Construction Systems at 1:1: Learning through Material Assemblies

2017

Faculty:

Billie Faircloth, Instructor; Ignacio Cardona, Teaching Fellow

Students:

59 Master in Architecture Students

Institutions:

Harvard Graduate School of Design

*

Developed for Construction Systems in the Master in Architecture program at Harvard GSD, this assignment explored construction through the fabrication of 2’ × 3’ full-scale mockups derived from significant architectural case studies. Students selected building-envelope assemblies and reconstructed their layers at 1:1 scale, translating drawings and technical information into physical material relationships.

Working collaboratively, students developed fabrication plans, engaged directly with materials, and used spatial reasoning to understand how components, connections, and layers operate as integrated construction systems. Case studies included the Gropius House, MIT Chapel, Sert House, Carpenter Center, Cambridge Public Library, and Tozzer Anthropology Building. The exercise positioned making as a form of technical inquiry, allowing students to acquire tacit material knowledge while testing how construction drawings become physical assemblies.