General Requirements: Select a fragment of a space within a work of architecture with the following characteristics:

1. The spacial fragment contains some sort of window opening in an exterior wall;
2. The overall dimensions of the building fragment are as follows:
   • width: 5' - 15'
   • length: 5' - 15'
   • height: 15' - 25'
3. Both floor and ceiling (or roof) construction defining the spatial fragment must fall within the height limitation;
4. Documentation of all visible interior and exterior surfaces/finishes within the interior space and on the exterior wall surface of the building fragment must be obtainable either by inspecting actual space, or through published material or construction documents;
5. The fragment must contain horizontal (beam/slab) and vertical (column/wall) structural elements;
6. The materials and methods of construction must be at least partially obscured, so that some research or speculation is required -- thus, buildings with exposed structure, all-glass walls, or monolithic construction systems may not be good choices (for example, Pei's Johnson Museum on campus or his Pyramide du Louvre in Paris would not be good choices for this project).

Objectives:

1. Gain experience reading and interpreting construction details;
2. Understand tendency in modern construction to construct interior finishes and exterior cladding independently of structural frame;
3. Understand function of all construction elements shown on model and in section;
4. Learn to communicate ideas graphically and through models.

• (Preferred) Build an historically-accurate reconstruction based on actual construction details; or
• Build a speculative reconstruction based on historically-appropriate construction technologies; or
• Build a model based on modern construction principles that may or may not correspond to the actual construction methods.

Do not use concrete, stone, plaster, or any other heavy material in your model; instead, find creative ways to simulate the appearance of actual construction materials using lighter, and readily available, modeling materials such as cardboard, foamcore boards, plastic sheets, bass wood, etc.

Report: Write a concise report bound in an 8-1/2" x 11" format that includes the following:

1. Description of the project parameters, containing the following information:
   • Building and group data (same as on base of model);
   • Short description of building construction and structural systems;
   • Model strategy (i.e., historically-accurate; speculative; etc.)
2. One Axon, elevation, perspective, or photograph identifying location of model fragment in the context of the whole building;
3. The following illustrative drawings:
   • 1. detail section at fragment (approx. 3"=1'-0" to full scale)
   • 2. wall section at fragment showing detail location (approx. 1/2"=1'-0" to 1-1/2"=1'-0")
   • 3. key plan showing section location (approx. 1/16"=1'-0" or 1/8"=1'-0")

4. Documentation of sources used: select key photocopies or sketches taken from magazines, books, working drawings, or actual building, neatly formatted in 8-1/2" x 11" report. Do not necessarily include all documentation; only the key drawings or photos reformatted to fit neatly and clearly into your report.

Meeting must be scheduled, and must take place, no later than the week of Dec. 4 - 8, 2006. Do not expect to make appointments at the last minute; work out meeting times well in advance. Contact information:

• John Christer Hoiby | B39 Sibley basement. Please e-mail jch74@cornell.edu to make appointment.
• Jonathan Ochshorn | 121B Rand Hall. Please e-mail jo24@cornell.edu to make appointment.

References: Consult course text and course reserve for information on various construction technologies that may apply to your case-study building. In addition, refer to Architectural Graphic Standards (permanent reserve, FAL) for general information about construction details, and Sweet's Catalog (reference section, FAL) for specific information on manufactured products and systems.

Campus construction documents may be available for a limited number of buildings. Information about obtaining copies of plans, sections, etc. from either the Rare and Manuscripts reference collection of the library or from the Facilities group of Cornell Planning, Design and Construction [PDC] can be found on the Cornell Library web site at: http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/cornellguide.html.

Numerous books are on reserve at the Fine Arts Library containing documentation of contemporary buildings. See for example the El Croquis Index at #NA5 C94.

Academic Integrity:
"Course Assignments. Students are encouraged to discuss the content of a course assignment among themselves and to help each other to master it, but no student should receive help in doing a course assignment that is meant to test what he or she can do without help from others. Representing another's work as one's own is plagiarism and a violation of this Code. If materials are taken from published sources the student must clearly and completely cite the source of such materials."
--From the "Code of Academic Integrity," Policy Notebook for Cornell Community, Aug. 1998-99, p.78