COURSE DESCRIPTION

Semester Credit Hours:                           3

Class Contact Hours per week:               5 hours

Estimated Time Commitment to Complete Assignments:  5 hours per week (outside of class time)

The goal of the course is to foster the development of architectural visual communication.  The focus will be on drawing skills with a focus on principles of perspective, light, shade, scale, proportion, line, and tonal quality.  These principles will allow for exploring and developing conceptual ideas and clear graphic presentations. This course provides an in-depth foundation for understanding how drawing functions as a discipline-specific way of thinking, bringing critical precision to non-verbal presentations, and supports the process of conceptual exploration.

This course aims to fulfill all or part of the following NAAB (National Architectural Accrediting Board) Student Performance Criteria:  

• A.1 Professional Communication Skills

Ability to write and speak effectively and use representational media appropriate for both within the profession and with the general public.

• A.4 Architectural Design Skills

Ability to effectively use basic formal, organizational, and environmental principles, and the capacity of each to inform two- and three-dimensional design.

REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS & COURSE MATERIALS

Textbook:

• REQUIRED TEXTBOOK: Architectural Graphics, Sixth Edition* by Francis D.K. Ching; John Wiley & Sons, 2015.  ISBN: 978-1-119-03566-4. *Paperback format.

Material kits will be provided to students enrolled in ARCH 1307 - Architectural Graphics I including:

• Sketchbook and other drawing supplies
• Internet connection required for submitting coursework and accessing online course content

Materials to be purchased by Student include:

• Several soft-lead drawing pencils (HB or softer recommended)
• Pencil Sharpener
• Architectural Scale (Make sure it is Architectural and not Engineering)
• 30/ 60 and 45 degree drafting triangles or adjustable triangle
• Circle template or compass
• Tape Measurer 10’ or 25’
• Other drawing materials as assigned throughout the semester

ARCH 1307: Architectural Graphics I is offered through the Architectural and Engineering Computer Aided Design Department of Austin Community College.  This semester, all instruction and lab activity will happen in-person in Room 1500 during class hours.  Blackboard, ACC’s learning management system, will be used by the instructor to post assignments and by the students to submit their work for a grade.  This course is offered to those interested in architectural graphics and freehand architectural sketching as an initial step toward the Associate of Science (AS) in Architecture degree.  The course designation ARCH 1307 uses the Texas Common Course Numbering (TCCN) System to facilitate transfer to a Texas public university.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will:

1. Execute the major conventions of architectural representation, such as plans, sections, elevations, and other three-dimensional drawings.
2. Use tools necessary to produce architectural drawings.
3. Use drawings to explore and diagram design concepts.
4. Explain/describe the history of techniques associated with representation, visualization, analysis, and presentation.
5. Produce well-crafted presentation materials that communicate ideas clearly.

At the completion of the Associate of Science (AS) degree in Architecture, the student will be able to:

1. Write and speak effectively and use representational media appropriate for both writing and speaking within the architectural profession and with the general public (Professional Communication Skills).
2. Raise clear and precise questions, use abstract ideas to interpret information, consider diverse points of view, reach well-reasoned conclusions, and test alternative outcomes against relevant criteria and standards (Design Thinking Skills).
3. Identify and effectively use basic formal, organizational and environmental principles and the capacity of each to inform two- and three-dimensional design (Architectural Design Skills).
4. Identify and apply the fundamentals of both natural and formal ordering systems and the capacity of each to inform two- and three-dimensional design (Ordering Systems).