Undergraduate Overview
Architecture, Interior Architecture, & Designed Objects Undergraduate Overview
Fall 2026 Application Deadline: February 15
The Department of Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects (AIADO) is a place where students can explore design and experiment across boundaries.
The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio (BFA) is an interdisciplinary curriculum designed to prepare students for life as a 21st century artist and designer. Students are encouraged to take courses in any medium of field of study relevant to their practice. Small class sizes, a commitment to personal attention, and support for free expression define the undergraduate experience.
AIADO offers pathways through the BFA that combine sequenced, project-based design studios with electives that build skills and expand knowledge in design. As a BFA student, pathways offer you a guide to the prerequisites for advanced studios in the BFA, preparation for further graduate study, and support developing your own design portfolio.
AIADO offers combined coursework with departments including Fashion Design, Fiber and Material Studies, Sculpture, and Ceramics, allowing students to build strong connections to other areas of the School. BFA students are encouraged to apply to the department’s External Partnership courses with collaborators in industry and culture. Students participate in the Academic Spine, including the Sophomore Seminar, Junior Professional Practice Seminar, and Capstone experience in their final year. BFA students work in the School’s workshops, libraries, and museum collection, making the most of the resources of the School and the city.
-
With courses on architectural design, representation skills, and architectural history and theory, the Architecture Pathway focuses on architecture and its impacts on public life while allowing students to experiment in areas such as technology and building performance, urbanism and social practice, and the visualization and communication of information.
The Architecture Pathway is an excellent preparation for graduate study in Architecture.
-
The Interior Architecture Pathway focuses on the experimental design of interior spaces at various scales. Students work across disciplinary boundaries in developing design ideas that are future oriented and addresses the role and impact of interior spaces in the 21st century. The Interior Architecture courses equip students with a progressively broad range of knowledge and skills to become spatial innovators in an exciting field that bridges architecture, object, and service design. The pathway is also an excellent preparation for graduate study.
Students who complete the Interior Architecture Pathway meet criteria for the NCIDQ examination given by the Council for Interior Design Qualification. For the most up-to-date criteria, go to the CIDQ website.
BFA in Fine Arts Studio Interior Architecture Pathways [PDF]
-
Borrowing critically from product design, systems design, furniture design, and interaction design, the Designed Objects Pathway focuses on the critical and creative rethinking of the systems, tools, furnishings, and products that we use or interact with in our everyday lives.
Investigations into how objects extend human potential and inspire imagination are balanced with studies in the responsible and imaginative use of new technologies, materials, and production processes. A concern for sustainability provides an opportunity to explore alternative visions of how we live, work, communicate, and play.
-
The Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree provides you a broad education that balances thinking and making, academic rigor, and experimental play. The BFA curriculum integrates academic and studio education—the classroom and the studio inform and enhance each other.
Studio 69 - CP 1010 Core Studio Practice I (3)
- CP 1011 Core Studio Practice II (3)
- CP 1020 Research Studio I (3)
- CP 1022 Research Studio II (3)
- SOPHSEM 2900 (3)
- PROFPRAC 39XX (3)
- CAPSTONE 49XX (3)
- Studio Electives (48)
Art History 15 - ARTHI 1001 World Cultures/Civilizations: Pre-History—19th Century Art and Architecture (3)
- Additional Art History Course at 1000-level (e.g., ARTHI 1002) (3)
- Art History Electives at 2000-, 3000-, or 4000-level (9)
Liberal Arts 30 - ENGLISH 1001 First Year Seminar I (3)
- ENGLISH 1005 First Year Seminar II (3)
- Natural Science (6)
- Social Science (6)
- Humanities (6)
- Liberal Arts Electives (6)
- Any of the above Liberal Arts or certain AAP or EIS
General Electives 6 - Studio, Art History, Liberal Arts, AAP, or EIS
Total Credit Hours 120 * BFA students must complete at least two classes designated as "off campus study." These classes can also fulfill any of the requirements listed above and be from any of the divisions (Art History, Studio, Liberal Arts, or General Electives).
BFA in Studio with Thesis Option (Liberal Arts or Visual Critical Studies): Students interested in pursuing the BFA in Studio with the Thesis Option (Liberal Arts or Visual Critical Studies) should contact their academic advisor for details about eligibility, program requirements, and the application process.
Total credits required for minimum residency 66 Minimum Studio credit 42
AIADO Course Listing
| Title | Catalog | Instructor | Schedule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Introduction to Designed Objects | 1001 (001) | Cassandra Scanlon | Mon
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course introduces students to the creative scope of the Designed Objects program, and the ideas, skills, and methods used in the process of designing objects. Students will learn about the design of objects by studying their form, function, assembly, materiality, use, value and significance (both subjective and objective). Emphasizing thinking through making; students students build their visual vocabulary and develop an understanding of the design process. The goal of this class is to help students imagine the possibilities of the object design field and identify their aptitude for becoming an object designer.
The course will explore the intentionality of object design, exploring the works of a ranging from James Dyson to Ron Arad to Zaha Hadid. Readings and screenings will vary but typically include Mu-Ming Tsai's Design Thinking and Gary Hustwit's Objectified. Students should expect to produce a body of work consisting of several minor exploratory projects and two fully fleshed out finished Objects (mid-term and final). This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Introduction to Designed Objects | 1001 (002) | Sara Prado | Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course introduces students to the creative scope of the Designed Objects program, and the ideas, skills, and methods used in the process of designing objects. Students will learn about the design of objects by studying their form, function, assembly, materiality, use, value and significance (both subjective and objective). Emphasizing thinking through making; students students build their visual vocabulary and develop an understanding of the design process. The goal of this class is to help students imagine the possibilities of the object design field and identify their aptitude for becoming an object designer.
The course will explore the intentionality of object design, exploring the works of a ranging from James Dyson to Ron Arad to Zaha Hadid. Readings and screenings will vary but typically include Mu-Ming Tsai's Design Thinking and Gary Hustwit's Objectified. Students should expect to produce a body of work consisting of several minor exploratory projects and two fully fleshed out finished Objects (mid-term and final). This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Introduction to Architecture/Interior Architecture | 1001 (002) | Adel Machacca | Thurs
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 |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Arch/Inarch: Design Drawing | 1002 (001) | Douglas Pancoast | Tues
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course is a comprehensive introduction to two-dimensional architectural and interior architectural representation. Students learn hand-drawing and digital techniques to produce orthographic, axonometric, isometric, and perspectival projections in individual and group projects. Students move between two- and three-dimensional representation, developing robust skills for design drawing.
Typically the course will review the work of architects and designers throughout the history of architecture representation. Readings will vary and focus will be concentrated on understanding and putting into practice the mechanisms of drawing. Course work consists of building techniques and practice of drawing. Classes will develop incremental skills through assignments and projects that culminate into complex drawings and representations. This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Arch/Inarch: Ugrd Studio 2 | 2002 (001) | Keefer Dunn | Mon/Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
ARCH/INARC Studio 2 is a two-day core design studio that expands the architecture and interior architecture design skills and research capabilities explored in Studio 1. Design projects of increasing complexity and scale are generated, critiqued and refined.
Research includes contemporary architecture, site research, urban context, and critical design issues of theory and construction. Students utilize hand sketching, digital visualization, photography, and physical modeling to present design project work with expanding sophistication. This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO software template. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Arch/Inarch: Ugrd Studio 2 | 2002 (002) | Jaak Jurisson | Mon/Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
ARCH/INARC Studio 2 is a two-day core design studio that expands the architecture and interior architecture design skills and research capabilities explored in Studio 1. Design projects of increasing complexity and scale are generated, critiqued and refined.
Research includes contemporary architecture, site research, urban context, and critical design issues of theory and construction. Students utilize hand sketching, digital visualization, photography, and physical modeling to present design project work with expanding sophistication. This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO software template. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Sketching for Designed Objects | 2005 (002) | Hector Silva | Thurs
3:30 PM - 9:15 PM In Person |
Description
Course Description
Students will learn to craft design concept sketches that clearly communicate ideas to others. The course focuses on using freehand sketching and rendering to visualize design objects, clarify form and function, and explore ideas quickly. Through exercises in thumbnail sketching, shading, and form development, students build confidence in drawing as a tool for thinking and communication. The course also introduces orthographic projection for precise technical drawings and two-point perspective for understanding objects in space. Who is this course for? Effective sketching is a foundational skill that designers use throughout their careers. Alongside 3D Modeling and Designing Interaction, this course is part of the core skills group in Designed Objects and is intended to support students as they move through the three-course Core Studio sequence. This course is an excellent first Designed Objects class and an accessible entry point into design at SAIC. There are no prerequisites, and students at all levels are welcome. When should this class be taken? This course is recommended in the freshman or sophomore year and works especially well as a student¿s first Designed Objects course. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| 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.
|
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| 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.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: Sophomore-level or above. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Designed Objects Studio Two | 2030 (001) | Eric Allan Hotchkiss | Thurs
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. PrerequisitesPre: DES OB 1001 or 2020 |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Furniture 1: Chair Studio | 2118 (001) | Erik Newman | Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This furniture studio will critically engage the chair as an archetype. Chairs have long been a fascination of designers as they require a developed understanding of structure, material, and form. Importantly, chairs represent the cultural mores of the time in which they are produced and are inextricably linked to larger systems of power, technology, and economy. This course will explore the chair as a fluid, dynamic furniture category that is in a reciprocal relationship with culture, technology, and politics and will emphasize a hands-on approach to design and production.
Readings from art and design historians and critics including Galen Cranz, David Getsy, Richard Sennett, Glenn Adamson, and Alice Rawsthorn will be integral to an expansive conversation about the chair. Class readings and discussions will also help contextualize different approaches to construction and fabrication at different scales of production. A wide range of both contemporary and historical design precedents will be explored ranging from traditional Shaker Furniture to Wendell Castle, Faye Toogood, Max Lamb, Egg Collective, Jasper Morrison, and Scott Burton. By the end of this course, students should expect to have completed technical drawings and a series of detailed scale models. PrerequisitesPrerequisite: Sophomore-level or above. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Digital Modeling: Rhino | 2124 (001) | Peter J Zerillo | Thurs
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. Emphasis is placed on using modeling as a way to think through form, proportion, and iteration, and how to utilize it within a production-focused process. Rhino is widely regarded as a standard professional 3D modeling tool in industrial design, supporting a form-driven approach commonly used in studio-based and consulting practice.
Students learn core Rhino workflows including curve construction, solid and basic surface modeling, transformations, and file preparation for visualization and fabrication. In addition to modeling, the course introduces foundational digital workflows, including exporting models for 3D printing, preparing 2D drawings for laser cutting, and using KeyShot to create rendered images that clearly communicate design intent. Through approximately three design projects, students use Rhino to explore object form, refine ideas through iteration, and translate digital models into physical and visual outputs. The emphasis is on clarity of form, thoughtful revision, and understanding how digital models function within a broader design process. When to take this course: Students are strongly encouraged to take this course as early as possible. Rhino is used regularly beginning in Designed Objects Studio 2 (DO2) and is commonly applied across topical studio electives. Early exposure allows students to integrate modeling naturally into studio work rather than treating it as a standalone technical skill. Who this course is for: This course is ideal for students interested in form-driven design, iterative making, and exploratory modeling practices. Alongside SolidWorks and Designing Interaction, this course is part of the Designed Objects core skills group, supporting students as they move through the three-course Core Studio sequence. Completion of either Rhino or SolidWorks 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 |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| 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 |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Sophomore Seminar: Interdisciplinary | 2900 (001) | Ellen Grimes | 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. PrerequisitesPrerequisite: Must be a sophomore to enroll. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Sophomore Seminar: Interdisciplinary | 2900 (003) | Anjulie Rao | Tues
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. PrerequisitesPrerequisite: Must be a sophomore to enroll. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| 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 plate-based lithography (with hand-drawn, digital and photo options) and pattern layout 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, 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 five projects and participate in two critiques. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Shaping Light | 3048 (001) | Gregory Mowery | Fri
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
Light is a material that can be shaped to express ideas, create experiences and increase the communicative potential of objects and spaces. Through a combination of lectures, demos, fields trips and most of all, hands-on lab work, students develop a degree of self sufficiency in the design, construction and prototyping of illuminated objects, physical graphics and environmental lighting. Students learn basic electronic and electrical circuit design, lamp specification and experiment with illumination technologies including incandescent, LED and cold cathode (neon).
|
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Furniture 2: Prototyping for Furniture | 3155 (001) | Zachary Manuel | Mon
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This digital-analog studio affords modeling and prototyping for furniture and other objects at environmental scale. Students construct prototype objects for living while learning a diverse range of technical and process options for making at scale in materials including wood, metals, plastics, fabrics and foams. Focus on fluid improvisation in prototyping designs both by hand and using CNC and other integrated fabrications technologies.
The course explores the systems work of Enzo Mari and Gerrit Rietveld to understand simple construction and scaffold mechanisms for creating quick prototypes. We watch an array of craft and wood engineering videos to understand manufacturing and fabrication techniques, and how prototyping takes place in furniture businesses. There are three major assignments, each yielding a unique piece of furniture. Naturally, the scope and scale of the projects increase as the semester moves forward. Additionally the course includes two day-long charettes to deliver specific skills and two field trips, to a furniture manufacturer and to a furniture show room. PrerequisitesPrerequisite: Sophomore-level or above. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| AIA: Architecture: Ugrd Studio 4 | 3902 (001) | Stephanie Surjan, Odile Compagnon | Thurs, Tues
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This two-day core undergraduate design studio focuses on the role of the designer in public life, and the role architecture plays in shaping public life. Students address the legal, ethical, cultural, and political concerns that shape architecture practice through the development of a design project. Students use rigorous representation techniques, achieving a professional level of presentation. Students are expected to complete a professional portfolio and resume, along with their design work.
This studio examines issues of program, structure, and building skin to identify how public architecture represents itself as a cultural and political artifact. Rather than understanding architecture as autonomous from its social, cultural, and political environment, the studio posits that architecture must be integrated into the world, be informed by and transforming the social and technical systems that enable our built environments. Students will review and study design approaches to expand their understanding of possibilities about new spatial dynamics informed by emerging social relationships, hybrid conditions and the social shaping of technology. Readings, textual and visual case studies and site visits will vary, but always provide the background and theoretical grounding for the site and project analysis and final project development and portfolio presentation. Project work is a cumulative archive of the process of problem analysis and design exploration that are translations of observations, facts and ideas ? all being made visible through diagrams, drawings and models. Parts of the semesters work will be conducted in groups, in group discussions and workshops and/or site visits; and which will all contribute to individual project work and portfolio development to be presented in a final critique. This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template. PrerequisitesPrerequisite: Sophomore seminar course |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| AIA: Architecture: Ugrd Studio 4 | 3902 (001) | Stephanie Surjan, Odile Compagnon | Thurs, Tues
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This two-day core undergraduate design studio focuses on the role of the designer in public life, and the role architecture plays in shaping public life. Students address the legal, ethical, cultural, and political concerns that shape architecture practice through the development of a design project. Students use rigorous representation techniques, achieving a professional level of presentation. Students are expected to complete a professional portfolio and resume, along with their design work.
This studio examines issues of program, structure, and building skin to identify how public architecture represents itself as a cultural and political artifact. Rather than understanding architecture as autonomous from its social, cultural, and political environment, the studio posits that architecture must be integrated into the world, be informed by and transforming the social and technical systems that enable our built environments. Students will review and study design approaches to expand their understanding of possibilities about new spatial dynamics informed by emerging social relationships, hybrid conditions and the social shaping of technology. Readings, textual and visual case studies and site visits will vary, but always provide the background and theoretical grounding for the site and project analysis and final project development and portfolio presentation. Project work is a cumulative archive of the process of problem analysis and design exploration that are translations of observations, facts and ideas ? all being made visible through diagrams, drawings and models. Parts of the semesters work will be conducted in groups, in group discussions and workshops and/or site visits; and which will all contribute to individual project work and portfolio development to be presented in a final critique. This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template. PrerequisitesPrerequisite: Sophomore seminar course |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| DES OB: Designed Object Portfolio Development Studio | 3914 (001) | Tobey Albright | Thurs
3:30 PM - 6:15 PM In Person |
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/ PrerequisitesPrerequisite: Sophomore seminar course |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| DES OB: Runway Meets Runway: Fashion Accessories and Designing Objects You Wear | 3915 (001) | Stephanie Sims | Tues
3:30 PM - 9:15 PM In Person |
Description
Runway Meets Runway is an excursion into the intersection of fashion and object design via the accessories and technologies that we wear, carry on and carry with. Working equally in the Fashion Department and AIADO, the students use investigation, iteration and innovation to design and fabricate a collection of accessory designs using analog and digital tools from worlds of both fashion and of product design. This Junior Seminar course includes visits to studios of professional designers to supplement individual developments of objects, lines and looks. Students will develop a web presence appropriate to their emerging practice.
Sample Class Activities: Built around the idea that culture is something we carry, carry on, carry with, and carry out, the students will conceive a 'galactic proposal', design and produce the objects, then integrate them into a social media campaign that introduces them as young independent designers to the outside world. Emphasis is placed on developing a professional mindset and mission to all aspects of their work. Students are introduced to this though guest professionals in design, fashion, materials experts, and social media gurus. The class is built around making a signature collection through studio work. The class will also explore- Strategies for developing a collection, Basics of a signature brand Understanding market categories, Positioning and differentiation through presentation, Material/ technique demonstrations (both analog and digital), Vendor field trips, Roles of Intellectual Property, Transforming a personal social media identity into a professional presence, Branding objects, How to meet impossible deadlines, Studio photography on a shoestring budget -through demos, field trips, invited guests, intense studio nights, and the knowledge and expertise of faculty with deep experience developing individual design practices. PrerequisitesPrerequisite: Sophomore seminar course |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Scenography | 3920 (001) | Odile Compagnon | Fri
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
In this course, students will be introduced to techniques by which they can design environments (spaces, performances, exhibits, architecture, interiors, landscapes) with strong potential 101 narrative, storytelling, memories Borrowing from the theater, to animation, puppetry, stop motion or urban spectacle, the course will teach ways in which lighting, movements, interactivity, space hierarchy can make nonfigurative concepts accessible to wide audiences, A digital approach will be merged with analog fabrication and scaled prototyping of props and physical environments.
Chicago will serve as text book, Field trips to performances , outdoor spectacles, screenings , exhibition will be the teaching tools to understand light, scale, interaction between participants Readings and videos by Peter Brook, Jeremy Till, Olafur Eliason, Patrick Bouchain will set the stage for conversations about minimalism, technology, and the importance of details when telling a story through space. Four short design assignments. inspired by the readings and field trips, will teach students the basics of orthographic projection, scale, additive and subtractive color mixing, materials, computer assisted design, and encourage them to apply their own making and designing skills to creating environments that resonate wilh a strong voice. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Futurecraft: Speculative Worlds & Narrative Game DesignFuturecraft: Speculative Game | 4017 (001) | Jessica Charlesworth, Kristin McWharter | Mon
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This studio course challenges students to rethink conventional ideas of 'the future' using design, gaming strategies, and visualization methods to create compelling alternatives. Through live-action role play (LARP) and guided reflection, students collaboratively design an emergent world over the course of a semester. Each session introduces new challenges, pushing students to respond to evolving scenarios while considering their ethical implications. The class combines LARP tools, game strategy, design principles, scenario planning, and speculative design to explore speculative ideas and create immersive, thought-provoking futures. The course structure is episodic, encouraging creative problem-solving and ethical engagement throughout.
Some of the artists/ designers/ futurists / studios we will study in this course include artist, researcher, game designer Carina Erdmann, artist and designer Ash Eliza Smith who employs storytelling, worldbuilding, and speculative design to craft new realities. Chris Woebken and Elliott Montgomery's Extrapolation Factory explores experiential futures through workshops and object visualizations. Stuart Candy, a futurist, also contributes to the field. We will review and discuss works such as *War Game*, a future-set simulation; Alternate Reality Games at UChicago with Fourcast Lab; and *Papers*, a playful LARP that explores corporate culture. Course work will include weekly practical and research based assignments: students will develop visualizations of spaces, objects, or graphics that bring to life their proposals related to scenarios for the game scenario and gather knowledge of a range of new technologies and the future scenarios they imply. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Futurecraft: Speculative Worlds & Narrative Game DesignFuturecraft: Speculative Game | 4017 (001) | Jessica Charlesworth, Kristin McWharter | Mon
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This studio course challenges students to rethink conventional ideas of 'the future' using design, gaming strategies, and visualization methods to create compelling alternatives. Through live-action role play (LARP) and guided reflection, students collaboratively design an emergent world over the course of a semester. Each session introduces new challenges, pushing students to respond to evolving scenarios while considering their ethical implications. The class combines LARP tools, game strategy, design principles, scenario planning, and speculative design to explore speculative ideas and create immersive, thought-provoking futures. The course structure is episodic, encouraging creative problem-solving and ethical engagement throughout.
Some of the artists/ designers/ futurists / studios we will study in this course include artist, researcher, game designer Carina Erdmann, artist and designer Ash Eliza Smith who employs storytelling, worldbuilding, and speculative design to craft new realities. Chris Woebken and Elliott Montgomery's Extrapolation Factory explores experiential futures through workshops and object visualizations. Stuart Candy, a futurist, also contributes to the field. We will review and discuss works such as *War Game*, a future-set simulation; Alternate Reality Games at UChicago with Fourcast Lab; and *Papers*, a playful LARP that explores corporate culture. Course work will include weekly practical and research based assignments: students will develop visualizations of spaces, objects, or graphics that bring to life their proposals related to scenarios for the game scenario and gather knowledge of a range of new technologies and the future scenarios they imply. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Language-Games: Dialoguing with AI | 4021 (001) | Gionata Gatto, Douglas Rosman | Fri
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course explores what it means to engage in dialogue with an AI prompting system, focusing on the design of multi-modal interfaces and their effects on both the quality of interaction and the creation of prototypes and artifacts. Students will experiment with different 'languages' for AI communication, such as voice (tone, cadence, emotion), bodily gestures, and environmental factors (light, sound, humidity), as ways to influence¿and be influenced by¿AI behaviors. Through a series of hands-on experiments, the course navigates the space between biological ('human') and cultural ('AI') processes, offering new perspectives on hybrid outcomes co-generated by these interactions. The aim is to foster a critical understanding of emerging AI systems, positioning students to engage with AI thoughtfully rather than as a mere technological tool.
The course builds on Cultural and Feminist Studies, as a way to depart from the dichotomy human/AI, and move towards their understanding as entities that collaborate and promt each other. References include Donna Haraway's Cyborg Manifesto, Langdon Winner's politics of artifacts, which addresses the ways in which technology embeds social and cultural values; Rosi Braidotti's work on Posthumanism. Theoretical foundations will be accompanied by the discussion of existing practices and past interactions, including the work of John Funge, Sherry Turkle, Meredith Broussard, and the study of other formats, linked to the design of bots for social media use. Across the semester, there will be a range of assignment asking students to explore the impact of different non-normative `languages¿ -such as body, sight, the environment, on the crafting of new dialogic modes with AI. PrerequisitesOpen to Seniors & Grad Students |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Language-Games: Dialoguing with AI | 4021 (001) | Gionata Gatto, Douglas Rosman | Fri
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course explores what it means to engage in dialogue with an AI prompting system, focusing on the design of multi-modal interfaces and their effects on both the quality of interaction and the creation of prototypes and artifacts. Students will experiment with different 'languages' for AI communication, such as voice (tone, cadence, emotion), bodily gestures, and environmental factors (light, sound, humidity), as ways to influence¿and be influenced by¿AI behaviors. Through a series of hands-on experiments, the course navigates the space between biological ('human') and cultural ('AI') processes, offering new perspectives on hybrid outcomes co-generated by these interactions. The aim is to foster a critical understanding of emerging AI systems, positioning students to engage with AI thoughtfully rather than as a mere technological tool.
The course builds on Cultural and Feminist Studies, as a way to depart from the dichotomy human/AI, and move towards their understanding as entities that collaborate and promt each other. References include Donna Haraway's Cyborg Manifesto, Langdon Winner's politics of artifacts, which addresses the ways in which technology embeds social and cultural values; Rosi Braidotti's work on Posthumanism. Theoretical foundations will be accompanied by the discussion of existing practices and past interactions, including the work of John Funge, Sherry Turkle, Meredith Broussard, and the study of other formats, linked to the design of bots for social media use. Across the semester, there will be a range of assignment asking students to explore the impact of different non-normative `languages¿ -such as body, sight, the environment, on the crafting of new dialogic modes with AI. PrerequisitesOpen to Seniors & Grad Students |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Furniture 3:Advanced Furniture (SP) | 4026 (001) | Casey C. Lurie | Fri
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
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.
PrerequisitesDESOB 4025 |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Interiority | 4050 (001) | Laleh Motlagh | Thurs
6:45 PM - 9:30 PM In Person |
Description
This course familiarizes students with concepts and characteristics of interiority in architecture, with a focus on the physical, experiential, and cultural condition of interiority as a site for creative practice. Through design research projects undertaken in a studio context, students explore how interiority relates to contemporary issues such as health, privacy, and surveilance; and both the physiology and psychology of how we relate to interior spaces via our bodies and our senses. Class work includes lectures, readings, and group presentations and discussions.
|
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| ReMaterials at Homan Square | 4101 (001) | Odile Compagnon | Mon
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
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. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Social Engagement Studio | 4101 (001) | Eric Allan Hotchkiss | Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
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.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: Sophomore-level or above. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Whatnot Studio | 4800 (001) | Gionata Gatto | Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
Whatnot Studio is a year-long advanced course in which students design and produce a collection for whatnot, the school's in-house product brand. The course emphasizes three major goals: developing a product based on an annual theme, producing it using small-batch manufacturing methods, and collaboratively creating a retail environment to showcase the collection. Students refine their individual design voice while working as a team to produce a cohesive, high-quality collection for public exhibition. Past work from the Whatnot Studio has been shown at international venues including the Salone del Mobile in Milan and Wanted Design in New York City. Admission is selective and open to upper-level undergraduate and graduate students through a portfolio review. By year's end, students will have produced a pilot run of their design and collaboratively created a branded store installation, presented at a major design trade show in the spring. Admittance to Whatnot Studio is by portfolio review. Are you ready to be challenged through deep conceptual and material exploration¿and to transform it into a producible design? We welcome juniors, seniors, and graduate students interested in this opportunity to apply via the link below: https://airtable.com/app10LexPLHEqM7mV/pagcVlilryi7Xn4Or/form. Applications accepted until April 25.
|
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Capstone: Radical Acts of Preservation | 4902 (001) | Hong Yeol In | Fri
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
Acts of preservation are ancient and practiced broadly across cultures, from
fermenting food, to telling and retelling stories, to fabricating and repairing clothing and shelter. In art and design, radical acts of preservation not only maintain part of the past, but imagine and enact new connections between past, present, and future. This Capstone studio will explore a range of contemporary radical preservation acts including critical architectural preservation and art conservation projects; institutional critiques of libraries, museums, and archives; and preservation of multiple, intersectional, and even contradictory pasts in any medium. Course work will include readings, in-class discussions, and critiques. Students will work individually throughout the course to research precedents of radical preservation acts, identify a subject of interest for preservation, and enact a preservation strategy for it in any art or design medium of their choice. PrerequisitesStudent must have completed PROFPRAC 3902 |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| DES OB: Speculative & Realized: Interdisciplinary Design Capstone Studio | 4929 (001) | Peter J Zerillo | Tues
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
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. PrerequisitesPrerequisite: Professional practice course |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Grad Studio 2: Interior Arch | 5120 (002) | Stephanie Slaughter, Odile Compagnon | Mon, Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
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. PrerequisitesYou must be a Master of Architecture student to enroll in this course. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Grad Studio 2: Interior Arch | 5120 (002) | Stephanie Slaughter, Odile Compagnon | Mon, Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
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. PrerequisitesYou must be a Master of Architecture student to enroll in this course. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Arch/Inarch: Structures 1 | 5123 (001) | Lee Fritz, Daniel Swiatek | Wed
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
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. PrerequisitesYou must be a Master of Architecture student to enroll in this course. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Arch/Inarch: Structures 1 | 5123 (001) | Lee Fritz, Daniel Swiatek | Wed
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
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. PrerequisitesYou must be a Master of Architecture student to enroll in this course. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Studio 2: Discover | 5160 (001) | Ben Stagl | Tues
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
As the second studio in the MDDO graduate sequence, this course gives students the opportunity to develop their skills in individual project development and form-giving while practicing the use of research and design tools. The primary purpose of this studio is to help students identify their individual motivations as designers by working on a self-defined design project within a structured iterative design process.
As a complement to this inquiry, in-class presentations, readings, and discussions will familiarize students with the landscape of contemporary design practice. Readings will include theoretical, historical and critical texts. Design as a process will also be discussed. Students can expect to complete a multi-stage semester long project. You must be a Master of Design in Designed Objects student to enroll in this course. PrerequisitesYou must be a Master of Design in Designed Objects student to enroll in this course. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Grad Projects:Designed Objects | 6009 (001) | Gionata Gatto |
TBD - TBD In Person |
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.
PrerequisitesOpen to MFA, MFAW and MAVCS students only |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Professional Contexts - Thesis Practicum | 6015 (001) | Carla Bruni, F. Philip Barash | Thurs
3:30 PM - 6:15 PM In Person |
Description
The Practicum provides structure for engaging in off-campus practicum work based on content and subject matter identified through thesis strategies and in support of thesis studio project development. In consultation with faculty This can include; internships and/or co-operative learning opportunities; experiential and/or focused observational research; service learning and community collaborations. Faculty develop and deliver methodological requirements for the class leading to functional documentary outcomes, that allow students to articulate professional contexts in relation to their thesis work.
Students work from self-identified materials related to their thesis studio work. Typically a student will identify a project accompanied by a bibliography as part of AIA6213 Thesis Strategies. Students are required to develop a media rich documentary report from their working experience in this practicum. The report is developed in conversation with the faculty and enriched by professional encounters through their project work. The report is built through iterative drafts that are presented and critiqued in the class three times. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Professional Contexts - Thesis Practicum | 6015 (001) | Carla Bruni, F. Philip Barash | Thurs
3:30 PM - 6:15 PM In Person |
Description
The Practicum provides structure for engaging in off-campus practicum work based on content and subject matter identified through thesis strategies and in support of thesis studio project development. In consultation with faculty This can include; internships and/or co-operative learning opportunities; experiential and/or focused observational research; service learning and community collaborations. Faculty develop and deliver methodological requirements for the class leading to functional documentary outcomes, that allow students to articulate professional contexts in relation to their thesis work.
Students work from self-identified materials related to their thesis studio work. Typically a student will identify a project accompanied by a bibliography as part of AIA6213 Thesis Strategies. Students are required to develop a media rich documentary report from their working experience in this practicum. The report is developed in conversation with the faculty and enriched by professional encounters through their project work. The report is built through iterative drafts that are presented and critiqued in the class three times. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Grad Studio 4: Architecture | 6120 (001) | Lukasz Kowalczyk | Mon/Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
The Intermediate Design Studio in the accredited professional graduate degree emphasizes the capacity of buildings, interior space and urban interiors to engage and make tangible the opportunities inherent to diversity, change and the temporal occupation of space and time.
Course Goals and Objectives include developing an understanding of how diversity and temporal or contingent conditions inform architectural space making, form and program. These questions are explored through the design or adaptive re-use of a medium sized building accommodating 100 occupants, sited in a culturally diverse and historically complex context. The design exploration needs to provide evidence of a deep understanding of the ethical and social responsibilities of the architect, of human behavior in a context governed by diversity and change and translated into a design proposition of a contextually sensitive building ? while addressing site conditions, accessibility, building services and systems and user well-being. Student performance criteria (SPC) that address the most recent National Architectural Accreditation Board (NAAB) requirements will be highlighted and form part of the coursework outcomes. Readings, textual and visual case studies and site visits will vary, but always provide the background and theoretical grounding for the site and project analysis and final project development and representation. Project work is a cumulative archive of the process of problem analysis and design exploration that are translations of observations, facts and ideas ? all being made visible through diagrams, drawings and models. Parts of the semesters work will be conducted in groups and which will contribute to individual project work presented in a final critique. PrerequisitesYou must be a Master of Architecture student to enroll in this course. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Grad Studio 4: Interior Arch | 6120 (002) | Carl Ray Miller | Mon/Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
The Intermediate Design Studio in the accredited professional graduate degree emphasizes the capacity of buildings, interior space and urban interiors to engage and make tangible the opportunities inherent to diversity, change and the temporal occupation of space and time.
Course Goals and Objectives include developing an understanding of how diversity and temporal or contingent conditions inform architectural space making, form and program. These questions are explored through the design or adaptive re-use of a medium sized building accommodating 100 occupants, sited in a culturally diverse and historically complex context. The design exploration needs to provide evidence of a deep understanding of the ethical and social responsibilities of the architect, of human behavior in a context governed by diversity and change and translated into a design proposition of a contextually sensitive building ? while addressing site conditions, accessibility, building services and systems and user well-being. Student performance criteria (SPC) that address the most recent National Architectural Accreditation Board (NAAB) requirements will be highlighted and form part of the coursework outcomes. Readings, textual and visual case studies and site visits will vary, but always provide the background and theoretical grounding for the site and project analysis and final project development and representation. Project work is a cumulative archive of the process of problem analysis and design exploration that are translations of observations, facts and ideas ? all being made visible through diagrams, drawings and models. Parts of the semesters work will be conducted in groups and which will contribute to individual project work presented in a final critique. PrerequisitesYou must be a Master of Architecture student to enroll in this course. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Arch/Inarch: Code,Spec,Joints | 6123 (001) | Jessie LaFree, Grant Ullrich | Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
Codes are examined as explicit as well as tacit instances of social values, which reflect cultural boundaries between the built environment and human behavior. Students investigate the notion of confinement and explore the possibilities, as Michael Sorkin put it, where codes, through 'acknowledging the gravity of permanence and the oppressions of extent,'seek, in their limits, 'not to restrain associations, but to free them.' While codes are a means through which society speaks to the architect, their compliment, specifications, are investigated as a vital architectural component of architectural expression. In order for an architectural vision to be manifest in the world, it must be communicated in a common manner both comprehensible and commonly valued. In courts of law, the written always trumps the drawn, even in cases where the drawing is worth a thousand words. In addition to basic proficiency in specification writing and the surrounding professional and legal processes, students also gain crucial understanding of the role of specifications in allowing the practitioner to best control the material articulation of their architectural propositions.
PrerequisitesYou must be a Master of Architecture student to enroll in this course. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Arch/Inarch: Code,Spec,Joints | 6123 (001) | Jessie LaFree, Grant Ullrich | Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
Codes are examined as explicit as well as tacit instances of social values, which reflect cultural boundaries between the built environment and human behavior. Students investigate the notion of confinement and explore the possibilities, as Michael Sorkin put it, where codes, through 'acknowledging the gravity of permanence and the oppressions of extent,'seek, in their limits, 'not to restrain associations, but to free them.' While codes are a means through which society speaks to the architect, their compliment, specifications, are investigated as a vital architectural component of architectural expression. In order for an architectural vision to be manifest in the world, it must be communicated in a common manner both comprehensible and commonly valued. In courts of law, the written always trumps the drawn, even in cases where the drawing is worth a thousand words. In addition to basic proficiency in specification writing and the surrounding professional and legal processes, students also gain crucial understanding of the role of specifications in allowing the practitioner to best control the material articulation of their architectural propositions.
PrerequisitesYou must be a Master of Architecture student to enroll in this course. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Thesis Studio 2: Manifest | 6160 (001) | Gionata Gatto, Eric Allan Hotchkiss, Sara Prado | Tues/Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
In the final thesis studio, students confirm and materialize their position and voice as designers by completing their self-selected thesis project initiated in DES OB 6150 -- Thesis Studio 1.Through an intensive period of seminar and tutorial discussion, prototyping, presentation and critique, students produce highly developed designed objects, systems, and experiences that critically engage specific areas of design, technology, and culture. Emphasis is given to determining potent vehicles through which the instance of the thesis is tested, exhibited and engages public consciousness. The course culminates in a thesis defense and the presentation of a final thesis project at the SAIC Design Show.
You must be a Master of Design in Designed Objects Student to enroll in this course. PrerequisitesPrereq: DES OB 6150 |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Thesis Studio 2: Manifest | 6160 (001) | Gionata Gatto, Eric Allan Hotchkiss, Sara Prado | Tues/Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
In the final thesis studio, students confirm and materialize their position and voice as designers by completing their self-selected thesis project initiated in DES OB 6150 -- Thesis Studio 1.Through an intensive period of seminar and tutorial discussion, prototyping, presentation and critique, students produce highly developed designed objects, systems, and experiences that critically engage specific areas of design, technology, and culture. Emphasis is given to determining potent vehicles through which the instance of the thesis is tested, exhibited and engages public consciousness. The course culminates in a thesis defense and the presentation of a final thesis project at the SAIC Design Show.
You must be a Master of Design in Designed Objects Student to enroll in this course. PrerequisitesPrereq: DES OB 6150 |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Thesis Studio 2: Manifest | 6160 (001) | Gionata Gatto, Eric Allan Hotchkiss, Sara Prado | Tues/Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
In the final thesis studio, students confirm and materialize their position and voice as designers by completing their self-selected thesis project initiated in DES OB 6150 -- Thesis Studio 1.Through an intensive period of seminar and tutorial discussion, prototyping, presentation and critique, students produce highly developed designed objects, systems, and experiences that critically engage specific areas of design, technology, and culture. Emphasis is given to determining potent vehicles through which the instance of the thesis is tested, exhibited and engages public consciousness. The course culminates in a thesis defense and the presentation of a final thesis project at the SAIC Design Show.
You must be a Master of Design in Designed Objects Student to enroll in this course. PrerequisitesPrereq: DES OB 6150 |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Positioning Methods Lab | 6162 (001) | Tobey Albright | Thurs
6:45 PM - 9:30 PM In Person |
Description
Life after design school could reveal vast diversity beyond traditional employment opportunities, such as working for a design consultancy, as an in-house designer, or independently. Positioning Methods Lab is designed to help students shape their portfolio into various formats, focusing primarily on each students? specific future goals, and establishing a promotional strategy that feels authentic and attuned to their personal form of world-making.
Readings and screenings will vary but will include foundational and instructional readings such as: Elements of Typographic Style by Bringhurst Grid Systems/Raster Systeme by Josef Muller-Brockmann The Crystal Goblet by Beatrice Ward On Punctuation by Gertrude Stein My website is a shifting house next to a river of knowledge. What could yours be? by Laurel Schwulst As well as an introduction to various tools and resources such as: Are.na, Cargo Collective, the SAIC Service Bureau, the SAIC Writing Center, and various file formats and structure for print and web. In addition to completing weekly assignments and readings, students should expect to finish the class with a resume, portfolio in either printed or PDF form, as well as a personal website of work. PrerequisitesYou must be a Master of Design in Designed Objects student to enroll in this course. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Architecture/Interior Architecture: Graduate Studio 6 Thesis | 6220 (001) | Douglas Pancoast | Mon/Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
Thesis studio asks students to determine and research an original problem with pertinent issues, and design an innovative response to some aspect of architectural production.
Course Goals and Objectives 1) Give individual students the opportunity to discover, define, and research a significant aspect of architectural production in depth. 2) Develop a personal approach to an important issue of contemporary significance to the field of architecture and communicate it concisely. 3) Work with originality, clarity, and high production values at the end of an architectural education. PrerequisitesYou must be a Master of Architecture with an Emphasis in Interior Architecture, or an MSHP student, to enroll in this course |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Architecture/Interior Architecture: Graduate Studio 6 Thesis | 6220 (002) | Charles Pipal, Henning Martin-Thomsen | Mon/Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
Thesis studio asks students to determine and research an original problem with pertinent issues, and design an innovative response to some aspect of architectural production.
Course Goals and Objectives 1) Give individual students the opportunity to discover, define, and research a significant aspect of architectural production in depth. 2) Develop a personal approach to an important issue of contemporary significance to the field of architecture and communicate it concisely. 3) Work with originality, clarity, and high production values at the end of an architectural education. PrerequisitesYou must be a Master of Architecture with an Emphasis in Interior Architecture, or an MSHP student, to enroll in this course |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Architecture/Interior Architecture: Graduate Studio 6 Thesis | 6220 (002) | Charles Pipal, Henning Martin-Thomsen | Mon/Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
Thesis studio asks students to determine and research an original problem with pertinent issues, and design an innovative response to some aspect of architectural production.
Course Goals and Objectives 1) Give individual students the opportunity to discover, define, and research a significant aspect of architectural production in depth. 2) Develop a personal approach to an important issue of contemporary significance to the field of architecture and communicate it concisely. 3) Work with originality, clarity, and high production values at the end of an architectural education. PrerequisitesYou must be a Master of Architecture with an Emphasis in Interior Architecture, or an MSHP student, to enroll in this course |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Arch/Inarch: Structures 2 | 6221 (001) | Jiyoung Moon, Cathleen Jacinto | Fri
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
Covers integrated construction systems, the design of structural forms, truss analysis, long span structures, lateral systems, steel and concrete member design, and an ARE refresher.
Course Goals and Objectives 1) Understanding of the role that structural considerations play in design decisions. 2) Guide a team through the design process, communicate critical design information to structural consultants and integrate structural drawings and specifications into project documentation. 3) Develop skills to evaluate the pros and cons of structural systems and materials during pre-design. 4) Explores the code-prescribed design methods applied by the professional community. 5) Introduce best practices for structural system layouts for multiple typographies with a focus on performance-based design. 6) Introduces reference materials from organizations responsible for sharing information about the latest structural technologies and tools for their implementation. 7) Refresh the understanding of structural principles required to study for the ARE exam. PrerequisitesYou must be a Master of Architecture student to enroll in this course. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Arch/Inarch: Structures 2 | 6221 (001) | Jiyoung Moon, Cathleen Jacinto | Fri
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
Covers integrated construction systems, the design of structural forms, truss analysis, long span structures, lateral systems, steel and concrete member design, and an ARE refresher.
Course Goals and Objectives 1) Understanding of the role that structural considerations play in design decisions. 2) Guide a team through the design process, communicate critical design information to structural consultants and integrate structural drawings and specifications into project documentation. 3) Develop skills to evaluate the pros and cons of structural systems and materials during pre-design. 4) Explores the code-prescribed design methods applied by the professional community. 5) Introduce best practices for structural system layouts for multiple typographies with a focus on performance-based design. 6) Introduces reference materials from organizations responsible for sharing information about the latest structural technologies and tools for their implementation. 7) Refresh the understanding of structural principles required to study for the ARE exam. PrerequisitesYou must be a Master of Architecture student to enroll in this course. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Arch/Inarch: Prac Economies | 6222 (002) | Matthew Snoap, Michael Newman | Wed
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
Studies the Architectural profession, addressing legal and ethical issues, public health and safety, leadership, architect's and client's role, office costs and organization, and building cost estimation.
Course Goals and Objectives 1) Discover and examine contemporary models of architecture practice. Prepare students to anticipate and navigate the complexity of establishing a nimble and purposeful design practice. 2) Understand the logistics of practice, strategies and processes of operating a business, pursuing commissions, negotiating contracts and managing a project during design & construction. 3) Learn to use basic building cost estimation methods. PrerequisitesYou must be a Master of Architecture student to enroll in this course. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Arch/Inarch: Prac Economies | 6222 (002) | Matthew Snoap, Michael Newman | Wed
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
Studies the Architectural profession, addressing legal and ethical issues, public health and safety, leadership, architect's and client's role, office costs and organization, and building cost estimation.
Course Goals and Objectives 1) Discover and examine contemporary models of architecture practice. Prepare students to anticipate and navigate the complexity of establishing a nimble and purposeful design practice. 2) Understand the logistics of practice, strategies and processes of operating a business, pursuing commissions, negotiating contracts and managing a project during design & construction. 3) Learn to use basic building cost estimation methods. PrerequisitesYou must be a Master of Architecture student to enroll in this course. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
Designed Objects Course Listing
For the most up-to-date list of courses, please visit PeopleSoft Self-Service.
| Title | Catalog | Instructor | Schedule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Introduction to Designed Objects | 1001 (001) | Cassandra Scanlon | Mon
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course introduces students to the creative scope of the Designed Objects program, and the ideas, skills, and methods used in the process of designing objects. Students will learn about the design of objects by studying their form, function, assembly, materiality, use, value and significance (both subjective and objective). Emphasizing thinking through making; students students build their visual vocabulary and develop an understanding of the design process. The goal of this class is to help students imagine the possibilities of the object design field and identify their aptitude for becoming an object designer.
The course will explore the intentionality of object design, exploring the works of a ranging from James Dyson to Ron Arad to Zaha Hadid. Readings and screenings will vary but typically include Mu-Ming Tsai's Design Thinking and Gary Hustwit's Objectified. Students should expect to produce a body of work consisting of several minor exploratory projects and two fully fleshed out finished Objects (mid-term and final). This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Introduction to Designed Objects | 1001 (002) | Sara Prado | Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course introduces students to the creative scope of the Designed Objects program, and the ideas, skills, and methods used in the process of designing objects. Students will learn about the design of objects by studying their form, function, assembly, materiality, use, value and significance (both subjective and objective). Emphasizing thinking through making; students students build their visual vocabulary and develop an understanding of the design process. The goal of this class is to help students imagine the possibilities of the object design field and identify their aptitude for becoming an object designer.
The course will explore the intentionality of object design, exploring the works of a ranging from James Dyson to Ron Arad to Zaha Hadid. Readings and screenings will vary but typically include Mu-Ming Tsai's Design Thinking and Gary Hustwit's Objectified. Students should expect to produce a body of work consisting of several minor exploratory projects and two fully fleshed out finished Objects (mid-term and final). This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Sketching for Designed Objects | 2005 (002) | Hector Silva | Thurs
3:30 PM - 9:15 PM In Person |
Description
Course Description
Students will learn to craft design concept sketches that clearly communicate ideas to others. The course focuses on using freehand sketching and rendering to visualize design objects, clarify form and function, and explore ideas quickly. Through exercises in thumbnail sketching, shading, and form development, students build confidence in drawing as a tool for thinking and communication. The course also introduces orthographic projection for precise technical drawings and two-point perspective for understanding objects in space. Who is this course for? Effective sketching is a foundational skill that designers use throughout their careers. Alongside 3D Modeling and Designing Interaction, this course is part of the core skills group in Designed Objects and is intended to support students as they move through the three-course Core Studio sequence. This course is an excellent first Designed Objects class and an accessible entry point into design at SAIC. There are no prerequisites, and students at all levels are welcome. When should this class be taken? This course is recommended in the freshman or sophomore year and works especially well as a student¿s first Designed Objects course. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| 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.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: Sophomore-level or above. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Designed Objects Studio Two | 2030 (001) | Eric Allan Hotchkiss | Thurs
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. PrerequisitesPre: DES OB 1001 or 2020 |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Furniture 1: Chair Studio | 2118 (001) | Erik Newman | Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This furniture studio will critically engage the chair as an archetype. Chairs have long been a fascination of designers as they require a developed understanding of structure, material, and form. Importantly, chairs represent the cultural mores of the time in which they are produced and are inextricably linked to larger systems of power, technology, and economy. This course will explore the chair as a fluid, dynamic furniture category that is in a reciprocal relationship with culture, technology, and politics and will emphasize a hands-on approach to design and production.
Readings from art and design historians and critics including Galen Cranz, David Getsy, Richard Sennett, Glenn Adamson, and Alice Rawsthorn will be integral to an expansive conversation about the chair. Class readings and discussions will also help contextualize different approaches to construction and fabrication at different scales of production. A wide range of both contemporary and historical design precedents will be explored ranging from traditional Shaker Furniture to Wendell Castle, Faye Toogood, Max Lamb, Egg Collective, Jasper Morrison, and Scott Burton. By the end of this course, students should expect to have completed technical drawings and a series of detailed scale models. PrerequisitesPrerequisite: Sophomore-level or above. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Digital Modeling: Rhino | 2124 (001) | Peter J Zerillo | Thurs
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. Emphasis is placed on using modeling as a way to think through form, proportion, and iteration, and how to utilize it within a production-focused process. Rhino is widely regarded as a standard professional 3D modeling tool in industrial design, supporting a form-driven approach commonly used in studio-based and consulting practice.
Students learn core Rhino workflows including curve construction, solid and basic surface modeling, transformations, and file preparation for visualization and fabrication. In addition to modeling, the course introduces foundational digital workflows, including exporting models for 3D printing, preparing 2D drawings for laser cutting, and using KeyShot to create rendered images that clearly communicate design intent. Through approximately three design projects, students use Rhino to explore object form, refine ideas through iteration, and translate digital models into physical and visual outputs. The emphasis is on clarity of form, thoughtful revision, and understanding how digital models function within a broader design process. When to take this course: Students are strongly encouraged to take this course as early as possible. Rhino is used regularly beginning in Designed Objects Studio 2 (DO2) and is commonly applied across topical studio electives. Early exposure allows students to integrate modeling naturally into studio work rather than treating it as a standalone technical skill. Who this course is for: This course is ideal for students interested in form-driven design, iterative making, and exploratory modeling practices. Alongside SolidWorks and Designing Interaction, this course is part of the Designed Objects core skills group, supporting students as they move through the three-course Core Studio sequence. Completion of either Rhino or SolidWorks 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 |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| 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 |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| 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 plate-based lithography (with hand-drawn, digital and photo options) and pattern layout 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, 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 five projects and participate in two critiques. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Shaping Light | 3048 (001) | Gregory Mowery | Fri
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
Light is a material that can be shaped to express ideas, create experiences and increase the communicative potential of objects and spaces. Through a combination of lectures, demos, fields trips and most of all, hands-on lab work, students develop a degree of self sufficiency in the design, construction and prototyping of illuminated objects, physical graphics and environmental lighting. Students learn basic electronic and electrical circuit design, lamp specification and experiment with illumination technologies including incandescent, LED and cold cathode (neon).
|
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Furniture 2: Prototyping for Furniture | 3155 (001) | Zachary Manuel | Mon
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This digital-analog studio affords modeling and prototyping for furniture and other objects at environmental scale. Students construct prototype objects for living while learning a diverse range of technical and process options for making at scale in materials including wood, metals, plastics, fabrics and foams. Focus on fluid improvisation in prototyping designs both by hand and using CNC and other integrated fabrications technologies.
The course explores the systems work of Enzo Mari and Gerrit Rietveld to understand simple construction and scaffold mechanisms for creating quick prototypes. We watch an array of craft and wood engineering videos to understand manufacturing and fabrication techniques, and how prototyping takes place in furniture businesses. There are three major assignments, each yielding a unique piece of furniture. Naturally, the scope and scale of the projects increase as the semester moves forward. Additionally the course includes two day-long charettes to deliver specific skills and two field trips, to a furniture manufacturer and to a furniture show room. PrerequisitesPrerequisite: Sophomore-level or above. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Futurecraft: Speculative Worlds & Narrative Game DesignFuturecraft: Speculative Game | 4017 (001) | Jessica Charlesworth, Kristin McWharter | Mon
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This studio course challenges students to rethink conventional ideas of 'the future' using design, gaming strategies, and visualization methods to create compelling alternatives. Through live-action role play (LARP) and guided reflection, students collaboratively design an emergent world over the course of a semester. Each session introduces new challenges, pushing students to respond to evolving scenarios while considering their ethical implications. The class combines LARP tools, game strategy, design principles, scenario planning, and speculative design to explore speculative ideas and create immersive, thought-provoking futures. The course structure is episodic, encouraging creative problem-solving and ethical engagement throughout.
Some of the artists/ designers/ futurists / studios we will study in this course include artist, researcher, game designer Carina Erdmann, artist and designer Ash Eliza Smith who employs storytelling, worldbuilding, and speculative design to craft new realities. Chris Woebken and Elliott Montgomery's Extrapolation Factory explores experiential futures through workshops and object visualizations. Stuart Candy, a futurist, also contributes to the field. We will review and discuss works such as *War Game*, a future-set simulation; Alternate Reality Games at UChicago with Fourcast Lab; and *Papers*, a playful LARP that explores corporate culture. Course work will include weekly practical and research based assignments: students will develop visualizations of spaces, objects, or graphics that bring to life their proposals related to scenarios for the game scenario and gather knowledge of a range of new technologies and the future scenarios they imply. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Futurecraft: Speculative Worlds & Narrative Game DesignFuturecraft: Speculative Game | 4017 (001) | Jessica Charlesworth, Kristin McWharter | Mon
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This studio course challenges students to rethink conventional ideas of 'the future' using design, gaming strategies, and visualization methods to create compelling alternatives. Through live-action role play (LARP) and guided reflection, students collaboratively design an emergent world over the course of a semester. Each session introduces new challenges, pushing students to respond to evolving scenarios while considering their ethical implications. The class combines LARP tools, game strategy, design principles, scenario planning, and speculative design to explore speculative ideas and create immersive, thought-provoking futures. The course structure is episodic, encouraging creative problem-solving and ethical engagement throughout.
Some of the artists/ designers/ futurists / studios we will study in this course include artist, researcher, game designer Carina Erdmann, artist and designer Ash Eliza Smith who employs storytelling, worldbuilding, and speculative design to craft new realities. Chris Woebken and Elliott Montgomery's Extrapolation Factory explores experiential futures through workshops and object visualizations. Stuart Candy, a futurist, also contributes to the field. We will review and discuss works such as *War Game*, a future-set simulation; Alternate Reality Games at UChicago with Fourcast Lab; and *Papers*, a playful LARP that explores corporate culture. Course work will include weekly practical and research based assignments: students will develop visualizations of spaces, objects, or graphics that bring to life their proposals related to scenarios for the game scenario and gather knowledge of a range of new technologies and the future scenarios they imply. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Language-Games: Dialoguing with AI | 4021 (001) | Gionata Gatto, Douglas Rosman | Fri
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course explores what it means to engage in dialogue with an AI prompting system, focusing on the design of multi-modal interfaces and their effects on both the quality of interaction and the creation of prototypes and artifacts. Students will experiment with different 'languages' for AI communication, such as voice (tone, cadence, emotion), bodily gestures, and environmental factors (light, sound, humidity), as ways to influence¿and be influenced by¿AI behaviors. Through a series of hands-on experiments, the course navigates the space between biological ('human') and cultural ('AI') processes, offering new perspectives on hybrid outcomes co-generated by these interactions. The aim is to foster a critical understanding of emerging AI systems, positioning students to engage with AI thoughtfully rather than as a mere technological tool.
The course builds on Cultural and Feminist Studies, as a way to depart from the dichotomy human/AI, and move towards their understanding as entities that collaborate and promt each other. References include Donna Haraway's Cyborg Manifesto, Langdon Winner's politics of artifacts, which addresses the ways in which technology embeds social and cultural values; Rosi Braidotti's work on Posthumanism. Theoretical foundations will be accompanied by the discussion of existing practices and past interactions, including the work of John Funge, Sherry Turkle, Meredith Broussard, and the study of other formats, linked to the design of bots for social media use. Across the semester, there will be a range of assignment asking students to explore the impact of different non-normative `languages¿ -such as body, sight, the environment, on the crafting of new dialogic modes with AI. PrerequisitesOpen to Seniors & Grad Students |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Language-Games: Dialoguing with AI | 4021 (001) | Gionata Gatto, Douglas Rosman | Fri
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course explores what it means to engage in dialogue with an AI prompting system, focusing on the design of multi-modal interfaces and their effects on both the quality of interaction and the creation of prototypes and artifacts. Students will experiment with different 'languages' for AI communication, such as voice (tone, cadence, emotion), bodily gestures, and environmental factors (light, sound, humidity), as ways to influence¿and be influenced by¿AI behaviors. Through a series of hands-on experiments, the course navigates the space between biological ('human') and cultural ('AI') processes, offering new perspectives on hybrid outcomes co-generated by these interactions. The aim is to foster a critical understanding of emerging AI systems, positioning students to engage with AI thoughtfully rather than as a mere technological tool.
The course builds on Cultural and Feminist Studies, as a way to depart from the dichotomy human/AI, and move towards their understanding as entities that collaborate and promt each other. References include Donna Haraway's Cyborg Manifesto, Langdon Winner's politics of artifacts, which addresses the ways in which technology embeds social and cultural values; Rosi Braidotti's work on Posthumanism. Theoretical foundations will be accompanied by the discussion of existing practices and past interactions, including the work of John Funge, Sherry Turkle, Meredith Broussard, and the study of other formats, linked to the design of bots for social media use. Across the semester, there will be a range of assignment asking students to explore the impact of different non-normative `languages¿ -such as body, sight, the environment, on the crafting of new dialogic modes with AI. PrerequisitesOpen to Seniors & Grad Students |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Furniture 3:Advanced Furniture (SP) | 4026 (001) | Casey C. Lurie | Fri
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
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.
PrerequisitesDESOB 4025 |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Social Engagement Studio | 4101 (001) | Eric Allan Hotchkiss | Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
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.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: Sophomore-level or above. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Whatnot Studio | 4800 (001) | Gionata Gatto | Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
Whatnot Studio is a year-long advanced course in which students design and produce a collection for whatnot, the school's in-house product brand. The course emphasizes three major goals: developing a product based on an annual theme, producing it using small-batch manufacturing methods, and collaboratively creating a retail environment to showcase the collection. Students refine their individual design voice while working as a team to produce a cohesive, high-quality collection for public exhibition. Past work from the Whatnot Studio has been shown at international venues including the Salone del Mobile in Milan and Wanted Design in New York City. Admission is selective and open to upper-level undergraduate and graduate students through a portfolio review. By year's end, students will have produced a pilot run of their design and collaboratively created a branded store installation, presented at a major design trade show in the spring. Admittance to Whatnot Studio is by portfolio review. Are you ready to be challenged through deep conceptual and material exploration¿and to transform it into a producible design? We welcome juniors, seniors, and graduate students interested in this opportunity to apply via the link below: https://airtable.com/app10LexPLHEqM7mV/pagcVlilryi7Xn4Or/form. Applications accepted until April 25.
|
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Studio 2: Discover | 5160 (001) | Ben Stagl | Tues
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
As the second studio in the MDDO graduate sequence, this course gives students the opportunity to develop their skills in individual project development and form-giving while practicing the use of research and design tools. The primary purpose of this studio is to help students identify their individual motivations as designers by working on a self-defined design project within a structured iterative design process.
As a complement to this inquiry, in-class presentations, readings, and discussions will familiarize students with the landscape of contemporary design practice. Readings will include theoretical, historical and critical texts. Design as a process will also be discussed. Students can expect to complete a multi-stage semester long project. You must be a Master of Design in Designed Objects student to enroll in this course. PrerequisitesYou must be a Master of Design in Designed Objects student to enroll in this course. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Grad Projects:Designed Objects | 6009 (001) | Gionata Gatto |
TBD - TBD In Person |
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.
PrerequisitesOpen to MFA, MFAW and MAVCS students only |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Thesis Studio 2: Manifest | 6160 (001) | Gionata Gatto, Eric Allan Hotchkiss, Sara Prado | Tues/Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
In the final thesis studio, students confirm and materialize their position and voice as designers by completing their self-selected thesis project initiated in DES OB 6150 -- Thesis Studio 1.Through an intensive period of seminar and tutorial discussion, prototyping, presentation and critique, students produce highly developed designed objects, systems, and experiences that critically engage specific areas of design, technology, and culture. Emphasis is given to determining potent vehicles through which the instance of the thesis is tested, exhibited and engages public consciousness. The course culminates in a thesis defense and the presentation of a final thesis project at the SAIC Design Show.
You must be a Master of Design in Designed Objects Student to enroll in this course. PrerequisitesPrereq: DES OB 6150 |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Thesis Studio 2: Manifest | 6160 (001) | Gionata Gatto, Eric Allan Hotchkiss, Sara Prado | Tues/Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
In the final thesis studio, students confirm and materialize their position and voice as designers by completing their self-selected thesis project initiated in DES OB 6150 -- Thesis Studio 1.Through an intensive period of seminar and tutorial discussion, prototyping, presentation and critique, students produce highly developed designed objects, systems, and experiences that critically engage specific areas of design, technology, and culture. Emphasis is given to determining potent vehicles through which the instance of the thesis is tested, exhibited and engages public consciousness. The course culminates in a thesis defense and the presentation of a final thesis project at the SAIC Design Show.
You must be a Master of Design in Designed Objects Student to enroll in this course. PrerequisitesPrereq: DES OB 6150 |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Thesis Studio 2: Manifest | 6160 (001) | Gionata Gatto, Eric Allan Hotchkiss, Sara Prado | Tues/Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
In the final thesis studio, students confirm and materialize their position and voice as designers by completing their self-selected thesis project initiated in DES OB 6150 -- Thesis Studio 1.Through an intensive period of seminar and tutorial discussion, prototyping, presentation and critique, students produce highly developed designed objects, systems, and experiences that critically engage specific areas of design, technology, and culture. Emphasis is given to determining potent vehicles through which the instance of the thesis is tested, exhibited and engages public consciousness. The course culminates in a thesis defense and the presentation of a final thesis project at the SAIC Design Show.
You must be a Master of Design in Designed Objects Student to enroll in this course. PrerequisitesPrereq: DES OB 6150 |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Positioning Methods Lab | 6162 (001) | Tobey Albright | Thurs
6:45 PM - 9:30 PM In Person |
Description
Life after design school could reveal vast diversity beyond traditional employment opportunities, such as working for a design consultancy, as an in-house designer, or independently. Positioning Methods Lab is designed to help students shape their portfolio into various formats, focusing primarily on each students? specific future goals, and establishing a promotional strategy that feels authentic and attuned to their personal form of world-making.
Readings and screenings will vary but will include foundational and instructional readings such as: Elements of Typographic Style by Bringhurst Grid Systems/Raster Systeme by Josef Muller-Brockmann The Crystal Goblet by Beatrice Ward On Punctuation by Gertrude Stein My website is a shifting house next to a river of knowledge. What could yours be? by Laurel Schwulst As well as an introduction to various tools and resources such as: Are.na, Cargo Collective, the SAIC Service Bureau, the SAIC Writing Center, and various file formats and structure for print and web. In addition to completing weekly assignments and readings, students should expect to finish the class with a resume, portfolio in either printed or PDF form, as well as a personal website of work. PrerequisitesYou must be a Master of Design in Designed Objects student to enroll in this course. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
Student Work
Image
Image
Image
Image
Upcoming Admissions Events
Meet with us, learn more about SAIC and our curriculum, and get feedback on your work. LEARN MORE.
Get More Info
Sign up for email updates to learn more about our undergraduate programs.
Loading...