Intro. to Architectural Design
Introduction to Architectural Design Are you fascinated by buildings and interested in trying your hand at architectural design? This course will introduce you to principles of architecture and teach you the skills architects use to explore and communicate design ideas. We will consider urban and rural settings, sustainability, energy efficiency, functionality, comfort, and the role architecture plays in shaping community. Classroom instruction by a practicing architect will provide hands-on drawing, model-making, and materials research. Students will work to analyze existing buildings and design their own. Students seeking to improve their understanding of the built environment as well to develop their design-mind to reconcile social-ecological challenges are encouraged to take this course. No prior experience is needed. Approval Only
Introduction to Architectural Design Are you fascinated by buildings and interested in trying your hand at architectural design? This course will introduce you to principles of architecture and teach you the skills architects use to explore and communicate design ideas. We will consider urban and rural settings, sustainability, energy efficiency, functionality, comfort, and the role architecture plays in shaping community. Classroom instruction by a practicing architect will provide hands-on drawing, model-making, and materials research. Students will work to analyze existing buildings and …Read more
Misty made me declare architecture as a major, and is the best professor I have had at Middlebury, despite it being her first semester ever teaching. There was an incredible emphasis on learning to learn, rather than learning for a grade or some specific result. She taught the class with passion, and with the intention of creating a community within the class. There was a significant amount of outside work, especially towards the end of the semester, but it was all work I enjoyed. I am looking forward to taking additional classes with Misty.
Misty made me declare architecture as a major, and is the best professor I have had at Middlebury, despite it being her first semester ever teaching. There was an incredible emphasis on learning to learn, rather than learning for a grade or some specific result. She taught the class with passion, and with the intention of creating a …Read more
Architecture at Middlebury is centered around the study of art. This class is fun and easy, but there is virtually no discussion about functionality or the mathematics that are necessary to be an architect. I found this class frustrating because at times it was very repetitive. Ben is a very enthusiastic professor and he wants you to succeed. I think every single person who took this class got an A. It is 6 hours of class a week though, and I occasionally came into the studio to finish up a model if I couldn't in class. I don't know if I would take this class again because it was a lot of time and I didn't really get anything out of it.
Architecture at Middlebury is centered around the study of art. This class is fun and easy, but there is virtually no discussion about functionality or the mathematics that are necessary to be an architect. I found this class frustrating because at times it was very repetitive. Ben is a very enthusiastic professor and he wants you to …Read more
I took this class with Shelly Pottorf for j term, and it was one of the highlights of my Middlebury experience. The course is centered around modeling projects and some drafting, though there is also a significant reading component to it too. Overall I think the readings definitely contributed value to the course, and I really enjoyed our group discussions - Prof. Pottorf has very strong feelings about architecture, as do all of the professors in the department, and it definitely shows. The projects were very conceptual - the emphasis was on creating architectural experiences (don't expect to be designing buildings or using any digital technology.)
I took this class with Shelly Pottorf for j term, and it was one of the highlights of my Middlebury experience. The course is centered around modeling projects and some drafting, though there is also a significant reading component to it too. Overall I think the readings definitely contributed value to the course, and I really enjoye …Read more
I had an amazing experience with Misty. She is very accommodating, passionate, approachable and down to earth. This class was very project heavy but very manageable in my experience. I found the class/projects to be more enjoyable when I gave myself enough time to complete them, but procrastination lead to very long, tedious nights. The projects are not necessarily easy. They push the boundaries about what you think you know about architecture. While she grades easily, the projects are still conceptually challenging and can take several hours to complete. Misty was blunt with her critiques but kind enough in her delivery for me to actually apply her feedback and get better results. After this class, I am considering a degree in architecture.
I had an amazing experience with Misty. She is very accommodating, passionate, approachable and down to earth. This class was very project heavy but very manageable in my experience. I found the class/projects to be more enjoyable when I gave myself enough time to complete them, but procrastination lead to very long, tedious nights. …Read more
She is very nice as a person but as a professor she lacks teaching skills. It is understandable that she is new into teaching but she make sure students understands projects. She takes time to make class better by asking for feedbacks from students.
I absolutely loved intro to architectural design with Ben! I took this class as a freshman to fulfill my art credit, but ended up falling in love with architecture and becoming a minor. Ben is such a cool professor and genuine person. You will love this class if you are willing to put in the time commitment and creativity. It is so worth it, but will take quite a bit of time.
Ben is a really nice teacher who does so much for his students, and it is so easy to end this class with an 100. He lets you redo assignments, and if you are efficient in class there is no homework in the course.