ARC3405H F
Instructor: Shannon Hilchie
Meeting Section: LEC0101
Thursday, 9:00am - 12:00pm

Exploring the science behind architectural elements that expose their structural form. This course will study the basic principals that dictate what we see as the vernacular in this broad range of objects – from stairs to canopies.

The course will begin with a refresher of structural principles, but the course is not dependent on math proficiency. An understanding of Free Body Diagrams as a concept will certainly assist. We will begin the term with a focus on building elements we tend to see as Features, looking at what is required structurally without impacting the visual aesthetic. One of these elements will be explored further by each student, resulting in a built model. The lectures will then turn to exposed structural materials, such as steel, concrete and wood.

During the term, there will be a tour about the city to look at examples (tour will be coordinated with class as required to account for any accessibility issues) and throughout the term students will design and build a scale model of an element, predicting how/why it fails. The culmination of the course will result in the students testing their models to failure, comparing predictions with actual results.