Green Materials: Craft and Construction

REVISED

Winter 2014 and Spring 2014 quarters

Faculty

Robert Leverich visual arts, architecture , Anthony Tindill sustainable design

Fields of Study

architecture, environmental studies, sustainability studies and visual arts

Preparatory for studies or careers in

visual arts, environmental design, architecture, art education, and sustainability studies.

Description

This program builds on ideas and skills introduced in Green Materials: Science/Craft/Construction in the Fall. It focuses on responsive and responsible use of materials at two different scales and in two different studios – Craft and Construction – with common activities for both. Students will choose one of the two studio options when registering for the program and will be expected to stay with that studio for both quarters in order to do focused work.

The Craft Studio will explore definitions and questions of craft and sustainability through studio work in wood, metals, composites, and recycled materials – where much of the most creative work in craft is being done today. Projects will build on the basic design and construction skills introduced in the fall, to address functional and expressive challenges in the making of objects and furniture (furnishings?). The Craft Studio will emphasize full knowledge of materials, from structure and feel to sources and impacts, along with skillful use of tools and techniques – the knowledge and skill to discipline what we make and to conserve what we use. Possible key texts include Glen Adamson, The Craft Reader, and Stuart Walker, The Spirit of Design: Objects, Environments and Meaning.

The Construction Studio will address materials in the context of sustainable building. From an architectural perspective, “green” design and construction is greatly about energy. Currently buildings account for 42% of the U.S.’s energy use, larger even than transportation and industrial uses. Effectively designing and constructing new buildings –or, sometimes even better, renovating and retrofitting existing buildings- can reduce that amount in the future despite the obvious fact that there will no doubt be more buildings. The Construction studio will focus on effective principles and strategies employed in sustainable design. Topics will include the impact of material choices (considering factors such as material origin, lifecycle costs, resource depletion and the use of recycled or reinvented materials), emerging technologies that enhance energy efficiency, design strategies that reduce the overall energy needs of a building, and current sustainable building movements that are impacting the industry. In-studio projects will ask student teams to design and build architectural projects that address various community needs. Other topics explored may include concepts of structural design, architectural history, design theory and service learning. Key texts will be Norbert Lechner, Heating, Cooling and Lighting: Sustainable Design Methods for Architects; Andrea Oppenheimer Dean , The Rural Studio: Samuel Mockbee and an Architecture of Decency; and Amory Lovins, Reinventing Fire: Bold Energy Solutions for the New Energy Era.

Shared activities between studios will include lectures, workshops, and seminars that explore history and ideas common to both craft and construction and how both can be more ethical, beautiful, and sustainable. The program will culminate in a student-organized exhibition of best works at the end of Spring Quarter. Seriously engaged students will leave this program with a fuller understanding of materials and Sustainability, new technical and environmental awareness, well-made works in wood, metal and other materials, and the ability to present, speak for, and write effectively about their work.

Campus Location

Olympia

Online Learning

Hybrid Online Learning < 25% Delivered Online

Books

Greener Store

Required Fees

$50 per quarter for Lab/Studio fee.

Special Expenses

Up to $200 or more per quarter for tools and materials, depending on your projects.

Offered During

Day

Program Revisions