Preview Week, September 18.

Instruction September 25 - December 14, 2000

Fall 2000 Enrollment Form

Special Announcements

Weekly Schedule

T H E  C O R E  P R O G R A M  @  S F I A

We recommend the Core Program as a starting point for all students of Architectural and Ecological Design.

The Core Program deals with self-liberating creative processes (D-4), fundamental to everything else you'll do in design.

The program introduces the methods used to design the world's greatest buildings (D-6) and the methods of the greatest architectural innovators and designers of modern times (D-1).

And it provides the fundamentals of construction materials and technology -- the nuts and bolts of making buildings that work, enhance human life, and support the natural environment (T-1 and E-3).

D-1 STUDIO: CREATIVE DESIGN PROCESS
5 units. Mondays, 7:45 - 9:15 p.m. Starts Monday, September, 25.
PREVIEW: 7:45 p.m., Monday, September 18.

This core course shows how to create extraordinary buildings -- buildings that are totally integrated with the needs of the users, with the site, and within themselves as works of art.

D-4 THE ARCHITECTURAL MIND: CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING
3 units. Mondays, 6:30 - 7:40 p.m. Starts Monday, September 25.
PREVIEW: 6:30 p.m., Monday, September 18.

The mental and emotional processes that precede, precipitate, support . . . or hinder the process of design.

D-6 HISTORY & THEORY OF ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
3 units. Wednesday, 7:45 - 9:15 p.m. Starts Wednesday, Sept. 27.
PREVIEW: 7:45 p.m., Wednesday, September 20.

How architects designed and built the great monuments of Ancient Egypt, Northern Europe & Stonehenge, Greece, Rome, the Byzantium & Islamic Empires, India, China, and Japan.

E-3 PRINCIPLES OF ECOLOGICAL DESIGN
3 units. Tuesdays, 6:30 - 7:40 p.m. Starts Tuesday, September 26.
PREVIEW: 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, September 19.

Ecological Design is a new approach to architecture and planning, one where natural processes and indigenous materials are integral to construction, and the environment is a fundamental determinant of the design.

T-1 CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS & METHODS
3 units. Wednesdays, 6:30 - 7:40 p.m. Starts Weds., September 27.
PREVIEW: 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, September 20.

This course shows how creative architectural design is derived from the nature of materials and construction processes.

E C O L O G I C A L  D E S I G N

Ecological design is still the least understood and least utilized of all design disciplines. Most architecture schools still only teach it in part, if at all.

SFIA has pioneered in creating a comprehensive Ecological Design course menu for architecture students and a Master of Ecological Design degree program for those who want to work professionally in this realm.

SFIA offers a full array of courses on alternative materials and construction methods, solar and wind resources, bioremediation, plantscaping and landscaping, recycling in construction, healthy environments, alternative lighting, and related topics. The basic Ecological Design courses for the Fall, 2000 semester are listed below.

E-3 PRINCIPLES OF ECOLOGICAL DESIGN
Instructor: Skip Wenz, M. Arch, SFIA; author of Adding to a House and the forthcoming McGraw-Hill book, EcoTecture.
3 units Tuesdays, 6:30 - 7:40 p.m. Starts Tuesday. Sept. 26.
PREVIEW: 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, September 19.

Ecological Design is a new approach to architecture and planning, one where natural processes and indigenous materials are part of construction, and the environment is a fundamental determinant of the design. A comprehensive introduction and overview by an expert builder, this course covers the essential principles and skills for ecologically-sensitive design. Includes ecological construction methods, building technologies, and discussions of professional design practice and construction in the context of Ecological Design.

DE-3 STUDIO: ECOLOGICAL DESIGN & PLANNING
Instructor: Skip Wenz.
5 units. Tuesdays, 7:45 - 9:15 p.m. Starts Tuesday, September 26.
PREVIEW: 7:45 p.m., Tuesday, September 19.

Ecological Design has its own technologies, design principles, and procedures that are radically different from traditional architectural practice. This class includes techniques of building with indigenous materials, design with site and sun for maximum sustainability, economies of using recycled materials, and design for environmental sensitivity. This studio explores alternative systems and shows how they can be used economically and beneficially in urban, suburban, or rural design settings.

D-7 STUDIES IN ECOLOGICAL DESIGN & ORGANIC ARCHITECTURE Thursday lecture series independent study option. Details will be explained
3 units. Thursday, September 21 & 28, 8 p.m.

E-51 BUCKY FULLER, ECO DESIGN & THE FUTURE OF ARCHITECTURE Instructor: Jay Baldwin. Author of Buckyworks.
3 units. Mondays, 7:45 - 9:15 p.m. Starts Monday, Sept. 25.
PREVIEW: 7:45 p.m., Monday, September 18.

Jay Baldwin, a pioneer in alternative design and construction methods, was a protege of Bucky Fuller for over 30 years. He describes some of Bucky's strategies and the theme of this class: "Learn all there is to know about a problem . . . . Attend to what nature is trying to do -- opposing nature is futile, inefficient, and is an old-mode way of regarding the world."

A R C H I T E C T U R A L  D E S I G N

The creative design process is treated as a mystery in many schools -- as an arcane skill that you either "have or don't have." The fact is that anyone can learn how to be a good designer, and with a little extra work, can learn to become a great designer.

But you have to know what the finest designers and architects actually do when they design and learn from their methods. You have to be free to explore, experiment, and make mistakes to hone your skills. That requires a liberating and fully-supportive environment such as offered at SFIA.

D-1 STUDIO: CREATIVE DESIGN PROCESS
Instructor: Fred Stitt, Director, SFIA. Author of Ecological Design Handbook.
5 units. Mondays, 7:45 - 9:15 p.m. Starts Monday, Sept. 25.
PREVIEW: 7:45 p.m., Monday, September 18.

This core course shows how to create extraordinary buildings -- buildings that are totally integrated with the needs of the users, with the site, and within themselves as works of art. The creative design process is extremely well understood, thanks to the testimonies of generations of the world's most creative architects. The focus of this class is on how to use natural creative skills, experiment with them, and evolve and maximize your inherent and original design abilities.
D-1 is coordinated with other core courses: D-6 (History & Theory of Design), T-1 (Construction Materials & Methods), and D-4 (The Architectural Mind). As with all SFIA courses, no prerequisites are necessary. Free-ranging exploration and experimentation are strongly encouraged.

D-4 THE ARCHITECTURAL MIND: CREATIVE PROBLEM-SOLVING METHODS
Instructor: Fred Stitt, Director, SFIA.
3 units. Mondays, 6:30 - 7:40 p.m. Starts Monday, Sept. 25.
PREVIEW: 6:30 p.m., Monday, September 18.

This course presents the mental and emotional processes that precede, precipitate, support . . . or hinder the process of design. It teaches today's most advanced methods for inducing inspiration, original thinking, independent thinking, and creative design and problem solving. You'll learn of the latest discoveries on brain function and creative problem-solving techniques, such as: Mind Maps, advanced Brainstorming methods, Lateral Thinking, Synectics, Morphological Thinking, and many others. Includes much new information on the brain, consciousness, the design process, methods enlarging the scope of consciousness, and the most effective methods for solving any type of problem.

D-21 MATHEMATICS & GEOMETRY FOR CREATIVE DESIGN
Instructor: Matt Fulvio, M.A. SFIA.
3 units. Wednesdays, 6:30 - 7:40 p.m. Starts Monday., Sept. 25.
PREVIEW: 6:30 p.m., Monday, September 18.

Most public education excludes the poetry and creativity of mathematics, so most adults have little understanding or appreciation of the aesthetics of mathematics and the mathematics of aesthetics. This course offers a visual approach -- polyhedra, tilings, proportion, gnomons, magic squares. It shows how to understand the mathematical mind and includes the history of ideas from India, Arabia, Persia, and Greece.

A R C H I T E C T U R A L  T E C H N O L O G Y

T-1 CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS & METHODS
Instructor: Fred Stitt, Director, SFIA.
3 units. Wednesdays, 6:30 - 7:40 p.m. Starts Wednesday, Sept. 27.
PREVIEW: 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, September 20.

This course shows how creative architectural design is derived from the nature of materials and construction processes. We start with the simplest materials of earth and stone, then brick, tile, concrete, and wood. In the second semester the progression continues through more complex material combinations, with an emphasis on the causes and prevention of building failures. T-1 is coordinated with D-6 History and the D-1 Studio. Each material is reviewed from the standpoint of its internal nature and how to best utilize that nature in creative architectural design. Each is illustrated in many applications and studied in terms of potential failure and the most creative possible applications.

ST-1 STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING FOR CREATIVE DESIGN
Instructor: Joel Carr, Engineer.
3 units. Thursdays, 6:30 - 7:40 p.m. Starts Thursday, Sept. 28.
PREVIEW: 6:30 p.m., Thursday, September 21.

Basic engineering concepts and calculations for computing strength of materials; calculating forces that act on materials; and understanding the variety of forces at work within a building. Excellent introductory preparation for the architectural license examination.

P-1 OFFICE PRACTICE & WORKING DRAWING PRODUCTION
Instructor: Fred Stitt, Director, SFIA.
4 units. Thursdays, 6:30 - 7:40 p.m. Starts Thursday, Sept. 28.
PREVIEW: 6:30 p.m., Thursday, September 21.

This is a hands-on course in the basics of office practice, drafting, and the best of working drawing production methods. Includes introductions to manual drafting, CADD, systematic drafting planning and procedures, working drawing format organization, CADD layering systems, keynoting, management by checklist, construction detail drawing and building measurement, inspection, and assets surveying.
Those who satisfactorily complete this course may be eligible to enroll in a subsequent SFIA Work Study program (Student qualifications and work opportunities will be determined by skills and available work.)

D-6 HISTORY & THEORY OF ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
Instructor: Fred Stitt, Director, SFIA.
3 units. Wednesdays, 7:45 - 9:15 p.m. Starts Wednesday, Sept. 27.
PREVIEW: 7:45 p.m., Wednesday, September 20.

You can't understand architecture without understanding the little-known systems used to design buildings and the technology required to build them. This course shows how architects designed and built the great monuments of Ancient Egypt, Northern Europe & Stonehenge, Greece, Rome, the Byzantium & Islamic Empires, India, China, and Japan. D-6 is unique among architectural history courses in that it also focuses on the dominant ideas and methods of thought in each historical period.

A R C H I T E C T U R A L  M E T H O D S  &  M E D I A

D-13 ARCHITECTURAL FREEHAND DRAWING
Instructor: Suren Gunasekara, M. Arch, SFIA.
3 units. Wednesdays, 6:30 - 7:40 p.m. Starts Wednesday, Sept. 27.
PREVIEW: 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, September 20.

How to use drawing to solve problems and communicate your designs. Four parts: Freehand Environmental Drawing, 2-D Freehand Drawing, 3-D Drawing, Media & Presentation Techniques. Anyone can draw, and anyone who draws can do it better -- especially in a free, supportive, and collaborative environment.

D-19 MODEL MAKING AS A DESIGN TOOL
Instructor: Suren Gunasekara, M. Arch, SFIA.
3 units. Wednesdays, 7:45 - 9:00 p.m. Starts Wednesday, Sept. 27.
PREVIEW: 7:45 p.m., Wednesday, September 20.

An introduction to design model building, introspective exploration, and experimentation through three-dimensional media. Learn to do site models, massing, quick study models; the professional techniques of making full presentation models; and uses of abstract landscape features, color, and photography.

D-201 DESIGN & DESIGN PRACTICE: ON LINE
Instructor: Matt Taylor.
5 units. Tuesdays, 6:30 - 9:00+ p.m. Starts Tuesday, Sept. 26.
PREVIEW: 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, September 19.

Note: Some classes will be "virtual" (on the Internet) one or more may be held at the "KnowWhere" design & education facility in Palo Alto. An intensive course combining architectural design, design and construction management, and web-site design and communication. Architectural education, design, and office practice are traditionally treated as distinct and separate subjects. In reality, they are inseparable phases of one continuum, and to the degree they're treated as fragments, we have inadequate education, unsatisfactory design, and architectural offices that don't match the dreams of their founders. Students will create a project design of their own future work environment on computer. Delivery of data to the instructor and other students will largely be on the Internet. This studio is open to all, but is especially appropriate for those who have completed the core program and the D-1 Design Studio.

D-46 GLASS ART
Instructor: Wendy Talaro
3 units. Tuesdays, 6:30 - 7:40 p.m. Starts Tuesday, Sept. 26.
PREVIEW: 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, September 19.

Glass is one of the perennial materials of architecture with almost unlimited aesthetic possibilities. This is a hands-on introduction to basic glass fusing and slumping. Glass fusing is the process of cutting and assembling compatible pieces of glass, then heating the pieces until they melt together into one unit. Slumping is a technique of using gravity and heat to shape glass in a kiln. With care and diligence, results can be stunningly beautiful. Topics include: glass types, cutting and assembly; color theory, design and layout; wire and foil inclusions; and surface decoration. No prior knowledge or experience of working with glass is necessary; bring your creativity and your willingness to experiment. Students may opt to purchase basic tools and glass through the instructor or obtain a supply list.

W O R K  S T U D Y  @  S F I A

Introductory meeting will be combined with the P-1, Office Practice & Working Drawing Production preview, Thursday, September 21, in the front lecture room.

Introducing a new option . . .

Work-study as a trainee/intern under the direction of Fred Stitt or other licensed architects affiliated with SFIA Architects and the Ecological Design Consortium.

• Learn work skills on real projects: drafting, model building, graphics and paste-up, computer graphics, and construction documents.
• SFIA academic units (1 unit per month) during work-study. Those who take the P-1 course as preparation for work study will earn 4 additional units.
• 100% time credit toward the California state architectural license exam.
• Create a work resume and portfolio, for future job applications.
• Time required: 35 hours weekly. This will include project work, on-the-job training, and independent study time.
• Limited compensation will be possible with some project work, depending on student skill levels.

The program will be explained at the P-1 class introduction, 6:30 p.m., Thursday, September 21. (If you miss that meeting, there will be a further review on Thursday, September 28.

C O M P U T E R  G R A P H I C S  @  S F I A

A series of professional one-day workshops and hands-on trainings will be offered Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, starting October 5. Courses will include AutoCad, VectorWorks, Photo-Shop, Form Z and other 3-D applications, Digital Photography & Video, and many others.

Schedule, fees and enrollment forms will be posted throughout the school and mailed to all students.

O F F I C E  P R A C T I C E &
P R O J E C T  M A N A G E M E N T

SFIA offers the largest continuing education distance learning program in the nation. As a registered provider for the American Institute of Architects, our "A/E University" self-study courses have been used by nearly 2,000 architects and architectural employees. These short courses are especially suited for students who are already architects or employed in architectural offices. Please contact the SFIA Information Office, or see our web site for the complete menu of course offerings.

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Fall 2000 Enrollment Form