40 NORTHERN NEVADA ARCHITECTURE .22 | 2022 | aiann.org impacted emotionally by the buildings we occupy. Not enough light? Low energy and poor concentration. Curving and sweeping walls of reflective metal paneling as in the Walt Disney Concert Hall by Frank Gehry? Magical and exciting. With this concept in mind, students are provided with words evoking emotions. They are then expected to use only points and lines to create a word diagram representing each emotion, followed by a word model using index cards as planes, and finally, an interconnected volumetric model representing three words together. This encourages students to think outside the box regarding forms and the experience their building will provide. • The Coffee House: Furthering the idea that architecture inspires emotions, and now incorporating commercial architecture, students are presented with their first truly client-driven project. The fictitious client requests the students cultivate ideas for three different coffee house experiences: 1) high energy, active, lively; 2) warm, safe, welcoming; and 3) minimalistic, environmentally aware, encouraging a connection to nature. • The Bug Project: One of the career pathways students are introduced to is Landscape Architecture. This project heavily emphasizes the process of design and incorporates nature for the first time. Students are required to select a bug, analyze it, and design both a sculpture garden and a museum that takes direct inspiration from the insect. The students must create a convincing presentation board that demonstrates how they found their solution. • The Spaceship: Students are expected to focus on the program, form and scale for this project. An object found in the classroom is provided. It could be an adjustable triangle, computer headphones, or even a stapler. Like the bug project, students must take inspiration from their particular object’s function, mechanics and form to create a spaceship model that is aesthetic, functional, and would allow their travelers comfort during their time in space. Second Year In the second year of the ACE architecture program, students complete two college courses, earning up to nine credits. In the second year, students begin to understand the final drawing phase of the architectural process and construction documents. An emphasis is placed on thorough and coordinated drawings, professional drawing standards, accessibility, code compliance and constructability. Additionally, students learn how to operate AutoCAD, including modeling, layers, sheet coordination and plotting. To keep with the theme of constructability, students are given a very rigid project with limited design where they are expected to design a 20’ x 30’ commercial business of their choosing that should have an accurate program based on its use. Upon completion, students will thoroughly understand AutoCAD and a set of construction documents, including a title sheet, floor, roof, site and foundation plans, elevations, cross sections, MEPs, and details on a standard title block. In preparation for employment and internship opportunities, students also spend a part of their second year learning Adobe’s InDesign to develop an architectural portfolio, resume and cover letter. Their final test is participation in a mock-up interview with the Dean of Technical Sciences of TMCC and Landscape Architect Kreg Mebust, who asks industryrelevant questions to assess the student’s employability. Third Year In the third and final year of the ACE Architecture Program, students complete two college courses, earning up to nine credits for a potential total of twenty-seven credits. The third year is a combination of the first and second years. Students will begin applying what they learned in a balanced way: creativity, drafting and professional standards, and the art of presentation. To start the year, ACE Architecture students will partner with ACE Construction program students. The architecture students will design and draft a standard set of construction documents for a simple 8’ x 12’ shed, and the construction students will build the shed based on the provided design. The architecture students will then use this very simple set of plans to learn the operation and documentation in Revit. With Revit as a skill in their toolbox, architecture students spend the rest of their third year focusing on the design process, expanding their problem-solving skills, and developing models with the new BIM resources available to them. The design process will still be documented, allowing the students to understand what a typical workflow may actually look like in a professional work environment. Projects will include a residential design project emphasizing modular design and a sensory museum, which should also include a sustainable emphasis. As with every project, students present their final solutions to each other in class and, occasionally, to a jury for critiques. Through this practice, students refine their presentation skills and understand what information and diagrams best tell their story.
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