LARCH 301 DESIGN FOUNDATIONS STUDIO AUTUMN 2016 MWF 1:30-5:20 PM

Julie Johnson jmjsama@uw.edu office hours: M 11:00-12:00; W 10:30-11:30 | Gould 348B Iain Robertson iainmr@uw.edu office hours: F 9:00-11:00 | Gould Coffeeshop WELCOME TO LARCH 301! LARC 301 is an introductory studio, a foundation for subsequent courses that explore project design in varied contexts and scales. It introduces you to theory and practice of landscape design and site planning--by doing, observing, reading & reflecting. We use the word 'landscape' holistically. Landscapes are complex, dynamic, interactive and evolving systems. This quarter's courses—301 studio; 323 Plants; 341 Site Planning; 411 Landscape Graphics; 331 Landform Grading and Drainage—lay the foundation for learning to plan, design and represent or depict, places/environments that are functionally, aesthetically, ecologically, and psychologically enriching while aspiring to be "sustainable" as urban ecological designs.

COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES / EXPECTED STUDENT OUTCOMES 1. Practice the iterative design process. Practice the iterative design process again. Successful designers are adept at using the design/creative problem-solving process to synthesis diverse ideas, needs, values, into a unified, whole, complete design. The process is an organizing framework for solving complex spatial problems in ways that provide for human and ecological needs--often referred to as the design of 'places'. We will practice the design process in a variety of ways during the quarter. Practice makes perfect--we expect you to practice, practice, practice. 2. Think about design from the perspective of design principles. Successful designers develop and internalize a set of operating principles that they use to develop their designs. We will begin the process of developing and sharing spatial design principles and honing these through use, use, use to guide your design process. 3. Build self-awareness and foster your creativity. Successful designers are 'reflective practitioners' aware of their own personal strengths and weaknesses. Reflection helps you improve your work and build professional relationships. We will encourage you to build on your strengths, recognize weaknesses, and practice (practice, practice) the skills you need to improve and develop a design knowledge base. Self-awareness is necessary to bring creative ideas to fruition. Everyone is creative. Exploring creativity requires you to take risks. We will encourage, chide, goad, entice you to move beyond your 'comfort level'. 4. Develop skills for applying basic design principles to form-making and spatial organization. We will practice form-giving and space manipulation/formation using basic design principles and elements that define spaces until this becomes second nature. We expect you to engage in discussions of the qualities expressed in your and other's spatial compositions and to talk to, interact with, and assist each other as members of a "learning community". 5. Experiment, apply, practice, and develop site planning and design skills. Integrate, apply, and build upon theory and skills from 341, 331, and 411. We will practice the design process, initially in brief, building-block, projects, leading to more comprehensive site planning and design work. 6. Try out and develop group interaction & communication skills as a learning community. This is the quarter to try new things, to experiment, to explore. The more mistakes you pack into this quarter the fewer you will have to make in the future. We expect you to explore, evaluate and practice all forms of design and planning communication: graphic representation, writing, verbal presentation and critique discussions. Studios are "learning communities" in which you learn more from each other than from faculty, but only if you participate, participate, participate fully. We expect full participation including cooperatively working in teams to solve design problems, practicing internal and external communication, task organization, negotiating approaches and presenting design conclusions. 7. Improve time-management and organizational skills. Design expands to fill the time available, and then overflows into everything else. This quarter we will start the process of trying to manage our time effectively. We will practice the design process efficiently and effectively using time-management and organization skills.

2 L A R C H 3 0 1 D E S I G N F O U N D A T I O N S S T U D I O A U T U M N 2 0 1 6 STUDIO TIME AND ACTIVITIES § Studio class time requires you to be present and actively involved and engaged with us and each other.

§ Studio provides semi-structured time to work on exercises and design projects. Faculty introduce and facilitate studio exercises but may not always be present in the studio.

§ Presentations/discussions may be scheduled throughout and beyond Gould Hall.

§ Studios includes field trips, site visits, and research excursions but, unless notified otherwise, class will begin in the studio.

§ Evaluating your designs occurs through critiques, or 'crits'. Crits are focused dialogues, reflecting on a design through verbal and visual communication--among peers and with faculty to learn about the strengths and challenges of design proposals.

§ Instructors and reviewers have varying perspectives--there is no one right answer awaiting discovery! SKETCHBOOK|JOURNAL An essential part of design learning is keeping a sketchbook to record notes, sketches, diagrams, field trip observations. They should include graphic communication--diagrams, sketches and doodles--augmented with notes as needed. To 'work' sketchbooks must be used regularly. Recording observations in sketchbooks cannot be postponed till 'later'. Sketchbooks record the journey of your growth and exploration as a designer. They are 'works in progress' not 'finished products'. You can use the SAME book for ALL classes this quarter. You MUST date and title all entries to chart progress and insights. READINGS The two required texts—

Dee, Catherine. 2001. Form and Fabric in Landscape Architecture: a Visual Introduction. London; NY: Spon Press. (This book is also required for LARCH 341.)

Tharp, Twyla with Mark Reiter. 2006. The Creative Habit Learn It and Use It for Life. NY: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks. —will be supplemented by readings on reserve in the college library, on e-reserve, or on the course website.

KEEP IN MIND This endeavor is challenging and rewarding. You will be challenged to comprehend 'places' in our living world and conceive and create new ones. Elegant, simple and 'obvious' solutions result from lots of interactions and iterations! Design is a trying experience. § You will not become expert in these topics or skills in one quarter! § Stay engaged and be patient with yourself. § Accept that at times you will be confused and frustrated. § Sustain your willingness to explore, experiment and question. § Acknowledge and accept the inherent ambiguity and open-ended nature of the design process. § Ambiguity is inevitable and not necessarily all bad. There are many opinions, no one right answer. § Learn to be a critical (& appreciative) observer of your environment. § Through studio activities, readings, discussions and reflections, we become designers and see the world through designer's eyes.

It happens. ASSESSMENT MEASURES Your primary focus through studio is your own growth, development and creative explorations. Some classmates will be more advanced in design exploration or graphic communication of their ideas than you are--learn from them rather than being discouraged. Successful studios create a cooperative group learning environment--a learning community--to which everyone contributes. Your engagement is studio serves to train you for professional practice, and so is part of the assessment measures for this class. Numerical course grades will be based on the department's grading guidelines (see BLA Guide or MLA Guide). As essential parts of studio culture and professional practice, your studio effort and contributions to critiques, discussion, and activities--participation--will be graded. Around mid-term, you will receive a draft grade and assessment of your performance in the studio. Late assignments will be penalized unless you discuss your situation with faculty before deadlines. Mitigating circumstances will be taken into consideration, but lateness without an adequate reason is unacceptable in the profession you are entering. Your course grade will be determined using the following percentages: project 1 25% project 2 25% project 3 25% sketchbook 10% engagement in studio, including in-class exercises 15% All in-class design exercises and your progress and final presentation work for the 3 projects must be saved digitally and posted on the course Canvas site as your 301 “portfolio”. Grades will not be provided until your portfolio is posted. All students are expected to know and uphold the UW Student Conduct Code. If you need particular accommodations, please contact the UW Disability Services Office http://www.washington.edu/admin/dso/index.html. If a crisis situations arises: The Safe Campus numbers—Seattle: 206-685-SAFE (7233) are available 24 hours/day, 7 days/week. Safe walk #: 206.685.WALK.

A U T U M N 2 0 1 6 L A R C H 3 0 1 D E S I G N F O U N D A T I O N S S T U D I O 3

SCHEDULE (SUBJECT TO CHANGE) PART 1 IMMERSION: DESIGN PROCESS, PRINCIPLES & EXPRESSIONS.

1 w sept 28 introductions | studio community and design principles | field test readings: Dee, ch. 1 “Landscape Fabric” Tharp, ch. 1 “Introduction” Crowe, ch. 2 “A Guide to Notetaking” f sept 30 FIELD TRIP -- South Lake Union readings: see handout—include? excerpt from Stilgoe, Outside Lies Magic assigned: salon #1 4:30 LECTURE Jillian Wallis and Heike Rahmann in Gould 322 2 m oct 3 SALON #1 translating experiences | principles | places DESIGN STUDIES— field trip…installations reading: Dee, skim ch. 2-7 w oct 5 DESIGN STUDIES…iterations… reading: Tharp, ch. 3 “Your Creative DNA”, ch. 6 “Scratching” f oct 7 DESIGN STUDIES…modeling discuss readings concepts exercises readings: Tharp, ch. 4 “Harness Your Memory” and ch. 5 “Before You Can Think out of the Box, You Have to Start with a Box” 3 m oct 10 project 1! a site nearby. by you. w oct 12 CONTINUE DESIGN… f oct 14 PRESENT|DISCUSS: a site nearby… readings: Tharp, ch. 7 “Accidents Will Happen” and ch. 9 “Skill” assigned: salon #2 PART 2 EXPANSION: DESIGN PROCESS, PRINCIPLES & EXPRESSIONS ACROSS SCALES.

4 m oct 17 SALON #2 precedents project 2! a site of enormous potential and greater size. by a few of you. w oct 19 CONTINUE DESIGN… reading assigned: Tharp, ch. 8 “Spine” f oct 21 PRESENT|DISCUSS: findings and concepts…what’s next. 5 m oct 24 CONTINUE DESIGN…. design redux|revise|recycle w oct 26 REFINE DESIGN… f oct 28 PRESENT|DISCUSS: DESIGN PART 3 INTERVENTION: DESIGN PROCESS AND PRINCIPLES EXPRESSING PLACE & TIME(S).

6 m oct 31 tracequerade exercise HALLOWEEN -- ghastly, ghoulish design intervention! w nov 2 FIELD TRIP—Seattle Center + Ward Springs Park reading and writing a site: group scenarios and analysis f nov 4 project 3: a 21st century campus quad for UW site visit--site|context analysis and program readings: Tharp, ch. 10 “Ruts and Grooves” and ch. 11 “An ‘A’ in Failure” 7 m nov 7 site|context analysis and program work+crit day w nov 9 present|discuss: site|context analysis and program; begin concepts assigned: SALON #3: principles—spatial, temporal, ecological, experiential

4 L A R C H 3 0 1 D E S I G N F O U N D A T I O N S S T U D I O A U T U M N 2 0 1 6 f nov 11 NO CLASS--VETERANS DAY 8 m nov 14 SALON #3 principles concepts desk crits w nov 16 pin-up|discuss: concepts design charrette on selected/hybrid concept f nov 18 refine concept reading assigned: re-view Dee, ch. 7 “Detail” 9 m nov 21 refining design--desk crits w nov 23 refining design storyboard of presentation—design narrative through composition assigned: salon #4 design narrative f nov 25 NO CLASS--THANKSGIVING 10 m nov 28 SALON #4 design narrative pin-up|discuss: your storyboard assign: final project presentation tasks/roles. representation—desk crits w nov 30 representation—desk crits f dec 2 representation—desk crits 11 m dec 5 representation wrap up. graphics due: 1:30 pm. present your project to JJ+IR; work on studio PPT presentation w dec 7 continued: present your project to JJ+IR; all review: studio PPT presentation LA dept. studio reviews: attend another studio + write a reflection in your sketchbook f dec 9 FINAL 301 REVIEW: 11:30-2:30 reading assigned: Tharp, ch. 12 “The Long Run”; re-view Tharp, pp. 227-229 assign: studio reflection exercise in sketchbook FINAL EXAM WEEK m dec 12 studio reflection: as class and student/faculty meetings; course evaluations sketchbooks due; final call for Canvas 301 portfolio submissions w dec 14 student/faculty meetings continued if needed