ARC480H1 F
Instructor: Daniel Chung
Meeting Section: L0101
Fall 2023

This seminar will explore the past, present, and future of building envelopes as technological and societal responses to our environmental desires. Building enclosures are often multilayered systems designed to respond and adapt to external forces and occupant needs. They are also designed to communicate spatial affect that extends beyond the basic needs of shelter and climate protection. This course will examine past and existing envelope designs to understand how the technical systems that were employed were a response to their climate, context, and cultural conditions. After developing a methodology for parsing and analyzing existing enclosure designs, the course will then project how future envelope designs will address new challenges and aspirations.

This course will combine analytical evaluations of building envelopes (structure, heat, air, moisture, lighting) and critical reflections on how envelopes respond to social and cultural forces through readings, assignments, presentations, and discussions. Student should expect to perform technical analysis, critical discussions, and speculative design exercises.