The course is an introduction to the basic concepts, tools and methods of architectural design. It focuses on the understanding of the parameters and the complexity of the design process. Students are asked to evaluate, comment on, set priorities and transcribe the given data in the design process. Therefore, aspects of representation, space syntax and perception are examined in detail. Significant emphasis is given on free-hand drawing, as well as on modeling, as main tools for training in basic composition mechanisms (addition, subtraction, rotation, repetition, scaling, transformation etc.) and the representation of architectural qualities and spatial perception. The main aim of the course is students to realize the relationship between thinking and design, as well as to develop the ability to comprehend, analyse, and graphically represent elements of space (structure, form, relations, scale, etc.), and also to manage how users interact with it (movement, pause, transition, boundaries, connections, succession of spaces, accessibility, etc). Students practice the creative transcription of these spatial parameters by means of codified architectural design tools.
