University of Southern California—Department of Architecture
In the Architectual Department at the University of Southern California, Assistant Professor Douglas Noble and Lecturer Karen Kensek keep their students busy with plenty of HyperCard-developed Macintosh software. The five-year undergraduate architecture program at USC requires two to four weeks of computing classes per year. Students learn software such as ModelShop, SuperPaint, or PageMaker, depending on the focus of the architecture course.
Since the software is not made specifically for architecture classes, the instructors in the department write 20-page workshop tutorials that condense the materials to capabilities architects are most likely to use. In the survey course Architecture 207A, Introduction to Computer Applications in Architecture, Noble and Kensek’s class of 30 touches on all the basics of architecture using mostly CAD and AutoCAD, and also Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, MacProject II, and ModelShop. The class meets twice weekly, for lecture and hands-on activities in the lab.
In the Facilities Management section, students are given a taste of what it’s like to be a professional architect with MacProject II, a project management software application. Each week different aspects are covered, including word processing, spreadsheets, product management, graphics, and hypermedia. The computer labs are equipped with 15 computers, so only half the class can practice hands-on activities at a time.
In the advanced graphics course, Architecture 499, students in the class use StrataVision and AutoCAD to examine rendering, animation, time, and texture elements to see what a building looks like. Depending on the level of the class, students either use existing models in the program or they make their own. The class also uses SuperPaint and MacroMind Director.
The design studio, Architecture 402, also with 15 students, uses ModelShop and StrataVision to examine the design process. The class presents students with a design proposal. ModelShop shows a real site, including two buildings—one badly structured, the other well-built. Assuming that the poorly structured building will be destroyed, the students survey the area, each with access to a computer, and make a proposal for what should go on the site. This class allows the students to design a full-scale project with the aid of a computer to help them visualize and record their projects.
Noble and Kensek are talking to Apple about getting color portable graphic computers for their classes. They are also interested in incorporating video and QuickTime.
For information, contact Douglas Noble and Karen Kensek at the School of Architecture, University of Southern California, 204 Watt Hall, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0291; (213) 740-4589; Internet: dnoble@usc.edu.
