1

ADVANCED STUDIO ARC 696 / 561R Instructor: Nichole Wiedemann Office hours: W 10-12pm in SUT 3.128 Email: wiedemann@utexas.edu Phone: 512-471-0736

Carte de Louisiane, 1718

TEXAS [redux] …designing the Camino Real experience The advanced studio will explore El Camino Real de los Tejas and the making of the Texas. Over hundreds, if not thousands, of years, the persistent traversing of the land has left a residue of marks (roads, forts, ranchos, acequias, swales, missions, towns, names, words, trees, and so on) that retell a rich narrative intertwining people, place, and time. Manifest in these intermittent traces is a collective narrative, both factual and fictional, that connects the below to the above and the past to the present. An evolving network of Spanish paths, El Camino Real de los Tejas, was founded on prehistoric American Indian trails and enabled the convergence of cultures, initially, Native Americans, Spanish and French. These trails followed the clues given by the land. At times physically inscribed in the landscape, as swales, the trails stitch together moments of pause, often for water, that become, what we know today as, Austin, San Antonio, San Marcos, and New Braunfels, in Central Texas. Ultimately, this network of paths from Mexico City to Natchitoches, Louisiana, gave rise to Texas, and our country, as we know it today. context In 2004, El Camino Real de los Tejas was incorporated into the National Trails System, which includes historic trails like the Trail of Tears and Lewis and Clark. As designated by an act of Congress, El Camino Real de los Tejas commemorates a historically important route of national significance, including trade and commerce, exploration, migration, settlement and military campaigns, and, therefore, demonstrated the potential for greater historic appreciation and recreational use. In 2011, a comprehensive management plan by the National Park Service provided a vision for the trail with particular attention to visitor experience and use.

2

Unlike most national parks with designated acreage, this historic trail is a network of paths (lines) passing through the landscape from Mexico City to Natchitoches, Louisiana. At times, the trail aligns with existing roads and is marked with signage, some of which is over 100-years old, and other times the trail is obscured by urban expansion. Sometimes, the routes are lost over time. With the majority of land privately owned in Texas (95.8% as determined by the US Census Bureau) and, therefore, inaccessible; the current visitor’s experience is a long drive (2580 designated miles) punctuated by historical markers and the occasional historic site. trip The road trip retracing the Camino Real from the Mexican border to Natchitoches, LA (March 7-11) is an integral aspect of this advanced studio and, therefore, required. Steven Gonzales, Executive Director of the El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail Association, will be our expert guide to a variety of significant (and often inaccessible) trail sites. work* As a collaborative undertaking, with the El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail Association (“client”), the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and frog design, we will try to comprehend, define and design the visitor experience of El Camino Real de los Tejas. (There are no preconceived outcomes for the studio.) To do this effectively, we will collaborate closely with frog design, a global design firm that believes “form follows emotion” and “advances the human experience through design,” from branding to products to environments. Students, working collectively and individually, will undertake the strategy and vision (research, immersion, sorting, synthesis) as well as the design solution (refinement, design production) with the support of the “frog places” team in Austin. schedule** wk 1-2 RESEARCH_planning 5%*** due: 2/1

wk 3 IMMERSION_in the field 5% interviews/intercepts

wk 4 SORTING_concepting in parallel 5% due: 3/15

wk 5-7 SYNTHESIS_representation 15% Trip: 3/7-3/11 pin up: 3/6

wk 8 REFINEMENT_concept development 5% review: 3/19

wk 9 spring break

wk 10-15 DESIGN PRODUCTION 60% review: 4/15

wk 16 Final Review dates: 5/8-10

Engagement/Improvement 5% *Expect, and be open to, a diverse range of design approaches and outcomes. **Schedule may have revisions. Advance notice will be provided. ***Grade weighting roughly corresponds with duration.

3

grades Establishing grades for projects of a creative nature is a more complex matter than grading in other academic areas. While each project contains certain quantifiable elements by which it may be evaluated, a significant portion of each grade is derived from a broader, more subjective set of issues. Your work will be evaluated on its rigor and evolution over the semester.

Grading for studio courses is broken into three components: 1/3 grasp (ideas combined with an appropriate process of inquiry), 1/3 process (the consistent and rigorous development of ideas) and 1/3 resolution (the demonstration of competence, completeness and understanding evidenced in the representation of the project and its architectural implications).

A/ A- : excellent Project surpasses expectations in terms of inventiveness, appropriateness, verbal and visual ability, conceptual rigor, craft, and personal development. Student pursues concepts and techniques above and beyond what is discussed in class. The work submitted surpasses required drawings and models in depth and/or scope.

B+/ B/ B- : above average Project is thorough, well researched, diligently pursued, and successfully completed. Student pursues ideas and suggestions presented in class and puts in effort to resolve required projects. The work demonstrates potential for excellence and is complete.

C+/ C/ C- : average and below Project meets the minimum requirements. Suggestions made in class are not pursued with dedication or rigor. The work submitted is incomplete in one or more areas. For undergraduates, a grade of C– will not count toward the degree.

D+/ D/ D- : poor Basic skills including graphic skills, model-making skills, verbal clarity or logic of presentation are not level–appropriate. Student does not demonstrate the required competence and knowledge base. The project is incomplete.

F : failure Minimum objectives are not met. Performance is unacceptable. Note that this grade will be assigned due to excessive unexcused absences. Project unresolved/incomplete.

X : excused incomplete Given only for legitimate reasons of illness or family emergency. Incomplete assignments are not a cause for assigning this grade. An “X” is used only after consultation with the administration and must include an agreement for completion of outstanding work and deadline. Resolution of the incomplete must be prior to the commencement of the next semester.

ALL GRADES ARE SUBJECT TO DEDUCTIONS FOR UNEXCUSED ABSENCES, LATE WORK + LATE ARRIVALS. events Plan to attend the lectures, exhibits, talks, symposia and so on. These experiences are invaluable and significant in your architectural education. For a complete listing, please visit soa.utexas.edu. attendance Attendance is mandatory. Participation is expected. With three (3) unexcused absences, the student’s final grade for the course will be lowered by a full letter grade. Please contact the instructor prior to class if you expect to be late or miss class. Religious holy days sometimes conflict with class schedules. Please notify me prior (14 days) to the class dates you will be absent to observe a religious holy day. If you miss a work assignment, or other project due to the observance of a religious holy day you will be given an opportunity to complete the work missed within a reasonable time after the absence. students with disabilities Students with disabilities who require special accommodations need to get a letter that documents the disability from the Services for Students with Disabilities area of the Office of the

4

Dean of Students (471-6259 voice or 471-4641 TTY for users who are deaf or hard of hearing). This letter should be presented to the instructor at the beginning of the semester and accommodations needed should be discussed at that time. security, safety and the studio The studio is an exceptional learning environment. Since it is a place for all, it necessitates the careful attention to the needs of individual. Please be considerate your classmates. All spraying of fixative, spray paint or any other substance must be done in the shop. Damages done to the facilities will not be tolerated by the School of Architecture. Security is a necessary component for a studio that is accessible to you and your colleagues 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Be smart. Be safe.