M Arch / MLA Dual Degree, Full Program

Introduction of fundamental architectural elements - walls, doors, windows, stairs, rooms – through research, precedent study and related design assignments. Establishment of quality criteria and core communication skills—verbal, graphic, and written - allow studio members to detect and avoid chance and arbitrariness in order to arrive at rational clarity and intellectual order. Studio projects focus on deployment of fundamental architectural elements into a whole and unified, small structure. Open only to Architecture majors.

During the last one hundred years, a number of cultural, economic, and social changes have moved architectural discourse and practice into a global network. This survey course focuses on the rise of new educational, financial, geo-political, professional, and technological scenarios that transformed architecture and urbanism from the end of World War One to the present. Canonical buildings and sites are discussed within the context of global modernism.

The development of visual acuity through the analysis of aesthetic expression. Exercises in visual perception and aesthetic judgment transition from traditionally hand manipulated to digital media. Critical inquiry of media; isolation and analysis; interdependence and integration of sensuous qualities. Exercises include the study of proportion and rhythm, texture and color, mass and space. Topics of inquiry vary. Open only to Architecture majors.

Basic understanding of the system involves forces, vectors, equilibrium, statics, supports with free body diagrams, material properties, stress, strain, and deformation (force or temperature). Simple structural systems will be analyzed using simple statics and free body diagrams. The latter part of the course will concentrate on structural typologies. Load paths will be analyzed for several different types, construction materials, and structural systems. Principles of deflection will be presented along with vertical and lateral displacement issues.

The second semester of the Master of Architecture focuses on the development of the fundamental aspects of building - space, structure, and materials - which are explored through designing a small house. Students expand their notions of scale and context through the investigation of current issues, historical and contemporary precedents, and the careful analysis and documentation of a specific site within a neighborhood of the city. Through a series of assignments, the studio is guided step by step through an iterative design process that culminates in imagining the home of the future. Open only to Architecture majors. Prerequisite(s): [(ARCH 541)]

The course will include the research and study of the architectural surface and the integration into built form. Facade systems, enclosure assemblies, and related materials will be investigated as part of a graphic study as well as full scale built application. The relationships of materials and construction methods will be evaluated with respect to architectural expression and performance. Open only to Architecture majors. Prerequisite(s): [(ARCH 506)]

A comprehensive investigation of building design viewed through the mechanics of elemental forces. The focus of the class will be the understanding and reduction of complex building concepts into understandable components of the detail, the element, and the system. Topics include lateral resisting components, diaphragms, moment frames, shear walls, and braced frames in historical and current precedents. Prerequisite(s): [(ARCH 485)]

The chronological history of designed landscapes with an emphasis on the emergence of the profession of landscape architecture in North America in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Open only to Landscape Architecture or Architecture majors.

The qualities and characteristics of landscape materials with emphasis on a quantitative and interrelated understanding of the design of landform (grading) and water. Covers the influence of climate, geology, soils, hydrology, and disturbances on the design of a site's constituent elements including paths and streets, infrastructure, plants, and water. Open only to Landscape Architecture and Architecture majors.

In the third semester students move beyond the single building and elements that make up the home to consider the spaces between buildings, infrastructural elements, and neighborhoods. More complex sites and programs are introduced through the study of mixed-use buildings with hybrid structures and projects comprised of multiple building elements. Research of neighborhood typologies culminate in an urban design study that becomes the basis for individual building designs. The introduction of sustainable design concepts and material selection increase the students understanding of the building as a whole and are precursor to the comprehensive building design studio. Finally students explore the architect’s role in the making of a neighborhood and end with a project considering the neighborhood of the future. Open only to Architecture majors. Prerequisite(s): [(ARCH 542)]

Selection and design of building support systems: heating, ventilating, air conditioning, water supply, sanitary and storm drainage, power distribution, lighting, communications, and vertical transportation. Systems are analyzed for their effect on building form, construction cost, and operating efficiency.

Inquiry into the texts and projects of contemporary landscape architecture situated within a framework of historical and canonical texts and projects. Open only to Landscape Architecture or Architecture majors.

The plants of the Western Great Lakes Basin, emphasizing both prominent native and commercially available species. Understanding and identifying species as found within typical plant communities. Familiarization with plant physiology as determined by climate, geology, topography, hydrology, soils, wildlife, and disturbances. Open only to Landscape Architecture and Architecture majors.

This studio is the last of the four milestones of the curriculum, consisting sequentially of Element, House, Neighborhood and Institution. As a bridge between the concerns of the neighborhood and the metropolitan scale issues to be encountered in the subsequent Cloud Studios, this semester will deal with problems, programs and contexts that are unique to institutional architecture within the city and will challenge students to create forward-looking strategies for renewed civic and cultural development. Because this studio is the only required comprehensive studio for the Master of Architecture degree program, all students must demonstrate that they are capable of producing a single building project demonstrating the synthesis of ecological planning, programming and code analysis, structure and building systems. Students will research and produce a building program based on the themes introduced in the studio sections consisting of all necessary code research, context documentation and analysis, building theme research and logistics research. Project will vary by studio section. Open only to Architecture majors. Prerequisite(s): [(ARCH 543)]

Selection and design of building support systems: heating, ventilating, air conditioning, water supply, sanitary and storm drainage, power distribution, lighting, communications, and vertical transportation. Systems are analyzed for their effect on building form, construction cost, and operating efficiency. Prerequisite(s): [(ARCH 513)]

This course investigates the state of contemporary architecture as represented by significant practices, buildings, theories, and criticisms. Themes to be considered include globalization, the role of digital design media, the ethics and aesthetics of sustainability, contemporary urbanism, new approaches to materials and structure, and recent interests in ornament and pattern-making. Current conditions will be related historically to postwar reactions to modernism and contextually to the social and technological shifts of recent decades. With a focus on primary readings and building documentation, the course places an emphasis on the great complexity of social, political, intellectual, and technological forces affecting design. Critical reading and writing skills will be emphasized. Open only to Architecture majors.

Techniques and technologies to analyze, construct, remediate and/or restore urban sites including those that have been subjected to complex human disturbances such as landfills and brownfields. Includes special needs construction practices such as structured soils, phytoremediation, green roofs, and rooftop gardens. Open only to Landscape Architecture and Architecture majors.

Understanding the fundamental relationships of dynamic processes with an emphasis on representing time, movement, space, light, rhythms, shifting boundaries and enclosures, and physical materials of landscape. Open only to Landscape Architecture majors.

Advanced understanding of planting typologies, the history of plants in design, and the preparation of planting construction documentation augmented by frequent investigations and analysis of built landscapes in the Chicago region. Open only to Landscape Architecture and Architecture majors.

Advanced study of landscape architecture topics with emphasis on research methods, description, analysis, and criticism. Open only to Landscape Architecture and Architecture majors only.

Investigate advanced digital fabrication and modeling techniques necessary to understand complex three-dimensional surfaces, objects, and space, as well as dynamic landscape and urban processes. Modeling, rendering, scripting, and animation skills are used to conduct, generate, and communicate research. Open only to Landscape Architecture and Architecture majors. Prerequisite(s): [(LA 525 and LA 526)]

An immersion in the history, discourse, and culture of cities in the modern era with an emphasis on Chicago and a focus on the needs and influences surrounding urban growth, development, and culture. Readings, lectures, case studies, film screenings, field trips, and discussions will provide a basic set of conceptual and theoretical resources for understanding the origins and development of cities. This course will develop a context for understanding the role of design in shaping the urban environment.

Development of landscape architecture as a multi-scalar framework for designing dynamic urban processes and sites. Emphasis on research and design strategies that focus on the region as an analytical lens for site-specific design. Open only to Landscape Architecture majors.

Twentieth century and contemporary landscape architecture is investigated through case studies including site visits to projects in the Chicago region. Open only to Landscape Architecture and Architecture majors.

Develop expertise in professional practice. Lectures, research assignments, and case studies will investigate practice models, proposals and contracts, schedules and budgets, project phases, project and client types, project team structure, the role of competitions, professional development, and licensure. In addition, the role of landscape architects, urban planners, real estate trusts, government agencies, developers, and others in directing the economic, professional, political, and socio-cultural concerns and responsibilities to initiate and manage landscapes will be investigated. Open only to Landscape Architecture majors.

Students may choose from a variety of courses within the architecture and landscape architecture catalog to meet minimum credit hour requirements and to further their training for specializations and/or interests. Students should consult their academic advisor to confirm which classes are available and applicable to fulfill their degree requirements.

The integration of local ecologies, projected use, and the performance of ephemeral, semi-permanent, and permanent site interventions into cohesive and resilient design proposals for varied urban sites. Introduction to a wide range of site-specific professional design standards including the Americans with Disabilities Act and barrier-free regulations. Open only to Landscape Architecture majors. Prerequisite(s): [(LA 542)]

ARCH 502 Advanced Topics in History & Theory I – Intended to build on the knowledge and abilities gained in the foundational architectural history and theory courses. This seminar focuses on advanced topics in history, theory, and criticism. Students select from varying and diverse topics such as urbanism, sustainability, design methodology, aesthetics, ethics and law, history of technology, and architecture in relation to other arts. Seminar may also offer intense focus on particular architects, periods, regions, or movements. Critical reading and writing skills will be emphasized. In addition, the advanced seminar will teach research skills, will expect the students to formulate and pursue original research topics, and will expect oral presentations of these projects. These abilities will be evaluated through in-class presentations and research papers. Open only to Architecture majors. ARCH 503 Advanced Topics in History & Theory II – Intended to build on the knowledge and abilities gained in the foundational architectural history and theory courses. This seminar focuses on advanced topics in history, theory, and criticism. Students select from varying and diverse topics such as urbanism, sustainability, design methodology, aesthetics, ethics and law, history of technology, and architecture in relation to other arts. Seminar may also offer intense focus on particular architects, periods, regions, or movements. Critical reading and writing skills will be emphasized. In addition, the advanced seminar will teach research skills, will expect the students to formulate and pursue original research topics, and will expect oral presentations of these projects. These abilities will be evaluated through in-class presentations and research papers. Open only to Architecture majors.

Landscape Architecture students may choose from a variety of courses within the landscape architecture course catalog to meet minimum credit-hour requirements and to further their training for specializations and/or personal interest. Students should consult their academic advisors to confirm which classes are available and applicable to fulfill their degree requirements.

Architecture students may choose from a variety of courses within the architecture course catalog to meet minimum credit-hour requirements and to further their training for specializations and/or personal interest. Students should consult their academic advisors to confirm which classes are available and applicable to fulfill their degree requirements.

Students may choose from a variety of courses within the architecture and landscape architecture catalog to meet minimum credit hour requirements and to further their training for specializations and/or interests. Students should consult their academic advisor to confirm which classes are available and applicable to fulfill their degree requirements.

The design-based research studio is a continuation of the LA 545 research-based design studio. It is focused on the development of the specific proposals based on the critical findings of LA 545. The aim of the studio is to develop formal solutions which address the complexities of modern metropolis and advance disciplinary knowledge at large. The studio production is oriented toward the development of projects in a variety of scales from large-scale master plans, urban designs, and landscape designs to new urban typologies and singular buildings, all of which can address a variety of the issues pertinent to the modern metropolis. The studios are formed in few thematic clusters which complement each other or serve as dialectical opposites. Each studio explores variety of techniques from parametric design, digital fabrication, model making, and advanced geospatial software to cultural and theoretical discourses. Vertical studio integrating advanced BArch, MArch, MLA, MS, and PHD students. Students will be able to select from varied studio topics. Open only to Landscape Architecture and Architecture majors.

ARCH 560 Integrated Building Delivery Practice/BIM – (3-0-3). ARCH 561 Entrepreneurship & Innovation in Architecture – (3-0-3). ARCH 562 Planning Law & Land Policy – (3-0-3). ARCH 563 Introduction to Real Estate Finance Fundamentals – The Art of the Deal, with the emphasis on Art, is a term best positioning the financial structuring behind any project. The ability of the project team leader in integrated practice to understand and appreciate the motivations and opportunities inherent in the initiation of the project will be essential in guiding team decisions and maintaining a leadership position. The understanding of the financial underpinnings of a project is of paramount importance to those intending to actually engage the process of initiating and effecting a construction activity. The sources, costs, and sequence of funding, budgeting, cash flow, incentives options, and tax ramifications regarding a project are to be addressed as component knowledge to an understanding of integrated project management. Open only to Architecture majors. ARCH 565 Construction & Project Management – The organization of deliverables from the multiple participants in a project plan, including estimating, quality control, value engineering, scheduling of work, conflict resolution, pay schedules, and project close-out and commissioning are essential to managing a building project. Many of these areas of endeavor are those most directly impacted by the developments addressed in Integrated Building Delivery Practice. This course will solidify the underpinnings and will amplify, where needed, the requisite understanding in these areas of the practice. The development of managerial skills requisite to the practice of this coordination and the basis of developing inter-professional relationships will be stressed throughout the incorporation of the technical methodologies. Open only to Architecture majors. ARCH 569 Good Design and Good Business: The Fundamentals From our very own experience, architects with ambitious design agendas have a tendency to focus on design at the expense of paying attention to and designing their businesses. Awareness of a more integrated and balanced approach is essential for young architects as they navigate a rapidly changing world, and will help them develop tools and skills to implement, at varying scales, their ideas of a better metropolis. Specifically, the seminar will touch upon such topics as decision making, communication and presentation skills, multidisciplinary collaboration, persuasion and negotiation, and professional advocacy. Pedagogically, the seminar will consist of lectures, case studies, readings, and practice assignments.

Landscape Architecture students may choose from a variety of courses within the landscape architecture course catalog to meet minimum credit-hour requirements and to further their training for specializations and/or personal interest. Students should consult their academic advisors to confirm which classes are available and applicable to fulfill their degree requirements.

Architecture students may choose from a variety of courses within the architecture course catalog to meet minimum credit-hour requirements and to further their training for specializations and/or personal interest. Students should consult their academic advisors to confirm which classes are available and applicable to fulfill their degree requirements.