose introducing Vis ‘Boot Camps’ ‐ week‐long,
immersive, skill‐driven workshops, in which both Design Studio and Vis Media credit‐hours are devoted
to the same short term exercises. ‘Boot Camps’ would be staged at the beginning and mid‐point of both
Fundamentals I and II, such that students are equipped with skill sets prior to confronting studio tasks.
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Such formats (often staged during the summer recess prior to the start of school) have become standard
practice at many Schools, including UPenn and Yale. If necessary, thesis students could serve as
teaching assistants to design faculty or mentors to students.
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• Third Year courses (Stage Two) should be characterized by the introduction of advanced digital modeling and project‐delivery skills, as part of a systemic effort to deliver integrated practice and comprehensive design, goals that reflect the ethos of both Design III and NAAB.
The final required course of the Vis sequence (Vis IV) should be offered in two formats to better reflect the distinctions between BSAT and BARCH degree programs. The BSAT version should be an advanced BIM seminar, while the BARCH version should remain focused on digital design, multi‐media rendering, animation and presentation techniques.
• The Fifth Year elective course (Vis V) should be staged as an advanced research laboratory for select
Thesis students. Its contents should be established by prominent visiting faculty who are contracted to
also teach thesis. The effort should be devoted to producing and publishing innovative research with
advanced technology. Such a format would be a magnet for talented visitors and research dollars,
which would raise the profile of the School within the Institute and beyond.
• To provide continuity and direction to the full Vis sequence, the following ‘Mission Statement’ is
proposed: ‘The goal of the Visual Media sequence is to equip students with the knowledge and skills
necessary to excel in academic and professional settings in Architecture and Design. Success in this
endeavor shall be measured by the caliber and content of the student portfolio upon successful
completion of the penultimate year of the degree.’
• In support of this effort, the following ‘Pedagogical Parameters’ are proposed :
a. The Vis Sequence should include digital, analog and cross‐over exercises.
b. Vis Courses should be considered ‘Labs’; skill‐based, supporting workshops for concurrent
areas of the curriculum.
c. Course readings and discussion should frame assignments within larger frameworks of
theory and practice.
d. Each course should allocate credit‐hours to portfolio development.
e. Vis Coursework should reflect prevailing trends in Professional Practice
f. Vis Coursework should encourage and reward innovation
• To be admitted to a mid‐level Vis course, students should be required to submit the portfolio of work
generated in the prerequisite course. This (more than the record of the Registrar) will ensure adherence
to the sequence.
• Transfer credit will be determined by Vis Coordinators and Chairs on a case‐by‐case basis, through a
process of portfolio review.
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• BIM, hardware instruction and graphic design should be formally integrated into the sequence at
strategic locations. Instructors who are engaged in professional practice will be essential to the success
of this endeavor. Candidates should be recruited and retained.
• The Visual Media sequence should establish and operate an independent, informal review space on
the web for display of images, exchange of ideas, access to coursework and links to relevant web
resources. Each instructor should be required to post select images following mid‐term and final
reviews.
• At the end of each term, select images should be collected by each instructor (in digital format) and
forwarded to Coordinators and Chairs. These images will provide source material for faculty evaluations
and NAAB reviews.
• In advance of each semester, Vis Coordinators and Chairs should meet to review faculty performance
and determine the optimal distribution of teaching staff for the coming term. If Coordinators are
excluded from this process, or otherwise unable to impact staffing decisions, they should not be held
accountable for oversight or review of curriculum delivery.
• Thesis ‘Walk‐Thru’ should be revised to include student portfolios (reflecting First through Fourth
Years) as part of the requirements for Graduation. A similar exercise should be conducted for BSAT
students prior to Graduation. Visual Media faculty should participate in these reviews.
4. Facilities, Equipment & School Culture 4.1 Challenges & Objectives An environment of constantly changing design tools, methods, and technologies within professional
practice sets a challenge for not only an appropriate curriculum, but also an appropriate infrastructure.
There is an increasingly divided split between proponents of traditional forms of architectural
representation and those who favor that which is digitally generated.
Rather than positioning ourselves on one side or the other, we seek to environmentally and
pedagogically reinforce the benefits and value of each through an exchange and overlap. An
opportunity lies here for a new type of infrastructure: one that considers the needs of both an analog as
well as a digital environment, setting in place a framework that advocates fluidity in process and
adaptability with future change.
4.2 Assessment At present, our environment is in a state of suspended transition between digital and pre‐digital eras.
This is most apparent in design studios, where student lap‐tops compete with parallel rules, radiograph
pens and model materials for scraps of desk space. A brief review of our physical environment at both
campuses suggests the following:
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• Number of desks is more than sufficient to serve current enrollment numbers of both permanently
assigned upper‐level students as well as nomadic first‐year students.
• Existing desk surfaces are scratched and inadequate for drafting, rendering it impossible for students
to use studio work‐sessions efficiently and fostering an antisocial culture of working at home.
• Existing desk surfaces also lack appropriate areas allocated for cutting and model‐making, supporting
the irresponsible desk surface damage that plagues our studios.
• Our students remain underserved without the availability of a light box as a proper tool for drafting
efficiency.
• Studio storage facilities [including individual lockers] are scarce and insufficient to support the use of
large and/or heavy model making materials as well as a large‐scale drafting environment.
• While small format scanners [8.5” x 11” and 11” x 17”] are available within computing labs, no sheet‐
fed large format scanner is available to students. This necessitates students to turn to print shops for the
documentation/portfolio process, making it economically unfeasible for some.
• There are presently three (3) laser cutters in Ed Hall and two (2) at 1855 Broadway, for a total of five
(5). For the Fall 2009 term, this translates into a ratio of 157 students per‐machine. This imbalance has
inspired confrontation between students, abuse of equipment and at least one (1) instance of breaking‐
and‐entering. As the laser cutters become systematically integrated, demand will increase.
• Existing desktop workstations are suitably equipped with current industry standards of hardware and software. An annual software assessment should be made for appropriate updates as deemed necessary. The 2009 Desktop software image as follows:
AutoCAD 2009 Autodesk Architecture 2009 Autodesk Revit Arch 2009 Autodesk Revit Structure 2009 Autodesk Revit MEP 2009 Autodesk 3DS MAX 2009 Rhino 3D 4.0 Google SketchUp 7 Adobe CS 3 Microsoft Office 2007
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• An adequate number of desktop workstations are available within our computing labs to serve digital
course enrollments, however no laptop docking stations are provided. Such infrastructure could
augment course enrollment per class.
• Wireless connectivity is inadequate and often, non‐existent within our studio environments.
• While number of desks are sufficient, only a handful are equipped to serve as laptop docking stations,
providing both power and/or Ethernet and server connectivity.
• While printers and plotters are available within the LL1 Studio environment [Manhattan campus], such
printing capabilities are only available in separate and distant computing labs at all other studio
locations, making studio class time disruptive, inefficient, and non‐collective.
• Lack of projector capabilities and/or a proper projection environment makes digital pinup alternatives
impossible within most studio locations.
4.3 Proposed Changes The optimal model for multi‐media production is ‘Plug‐and‐Play’; students supply lap‐tops and software,
which ‘plug’ easily into the multi‐media infrastructure provided by the School. Our environment should
strive to adopt this model, which would better address the realities of a highly mobile student body and
the triumph of the lap‐top workstation.
• Lap‐tops should be required for admission into First Year, period. This is standard procedure at our
peer institutions, and is to be expected at an institute of Technology. The Financial Aid Office reports an
allowance for a computer purchase of $1200 into the cost of attendance for new students. While
insufficient for an architecture workstation, this covers a majority of the cost. In addition, Dell offers
financing and other incentives through the Office of Academic Computing. A recommended
specification sheet for 2009/10 students is included in this package. The spec should be updated each
year and available for download through the home‐page of the School’s website, along with links to
Financial Aid and Academic Computing.
• Studio spaces should be re‐configured to facilitate and optimize lap‐top usage. All studios should be
equipped with the following:
a. One (1) desktop computer (for Print/Scan Workstation)
b. B&W printer and paper (for 11x17 output)
c. Flat‐bed Scanner (for 11x17 input)
d. Digital Projector
e. Robust wireless networking
f. Sufficient electrical outlets
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g. Drawing surface & stools for 15 students
• In addition to localized branches of our electronic infrastructure, we need to consolidate and reinforce
our shared equipment (model shops, large scale plotters, scanners, laser cutters and 3D printers) into
‘Production Shops’ ‐ centralized foci of equipment and production on each campus.
• As we acquire increasingly sophisticated equipment (without an increase in area), a strategy for
shedding redundant or impaired equipment is essential. Such a strategy would identify under‐
performing items at the end of each School year, and course requirements enforced that encourage use
of our best equipment.
• Traditional computer labs (i.e. 1010 in MA or 256 in OW) should be phased‐out in favor of ‘Plug‐and Play’ spaces; desk‐top computers waste space, eliminate flexibility and divert resources to endless software acquisition and upgrades. To the extent allowable, the formal distinctions between ‘computer labs’ and ‘design studios’ should be eliminated, and desk‐tops removed to free‐up space for lap‐tops. In all locations, students should be encouraged to ‘dock’ their own workstations into a resilient network of electronic infrastructure and production tools that is provided and maintained by the School.
5. Proposed Course Materials The attached Course Materials attempt to translate the general observations of this document into
specific coursework. They are organized in sequence by course, with a Syllabus and outlines for each
assignment. These materials are presented here in draft format. They are intended to provoke
discussion, illicit criticism and guide the transition process.
Acknowledgements We wish to acknowledge the following individuals for their engagement (directly or indirectly) in this
process: Judith DiMaio, Frank Mruk, Bill Palmore, Matthias Altwicker, David Diamond, Robert Cutrone, Jill Cherveny Keough, Tom Zoli, Jason Van Nest and Andy Burne