Berkeley's undergraduate program in Architecture leads to the bachelor of arts (BA) degree. The program combines required courses in environmental design and architecture with opportunities for highly varied individual programs. Through its core courses, the program offers a broad introduction to the field of architecture, and through studies in the various areas it provides opportunities to prepare for specialization in the field in the areas of architectural design and representation; architectural technologies and building performance; and architectural history, society and culture. In addition to offering a sound and well-rounded education, undergraduate studies can also provide pre-professional competency for entry-level employment in architecture, the option for graduate work in architecture, or further studies in a related environmental design field.
Graduates go on to obtain professional degrees in architecture or in other related fields; many others work in architectural practice, construction, government, or industry. Employment opportunities exist also at the community level, particularly in those communities that traditionally have not been served by professional architectural practice. The overall aim of the undergraduate program is to establish a strong foundation for a range of careers and to provide for mobility and flexibility to suit changing individual opportunities.
Course of Study Overview
All undergraduates follow the same path through their junior year. In the first two years, students take a breadth of lower division courses and the introductory environmental design courses. The junior year is architecture-intensive. In the fall semester, students take a design studio and a history and humanities option. In the spring, the required courses include another studio, a course in history, and a technology option.
Program Tracks
During the spring semester of the junior year, students choose either a design research track or a studio track for the senior year.
Research Track: The research track option explores a particular theme for both the fall and spring semesters of the senior year. This theme changes each year, and is taught by a group of faculty members on a subject of their shared interest. For the fall semester, students enroll in a project preparation seminar, and for the spring semester, students take a studio—led by the same faculty—in which they develop their research and explorations, culminating in a final project.
Studio Track: The studio track option is studio intensive, with more architecture courses required in addition to a design studio each semester. Studio track students enroll in a structures course in the fall, and choose between an energy and environment or construction course in the spring.
Accreditation/Licensure
The BA degree is a preprofessional degree and provides the foundation for entry to a Master of Architecture program, the most widespread professional degree program in architecture in the United States. The BA degree can also be applied toward licensing requirements in the State of California. See the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) for more information on accreditation. See the California Architects Board and the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) for more information on licensing.
Admission to the Major
Students must declare one of the CED majors at the time of application to the college; however, current UC Berkeley students may apply to change into CED. Transfer applicants must complete two years worth of lower division coursework to be considered for admission to CED. For information regarding admission to the major for freshman, transfer students, and current students who wish to change majors or colleges, please see the College of Environmental Design (CED) page in this Guide, or the CED website.
Architecture Minor
The Architecture minor is currently on hold and not accepting applications.
Other Minors Offered by the Department of Architecture
In addition to the University, campus, and college requirements outlined on the College Requirements tab, students must fulfill the following requirements specific to the major program.
The Architecture major requirements differ by students’ admit year to UC Berkeley. The major requirements listed below are the most recent. In the Berkeley Academic Guide Archive, refer to the year you were admitted to UC Berkeley for your major requirements.
General Guidelines
All lower division courses taken in fulfillment of major requirements must be completed with a letter grade of C- or better.
Courses taken to fulfill lower division major requirements may also be used to fulfill Seven Course Breadth.
A minimum overall GPA of 2.0 for all courses taken at UC Berkeley is required for graduation.
Upper division major courses used to fulfill the major requirements must be completed with a letter grade.
A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 must be maintained in upper division major courses used to fulfill the major requirements.
Courses used to fulfill an upper division major requirement may not simultaneously fulfill a breadth requirement.
Up to two upper division courses taken at another institution, including an approved study abroad program, may be applied to the major requirements below (if transferable and approved in advance).
For information regarding residence and unit requirements, please see the College Requirements tab.
Lower Division Major Requirements, Freshman and Sophomore Year
Prior to the course enrollment period early in the spring semester of the junior year, students must select one of the following two tracks for the senior year:
Note that upper division major courses cannot be used to fulfill multiple requirements. For example, a course cannot be used for both the Architecture Research Track elective and the upper division CED outside major requirement; a separate course must fulfill each requirement.
Minor Requirements
Note: Applications to the Architecture minor are currently on hold. If you are interested in applying to the minor in the future, please contact the Architecture major advisOr.
Students who have a strong interest in an area of study outside their major often decide to complete a minor program.
General Guidelines
All minors must be declared no later than one semester before a student's Expected Graduation Term (EGT).
A letter grade of C- or higher is required in ENV DES 1 to declare the minor. To declare, submit the CED Minor Declaration Form
All courses used to fulfill minor requirements must be completed with a letter grade of C- or above.
Students must earn a 2.0 GPA in the upper division requirements for the minor.
Any course used in fulfillment of minor requirements may also be used to fulfill major and upper division CED non-major requirements.
Courses used to fulfill a breadth requirement may also be used to satisfy minor requirements.
Students may apply the non-CED version of a CED cross-listed course towards the minor.
Students may use up to two courses taken abroad to fulfill upper division minor requirements, with faculty approval of the individual courses.
All students who will enter the University of California as first-year (non-transfer) students must demonstrate their command of the English language by satisfying the Entry Level Writing Requirement. satisfaction of this requirement is also a prerequisite to enrollment in all reading and composition courses at UC Berkeley.
The American History and Institutions requirements are based on the principle that a U.S. resident graduated from an American university should have an understanding of the history and governmental institutions of the United States.
American Cultures (AC) is the one requirement that all undergraduate students at UC Berkeley need to take and pass in order to graduate. The requirement offers an exciting intellectual environment centered on the study of race, ethnicity and culture of the United States. AC courses offer students opportunities to be part of research-led, highly accomplished teaching environments, grappling with the complexity of American Culture.
In order to provide a solid foundation in reading, writing, and critical thinking, the College requires two semesters of lower division work in composition. Students must complete a first-level reading and composition course by the end of their second semester and a second-level course by the end of their fourth semester.
Up to two CED courses or courses cross-listed with CED may be used to complete Seven-Course Breadth (students admitted to UCB Fall 2013 and later only).
Only lower division ENV DES courses (ENV DES 1, ENV DES 5) and lower division major requirements may simultaneously satisfy Seven-Course Breadth. A course used to satisfy either an upper division major requirement or the upper division CED outside of major department requirement may not also satisfy Seven Course Breadth. Upper division CED courses that are not satisfying another upper division requirement may satisfy Seven-Course Breadth.
No more than two courses from any one academic department may be used to satisfy breadth requirements.
A Seven-Course Breadth class that is also being used to complete another CED requirement must be completed with a letter grade of C- or better.
Only one of the remaining Seven-Course Breadth may be taken on a Passed/Not Passed basis.
The International Studies breadth requirement may be satisfied by participation in the UC Education Abroad Program or a recognized equivalent program.
CED students may apply high school exam credit (Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, A-Level Exam) towards many of the above requirements. See the CED website section on High School Exam Credit for more information: ced.berkeley.edu/advising/forms-documents
Lower Division Major Requirements that May be Used to Simultaneously satisfy Seven Course Breadth Requirement
Approved biological science courses (see major handbook) can also be used to satisfy biological science breadth requirements. Consult a CED advisor for more information.
Physical Sciences
Approved physical science courses (see major handbook) can also be used to satisfy physical science breadth requirements. Consult a CED advisor for more information.
ENV DES 5 is a requirement for all students admitted to UC Berkeley as first-year (non-transfer), including students admitted to other colleges at UC Berkeley then entered CED through the Change of College process. Transfer students are exempt from this requirement.
Guidelines for lower division Environmental Design courses:
Must be completed with a letter grade of C- or better.
Any of the courses used to satisfy this requirement may simultaneously satisfy the Seven Course Breadth Requirement. However, no more than two CED courses (or courses cross-listed with CED courses) may be used to complete Seven Course Breadth.
Three upper division CED courses from departments outside the major (minimum of 9 units).
Must be completed with a letter grade of C- or better.
Each of the three courses must be at least 2 units and must be within the 100-299 course range (excluding 197, 198, and 199).
Depending on the major, this requirement may be satisfied with courses in Architecture, Environmental Design, Visual Studies, Landscape Architecture, and City and Regional Planning.
A course used to satisfy this requirement may not also be used to satisfy Seven Course Breadth or major requirements.
High School Exam Credit
CED students may apply high school exam credit (Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, A-Level Exam) towards many College and Major Requirements. Please see the High School Exam Credit section on the CED website for more information.
Semester Limit
Students admitted as first-year (non-transfer) students must graduate within eight fall/spring semesters at UC Berkeley. Students admitted as transfer students must graduate within four fall/spring semesters at UC Berkeley. EAP and UCDC count towards this semester limit; summer session, UC Extension, and study abroad through non-UC programs do not. Students approved for simultaneous degrees in two colleges may be granted an additional semester. CED does not limit the number of total units a student can accrue.
Grade Requirements
A 2.0 UC GPA is required for graduation.
A 2.0 GPA within the major is required at time of graduation.
Graduating With Honors
To graduate with distinction, students must meet the grade point average (GPA) requirement and complete at least 50 units in residence at Berkeley (this may include UCB Extension XB units and up to 20 units from UCDC or EAP), of which 43 units must be letter-graded (not including physical education activities courses). Transfer students must make sure they complete 50 units at Berkeley to qualify for honors.
Students' GPA in all letter-graded courses taken at Berkeley must be equal to or higher than the GPA established for honors in the year in which they graduate. These GPA cut-offs change slightly each year and are posted on the CED website.
Unit Requirements
Students must complete at least 120 semester units of courses subject to certain guidelines:
A maximum of 16 units of Special Studies coursework (courses numbered 97, 98, 99, 197, 198, or 199) is allowed towards the 120 units; a maximum of four is allowed in a given semester; only upper division students (60 or more units completed) may enroll in 197, 198, or 199 coursework.
A maximum of 4 units of Physical Education from any school attended will count towards the 120 units.
Students may receive unit credit for courses graded P (including P/NP units taken through EAP) up to a limit of one-third of the total units taken and passed on the Berkeley campus at the time of graduation.
No more than 60 units from a single department can be used towards the 120 minimum.
Semester Unit Minimum
All CED students must enroll in at least 12 units each fall and spring semester. Students entering UC Berkeley as first-year (non-transfer) students with no prior units need to complete 15 units per semester to graduate in four years.
Semester Unit Maximum
To request permission to take more than 20.5 units in a semester, please see the major advisor.
Senior Residence Requirement
After reaching senior status (90 semester units earned), students must be registered in the College of Environmental Design and must complete at least 24 of the remaining 30 units in at least two semesters in residence at UC Berkeley as CED students. To count as residence, a semester must consist of at least six passed units.
Students may use Berkeley Summer Sessions to satisfy one semester of the Senior Residence Requirement, provided that six units of coursework are completed. Units completed through UC Berkeley “W” web-based courses do apply towards Senior Residence.
Excluded from Senior Residence: Inter-campus Visitor Program, Education Abroad Program (UCEAP), UC Berkeley Washington Program (UCDC), Berkeley Summer Sessions completed abroad, UC Berkeley Extension units (X and XB), and non-UC Berkeley online classes.
Modified Senior Residence Requirement
Participants in the UC Berkeley-Washington Program (UCDC); a fall, spring or summer UC Education Abroad Program (UCEAP); Berkeley Summer Abroad; or the Berkeley Global Internship program may meet the Modified Senior Residence Requirement by completing 24 of their final 60 semester units(excluding EAP or UC Extension) in residence. Note that these programs must consist of at least six passed units to meet the requirement. At least 12 of the 24 units must be completed after senior status (90 units) is reached.
Most students automatically satisfy the residence requirement by attending classes here for four years (two years for transfer students). In general, there is no need to be concerned about this requirement, unless students go abroad for a semester or year or want to take courses at another institution or through University Extension during their senior year. In these cases, students should make an appointment to see an advisor to determine how they can meet the Senior Residence Requirement.
Fulfilling Requirements with Transfer Coursework
Students may use transfer work, including courses taken via Study Abroad, to fulfill CED requirements, within the following limits (please consult your major advisor for more information):
Upper Division Major Requirements: Up to two courses taken elsewhere may be applied, if deemed transferable by the UC Berkeley Central Evaluation Unit and approved by the faculty advisor for your major.
Upper Division CED Outside the Major: Up to two courses taken elsewhere may be applied, if deemed transferable by the UC Berkeley Central Evaluation Unit and approved by the college.
Upper Division CED Minor Requirements: Up to two courses taken elsewhere may be applied, if deemed transferable by the UC Berkeley Central Evaluation Unit and approved by the faculty advisor for your minor.
CED Breadth Requirements: All requirements can be potentially fulfilled by courses taken elsewhere, if deemed transferable by the UC Berkeley Central Evaluation Unit and approved for breadth by the college (courses must be at least three units each).
To submit a request, please refer to the CED Forms & Documents page and complete the form located under Transfer Credit Evaluation: "CED Course Substitution Process-Current Students (Including Study Abroad)."
Concurrent Enrollment
Concurrent enrollment for enrolled Berkeley students is defined as a student being enrolled in courses at UC Berkeley during a Fall or Spring semester, while also being enrolled in courses at another school such as a California community college. Students who wish to take courses concurrently must seek approval from CED Advising four weeks prior to the first day of instruction. Students who do not have approval from CED Advising will not be approved to post transferable units to their UC Berkeley academic transcript. Only summer session enrollment does not require approval from CED Advising.
Plan of Study
Each student’s plan will vary, depending on interests. See your advisor if you are interested in applying for graduate school, studying abroad, attending summer school, pursuing a minor or second major, or anything else.
Note that students must complete a minimum of 12 units per term, with a total of 120 units needed to graduate.
For more detailed information regarding the courses listed below (e.g., elective information, GPA requirements, etc.), please see the Major Requirements tab.
Students must complete a total of 120 units to graduate.
Student Learning Goals
Undergraduate Student Learning Initiative (USLI)
The Undergraduate Student Learning Initiative (USLI) is a campuswide initiative to support departments in establishing educational goals and evaluation procedures for all undergraduate programs. As a result of the initiative, faculty and students have a shared understanding of the purpose of the major and what graduating seniors are expected to know or to be able to do at the end of their course of study. The initiative is in keeping with the fundamental principle at Berkeley that the evaluation of student achievement should be locally defined, discipline specific, and faculty-driven.
Department of Architecture Statement of Goals
The Underlying Goals of a Liberal Arts Undergraduate Education
In its recent curriculum discussions, the faculty strongly supports a liberal arts education for undergraduates that teaches students to develop their intellectual capacities: how to research topics independently, how to ask penetrating questions, how to analyze problems, how to construct arguments based on critical thinking, how to make well-founded judgments, how to identify issues of importance for the future. The intent of the department is that all courses are framed with this perspective. In addition to this goal, the department is introducing students to the discipline specific areas of knowledge that are needed by students who apply for graduate school in architecture.
The Discipline-Specific Knowledge of Architecture
The discipline of architecture covers a wide range of discipline-specific subject areas that are integrated in the process of design.
The goal of the undergraduate major is to make students familiar with and curious about engagement in and production of the built environment in historical, critical, technical, and social dimensions. The possibilities open to graduates in the major are broad, and this challenges the department to locate the terrain that is common to various aspects of the discipline as a formulation of the core lower division courses, and then to offer at the upper division a set of “streams” of study, each of which inspires and prepares students to pursue a future endeavor. As these future endeavors cover a wide range of possibilities, there are several ways to view the undergraduate major: as a liberal arts education through the lens of architecture, perhaps leading to another course of study; as preparation for work in the profession with only an undergraduate degree; and as preparation for follow-up study at the graduate level in the discipline of architecture. Acceptance into strong graduate architecture programs requires a high level of proficiency in the core areas of the curriculum. In recent debates on the undergraduate curriculum, the faculty decided that the undergraduate major should continue to provide courses appropriate for students on each of these paths.
The curriculum exposes students to five aspects of architecture and the broader field of environmental design:
The Language of Architecture
In essence, the language most particular to architecture is a graphic vocabulary that is the currency of exploration in the design studio. The mastery of this language, like the learning of any language, begins with vocabulary and grammar, and then moves on to the construction of meaning. This latter aspect is rigorously pursued in the design studio, and for those planning to go on to graduate study in architecture, a number of these upper level studios offer an increasingly complex set of design challenges.
In the Language of Architecture, students should learn to:
Understand the conventions of plan, section, elevation, and axonometric and their relationship to each other;
Understand and become proficient in hand drawings and the use of digital media in the production of these conventions;
Understand and become proficient in three or four digital programs that allow a facile exploration of design ideas;
Become proficient in the production of design iterations; and
Apply critical discussion to design solutions and representation.
The History and Theory of Architecture
Courses in history and theory are intended to familiarize students with the development of the built environment in both western and eastern traditions, and to introduce recent and current theories of local and global importance. The introductory surveys in architectural history test students to both recognize and classify architectural styles; these courses are complemented by others that focus on the intersection of history and theory, and for which the writing of papers is the primary means of evaluation.
In the History and Theory of Architecture, students should learn to:
Articulate the theoretical concepts within the design studio projects;
Understand the major periods and styles in architectural history;
Understand the modern period, and its current debates; and
Write critical papers comparing and contrasting both buildings and ideas.
The Humanistic Applications of Architecture
Many students enter this field of study in hopes of improving the conditions of the built environment as it relates to the daily life of individuals and communities. An emphasis in these aspects of the major can lead to graduate work in other disciplines, including environmental studies, law, global development and planning, and anthropology, or to a PhD program in architecture.
In the Humanistic Applications of Architecture, students should learn to:
Understand the roles and responsibilities of the environmental professions;
Understand the art and science of interpreting the social context of design;
Identify the major issues of environmental design in the national and global setting; and
Recognize the value of addressing sustainability at all levels of design.
The Science and Technology of Architecture
How buildings stand up, how they operate to distribute and control light and air, and the materials and connections with which they are made bring the understanding of the discipline from its paper representations of design and theory into the physical world. A set of core courses introduces students to the fundamentals of these areas, and a set of upper division seminars allows more in-depth explorations of aspects of each, including the testing of structural ideas through design, current attitudes and goals for a sustainable building culture, and construction practices particular to certain materials or cultures.
In the Science and Technology of Architecture, student should learn to:
Evaluate building performance through modes of calculation;
Familiarize themselves with the major groups of construction systems;
Integrate these concepts into the design studio; and
Familiarize themselves with the major debates in the literature of these areas.
Research Methods
Students should become proficient in the processes of academic research, learning to:
Undertake library and on-line research and follow source threads to both books and periodicals;
Construct bibliographies to academic standards;
Document various methods of research; and
Understand taxonomies of knowledge and organize information.
Major Map
Major maps are experience maps that help undergraduates plan their Berkeley journey based on intended major or field of interest. Featuring student opportunities and resources from your college and department as well as across campus, each map includes curated suggestions for planning your studies, engaging outside the classroom, and pursuing your career goals in a timeline format.
Use the major map below to explore potential paths and design your own unique undergraduate experience:
The CED Office of Undergraduate Advising provides a wide array of programmatic and individual advising services to prospective and current students as well as to students in other colleges who are pursuing CED minors or taking CED courses. The professional advising team assists students with a range of issues including course selection, academic decision-making, achieving personal and academic goals, and maximizing the Berkeley experience.
The CED Career Services Center (CSC) offers personalized career counseling, a yearly CED Career Fair, and a wide variety of professional-development workshops on topics such as licensure, internships, and applying for graduate school. For further information or to schedule an appointment with the Career Counselor, please see the CED Career Services website.
Program Requirements
For the most current information regarding major and minor program requirements and college-wide policies, please see the following pages on the CED website:
The College of Environmental Design (CED) Office of Undergraduate Advising helps students graduate in a timely way with a meaningful educational experience at Berkeley. In alignment with the College's Vision and Principles, the Office collaborates with CED faculty, deans, and student service units across campus toward the common objective of supporting students as they achieve their educational and career goals. The Office of Undergraduate Advising seeks to achieve the following:
Attract a highly-motivated, diverse pool of applicants
Connect students with resources that match their goals and aspirations
Support the development and transformation of our undergraduates as they become educated, active and socially just citizens of the world
Prepare graduates who are uniquely qualified and highly sought after in their field of choice
Advising Values
Student Success. Above all, the Office of Undergraduate Advising dedicates itself to maximizing student potential and to helping students succeed in their university experiences. Advisors encourage students to explore their minds and their hearts, challenge them to do their best work, and help them realize their talents and passions and achieve their goals.
Equity & Inclusion. Commitment to creating an inclusive environment in which any individual or group can be and feel welcomed, respected, supported and valued. Advisors aspire to provide fair treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement for all students and to identify and eliminate barriers that prevent the full participation of all.
Health & Well-Being. Collaboration with campus partners to keep the CED community healthy by helping students balance the physical, intellectual, emotional, social, occupational, spiritual and environmental aspects of life.
Advising Excellence. In all that they do, advisors strive to deliver personalized advising services of the highest quality. They also seek to continuously educate themselves on developments in the field and to evaluate, improve, and streamline services to support students in obtaining the best education and experience possible.
Academic Opportunities
Berkeley Connect in Architecture
Berkeley Connect in Architecture pairs students with architecture graduate student mentors in a one semester, 1-unit program that includes individual advising, small group discussions, special events and excursions. Through this program, you will become part of a community of like-minded faculty, mentors, and students that will provide a supportive environment in which to exchange and discuss ideas and goals. Berkeley Connect will help you to make the most of your time at the University as you learn more about the major in Architecture. For further information, please see the Berkeley Connect website.
Student Groups and Organizations
The college provides opportunities for students to be involved in student chapters of professional organizations, such as the American Institute of Architects (AIAS), as well as other student groups like the Chicanx/Latinx Architecture Student Association (CASA), National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMAS), and more. For information regarding student groups, please see the Student Organizations page of the CED website.
Study Abroad
The College of Environmental Design (CED) encourages all undergraduates in the college to study abroad. Whether you are interested in fulfilling general education requirements, taking courses related to your major/career, or simply living and studying in a country that is of interest to you, we will work with you to make it happen. For information about Study Abroad programs, please see the Berkeley Study Abroad website.
CED Career Services
At the CED Career Services Center (CSC), we offer personalized career counseling, a yearly CED Career Fair, and a wide variety of professional-development workshops on topics such as licensure, internships, and applying for graduate school. For further information, please see the CED Career Services website.
Prizes and Awards
CED offers a number of annual prizes, awards, scholarships, fellowships, and grants to its currently enrolled students. Some of these prizes and awards are college-wide, and some are geared toward students in specific majors. For general information regarding CED prizes and awards, including application instructions and a deadline calendar, please clickhere.
CED Events and Exhibits Calendar
CED and Wurster Hall is home to a variety of events, lectures, and exhibitions that welcome professors, professionals, and friends to the college to discuss and celebrate the community and professions. Through events and media CED is constantly creating ways to keep the college connected and up-to-date. To view this calendar, please click here.
The Departments of Architecture, City and Regional Planning, and Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning each sponsor lecture series, which offer students the opportunity to hear internationally-acclaimed speakers. These speakers often also participate in classes and seminars as part of their visit to campus. For a schedule of speakers and events in these lecture series, please see theCED website.
Courses
Architecture
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022
Introductory studio course: theories of representation and the use of several visual means, including freehand drawing and digital media, to analyze and convey ideas regarding the environment. Topics include contour, scale, perspective, color, tone, texture, and design. Introduction to Visual Representation and Drawing: Read More [+]
Terms offered: Spring 2024, Summer 2023 8 Week Session, Spring 2023
Introduction to design concepts and conventions of graphic representation and model building as related to the study of architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, and city planning. Students draw in plan, section, elevation, axonometric, and perspective and are introduced to digital media. Design projects address concepts of order, site analysis, scale, structure, rhythm, detail, culture, and landscape. Introduction to Design: Read More [+]
Terms offered: Fall 2022, Spring 2022, Fall 2021
The Berkeley Seminar Program has been designed to provide new students with the opportunity to explore an intellectual topic with a faculty member in a small-seminar setting. Berkeley Seminars are offered in all campus departments, and topics vary from department to department and semester to semester. Freshman Seminars: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1 hour of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Architecture/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: The grading option will be decided by the instructor when the class is offered. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2012, Fall 2003, Fall 2002
Freshman and sophomore seminars offer lower division students the opportunity to explore an intellectual topic with a faculty member and a group of peers in a small-seminar setting. These seminars are offered in all campus departments; topics vary from department to department and from semester to semester. Freshman/Sophomore Seminar: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Priority given to freshmen and sophomores
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2-4 hours of seminar per week
Summer: 8 weeks - 4-8 hours of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Architecture/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: The grading option will be decided by the instructor when the class is offered. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Fall 2012
Sophomore seminars are small interactive courses offered by faculty members in departments all across the campus. Sophomore seminars offer opportunity for close, regular intellectual contact between faculty members and students in the crucial second year. The topics vary from department to department and semester to semester. Enrollment limited to 15 sophomores. Sophomore Seminar: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: At discretion of instructor
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 5 weeks - 3-6 hours of seminar per week 10 weeks - 1.5-3 hours of seminar per week 15 weeks - 1-2 hours of seminar per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 2.5-5 hours of seminar per week 8 weeks - 1.5-3.5 hours of seminar and 2-4 hours of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Architecture/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: The grading option will be decided by the instructor when the class is offered. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2021, Fall 2020, Spring 2020
This is a special topics course intended to fulfill the individual interests of students, and provide a vehicle for professors to instruct students based on new and innovative developments in the field of architecture. Special Group Study: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Credit Restrictions: Enrollment is restricted; see the section on Academic Policies-Course Number Guide in the Berkeley Bulletin.
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1-4 hours of directed group study per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Architecture/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Offered for pass/not pass grade only. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2023
Berkeley Connect is a mentoring program, offered through various academic departments, that helps students build intellectual community. Over the course of a semester, enrolled students participate in regular small-group discussions facilitated by a graduate student mentor (following a faculty-directed curriculum), meet with their graduate student mentor for one-on-one academic advising, attend lectures and panel discussions featuring department faculty and alumni, and go on field trips to campus resources. Students are not required to be declared majors in order to participate. Berkeley Connect: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Credit Restrictions: Enrollment is restricted; see the section on Academic Policies-Course Number Guide in the Berkeley Bulletin.
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1 hour of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Architecture/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Offered for pass/not pass grade only. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022
Introductory courses in the design of buildings. Problems emphasize conceptual strategies of form and space, site relationships and social, technological and environmental determinants. 100A focuses on the conceptual design process. Fundamentals of Architectural Design: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Arch 11A & 11B With a C- or better. Must be taken in sequence
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2 hours of lecture, 2 hours of laboratory, and 6 hours of studio per week
Summer: 8 weeks - 4 hours of lecture, 3 hours of laboratory, and 12 hours of studio per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Architecture/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2022
Introductory courses in the design of buildings. Problems emphasize conceptual strategies of form and space, site relationships and social, technological and environmental determinants. 100B stresses tectonics, materials, and energy considerations. Studio work is supplemented by lectures, discussions, readings and field trips. Fundamentals of Architectural Design: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Arch 100A with a C- or better. Must be taken in sequence
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2 hours of lecture, 2 hours of laboratory, and 6 hours of studio per week
Summer: 8 weeks - 4 hours of lecture, 3 hours of laboratory, and 12 hours of studio per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Architecture/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Summer 2024 10 Week Session, Summer 2023 10 Week Session
This is a studio course in architectural design. Students work on individual and group design projects that build on topics from Architecture 100B with additional integration of conditions pertinent to architectural production that may include architectural precedents, context, landscape and urban issues, envelope, performance, structure, and tectonics in the design of buildings. Architectural Design III: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Arch 100B with a C- or better
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit with instructor consent.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 8 hours of studio per week
Summer: 10 weeks - 12 hours of studio per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Architecture/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Summer 2024 10 Week Session, Spring 2024, Summer 2023 10 Week Session
Students work on individual and/or group design projects that build on topics from previous studios with additional integration of conditions pertinent to architectural production that may include architectural precedents, context, landscape and urban issues, envelope, structure, and tectonics in the design of buildings. It may also include relevent and pertinent social, cultural, and technological issues facing architecture and design. Architectural Design IV: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Arch 100B with a C- or better
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit with instructor consent.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 8 hours of studio per week
Summer: 10 weeks - 12 hours of studio per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Architecture/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Fall 2023, Fall 2021, Fall 2020
This course is a course in architectural research methods with an emphasis on collaborative work. Students will work on individual facets of a collective topic of critical importance to the contemporary discipline of architecture within areas of faculty expertise. These include: architectural history and theory, structures, materials and methods of construction, building performance, energy and environment, and social factors and human behavior in architecture and the environment. The goal of Capstone Preparation is to develop a coherent research proposal that will be used as a topic for the Capstone Project course taken the following semester. Capstone Project Preparation Seminar: Read More [+]
Objectives & Outcomes
Course Objectives: Ability to communicate research findings through oral, written and graphic modes of presentation to a variety of audiences. Comprehension of the ethics and professional responsibilities of research and how they relate to the discipline of architecture. Develop a research proposal of scholarly significance, identifying and effectively communicating the information sources, skill sets, and research process required to pursue the project. Formulate clear and precise questions, interpret information using abstract ideas, consider culturally diverse points of view, and reach well-reasoned conclusions. Gather, record, evaluate and apply information relevant to a research problem. Identify and critically assess the knowledge base and body of literature relevant to a specific research project. Understand the role of applied research in environmental design and its impact on human conditions, behavior and impact on the environment. Work with others to coordinate individual research ventures addressing a larger collective topic, and to learn to work in a supervised collaborative team.
Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2022, Spring 2021
Through individual and collective efforts, students will address topics selected in the previous semester under the guidance of faculty mentors. Topics in the field which may serve as a basis for capstone projects include: the history and theory of architecture; structures; the materials and methods of construction; building performance; energy and the environment; and social factors and human behavior. This course is aimed at students who wish to strengthen their understanding of the research methods used by the discipline of architecture and related disciplines (e.g., engineering or history), and is not solely design oriented. Architecture Capstone Project: Read More [+]
Objectives & Outcomes
Course Objectives: Communicate complex research questions, ideas and findings clearly, both orally and in writing, to a broad community. Demonstrate a critical understanding of how resources, including literature and data, are used in critical study and how these resources can be assessed for their validity and reliability. Demonstrate analytic skills. Understand the nature of research questions in the field, and how to choose appropriate architectural research methods given time, cost and skill constraints. Demonstrate critical thinking. Analyze, compare and critique information gathered. Organize a coherent argument. Derive objective conclusions based on the information and inquiry. Learn how to work in a supervised, collaborative research team, drawing on the diverse skills and knowledge of peers and faculty mentors. Understand the ethics and professional responsibilities of research and how this relates to the discipline of architecture.
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Architecture 102A
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 4 hours of seminar and 4 hours of studio per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Architecture/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Spring 2014, Fall 2013
This course explores the issues and practices of green architectural design through critical readings of seminal and current texts, lectures, films, field trips and projects that use both design and analysis as means of inquiry.The course examines varied approaches to sustainable design including using nature and wilderness as models, biophilia, biomimicry, material sources and reuse, accounting systems such as LEED, Zero Net Carbon and the 2030 Challenge, and the Living Building Challenge. Deep Green Design: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Completion of a minimum of one design studio, two studios preferred
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 4 hours of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Architecture/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Prior to 2007
Introduction to the business of architecture including client, developer and contractor relations, design proposals, competitions, and other marketing approaches as well as ethical issues of professional practice. Introduction to the Practice of Architecture: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Architecture/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Summer 2023 8 Week Session, Summer 2022 8 Week Session, Summer 2021 8 Week Session
An intensive and structured exposure to the professional practice, using the resources of practicing architects' offices as the "laboratory." The seminar discussion focus on understanding how design happens, how projects are managed and how buildings are constructed. Architectural Internship: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 100B or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2 hours of lecture and 10.5 hours of internship per week
Summer: 8 weeks - 4 hours of lecture and 21 hours of tutorial per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Architecture/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Spring 2022, Summer 2020 8 Week Session, Fall 2019
Selected topics in the theories and concepts of architectural design. For current offerings, see department website. Special Topics in Architectural Design: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Consent of instructor
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1-4 hours of seminar per week
Summer: 8 weeks - 2-7.5 hours of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Architecture/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2020, Fall 2019, Fall 2018
This class focuses on the significance of the physical environment in human life as citizens and as future design professionals and it introduces students to the field of
human–environment studies. It shows how the social sciences and design can be mutually engaged, enriching the context for design evaluation and critique. Berkeley has long been known
for attention to the social perspective on architecture, and this course falls in that tradition.
Terms offered: Spring 2014, Spring 2013, Spring 2012
Introduction to international housing from the Architectural and City Planning perspective. Housing issues (social, cultural, and policy) ranging from micro-scale (house) to macro-scale (city) presented with a comparison of housing situations in developed and developing countries. Housing: An International Survey: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Architecture/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022
How do buildings form and inform the ways in which we live — as individuals and as part of different communities? This course explores the multiple ways in which people and buildings interact. Our cultural and economic practices shape the form of our environment which in turn shapes social constructions of gender, race and class. At the same time, as individuals, we are always making choices about how we use our spaces. Intended as a gateway to advanced architectural humanities classes, the course is organized around three themes that highlight ways of thinking about individual actions, social constructions of gender, race and class, and cultural associations of the built environment. The Social Life of Building: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Architecture/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Fall 2009
This course introduces students to Architecture's New Media; why and how computers are being used in architecture, and what are their current and expected impacts on the discipline and practice of architecture. Topics include presentation and re-presentation (including sketching, drafting, modeling, animating, and rendering); generating design solutions (including generative systems, expert systems, genetic algorithms, and neural networks); evaluation and prediction (using examples from structures, energy, acoustics, and human factors); and the future uses of computers in architectural design (including such topics as construction automation, smart buildings, and virtual environments). The laboratories introduce students to REVIT, a state-of-the-art architectural software, including drafting, modeling, rendering, and for building information modeling. This course is co-listed with 222. Principles of Computer Aided Architectural Design: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1.5 hours of laboratory per week
Summer: 8 weeks - 6 hours of lecture and 2 hours of laboratory per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Architecture/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Summer 2012 8 Week Session, Summer 2011 10 Week Session, Summer 2011 8 Week Session
The course provides students with practical hands-on experience in using professional architectural drafting software (e.g., Autocad). The course covers the process of creating, manipulating, and communicating through digital drawings. 2-D Computer Technology: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Summer: 6 weeks - 5 hours of laboratory per week 8 weeks - 3.5 hours of laboratory per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Architecture/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Summer 2024 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2023 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2022 Second 6 Week Session
The course provides students with practical hands-on experience in using professional architectural modeling software (e.g., 3DStudioMax, Maya, Rhino, etc.). The course covers the process of creating, manipulating, and communicating through digital architectural models. Introduction to Digital Design Methods: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Summer: 6 weeks - 4 hours of laboratory, 2 hours of discussion, and 1 hour of lecture per week 6 weeks - 4 hours of laboratory, 2 hours of discussion, and 1 hour of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Architecture/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Summer 2017 8 Week Session, Summer 2016 10 Week Session, Summer 2016 8 Week Session
The course provides students with practical hands-on experience in using professional architectural modeling software (e.g., 3DStudioMax, Maya, Rhino, etc.). The course covers the process of creating, manipulating, and communicating through digital architectural models. 3-D Computer Technology: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2 hours of laboratory per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 5 hours of laboratory per week 8 weeks - 3.5 hours of laboratory per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Architecture/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Summer 2023 First 6 Week Session, Summer 2023 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2022 Second 6 Week Session
This course explores conceptual and practical issues surrounding the Building Information Model (BIM), a widely-used approach in the Architecture Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry for the management of digital representations of the physical characteristics of buildings, their functions, and the process by which they are built. By completing this course, students develop an understanding of the concepts underlying BIM, and build competencies in creating BIM models in practice.
Summer: 6 weeks - 4 hours of laboratory, 2 hours of discussion, and 1 hour of lecture per week 6 weeks - 4 hours of laboratory, 2 hours of discussion, and 1 hour of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Architecture/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Spring 2010
This course introduces students to designing web-accessible, Multi User, Virtual Environments (MUVEs), inhabited through avatars. Such worlds are used in video games and web-based applications, and are assuming their role as alternative 'places' to physical spaces, where people shop, learn, are entertained, and socialize. Virtual worlds are designed according to the same principles that guide the design of physical spaces, with allowances made for the absence of gravity and other laws of nature. The course combines concepts from architecture, film studies, and video game design. It uses a game engine software and a modeling software to build, test, and deploy virtual worlds. Workshop in Designing Virtual Places: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of seminar and 1.5 hours of laboratory per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Architecture/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2022, Fall 2021
Topics cover advanced and research-related issues in digital design and New Media, related to architecture. For current offerings, see department website. Special Topics in Digital Design Theories and Methods: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Consent of instructor
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1-4 hours of lecture per week
Summer: 8 weeks - 2-8 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Architecture/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022
This class introduces students to the history and practice of design theory from the late 19th century to the present, with emphasis on developments of the last four decades. Readings and lectures explore specific constellations of theory and practice in relation to changing social and historical conditions. The course follows the rise of modernist design thinking, with particular emphasis on the growing influence of technical rationality across multiple fields in the post World War II period. Systematic approaches based in cybernetics and operations research (amongst others) are examined in the context of wider attempts to develop a science of design. Challenges to modernist design thinking, through advocacy planning and community-based design, the influence of social movements and countercultures, and parallel developments in postmodernism within and beyond architecture, provide the critical background for consideration of recent approaches to design theory, including those informed by developments in digital media and technology, environmental and ecological concerns, questions surrounding the globalization of architectural production, and the development of new materials. Introduction to Architectural Design Theory and Criticism: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Open to upper division undergraduates
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Architecture/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2010, Fall 2009
This seminar examines the relationship between architecture and the processes associated with globalization. The social and spatial changes connected to the global economic restructuring of the last four decades are explored in relation to disctinctive national conditions and their connection to historical forces such as colonization and imperialism. Theoretical arguments about international urban political economy, uneven development, deindustrialization, and the growth of tourism and service industries, are grounded in specific urban and architectural contexts. Case studies explore issues such as urban entrepreneurialism and the branding of cities and nationstates; heritage practices and the postcolonial politics of place; border cities, and the urbanism of transnational production; cities, terrorism, and the global architecture of security; critical regionalism, localism, and other responses to debates on place and placelessness. Readings and class discussions examine course themes in a comparative framework and consider their implications for architectural design, education, and professional practice. Architectures of Globalization: Contested Spaces of Global Culture: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: This course is open to all graduate students and upper division undergraduates
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Architecture/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2012, Spring 2011, Spring 2010
The concept of space as it is applied to the fields of architecture, geography and urbanism can be understood as a barometer of the condition that we call "modernity." This course explores connections between the larger cultural frameworks of the past century, and the idea of space as it has been perceived, conceived and lived during this period. Readings include essays from the disciplines of philosophy, geography, architecture, landscape, and urbanism, and short works of fiction that illustrate and elucidate the spatial concepts. The readings are grouped according to themes that form the foundation for weekly seminar discussions. Chronological and thematic readings reveal the force of history upon the conceptualization of space, and its contradictions. The Literature of Space: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Architecture/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2022
This course provides undergraduates and graduates with an introduction to issues of physical building performance including building thermodynamics, daylighting, and solar control. The course presents the fundamentals of building science while recongnizing the evolving nature of building technologies, energy efficiency, ecology, and responsible design. The course begins with a detailed explication of the thermal properties of materials, heat transfer through building assemblies, balance point temperature, solar geometry, and shading analysis. Students apply these principles later in the course to a design project. The latter part of the course also provides a survey of broader building science topics including mechanical system design, microclimate, and current developments in energy-efficient design. Energy and Environment: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Physics or equivalent, or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 3 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Architecture/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022
Presentations on a variety of topics related to sustainability, offering perspectives from leading practioners: architectural designers, city planners, consultants, engineers, and researchers. Students can enroll for one unit (required attendance plus reading) or two units (with additional writing assignments. Sustainability Colloquium: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1.5 hours of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Architecture/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Offered for pass/not pass grade only. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022
This course focuses on what architects need to know about acoustics. The first part deals with the fundamentals of acoustics including how sound levels are described and measured, and human response to sound. The course then covers building acoustics, mechanical equipment noise and vibration control, office acoustics, design of sound amplification systems, and environmental acoustics. Introduction to Acoustics: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 5 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Architecture/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Offered for pass/not pass grade only. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2024, Spring 2023
Special topics include climatic design, heating, ventilating, air-conditioning systems, lighting, and acoustics. For current offerings, see department website. Special Topics in Energy and Environment: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 140 and consent of instructor
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1-4 hours of lecture per week
Summer: 8 weeks - 2-8 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Architecture/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022
Study of forces, materials, and structural significance in the design of buildings. Emphasis on understanding the structural behavior of real building systems. Introduction to Structures: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Physics 8A
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Architecture/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2020, Spring 2018, Spring 2017
Design and analysis of whole structural building systems with the aid of finite element analytical methods. Advanced structural concepts explored in a laboratory environment. Design and Computer Analysis of Structure: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 150
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2 hours of lecture and 3 hours of laboratory per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Architecture/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2009
In profound buildings, the structural system, construction materials, and architectural form work together to create an integrated work of art. Current practice segregates these three areas by assigning separate and rigid roles to 1) an engineer, 2) a contractor, and 3) an architect. The goal of this class is to blur these traditional boundaries and erase the intellectual cleft though hands-on experience. Students are given weekly assignments which focus on one or more of the three areas. They may be asked to analyze a structure, to construct something from actual materials, or research a case study and present it to the class. Each assignment to geared to help students integrate construction and structural issues into their architectural design, so that they can maintain control of the entire design process. Structure, Construction, and Space: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 150
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Architecture/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Spring 2020, Spring 2018, Spring 2017
Special topics such as experimental structures and architural preservation. For current offerings, see department website. Special Topics in Building Structures: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 150 and consent of instructor
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1-4 hours of lecture per week
Summer: 8 weeks - 2-8 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Architecture/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2022
This introduction to the materials and processes of construction takes architecture from design to realization. The course will cover four material groups commonly used in two areas of the building assembly (structure and envelope): wood, concrete, steel, and glass. You will understand choices available and how materials are conventionally used. By observing construction, you'll see how our decisions affect the size of materials, connections, and where they are assembled. Architects must understand not only conventions, but also the potential in materials, so we will also study unusual and new developments. Introduction to Construction: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 3 hours of laboratory per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Architecture/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022
The first part of this sequence studies the ancient and medieval periods; the second part studies the period since 1400; the aim is to look at architecture and urbanism in their social and historical context. An Historical Survey of Architecture and Urbanism: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Architecture/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2022
The first part of this sequence studies the ancient and medieval periods; the second part studies the period since 1400; the aim is to look at architecture and urbanism in their social and historical context. An Historical Survey of Architecture and Urbanism: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Architecture/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2010, Fall 2009, 1974
This course examines developments in design, theory, graphic representation, construction technology, and interior programming through case studies of individual buildings. Our survey technique will be highly focused rather than panoptic. Each lecture will delve deeply into one or two buildings to examine program, spatial organization, graphic representation, critical building details, construction technology, and the relationship of the case study building with regard to other contemporary structures and the architect's overall body of work. From this nucleus, we will spiral outward to consider how the case study is embedded within a constellation of social and economic factors crucial to its design and physical realization. This survey of "modernism's built discourses" provides multiple perspectives on the variety of architectural propositions advanced to express the nature of modernity as a way of life. Case Studies in Modern Architecture: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 170A-170B and consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Architecture/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2010
The Great Depression and World War II are arguably the two most influential events for the development of the built environment in the 20th century. Not only did they alter the socio-economic and political landscape on which architecture and urban planning depend, but they also led to technological innovations and vital debates about the built environment. This course examines the 1930's and 1940's topically, studying the work of the New Deal, corporate responses to the Depression and war, the important connections between architecture and advertising, the role of the Museum of Modern Art in the promotion of Modernism, the concept of the ideal house, and key tests, theories, and projects from the period. Architecture in Depression and War: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-4 hours of lecture and 0-1 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5 hours of lecture and 0-2.5 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Architecture/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Prior to 2007
This seminar provides an introduction to architectural theory since 1945, with emphasis on developments over the last three decades. Class readings and discussions explore the post-World War II crisis within modernism, postmodernism within and beyond architectural culture, and more recent developments around issues such as rapid urbanization, sustainability, the politics of cultural identity, and globalization. Transformations in architectural theory are examined in relation to historical forces such as the economy, the growth and transformation of cities, and the changing relationship between design professions and disciplines. The influences of digital media, new materials and production techniques on architectural education and practice are explored and the implications for architectural theory assessed. Key issues are anchored in case studies of buildings, urban spaces, and the institutions and agents of architectural culture. Introduction to Architectural Theory 1945-Present: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Open to upper division undergraduates and graduate students
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Architecture/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: 1974
The first half of this course surveys American architecture from Colonial times to contemporary trends. Stylistic and spatial analysis is linked with the socioeconomic, political, and environmental influences on architecture, issues on originality, American exceptionalism, the influence from abroad, regionalism, and the role of technology. The second half delves more deeply into the history of specific building types--house, church, museum, library--grafting the earlier themes onto a history of modern institutions as they took shape in the United States. American Architecture: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Architecture/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2021
Many California architects came from other places: Maybeck from New York via the
Ecole des Beaux Arts; Schindler and Neutra from Vienna; Frank Gehry from Chicago.
But, once they arrived, their encounters with the Golden State produced new and original
forms of architecture. This seminar will examine the qualities of the state’s environment,
culture, economy, and population that have produced unique buildings and landscapes
during the 20th century. It will look at both Northern and Southern California architecture,
starting with canonical designers then moving beyond them to consider lesser-known
regional architects whose work embodies local characteristics. California Architecture: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: A previous architectural history class. For undergraduates, ARCH 170B or equivalent
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Architecture/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Prior to 2007
This course explores architectural visions as historical windows, examining them from a number of angles. Using a variety of case studies drawn from different media (architectural theory, film, advertisements, architectural projects, and so on) and periods (turn of the century, the Modern Movement, Depression, World War II, 1960's, etc,) it provides a sampling of possibilities and models for the final student project, an in-depth, original research paper. Several themes thread their way through the course, including the role of the "unbuilt" in architectural practice; the uses of the future in the construction of national and personal identities, cultural narratives, and modern mythologies; and the importance of the future as cliche, and the role of play in cultural production. Visionary Architecture: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Architecture/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Prior to 2007
The intention of this class is to keep alive this type of free (irrational, exploratory, open and playful) passion and make us realize that on the one hand the interdependence between Design and Drawing, and on the other hand, that any of our artistic productions may contain architectural ideas that are nascent, not yet fully developed but useful seeds for our future practice. With this objective in mind, each week, besides producing a single (large) drawing-painting, students will reflect on this process and on the architectural design lessons learned, in the form of an itemized list of condensed realizations. Utopian Freehand Drawing and Painting: Architecture and the City: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Architecture/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2023
Berkeley Connect is a mentoring program, offered through various academic departments, that helps students build intellectual community. Over the course of a semester, enrolled students participate in regular small-group discussions facilitated by a graduate student mentor (following a faculty-directed curriculum), meet with their graduate student mentor for one-on-one academic advising, attend lectures and panel discussions featuring department faculty and alumni, and go on field trips to campus resources. Students are not required to be declared majors in order to participate. Berkeley Connect: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Credit Restrictions: Enrollment is restricted; see the section on Academic Policies-Course Number Guide in the Berkeley Bulletin.
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1 hour of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Architecture/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Offered for pass/not pass grade only. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Summer 2021 8 Week Session, Summer 2020 8 Week Session, Summer 2016 Second 6 Week Session
Enrollment is restricted by regulations in the General Catalog. Studies developed to meet individual needs. Supervised Independent Study and Research: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Credit Restrictions: Enrollment is restricted; see the section on Academic Policies-Course Number Guide in the Berkeley Bulletin.
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1-4 hours of independent study per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 2.5-10 hours of independent study per week 8 weeks - 2-7.5 hours of independent study per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Architecture/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Offered for pass/not pass grade only. Final exam not required.
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