A beginning course in building technology

This paper describes the course design and initial implementation for ARCH 5562, “Intro to Building Technology,” a required course for first-year graduate students in the University of Minnesota’s three-year professional architecture degree program. It is the first technology course taken by first-year students. Entering first-year students do not hold pre-professional architecture degrees, so the cohort typically exhibits a range of backgrounds (e. g., students with degrees in theatre arts, interior design, or biology). The course is focused on artifacts of architectural representation – specifically, on drawings and models. Rather than introducing building technology through nameable systems (e. g., wood, steel, concrete), ARCH 5562 included modules focused on architectural plans, sections, and details.