Computers are not a religion or movement, but rather a new technology that offers opportunities for intellectual and practical innovations. The Architecture program considers its role as one of enabling both faculty and students to explore the intellectual and aesthetic potential of this new medium, and to prepare students to effectively take advantage of this new technology in the 21st century. Teaching The needs for computing include means to teach students to use computational tools and also laboratory facilities in which the tools may be applied in the development of studio projects, or toward other courses in technology, history or other areas. Introduction to Computers enrolls 120 students per year in class sizes of 40 students per quarter. Introduction to AutoCAD is likewise offered as one large section each quarter, with 40 students per section.
Computer modeling is taught in the representation courses and in the design studio.
Computer modeling is introduced as a requirement in the second year of the graduate program. In the third and fourth year of the graduate program, the use of the computer in the various graduate studios is encouraged. The 40 new Pentium workstations in Room 359 are currently sufficient for teaching the classes. The larger number of workstations has enabled larger class sizes and fewer sections, thereby making the lab available more hours for general use. However, the availability is also creating more demand, analogous to Atlanta's expressway and there is sometimes contention for access in order to do assignments outside of class.