Abstract:

The beginnings of imagination and design exercises of architectural objects in the first year of study are always an opportunity to re-evaluate the way of working and re-discuss new subjects and attitudes regarding the learning process of designing architecture.This paper thus refers to the way we approach the first project intended for first year students at the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning in Cluj-Napoca. In time, during several years from our experience, we went from re-drawing and visual interpretation of already well-known objects of architecture to short experiments, condensed in time, with clearer objectives, but reduced in complexity, towards larger and more complex projects, with broader objectives. The most recent subject proposes the exploration of the connection between the natural environment - man – and built space, by imagining an architectural object intended for the contemplation of nature. The steps of documentation, search for the solution and subsequent detailing are the main steps that organise the development of the project. The main objectives aim to familiarize students with the built space and understanding of the relationships between the natural environment - man – the built environment; of the interior space - exterior space relationship, the understanding of architectural design as an evolutionary process in specific steps that ends with a solution, the emphasizing of creativity in the architectural design process, and the understanding and practicing of specific representations in architecture (in two-dimensional, three-dimensional system, model representation model).

Keywords:

Experiment, design exploration, project development.