3. Skills to be developed through the course

The course is the first exposure of the students to the design process, and they have to complete it with a sound knowledge of what a project means, and dominate the basic tools to develop it. In order to learn the meaning of design, they will start to understand that architecture is a formal invention based on the knowledge of the original conditions and of the techniques that make it possible to be constructed.

During the course the students will be introduced to theories of form, composition tools and building typologies that will help them to obtain a first knowledge of concepts to be developed in the design studios of the following years. Those concepts are:
synthesis, basic design, working drawings, building guidelines and codes, with special attention to environmental problems and the need to design energy-efficient buildings

General abilities

Instrumental:
-Basic knowledge in the field of study
-Analyzing ant synthesizing
-Planning and organizational skills
-Ability to manage information from different sources.
-Problem-solving in the architectural field
-Decision-making in the design process

Interpersonal
-Criticism and self-criticism skills
-Team work
-Environmental awareness

System
-Learning abilities
-Ability to generate new ideas
-Ability to work autonomously
-Project design and management

Specific abilities
A1-Architectural and urban design project
A4-Function programming
A7-Spatial representation
A8-Architectural criticism
A13-Open space design

Knowledge on:
B3-Culture sociology
B4-Formal analysis
B5-Representation systems
B7-Geometry
B9-Architecture theory

4. Objectives

Firstly, to equip students with the skills that they will need to represent any idea or proposal: drawing in plans and perspective, and modelling.

On the other hand, the students have to familiarize themselves with, and understand all the elements that architecture uses, namely elements as structures, walls, roofs etc... and learn that construction is the science that shows how to relate materials through techniques to build a project.

It is important to assume that any proposal transforms an existing situation, and therefore topography, climate, environmental issues of the site will influence the final shape of the intervention, to accommodate the needs of the project and the given conditions.

The course also tries to explain that architecture is plural and has to deal with cultural backgrounds. For this purpose the student will have to analyze different architectures.

According to the required curricula, the students will accomplish the following objectives on this course:
- Ability to design architectural projects that will satisfy aesthetic and technical requirements.
- Understanding the relationships between people and buildings, and between those and the environment, in a way that buildings relate to the spaces in between and both to the human scale and needs