ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN DEGREE PROJECT

Art Center College of Design, Department of Environmental Design, Spring 2004

the degree project is the culmination and final part of the degree program in the department of environmental design. each student will devote their final two terms in the department to the development, satisfactory completion and presentation of a degree project. this project will be initiated in the seventh term with research and preliminary design, developed through the eighth term, concluding with the presentation of the project as a part of the senior show. the degree project should address the broad scope of environmental design and represent the highest caliber of design excellence within the department. part of the evaluation of each project will take into account the general completeness, competency and mastery evident and the articulation of some key elements or issues that point to a deeper investigation, understanding and communication of the essence of the project.

reviews:
during the course of the term there will be three formal reviews of the degree projects including both 7th and 8th term students. each review will include both faculty from the environmental design department and guest critics from outside the school and department. these three reviews will be important opportunities for project and process evaluation, objective feedback and constructive criticism. all students are expected to be present for the entirety of each review.
> 1/3 review week 5 thursday february 19th 2-7pm
> 2/3 review week 8 thursday march 11th 2-7pm
> final review week 13 monday april 12th 2-7pm

schedules:
for the most part, mondays will be desk crits with rob and frank, thursdays will be group oriented charettes, presentations, submissions and reviews with fritz. each 8th term student will work with the instructors to develop their individual schedule for the term that they will commit to. this schedule will include various deadlines and landmarks that will guide students to a timely and thorough completion of their project by sunday of week 14.

presentations:
in addition to the review process, students will make individual presentations to their peers. these presentations will focus on one particular and significant aspect of the project. each thursday class will begin with this half hour presentation followed by an open discussion. each student will identify on their schedules a topic and a presentation date from week 2 - week 12.

studio, installations and pinups:
for the spring term both 7th and 8th term students will have studio space in room 225. during the first week students will set up the studio space, and create a working environment / installation that will support and display the development of the project. one area of the room will be set aside for the presentations and group meetings.

mentors, advisors & and technical consultants:
each degree project student will be expected to work with external advisors and mentors. these will most likely be professionals, academics and specialists outside of the department and college that will provide important support for critical issues related to the project. each student will work independently and with their instructors to identify these advisors.
the buddy system:
each student will select a partner on the first class of the term. this person will be responsible for taking notes during group reviews and every desk critique. your partner will be a part of the support network for your project and a consistent witness to your design and review process.

seventh term:
the genesis of each degree project will be a desire, curiosity, problem, idea, question, observation, conundrum, experiment, concept. it should be driven by a combination of both intense personal interest and real public / social relevance. the seed of inspiration for the project may at first be vague and difficult to articulate. it will be complex, ambitious and require the entirety of two intense terms of thought, research, analysis, experimentation, exploration, design, development and presentation. we will be developing these degree projects throughout the seventh term within the following framework:
I inspirations & metaphors
II questions & statements
III bibliography & references
IV typologies & case studies
V design forces
...a.need
...b.people (who?)
...c.activity (what?)
...d.place (where?)
...e.technologies (how?)
VI the project & the program
VII visuals, 5 senses & time
VIII visitors & mentors
XI graphics & presentation
X evaluation & continuation

I inspirations & metaphors
inspiration
identification and documentation (both visual and verbal) your inspirations.....what are the personal and public references that will drive and enlighten your design?
metaphor
identification, research and documentation (both visual and verbal) of a metaphor.....what else in the world is your project like?

II questions & statements
questions
what are the questions that will lead you through the inspiration, research, analysis, programming and design process? what questions will your design ultimately pose? these will be asked, recorded and presented every week and compiled for the final presentation.
statements
these will take two forms...
1) a one-sentence statement that abstractly expresses the concepts, positions, agendas, priorities, goals, sensibilities, attitudes and complexities of the project. this should be clear enough to give a sense of direction, but abstract and vague enough to allow it to grow and reveal itself over time. this one statement will be develop and evolve weekly, towards a final version by the end of the term.
2) a 7 page paper in three parts will be due at the end of the term.
-part 1 will be the final version of your one-sentence concept statement.
-part 2 will be a 5 page annotated research paper. this will not be about your project in particular. it will present and discuss the research and analysis you have done during the seventh term that will inform your project.
-part 3 will be a one page abstract about your project. it will expand and elaborate upon your concept statement.

III bibliography & references
bibliography
at the beginning of the term you will compile a list of the books and resources that you will study through out the rest of the term to inform and inspire your design. these may include....
-biographies
-essays
-films
-interviews
-lectures
-monographs
-newspapers
-novels
-periodicals
-poetry
-technical resources
-t.v. shows
-textbooks
-web-sites

IV typologies & case studies
typology study
this is the type of design project you are doing in general terms. this may be an existing standard project type, a hybrid of a few different types, or a whole new one that we have not seen before. you will research and analyze the history and current state of your design type, and document your findings (in both verbal and visual form).
case study
you will select a few specific design projects from the past and present to study in depth. the projects you decide to study should have some significant relevance to the project you are pursuing and be examples of great design. You will document your research in verbal, graphic and visual form.
V design forces
the study of these design forces will be central to your research and preliminary design. documentation of the thought and research on these topics will take both written and graphic form.
1.the need the design fulfills
2.the people the design is for
what are the...personalities, requirements, needs, relationships, histories, desires, dreams, fears, dislikes, sizes, movements, cultures, tastes, sensibilities, passions, attitudes, goals.......................of these people?
3.the activity the design accommodates
what are the...requirements, needs, relationships, histories, restraints, meanings, sensibilities... ................................... of this activity?
4.the place the design is located
what is the...history, context, environment, culture, peoples, landscape, geography, geology, restraints, climate, feeling, color, material, light ..................of this place?
5. the technologies, materials and structural concepts that will play a role in your design

VI the project & the program
the program
a detailed documentation of the parts of the design, and their respective requirements and adjacencies. this will take both a written and a graphic form.

VII visuals, 5 senses & time
concept visuals
made each week and expanded upon towards the end of the term. these may include:
-computer images
-charts
-collages
-concept drawings
-concept models
-diagrams
-gesture drawings
-photographs
-mock-ups
-material and color studies
-sketches
-story boards
-study models
-videos and films
-performances
-interventions
five senses
some manifestation of the qualities of sight, smell, sound, taste & touch that drive the inspirations for the project and that exist in the conceptual design.
timeline
a graphic tool to understand the complex relationships of time that exist in your research, analysis and designs.

VIII visitors & mentors
visitors
each student will invite a visitor to the class at some point during the course of the term. this person will either make a presentation, sit in for a review, or co-present the students project as a collaborator or mentor.
mentors & advisors
each degree project student will be expected to work with external advisors and mentors. these will most likely be professionals, academics and specialists outside of the department and college that will provide important support for critical issues related to the project. each student will work independently and with their instructors to identify these advisors.

XI graphics & presentation
from the very beginning of the term students should be thinking about the way they will be representing and presenting their projects, the physical form and manifestation of their ideas. this encompasses everything from how models are made & the materials used to the graphic design of presentations & the way text and written material is integrated. the way each project is presented should be holistic, complete, clear, consistent and integrated. the desires, attitudes, sensibilities and direction of the design project should influence the way that they are presented. the final package that you will develop over the course of the term will take three forms; a book, a disk and the materials for a public presentation.

X evaluation & continuation
group reviews, individual desk critiques, project advisors and student peers will provide consistent feedback and evaluation of the projects. students are expected to be open and welcome this diversity of opinions and points of view, while taking the final responsibility for how it informs and directs the development of the project.
at the end of the seventh term, instructors will evaluate the projects based on the degree project requirements and the fulfillment of the preceding guidelines. projects that have satisfied these requirements will be allowed to proceed into the the eighth term for development, completion and final presentation in the senior show.

questions...
how can your environmental design project...
-be a manifestation of some beliefs and opinions you hold?
-have an agenda, something that it wants to change?
-be driven by curiosity?
-encompass some breadth of environmental design?
-expand the boundaries of what we consider to be environmental design?
-go beyond conventional typologies?
-be large enough to present a challenge for two terms of work?
-be small enough to allow you to develop it in a full and deep way?
-grow out of some personal interest
-grow out of some public need?
-understand its constraints and use them as a design resource?
-an opinion, some qualitative decisions about the world we live in?
-solve a problem?
-grow out of the needs of people?
-address the senses other than sight?
-create an integral environment?
-confront some issues that exist in contemporary society?
-draw on a deep reservoir of research and critical analysis?
-benefit from your past six terms of experience, work and education in environmental design?
-go beyond 3 dimensions and address the 4th dimension of time and experience?
-improve the lives of people?
-learn from the past, and other designers that have pursued similar paths?
-point the direction to the future of design in general and your design path in particular?
-find inspiration in the world around you?
-sustain your interest and devotion over 2 terms of work?
-find some answers?
-leave room for questions?
-get you out of bed in the morning?
-keep you up at night?