Computer Aided Architectural Design 1

Code:

30306B3

Acronym:

30306B3

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Drawing

Instance: 2010/2011 - 1S

Active?	Yes
Web Page:	http://web.ccre.arq.up.pt
Responsible unit:	Desenho (D)
Course/CS Responsible:	Integrated Master Degree in Architecture

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
MIARQ	64	MIARQ	3	-	3	-	81

Teaching language

Portuguese

Objectives

The aim of Computer Architectural Aided Design (CAAD I and CAAD II), which is a 3rd year discipline in the first-cycle, is to develop theoretical and practical bases for Computer Graphics with a special emphasis on the software used for rendering, communicating and designing architecture. The intent is to convey the knowledge necessary for computers to be used as design instruments.

The course runs through two parallel vectors: a practical and a theoretical one. The practical classes aim to give students the knowledge necessary for them to be able to question and discuss critically the potential of computers for architectural design and its representation and communication to a set of diverse public. The strategy adopted in practical lessons guides the students to develop in parallel both individual and collective architectural design projects.

The program of the architectural design project for CAAD - the E-Learning Café -,consists of a new social and study space, taking advantage of ICT functions by incorporating them into the proposed design.

The ability of the Faculty's internal network jointly with Internet to allow students to communicate and share information is an integral part of how CAAD is taught and how the design projects are developed. This is ensured by the active use throughout the course of the websites CCRE (Centre for Spatial Communication and Representation)
http://web.ccre.arq.up.pt/main/index.php
and the U. Porto e-learning platform Moodle http://moodle.up.pt/course/category.php?id=787

Program

In the first semester the students start to work on a design exercise that consists of an E-Learning Café program. During this first level design exercise they are guided to focus on the principles of geometric composition in both 2D and 3D space and to explore diverse architectural ideas using intuitive modelling software.

The objective is to make students develop an architectural design project integrating simultaneously CAAD technologies in conjunction with the traditional design methods for representing and communicating space. In this way we want to achieve a balanced use of digital and analogue tools within the architectural design processes.

This design that consists of an E-Learning Café aims to create a new dynamic learning space that integrate social and study activities and constitutes a strategic relational dimension for all the people connected with U. Porto.

The program for the design of a new E-Learning Café and its innovative spatial configuration will encourage several forms of group interaction, for both socializing and studying, activities, thus promoting the interdisciplinary exchange of knowledge and experience. Some key ideas for this design program include: anticipation, imagination and versatility of functions, learning communities and other related concepts.

Software

Sketchup
Rhinoceros
Google Earth
Autocad

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation without final exam

Assessment Components

Description	Type	Time (hours)	Weight (%)	End date
Attendance (estimated)	Participação presencial	56,00
	Total:	-	0,00