Course Overview

OregonBILDS provides residential design-build opportunities for students by offering design studios and tech-build courses. These classes are derived from the existing curriculum at the UO College of Design and allow flexible participation based on the needs of the individual’s course of study. They are stand-alone courses and may be taken in any sequence or individually.

The OregonBILDS courses taught each year include OregonBILDS: Intermediate Architecture Design Studio (ARCH 4/584) and OregonBILDS: Sustainable Construction at the Building Site (ARCH 4/510). Students who participate in both will benefit from experiencing the building process from initial conceptual design to the construction stages.

ARCH 4/584: Architecture Design Studio

Any OregonBILDS project begins with a design studio focused on site and building design. The studio’s final product is a set of construction and permit drawings to be submitted to the local authority responsible for permit approval – typically City of Eugene or another municipality.

Visit the School of Architecture & Environment website for information on upcoming design studios.

ARCH 4/510: Sustainable Construction at the Building Site

Course Description

Students in the OregonBILDS Construction Seminar explore the layers of residential wall construction.

This hands-on course will focus on the basic principles of residential construction at the construction site, giving students the opportunity to translate theory into practice. Students will contribute to the design and construction of an affordable, sustainable house project designed initially by the OregonBILDS studio in construction partnership with Habitat for Humanity Central Lane. Habitat and OregonBILDS will collaboratively develop a construction schedule that includes student contributions in large blocks of time (typically 3-4 hours) on site. Construction is managed by Habitat but facilitated by a UO instructor.

The course will be taught through 1-hour weekly classroom presentations and on-site instruction in order to relate design to first-hand construction experience. Student-led project teams will work with experienced professionals to construct elements like site pathways, the building frame, and interior walls. Students will also contribute to design decisions made through the construction process by resolving on-site design problems. Sustainability and affordability will be examined in relation to materials, systems, and methods.

Faculty

Clay Neal, OregonBILDS Director will sometimes teach this course. Other times, visiting faculty from our local professional community will take on the role.

Format

For 3 credits, students will spend 8 hours per week at the construction site or the OregonBILDS shop working on prefabricated elements plus 1.5 hours in class.

For 4 credits and advanced technical elective, students will be expected to spend 4 extra lab hours per week on site or in the BILDS shop on prefabricated construction elements.

Credits

3 credits for subject-area elective or university general elective

OR

4 credits for advanced technical elective

IDP credit: All students registered with NCARB are eligible for IDP credit.

Prerequisites

4-credit technical elective or 3-credit subject-area elective: Must be a third-year architecture undergraduate, second-year architecture graduate Track 1 or any Track 2.

3-credit university general elective: No prerequisites.

Registration

Registration Link