The class covers basic real estate markets and financial modeling to provide students with an understanding of how financial considerations influence building programs and design constraints. This class will be a broad overview with enough detail to allow students to do basic calculations of financial feasibility and design budgets. Students are placed in downtown architectural or planning offices for one term. The office provides the student with a paid honorarium and provides mentoring during the practicum period. Students will apply the technical knowledge acquired in preceding courses towards the full development of a studio project.
Students complete a term research project on a topic of their choice.
Discussion of loads and forces, including seismic design criteria. Review of structural materials and systems. Visits to construction sites in Portland. Diagrams, sketch documentation and experimental graphics are investigated. Introduces students to means of integrating programs and design media.