Teaching · Studio
Comprehensive Design
Lawrence Technological University · College of Architecture and Design
The Comprehensive Design Studio is a capstone course that challenges students to synthesize all dimensions of architectural practice—structural systems, environmental performance, building envelope, life safety, and accessibility—into a single, coherent design proposition.
ACSA “Timber in the City 6”
Recent studio sections have engaged the ACSA competition brief “Timber in the City,” exploring how mass timber construction can address urban density, sustainability, and architectural expression simultaneously.
Students develop fluency with CLT and glulam structural systems, Passive House design principles, and integrated energy modeling using tools developed in parallel (see the Tools section).
Pedagogy
The studio emphasizes integration over specialization. Rather than treating building systems as constraints, students learn to see them as design opportunities. A well-resolved wall section is as much a design artifact as a plan diagram.
Work Products
- Work 01 — Site analysis and program development
- Work 02 — Schematic design with systems integration
- Work 03 — Design development and comprehensive documentation