Architectural Foundations I

New York City College of Technology, CUNY
Architectural Technology Department
ARCH 1111

Visual projection systems, including plans and elevations, axonometrics, shades and shadows, delineation techniques and introduction to preliminary model building.

Project 1: Durer’s Alphabet

Each student selects a letter from the original instructions in Albrecht Durer’s “Of the Just Shaping of Letters”. They must understand geometric proportions described in written form and then must draft an accurate representation through multi-view orthographic and paraline drawings.

Project 2: Rectilinear Forms

Through a series of 3-D “sketches” made in clay, students will practice the art of generating form. Students will learn to identify axis in rectilinear forms and to recognize hierarchy between volumes based on proportion. Compositions will be documented in orthographic, axonometric, and perspective views. Drawings should communicate depth and the relationship between parts.

Project 3: Geometry in Nature & Natures Intelligence Applied

This project will develop a critical, systematic, and analytic graphic and written language based on a given object from nature. Observations will be recorded utilizing orthographic plan and section drawings, and will be emphasized with line weights, page composition, and diagramming. Based on these studies, students then work toward producing a design for a functioning light fixture, that will be drawn and modeled accordingly.