In this course, students decide their own designing theme and develop it through their creative analysis of urban and environmental conditions.

The context of the main gate of SNU will be drastically changing in the near future: A new light rail station is under construction and the once isolated ‘front’ of the school will become more connected to not only the local area, but to long distance connections to made available through the light rail such as the Yeoido governmental and business districts. Students will design a new Center for Architecture and Urbanism on the now empty parcel between the light rail station and the front gate. This contingent site will be a meeting ground between academics and the general public, between designers, researchers, policy makers, and local visitors. As a new symbolic node within a topographic context, it will have ‘six facades’ – the 4 major sides, but also the roof and the meeting with the ground level. It will also be in direct dialogue with she SNU Museum of Art so that the two institutions representing the importance of design and art will transmit a first impression to visitors. As such, the goal of the semester is to envision a new institution and create a comprehensive set of drawings for it. As a relatively small ‘object building’ the design should express a strong 3‐dimensional concept. From the schematic design to the construction details, students will act as the contracted architect for the client (SNU) and creating documents that clearly communicate the constructed intention.