DIDACTICS FOR 3D MODELING OF ARCHITECTURE PROJECTS: A COMPLETE PATH

During the first semester of the academic year 2012/13 at the School of Architecture of the Polytechnic of Milan was held the eighth course in "Innovative Tools for the Representation of the Project." The course was offered in the form of optional course for students of the third year of the undergraduate degree courses in: Architectural Science, Environmental Architecture, Building and Construction, Urban Planning. This course has been offered for eight years with increasing success and has counted more than 150 enrolled students, last year. The key conceptual chain for our students is described by the journey: space – time – model – design and back, since we want them not to ever loose contact with the cultural and intellectual side of architecture. We are persuaded that any didactic path in any University can’t afford to be neglected of cultural and theoretical aspects, which are just those that make the difference between training simple operators or competent designers. This year we have introduced into the organization of the course, a special path dedicated to those who wish to upgrade the work they have done in the course for making of it the basis for their degree dissertation. The students to whom this possibility will be given will this year be only ten, and the complete route from the beginning of the course to the final discussion will be followed by two tutors, other than those of the rest of the students of the course. The purpose of this "privileged lane" is to get first-level graduated architects with extensive expertise in 3D modelling and with a specific cultural background in the intellectual aspects of representation, which could be useful to them for starting a high profile job even during the years of their master degree, anticipating their entry into the world of work. In this contribution we present a preview of the program that has been developed to maximize the benefits of this approach and make it lean and efficient.