Construction and Materials

ARCH 252 picks up where ARCH 251 left off and pushes you to think about a building as an assembly of interacting systems — foundations, walls, floors, stairs, roofs, envelope — rather than a collection of separate parts, with material choice and detailing treated as design decisions that carry real structural and environmental consequences. Expect a steady rhythm of lectures, lab sessions, a technical site trip, and two design-heavy projects that culminate in a full set of construction document drawings, so you'll spend as much time drafting wall sections and details as you do reading about concrete or moisture protection. It's the bridge between the abstract studio work of first year and the technically grounded studios ahead, where reviewers will start asking not just what your building looks like but how it actually stands up and stays dry.