| Introduction to Architecture |
1001 (001) |
Nathan Rennich |
Mon/Wed
6:45 PM - 9:15 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
This course introduces students to the history, culture, and practice of architecture, interior architecture, and historic preservation through lectures, field trips, and hands-on exercises. Students learn fundamentals of spatial analysis and representation through orthographic drawing, understand the cultural context in which spatial practices operate, and explore architectural design. Class work may include field trips to historic buildings; visits to archives, exhibitions, or events; and design exercises introducing plan, section, elevation, and scale; translation between two- and three-dimensional representations of space; and architectural diagramming.
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Class Number
1016
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Location
Sullivan Center 1255
|
| Introduction to Architecture |
1001 (002) |
Carl Ray Miller |
Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
This course introduces students to the history, culture, and practice of architecture, interior architecture, and historic preservation through lectures, field trips, and hands-on exercises. Students learn fundamentals of spatial analysis and representation through orthographic drawing, understand the cultural context in which spatial practices operate, and explore architectural design. Class work may include field trips to historic buildings; visits to archives, exhibitions, or events; and design exercises introducing plan, section, elevation, and scale; translation between two- and three-dimensional representations of space; and architectural diagramming.
|
Class Number
1023
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Location
Sullivan Center 1255
|
| Architecture Foundation Studio |
2001 (001) |
Keefer Dunn |
Mon/Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
This 6-credit (two day) design studio teaches foundational concepts and skills of architectural design through a series of exercises culminating in a design proposal. Students practice skills of orthographic drawing and model-making in an iterative process to develop and convey ideas through the medium of architectural design. In addition to architectural design, course work includes exercises in architectural research; on-site analysis and community engagement; and precedent study; and concludes with a final presentation. At the conclusion of the semester, students participate in the Portfolio Review, a presentation and critique of student portfolios organized by faculty and students in the department's critique spaces. This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the department template including Rhino and Revit.
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Class Number
2288
|
Credits
6
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Location
Sullivan Center 1258
|
| Architecture Foundation Studio |
2001 (002) |
Jaak Jurisson |
Mon/Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
This 6-credit (two day) design studio teaches foundational concepts and skills of architectural design through a series of exercises culminating in a design proposal. Students practice skills of orthographic drawing and model-making in an iterative process to develop and convey ideas through the medium of architectural design. In addition to architectural design, course work includes exercises in architectural research; on-site analysis and community engagement; and precedent study; and concludes with a final presentation. At the conclusion of the semester, students participate in the Portfolio Review, a presentation and critique of student portfolios organized by faculty and students in the department's critique spaces. This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the department template including Rhino and Revit.
|
Class Number
2289
|
Credits
6
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Location
Sullivan Center 1241
|
| Sketching for Designed Objects |
2005 (002) |
Hector Silva |
Mon
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
Sketching is one of a designer's most crucial skills, integral to both generating focused ideas and presenting them across commercial, responsible, and experimental design. This course develops students' freehand sketching to communicate a design's form and function.
An introductory course in Designed Objects, it welcomes students of all levels and has no prerequisites.
Each skill is taught in class and refined in one-on-one sessions. Students practice thumbnail sketching, shading, and form development, building from lines, ellipses, and cubes into more complex forms. Methods include 'Form, Divide, Beautify' and concept pages. The course also covers orthographic projection for precise technical drawings, two-point perspective for objects in space, and digital sketching on the iPad.
Students focus on objects and how they are made, working through a progression of design problems, from form families to multi-part exploded assemblies and objects in use. They study how materials such as soft goods, glass, concrete, and wood read on the page and are introduced to design-for-manufacture concepts. The course also includes a visiting designer who shares their approach and a field trip to an industrial design studio.
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Class Number
1273
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Product Design
Location
Sullivan Center 1240
|
| What's Worth Preserving? |
2010 (001) |
Jonathan Solomon |
Tues
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM
In Person
|
|
Description
Architectural preservation, art conservation, archiving and collecting, even environmental protection: all these practices share a desire to preserve things of value, but how do we decide what's valuable? Using the laws, policies, and practices of architectural preservation as a starting point this studio will ask and propose answers to the question: what's worth preserving? Students will explore how preservation practice overlaps and complements the work of different museums, archives, and collections that define value and how they protect it; and propose strategies for assembling and maintaining their own collections in whatever media they choose. Course readings will focus on the history and contemporary practice of preservation, conservation, and collecting; and visits to preservation organizations in the city of Chicago will introduce students to a range of current preservation projects. Course work will include weekly readings, discussions, field trips and tours. Students will work individually throughout the course to research how different institutions assemble and protect their collections, identify a subject of personal interest for preservation, and propose a preservation strategy for it in any medium of their choice.
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Class Number
1026
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Art/Design and Politics, Community & Social Engagement, Public Space, Site, Landscape
Location
Sullivan Center 1226
|
| Designing Interaction |
2019 (001) |
|
Tues
3:30 PM - 9:15 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
Nearly everything designers create demands interaction: reading screens, operating objects, navigating spaces, or interpreting responses over time. As interaction spans physical, digital, and spatial realms, communicating how experiences behave is a fundamental design skill. This course introduces methods to visualize interaction, from initial storyboards to tested proposals.
Intended early in the Designed Objects sequence, this core skills studio has no prerequisites and requires no prior interface design or interactive prototyping experience.
Students build storyboards, user journeys, and flow diagrams to map human movement through systems. Using Figma, they construct and animate low- and high-fidelity prototypes, applying principles of layout, typography, visual hierarchy, and motion. Prototypes undergo user testing and iterative refinement based on observation and feedback.
Coursework introduces established interface patterns and UI kits to adapt and extend. Accessibility standards and ergonomic considerations integrate throughout the design process. AI tools assist iteration and alternative development, teaching students to evaluate outputs and apply design judgment.
By course end, students complete one interactive experience from storyboard to working, user-tested prototype. They leave equipped to make interactions legible before construction, demonstrating, testing, and defending how designs behave beyond mere visual appearance.
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Class Number
1277
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Digital Communication
Location
Sullivan Center 1407
|
| Designed Objects Core Studio 1: Designing for Others |
2020 (001) |
Antonio Belton |
Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
Designed Objects Core Studio 1 introduces students to design as an intentional practice oriented toward people beyond themselves. The studio centers on the shift from self-directed making to designing with responsibility toward users, contexts, and real-world constraints.
Work in this studio is primarily analog and hands-on. Students develop ideas through observation, sketching, physical mockups, and full-scale prototyping. The studio introduces a builder mindset, framing making and fabrication as ways of generating insight rather than simply executing ideas. Digital tools are introduced selectively to support thinking and making rather than to define the work. Students learn two-dimensional CAD workflows using vector tools to develop patterns, layouts, and templates for 3D mockups and prototypes, exploring form and proportion.
Emphasis is placed on translating insight into form and testing ideas through iteration. Prototypes are used to ask questions, reveal assumptions, and gather feedback. Critique is introduced as a collaborative process focused on clarity of intent and use.
By the end of the studio, students understand that design always addresses an ¿other,¿ and that building¿whether with cardboard, foam, or digital files¿is a primary way designers think, test, and learn.
This studio is for students beginning their product design studies, including those new to design, fabrication, or digital tools. It is best taken early in the Designed Objects curriculum alongside core skills courses such as Sketching, Digital Modeling, and Designing Interaction.
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Class Number
1268
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Product Design
Location
Sullivan Center 1226
|
| Designed Objects Core Studio 1: Designing for Others |
2020 (002) |
Annalee Koehn |
Tues
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
Designed Objects Core Studio 1 introduces students to design as an intentional practice oriented toward people beyond themselves. The studio centers on the shift from self-directed making to designing with responsibility toward users, contexts, and real-world constraints.
Work in this studio is primarily analog and hands-on. Students develop ideas through observation, sketching, physical mockups, and full-scale prototyping. The studio introduces a builder mindset, framing making and fabrication as ways of generating insight rather than simply executing ideas. Digital tools are introduced selectively to support thinking and making rather than to define the work. Students learn two-dimensional CAD workflows using vector tools to develop patterns, layouts, and templates for 3D mockups and prototypes, exploring form and proportion.
Emphasis is placed on translating insight into form and testing ideas through iteration. Prototypes are used to ask questions, reveal assumptions, and gather feedback. Critique is introduced as a collaborative process focused on clarity of intent and use.
By the end of the studio, students understand that design always addresses an ¿other,¿ and that building¿whether with cardboard, foam, or digital files¿is a primary way designers think, test, and learn.
This studio is for students beginning their product design studies, including those new to design, fabrication, or digital tools. It is best taken early in the Designed Objects curriculum alongside core skills courses such as Sketching, Digital Modeling, and Designing Interaction.
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Class Number
1276
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Product Design
Location
Sullivan Center 1240
|
| Interface Design Seminar |
2028 (001) |
George Guffey |
Thurs
6:45 PM - 9:30 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
As products incorporate increasingly complex displays, functionality, and intelligence, their usability can become a challenge. This studio-seminar explores methods for designing intuitive and effective interfaces that enhance both the usability and overall experience of a device. Through presentations, discussions, and hands-on exercises, students will analyze existing interfaces and devices, identifying strengths and weaknesses in their design. The course emphasizes the integration of user interface (UI) and industrial design (ID) to create seamless, visually cohesive, and functionally intuitive products. Students will engage in critical evaluation of real-world examples and apply digital media tools to prototype the interface and interaction components of their own design projects. Key topics include understanding user behavior, mapping device functionality, designing appropriate two-way communication, and developing graphic elements that support usability. By the end of the course, students will have a deeper understanding of interface design as a critical factor in product development, enabling them to craft more user-centered, visually compelling, and engaging product experiences.
Prerequisites
Prerequisite: Sophomore-level or above.
|
Class Number
1285
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Digital Communication, Product Design
Location
Sullivan Center 1227
|
| Designed Objects Core Studio 2: Material, Form, and Interaction |
2030 (001) |
Eric Allan Hotchkiss |
Fri
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
Core Studio 2 focuses on how material, form, and interaction shape experience over time. Building on the foundations of designing for others, this studio deepens students¿ engagement with making, refinement, and use.
Students work extensively with physical materials, exploring construction, surface, finish, and detail as communicative elements. Here, students deepen their builder practice by working through material constraints, assemblies, and refinement, learning how construction decisions shape experience. Digital tools are more fully integrated into the workflow, with 3D modeling used to develop form, assemblies, and tolerances, and 2D CAD supporting patternmaking, layouts, and fabrication planning. Sketching remains central as a means of refining proportion and communicating intent.
Interaction is introduced as a temporal and physical experience, encompassing affordance, sequence, and feedback. Prototyping emphasizes iteration and refinement, with students moving between digital models and physical builds to test how objects are handled, activated, and interpreted.
This studio reinforces building as a disciplined design practice, where material decisions, craft, and structure communicate meaning as clearly as form or function.
Who this course is for
This studio is for students who have completed Core Studio 1 and are ready to deepen their engagement with materials, construction, and use. It is well suited to students who want to strengthen their ability to design objects that are experienced through touch, handling, and interaction over time.
When to take it
Core Studio 2 is typically taken after Core Studio 1. The studio is designed to run alongside the core skills courses¿Designing Interaction, Sketching, and 3D Modeling¿reinforcing the integration of material exploration, digital workflows, visualization, and prototyping. Students are strongly encouraged to have taken, or to be concurrently enrolled in, a digital modeling core skills course, as 3D modeling is used regularly throughout the studio.
This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template.
Prerequisites
Pre: DES OB 1006 or 2020
|
Class Number
1269
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Product Design
Location
Sullivan Center 1226
|
| Tools and Techniques of Architecture |
2102 (001) |
Stephanie Surjan |
Tues
3:30 PM - 6:15 PM
All Online
|
|
Description
This course introduces the foundational tools and techniques of architectural representation using software platforms such as Rhino and Revit. It is intended for students with little or no prior experience in architectural software.
Students learn the conventions of architectural drawing, including plans, sections, elevations, scale, and basic three-dimensional representation. The course emphasizes the relationship between two-dimensional drawings and three-dimensional models, and introduces digital workflows for drafting, modeling, file organization, and drawing output.
Class work includes lectures and demonstrations; readings; and iterative exercises to build understanding of concepts and skills with software. This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specifications and runs the department software template including Rhino and Revit.
|
Class Number
2277
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Architecture, Digital Communication, Digital Imaging, Illustration, Interior Architecture
Location
Online
|
| Digital Modeling: Rhino |
2124 (001) |
Gene Evans Munger |
Fri
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
This course introduces Rhino as a form-driven, exploratory 3D modeling tool used widely in product, furniture, and spatial design. Modeling is approached as a way of thinking through form, proportion, and iteration within a broader production-focused design process.
Students learn core Rhino workflows including curve construction, solid and basic surface modeling, transformations, and file preparation for visualization and fabrication. The course also introduces foundational digital workflows such as preparing models for 3D printing, creating 2D drawings for laser cutting, and producing rendered images in KeyShot to communicate design intent.
Through a series of design projects, students use Rhino to explore object form, refine ideas through iteration, and translate digital models into physical and visual outputs. Emphasis is placed on clarity of form, thoughtful revision, and understanding how digital modeling supports the development and communication of design proposals.
When and why to take this course:
Students are encouraged to take this course as early as possible, ideally before or alongside Designed Objects Studio 2. Rhino is used throughout the curriculum and supports iterative form development in studio work. Rhino and SolidWorks are both primary 3D modeling tools used in professional design practice. Students are encouraged to take both courses over time; however, completing either Rhino or SolidWorks provides a strong foundation in digital formmaking. Skills developed in either platform translate across tools and support broader design workflows.
|
Class Number
1270
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Digital Communication, Product Design
Location
Sullivan Center 1407
|
| Digital Modeling: Solidworks |
2126 (001) |
Angie Lullie |
Tues
3:30 PM - 9:15 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
This course introduces SolidWorks as a parametric, constraint-based 3D modeling tool widely used in product development and manufacturing-oriented design. Emphasis is placed on using modeling to define design intent, dimensional relationships, and functional requirements, supporting clarity, precision, and repeatability in complex objects and systems. SolidWorks is widely regarded as a standard professional 3D modeling tool in industrial design, supporting workflows common in corporate, consulting, and manufacturing-focused practice.
Students learn core SolidWorks workflows including sketch-based feature modeling, parametric constraints, part and assembly creation, and basic documentation practices. The course focuses on how dimensions, constraints, and features work together to support functional performance, mechanical relationships, and downstream production needs.
Through approximately three design projects, students develop objects with multiple components, test relationships between parts, and communicate designs through structured models and drawings. Projects emphasize precision, decision-making, and the translation of design concepts into clearly defined systems rather than open-ended formal exploration.
When to take this course:
Students are strongly encouraged to take this course as early as possible. 3D CAD is used regularly beginning in Designed Objects Studio 2 (DO2) and across many topical studio electives. Early exposure allows students to integrate modeling directly into studio work. SolidWorks is especially useful for students interested in later-stage design development and production-oriented electives.
Who this course is for:
This course is ideal for students interested in mechanical systems, assemblies, and production-ready design. Alongside Sketching for Designed Objects and Designing Interaction, this course is part of the Designed Objects core skills group supporting the Core Studio sequence. Completion of either SolidWorks or Rhino fulfills the core 3D modeling expectation for the Designed Objects program. Designers in professional practice often specialize in one primary modeling platform while developing transferable modeling concepts that apply across tools.
|
Class Number
1271
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Product Design
Location
Sullivan Center 1226
|
| Sophomore Seminar: Interdisciplinary |
2900 (001) |
Jonathan Solomon |
Wed
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM
In Person
|
|
Description
What are the concerns that drive one's creative practice? How does one set the terms for its future development? Sophomore Seminar offers strategies for students to explore, reflect upon, and connect common themes and interests in the development of an emerging creative practice that will serve as the basis of their ongoing studies at SAIC and beyond. Students will examine historical and contemporary influences and contextualize their work in relation to the diverse art-worlds of the 21st Century. Readings, screenings, and field trips will vary each semester. Presentations by visiting artists and guest speakers will provide the opportunity for students to hear unique perspectives on sustaining a creative practice. One-on-one meetings with faculty will provide students with individualized mentorship throughout the semester. During interdisciplinary critiques, students will explore a variety of formats and tools to analyze work and provide peer feedback. The class mid-term project asks students to imagine a plan for their creative life and devise a self-directed course of study for their time at school. The course concludes with an assignment asking students to develop and document a project or body of work demonstrating how the interplay of ideas, technical skills, and formal concerns evolve through iteration, experimentation and revision.
Prerequisite: Must be a sophomore to enroll.
Prerequisites
Prerequisite: Must be a sophomore to enroll.
|
Class Number
2030
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Location
Sullivan Center 1240
|
| Sophomore Seminar: Interdisciplinary |
2900 (002) |
Anjulie Rao |
Wed
6:45 PM - 9:30 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
What are the concerns that drive one's creative practice? How does one set the terms for its future development? Sophomore Seminar offers strategies for students to explore, reflect upon, and connect common themes and interests in the development of an emerging creative practice that will serve as the basis of their ongoing studies at SAIC and beyond. Students will examine historical and contemporary influences and contextualize their work in relation to the diverse art-worlds of the 21st Century. Readings, screenings, and field trips will vary each semester. Presentations by visiting artists and guest speakers will provide the opportunity for students to hear unique perspectives on sustaining a creative practice. One-on-one meetings with faculty will provide students with individualized mentorship throughout the semester. During interdisciplinary critiques, students will explore a variety of formats and tools to analyze work and provide peer feedback. The class mid-term project asks students to imagine a plan for their creative life and devise a self-directed course of study for their time at school. The course concludes with an assignment asking students to develop and document a project or body of work demonstrating how the interplay of ideas, technical skills, and formal concerns evolve through iteration, experimentation and revision.
Prerequisite: Must be a sophomore to enroll.
Prerequisites
Prerequisite: Must be a sophomore to enroll.
|
Class Number
2031
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Location
Sullivan Center 1240
|
| Sophomore Seminar: Interdisciplinary |
2900 (026) |
Peter J Zerillo |
Thurs
3:30 PM - 6:15 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
What are the concerns that drive one's creative practice? How does one set the terms for its future development? Sophomore Seminar offers strategies for students to explore, reflect upon, and connect common themes and interests in the development of an emerging creative practice that will serve as the basis of their ongoing studies at SAIC and beyond. Students will examine historical and contemporary influences and contextualize their work in relation to the diverse art-worlds of the 21st Century. Readings, screenings, and field trips will vary each semester. Presentations by visiting artists and guest speakers will provide the opportunity for students to hear unique perspectives on sustaining a creative practice. One-on-one meetings with faculty will provide students with individualized mentorship throughout the semester. During interdisciplinary critiques, students will explore a variety of formats and tools to analyze work and provide peer feedback. The class mid-term project asks students to imagine a plan for their creative life and devise a self-directed course of study for their time at school. The course concludes with an assignment asking students to develop and document a project or body of work demonstrating how the interplay of ideas, technical skills, and formal concerns evolve through iteration, experimentation and revision.
Prerequisite: Must be a sophomore to enroll.
Prerequisites
Prerequisite: Must be a sophomore to enroll.
|
Class Number
2066
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Location
Sullivan Center 1407
|
| Designing Distant: Design for Learning |
3013 (001) |
Laura L Prieto-Velasco |
Sat
1:00 PM - 3:45 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
A seminar for designers who want to imagine, question, and prototype new futures. This course explores how design can shape the future of learning, culture, and experience through applied imagination grounded in research, empathy, and storytelling. Each semester focuses on a distinct theme while sharing a common approach that expands design beyond problem solving toward investigation, reflection, and creative foresight.. Drawing from speculative and critical design, learning experience design, and contextual research, students study cultural, social, material, and environmental contexts to understand how systems shape experience. Through narrative, scenario building, and worldbuilding, they test ideas and envision alternative ways of living and making meaning, creating designed artifacts and experiences that express how design can shape the world¿s evolution.
|
Class Number
2217
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Digital Communication, Product Design, Sustainable Design
Location
Sullivan Center 1226
|
| Soft Goods and Objects Studio |
3029 (001) |
|
Mon
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
This advanced studio investigates the design and construction of soft objects, a category spanning softgoods, upholstery, and experimental forms. Students will explore how textiles, padding, and flexible materials shape products for the body, home, and space. Techniques include pattern drafting, sewing, upholstery methods, stuffing, quilting, and bonding, paired with analog and digital workflows for prototyping.
Weekly workshops build technical fluency, while studio projects challenge students to apply these skills toward both functional and speculative outcomes.
In addition, the course provides a snapshot of how softgoods are developed in the design and fashion industries, examining methods of branding, production, and consumption. Students will also consider how these systems influence design practice today.
The semester is structured around two main projects: the first focuses on a softgood or body-related object, while the second scales up to a furniture or spatial soft object, or an experimental hybrid that expands the role of softness in design. This studio elective is intended for design-focused sophomores and above, who have taken design-related courses. The projects will be developed with portfolio presentation in mind.
Prerequisites
Prerequisite: Sophomore-level or above.
|
Class Number
2216
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Designed Objects, Furniture Design, Product Design
Location
Sullivan Center 1230
|
| Multiples Studio |
3034 (001) |
Jess Giffin |
Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
This interdisciplinary studio class investigates the intersection of printmedia, artists¿ multiples and packaging as an entry point into making and thinking about multiples as a format for studio production. The history of artists¿ multiples (loosely defined as small-scale editioned or multiply produced three-dimensional works) includes many examples that use, or appropriate, printed elements and packaging in some way. This history, along with our daily experience of packaging (the many boxes, folders, labels, pamphlets, flyers and cartons found in nearly every aspect of contemporary life) offers a wealth of connections to consider and work from.
Students will be introduced to a range of printing and paper construction techniques within the Printmedia studio. These include hand-drawn and digital plate lithography, pattern layout and construction for packaging along with other selected tools and techniques.
In addition, students will have the opportunity to use SAIC labs such as the Service Bureau and digital fabrication centers. Examples of multiples, short readings, and a visit to the Joan Flasch or other related collections will support project development and discussion.
Students can expect to complete three to four projects and participate in two critiques.
|
Class Number
1281
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Product Design
Location
280 Building Rm 221
|
| CNC Fabrication Techniques |
3060 (001) |
|
Tues
3:30 PM - 9:15 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
Digital fabrication is integral to how objects are designed and produced. This technical studio teaches students to prepare, program, set up, and safely operate a CNC mill, and to determine when machining, hand processes, or both best serve a project. Students develop the independence to use CNC milling in subsequent courses.
The course supports furniture, product design, sculpture, and other object-based work. Experience with 3D CAD modeling is required; familiarity with Rhino is recommended. No prior CNC experience is required.
Demonstrations, technical exercises, and open shop time introduce profiling, pocketing, three-axis machining, and flip milling. Instruction addresses toolpaths, workholding, tolerances, material behavior, and the fit of parts. Later projects apply these skills to prototyping and form development.
Students work with woods, plastics, foams, and waxes to cut finished parts and produce masters, patterns, and molds for casting and forming. Coursework examines the appearance of machined forms, industrial applications, and questions of authorship and ownership in file-based production.
The course concludes with a project related to each student¿s practice. Students learn to move from a CAD model to a milled part, tool, or finished object, and to assess how CNC milling can support their work alongside other approaches to making.
Prerequisites
Prerequisite: Must be a sophomore or above.
|
Class Number
2390
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Product Design
Location
Sullivan Center 1242
|
| Advanced Operations |
3102 (001) |
Stephanie Surjan |
Thurs
3:30 PM - 6:15 PM
All Online
|
|
Description
This course teaches advanced operations with the tools of architectural representation. Students learn parametric and generative modeling strategies, advanced Building Information Modeling (BIM) workflows, and methods for moving between software platforms such as Rhino and Revit at multiple phases of a design project.
The class introduces the use of real-world site data, including location and sun settings, to support environmental analysis and design decisions. Emphasis is placed on coordinating digital models, producing drawings, renderings, and basic animations, and clearly communicating design intent and process.
Class work includes lectures, demonstrations, readings, and iterative exercises. This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specifications and runs the department software template including Rhino and Revit.
|
Class Number
2358
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Digital Communication, Digital Imaging, Illustration
Location
Online
|
| Architectural Structures |
3104 (001) |
Hong Yeol In |
Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
This course teaches the fundamental concepts and applications of architectural structures, with an emphasis on the math and science necessary to analyze and design structural elements and systems.
The course focuses on the properties of materials, the appropriateness of different structural systems to various architectural applications, and on how architects communicate their intentions with engineers and other professionals involved in the design and construction of building structures.
Class work includes lectures; readings and discussions; and exercises to perform structural calculations and produce construction drawings and details at varying levels of complexity. This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specifications and runs the department software template including Rhino and Revit.
|
Class Number
2281
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Location
Sullivan Center 1241
|
| Fundamentals of Furniture Making and Design |
3155 (001) |
Erik Newman |
Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
Furniture shapes how we sit, gather, work, and inhabit space. This studio introduces furniture as both a design category and a fabrication discipline, grounding students in form, proportion, structural logic, material behavior, and full-scale making.
Working primarily in wood, with selective use of light metals, students develop fluency in essential shop processes including joinery, machine operation, lathe turning, and iterative full-scale prototyping. Emphasis is placed on human scale and performance: how the body informs dimension, how materials carry load, and how construction decisions shape both function and meaning.
Projects progress from focused material and joinery studies to resolved furniture pieces. Making is treated as a mode of thinking, with mockups and prototypes used to test, refine, and evaluate ideas through direct engagement with materials.
A primary objective of the course is to build sustained confidence working in the Sullivan Fabrication Center, integrating shop practice into the design process and establishing fabrication as a core component of work at SAIC.
This course is for students seeking foundational experience in furniture design and full-scale fabrication, including Designed Objects students preparing for advanced studios such as Chair Studio and Advanced Furniture, as well as students from Sculpture, Fiber, Fashion, Architecture, and related disciplines. It is typically taken in the second year as a gateway to advanced furniture coursework and pairs well with CNC, with no prior furniture experience required.
Prerequisites
Prerequisite: Sophomore-level or above.
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Class Number
2389
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Credits
3
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Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Furniture Design
Location
Sullivan Center 1242
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| AIA: Practice Studio |
3902 (001) |
Stephanie Slaughter, Georgina Bowman |
Mon/Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
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Description
This 6-credit (two day) design studio focuses on the role architecture plays in shaping public life. Students address the cultural, political, and material concerns that shape buildings through the development of a design proposal with a clear theoretical grounding and distinct topical focus. Teaching focuses on understanding architectural program and circulation; materiality and structure; and site and context. Students respond to topical briefs put forward by their teacher that incorporate knowledge from areas of architectural practice such as preservation, interior design, or urbanism; use advanced representation techniques to achieve a professional level presentation, and complete a portfolio and resume along with their design work. Class work includes architectural research; precedent study; and site analysis; all informing the completion of a design proposal with a complex program. This course requires 12 credits (two semesters) of Architecture Foundation Studio to register. This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specifications and runs the department software template including Rhino and Revit.
Prerequisites
Must have completed a sophomore seminar class and 12 credits of Architecture Foundation Studio
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Class Number
1564
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Credits
6
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Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Architecture, Interior Architecture, Public Space, Site, Landscape, Sustainable Design
Location
Sullivan Center 1255
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| AIA: Practice Studio |
3902 (001) |
Stephanie Slaughter, Georgina Bowman |
Mon/Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
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Description
This 6-credit (two day) design studio focuses on the role architecture plays in shaping public life. Students address the cultural, political, and material concerns that shape buildings through the development of a design proposal with a clear theoretical grounding and distinct topical focus. Teaching focuses on understanding architectural program and circulation; materiality and structure; and site and context. Students respond to topical briefs put forward by their teacher that incorporate knowledge from areas of architectural practice such as preservation, interior design, or urbanism; use advanced representation techniques to achieve a professional level presentation, and complete a portfolio and resume along with their design work. Class work includes architectural research; precedent study; and site analysis; all informing the completion of a design proposal with a complex program. This course requires 12 credits (two semesters) of Architecture Foundation Studio to register. This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specifications and runs the department software template including Rhino and Revit.
Prerequisites
Must have completed a sophomore seminar class and 12 credits of Architecture Foundation Studio
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Class Number
1564
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Credits
6
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Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Architecture, Interior Architecture, Public Space, Site, Landscape, Sustainable Design
Location
Sullivan Center 1255
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| DES OB: Designed Object Portfolio Development Studio |
3914 (001) |
Sara Prado |
Wed
6:45 PM - 9:30 PM
In Person
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Description
In this class you will engage in a wide variety of professional practice activities to help prepare you for life after SAIC. In this course, each student will focus on advancing the design (layout, graphics, narratives, flow) of their portfolio so that it best conveys their individual design skills, experience and interests. Students will produce materials appropriate for delivery of their work across multiple formats (print, digital, web, etc), will learn how to edit/ arrange their materials to suit the specific context of application, and will create consistent design elements that can be shared across the full range of professional materials from portfolio, website, business cards, and other promotional materials. The course emphasizes hands-on, real- world professional activities and opportunities for emerging designers.
More information about Professional Practice and the Academic Spine curriculum can be found on the SAIC website: http://www.saic.edu/academics/departments/academicspine/
Prerequisites
Prerequisite: Sophomore seminar course
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Class Number
1585
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Credits
3
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Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Location
Sullivan Center 1226
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| Advanced Furniture: Design and Construction |
4026 (001) |
Casey C. Lurie |
Mon
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
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Description
Within a structured studio environment, advanced-level students develop, refine, and execute an individual furniture concept. Students progress from the conceptual design stage, through design development to the actualization of a work that can be `tested? for public review. Students are challenged to develop concise and persuasive arguments regarding the motivation, development, execution, and dissemination of their design project. Through the articulation and advocacy of their design work, students define their role as a dynamic catalyst operating within real-world social-, political-, monetary-, and cultural-economies. Students are admitted via a portfolio application reviewed by the faculty.
Prerequisites
DESOB 4025
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Class Number
1279
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Credits
3
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Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Location
Sullivan Center 1242
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| ReMaterials at Homan Square |
4101 (001) |
Odile Compagnon, Georgina Bowman |
Tues
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
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Description
In this course we focus on a participatory placemaking project in North Lawndale where community members and student artists gain skills in natural building techniques with cob, straw-bale, willow, rammed earth, hemp, and brick. The studio works within the constraints of the local conditions to determine material specification, use, reuse, and recycling or upcycling options available for on-site construction. Co-creation activities are at the heart of the design and building process, which requires a detailed understanding of the unique capacities of the community with which the students collaborate.
The studio explores the work of artists, designers and thinkers such as the ones who received the 'Global Award for Sustainable Architecture' or are part of the Design for the Common Good (DCG) coalition. Guest presenters also facilitate hands-on demonstration and workshops in alternative building materials and methods to which students and community members participate together. This includes, among others: cob construction materials and techniques, live hedges purpose and benefits, living walls and bug hotels, brick making and firing, material upcycling.
Students will work collaboratively on one to three design projects involving community members. At the end of the semester they will present their material research, building prototypes, design, construction strategies, timeline and budget proposal to a group of stakeholders who will give them feedback on the feasibility of their proposal.
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Class Number
1025
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Credits
3
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Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Community & Social Engagement, Public Space, Site, Landscape, Sustainable Design
Location
Homan 1200
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| ReMaterials at Homan Square |
4101 (001) |
Odile Compagnon, Georgina Bowman |
Tues
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
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Description
In this course we focus on a participatory placemaking project in North Lawndale where community members and student artists gain skills in natural building techniques with cob, straw-bale, willow, rammed earth, hemp, and brick. The studio works within the constraints of the local conditions to determine material specification, use, reuse, and recycling or upcycling options available for on-site construction. Co-creation activities are at the heart of the design and building process, which requires a detailed understanding of the unique capacities of the community with which the students collaborate.
The studio explores the work of artists, designers and thinkers such as the ones who received the 'Global Award for Sustainable Architecture' or are part of the Design for the Common Good (DCG) coalition. Guest presenters also facilitate hands-on demonstration and workshops in alternative building materials and methods to which students and community members participate together. This includes, among others: cob construction materials and techniques, live hedges purpose and benefits, living walls and bug hotels, brick making and firing, material upcycling.
Students will work collaboratively on one to three design projects involving community members. At the end of the semester they will present their material research, building prototypes, design, construction strategies, timeline and budget proposal to a group of stakeholders who will give them feedback on the feasibility of their proposal.
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Class Number
1025
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Credits
3
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Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Community & Social Engagement, Public Space, Site, Landscape, Sustainable Design
Location
Homan 1200
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| Social Engagement Studio |
4101 (001) |
Eric Allan Hotchkiss |
Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
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Description
SAIC Design @ Homan Square combines professional practice design experience with community activism. Operating out of SAIC's facility in the Nichols tower at Homan Square, the course engages students in a focused dialogue on social project implementation in Chicago and provides the tools and frameworks to realize those projects. Functioning as a pro bono 'design consultancy' where the residents, small businesses and community groups of North Lawndale act as 'clients', each job is treated as a discrete project involving research, knowledge-sharing and design action. The projects will cover a two-semester cycle, with each semester being offered as an independent class. This course, running in the Spring semester, will emphasize the last three stages of the design thinking process; ideation, prototyping, and testing. course class will focus on proposing and implementing solutions that address the contextual research carried out in the first semester. These solutions will be presented to, and critiqued by, the 'clients' who are the main stakeholders, North Lawndale community leaders, as well as SAIC faculty. Recognizing that making is a research process that reveals new problems, the reflexive activity of proposing, making, presenting and critiquing solutions generates new knowledge as well as physical outcomes. It is this collective 'new intelligence' that is the primary goal of the course.
Prerequisites
Prerequisite: Sophomore-level or above.
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Class Number
1275
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Credits
3
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Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Collaboration, Community & Social Engagement, Economic Inequality & Class
Location
Sullivan Center 1258
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| Whatnot Studio |
4800 (001) |
Gionata Gatto |
Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
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Description
Whatnot Studio is a year-long advanced studio in which students design, produce, and publicly present a collection for Whatnot, the school¿s in-house product brand. The course is structured around a complete design cycle, moving from concept development through small-batch production to a fully realized retail and exhibition environment.
Working from an annual theme, students develop individual products that contribute to a cohesive collection. Emphasis is placed on translating ideas into producible designs, with attention to material decisions, fabrication methods, and the constraints of small-batch manufacturing. Unlike most undergraduate studios, the course extends through production, requiring students to fabricate a pilot run of their work rather than a single prototype.
In parallel, students collaborate to define the identity of the collection and design a branded retail installation to showcase the work. This includes spatial design, display systems, and communication strategies that position the collection for a public audience. The studio culminates in a major external presentation, with the collection exhibited at a leading design fair or trade show.
Throughout the year, students develop an individual design voice while working collectively to produce a unified, high-quality outcome. The course emphasizes design as both authorship and collaboration, and as a process that extends beyond form-making to include production, context, and audience.
Enrollment is by portfolio review and is open to advanced undergraduate and graduate students.
Please submit a portfolio of work by the end of day on Monday, April 27 to this link: https://airtable.com/app10LexPLHEqM7mV/pagcVlilryi7Xn4Or/form
Accepted students will then be enrolled in the course.
For more information, contact Jim TerMeer (jterme@saic.edu) or Gionata Gatto (ggatt@saic.edu). This course is best taken in the final year of study, once students have developed confidence in their design process and are ready to carry a project through to production and public presentation.
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Class Number
1274
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Credits
3
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Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Product Design
Location
Sullivan Center 1230
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| AIA: Capstone Studio |
4902 (001) |
Carl Ray Miller |
Mon/Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
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Description
This 6-credit (two day) design studio is an opportunity for summative, integrated undergraduate work in architecture. Teaching leads students through theoretical and historical precedent, site and program analysis, to a design proposal that addresses contemporary issues in the built environment with a focus on architecture and how it serves the public. Students are expected to produce comprehensive design proposals that express and embody conceptual positions. Students are expected to respond to topical briefs put forward by their teacher that incorporate knowledge from areas of architectural practice such as preservation, interior design, or urbanism; and that respond to specific, contemporary challenges and opportunities in the built environment such as sustainability, public space, or the impacts of advanced technology. Class work includes precedent studies and site analysis, site visits, and preparation and presentation of a design proposal. At the conclusion of the semester, students participate in the Studio Show, an exhibition of capstone work organized by faculty and students in the department's gallery. Studnets and faculty participate as critics in concluding events the Department's Architecture Studios as part of their coursework. This course requires 12 credits of Architecture Studio: Practice to register. This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specifications and runs the department software template including Rhino and Revit.
Prerequisites
Student must have completed 12 credits of PROFPRAC 3902
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Class Number
1135
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Credits
6
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Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Architecture, Interior Architecture, Sustainable Design
Location
Sullivan Center 1256
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| DES OB: Speculative & Realized: Interdisciplinary Design Capstone Studio |
4929 (001) |
Peter J Zerillo |
Tues
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
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Description
This studio course is designed for design-focused students in their final year at SAIC who are ready to develop an independent, self-directed design project. It is ideal for those who have cultivated their own design pathway, integrating studies across the four design departments¿Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects (AIADO); Fashion Design; Visual Communication Design; and Designed Objects¿along with studio art courses at SAIC. Whether pursuing a passion project, preparing a competition entry, revisiting an unrealized concept, or exploring a new design territory, students will engage in critical research, material exploration, and iterative making. The course emphasizes conceptual development, project planning, and execution, with outcomes culminating in a publication, exhibition, or online presentation.
Students will engage with a range of readings, case studies, and guest lectures that explore the future of design across disciplines. Topics will include independent design practice, sustainability, emerging technologies, speculative design, and strategies for professional longevity. Course materials will highlight designers and thinkers who navigate hybrid practices, create impact-driven work, or push the boundaries of existing fields. By examining these frameworks, students will develop a long-view approach to their own careers, identifying strategies for sustaining creative work and positioning themselves within the broader design world.
Students will develop a self-directed design project, guided by structured exercises in writing a design brief, envisioning outcomes, resource gathering, and iterative prototyping, culminating in a final public presentation.
Prerequisites
Prerequisite: Professional practice course
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Class Number
2221
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Credits
3
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Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Digital Communication, Graphic Design, Product Design
Location
Sullivan Center 1406B
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| Architectural Fabrication |
4950 (001) |
Adel Machacca |
Fri
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
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Description
This course teaches advanced techniques in hand and digital fabrication for architects and related disciplines. Teaching familiarizes students with the core concepts, tools, and workflows for the fabrication for research, presentation, and even components for construction. Class work includes iterative exercises and an opportunity to receive critical feedback on individual fabrication projects. This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the department template including Rhino and Revit.
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Class Number
1014
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Credits
3
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Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Area of Study
Digital Communication
Location
Sullivan Center 1241
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| Architecture/Interior Architecture: Graduate Studio 2 |
5120 (002) |
Odile Compagnon |
Mon/Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
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Description
This introductory design studio introduces a broad range of investigative techniques and applies the results to the design of a multi- level environment designed from the inside to the outside.
Course Goals and Objectives
1) Integrate ideas about enclosure and envelope with scale, site, structure, program and form, experimenting with skin effects and affects as a generator of a design, adapting an existing building, and addressing the existing building envelope.
2) Investigate the design of building skins including design, technical, structural, environmental, and social performance, ranging from cultural questions to accessibility, through the conceptual design of a small public building.
3) Develop design and graphic skills by completing the conceptual design of a small public building with a complex program, producing architectural drawings and models at an accomplished level, demonstrating a command of drawing and modeling conventions and an ability to manipulate those conventions to convey ideas relevant to a particular design idea.
4) Demonstrate awareness of the role of accessibility and sustainability in the design process.
Student and program criteria that address the most recent National Architectural Accreditation Board (NAAB) requirements will be highlighted and form part of the coursework outcomes.
Prerequisites
You must be a Master of Architecture student to enroll in this course.
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Class Number
1871
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Credits
6
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Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Location
Sullivan Center 1234
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| Arch/Inarch: Structures 1 |
5123 (001) |
Lee Fritz, Daniel Swiatek |
Wed
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM
In Person
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Description
Introduces building materials and assesses their applications with parametric tools. Addresses topics related to the strength of materials and design of structural components and systems.
Course Goals and Objectives
1) Understand the role that materials play in design decisions developed through a series of case studies of historic and contemporary buildings.
2) Communicate understanding of material performance in technical drawings, through plans, sections, wall sections and details.
3) Make parametric software tools that analyze technical performance, embodied energy and life-cycle performance.
4) Understand and use structural concepts such as the distribution of concentrated and uniform loads, vertical loads, lateral loads, and the design of members in wood, concrete and steel.
Student and program criteria that address the most recent National Architectural Accreditation Board (NAAB) requirements will be highlighted and form part of the coursework outcomes.
Prerequisites
You must be a Master of Architecture student to enroll in this course.
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Class Number
1873
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Credits
3
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Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Location
Sullivan Center 1233
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| Arch/Inarch: Structures 1 |
5123 (001) |
Lee Fritz, Daniel Swiatek |
Wed
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM
In Person
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Description
Introduces building materials and assesses their applications with parametric tools. Addresses topics related to the strength of materials and design of structural components and systems.
Course Goals and Objectives
1) Understand the role that materials play in design decisions developed through a series of case studies of historic and contemporary buildings.
2) Communicate understanding of material performance in technical drawings, through plans, sections, wall sections and details.
3) Make parametric software tools that analyze technical performance, embodied energy and life-cycle performance.
4) Understand and use structural concepts such as the distribution of concentrated and uniform loads, vertical loads, lateral loads, and the design of members in wood, concrete and steel.
Student and program criteria that address the most recent National Architectural Accreditation Board (NAAB) requirements will be highlighted and form part of the coursework outcomes.
Prerequisites
You must be a Master of Architecture student to enroll in this course.
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Class Number
1873
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Credits
3
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Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Location
Sullivan Center 1233
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| Research Methods Seminar |
5152 (001) |
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Mon
6:45 PM - 9:30 PM
In Person
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Description
Research is the foundation of an informed design process and this lab helps students understand the ways in which research can add value to the practice of design. Students will be introduced to a variety of methods, strategies, frameworks and tools for the capturing, synthesis and translation of varied research material. By demonstrating how primary and secondary methods can be utilized, this class provides a practical guide to navigating the ways in which research can be integrated into the design process as a source of inspiration, a method of knowledge building, and a means of testing assumptions. You must be a Master of Design in Designed Objects student to enroll in this course.
Readings and references will vary but have included: Design Research Through Practice: From the Lab, Field, and Showroom, Ilpo Koskinen, John Zimmerman, Thomas Binder, Johan Redstrom, Stephan Wensveen, Elsevier, 2011
Interviewing Users: How to Uncover Compelling Insights, Steve Portigal, Rosenfield, 2013
Mapping Experiences: A Complete Guide to Creating Value through Journeys, Blueprints, and Diagrams, Jim Kalbach,
Research for Designers: A Guide to Methods and Practice, Gjoko Muratovski, Sage, 2016'
Each class will typically consist of a lecture, discussion, critique, and/or in-class activities followed with assignments to be completed by the next class. Readings will be assigned to supplement lectures and inform discussions.
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Class Number
2215
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Credits
3
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Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Location
Sullivan Center 1228
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| Grad Projects:Designed Objects |
6009 (001) |
Gionata Gatto |
TBD - TBD
In Person
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Description
Taken every semester, the Graduate Projects courses allow students to focus in private sessions on the development of their work. Students register for 6 hours of Graduate Project credit in each semester of study.
Prerequisites
Open to MFA, MFAW and MAVCS students only
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Class Number
1910
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Credits
3
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Department
Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Location
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