Fall 2023
F 9:00am-11:45 am in Dept - AUP 345
Inclusive Design: Service Learning course
Architecture 390/790 UP692
Krisann Rehbein, Lecturer
[email protected]773-301-9645
Objectives:
This fall, we are going to use the skills you’ve acquired as architecture and urban planning students to
directly help community-based clients. The projects are real and meet an immediate need. The credits
you earn from this course meet your Service Learning requirements for graduation.
This semester, we have two clients and may have the opportunity to meet others. As our primary client,
we’re lucky to work on our own campus to partner with the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences
at UWM. Through our campus client, we’ll have the opportunity to hear about their design needs,
observe how the building and surrounding campus spaces are used and propose design solutions.
Our class will begin with an introduction to our client and a discussion about what it means to be
“inclusive” in the design process. How do we solicit and consider our client’s needs? We will design ways
to engage others in the conversation about what they need from our design intervention and how we
can foster a sense of involvement in the process. .
Our goal is to literally engage people - professors, students, school administrators and other stakeholders
- in our designs. We will find our own creative and meaningful ways to solicit feedback and incorporate
the needs of our users into our final designs.
Our project will require teams with a mix of skills. We’ll need researchers, SARUP ambassadors,
renderers, writers, Zoom experts, designers, model builders, wood workers and project managers.
Regardless of your interests and strengths, we’ll find a way to use them on these projects.
Throughout the class, we may have opportunities to meet practitioners who work at the intersection of
Architecture + Education. You will hear directly from some of the best practitioners in the country of
what I’ll call “community engaged” or inclusive design. I hope they will inspire you to think of how your
skills can be utilized to better the world around you and how you can create a career that focuses on this
type of work, should you choose. Part of your responsibility is to research their work and come to the
presentations with questions.
As a general format, we’ll meet with guest speakers and our community partners and clients as a larger
group. We will then break up into project teams for the majority of the class to do project-specific work.
This course relies heavily on your creativity and requires that work be done collectively, during class and
discussed thoughtfully.
Grading:
Classroom participation = 20%
Written reflections = 20%
Project #1: EMS building observations = 20%
Project #2: Client engagement (group project graded on individual participation) = 20%
Project #3: Final design with renderings/models/drawings (group) = 20%
NOTE: If you come to this class as a non-architecture student, we can work on a final project that reflects
both what you want to get out of the class and a final project that is similar in effort and hours to the
design project.
There is NO final exam for this class.
When you finish this course, you should be able to:
● Build skills in teamwork, research and facilitation.
● Learn techniques to communicate with a client to understand their needs.
● Consider how spaces are designed to meet the needs of various ages and needs.
● Understand how decisions get made and approvals are made in a large, institutional building
project.
● Conduct research on how to take a design idea from planning to implementation.
● Engage stakeholders in the design process.
● Take design ideas from concept to realization.
Core assignments:
Classroom Participation: 20%
The bulk of our class time will be spent working collaboratively on projects and participating in group
discussions. You are expected to actively participate in group discussion and engage in group work.
Written Reflections: 20%
In addition to your classroom participation, you will be asked to give written reflections at 4 times
throughout the semester. These reflections will be roughly one page in length.
Reflection #1: How is the EMS building currently used?
Visit the EMS building twice, and spend about 20 minutes each time. Grab a seat and observe how
people are using the space. You should try to visit at least two of the floors visited by students: lobby
through 3rd floor. There should be places to sit on each floor. (Due September 22nd)
At this point, you do not have to ask anyone questions or engage users of the building. You will simply
record your own observations of the design of the space and how people are using it.
Reflection #2: Tools to engage campuses - the talk by Jessica Figenholtz (Due October 6th)
● Recap/explain the process that the Perkins + Will higher ed practice uses to engage stakeholders.
● OR - pick one aspect of their process + describe how you might adapt
● OR - describe a way you could engage faculty/administrators and students that is inspired by
what Jessica told us today.
● OR - share your impressions of their stakeholder engagement process. Which aspect did you
most respond to? Why?
Reflection #3: Client interactions: write about what you and your teammates learned about design/the
design process/education and creativity from meeting with your clients. What engagement strategies
worked and what didn’t? (Due October 20th)
Reflection #4: One short research project about an architectural, art or design practice that does creative
engagement [list of possible organizations to be provided by Krisann] (Due November 17th)
Project #1: College of Engineering Engagement
We will break up into teams and work directly with our clients at EMS to assess their needs and redesign
their spaces to meet those needs. As a group, we will create strategies to get information from our
clients (EMS stakeholders) during our site visits. Your group will be evaluated on the creativity and
effectiveness of your engagement tool.
This part of the semester will evolve with our project. Currently, the stakeholders we plan to include are:
faculty, staff, current undergrad students, current grad students and prospective students.
Project #2: EMS design
At the mid-point of the project - which may or may not fall at mid-term, based on the needs and
schedule of the client - we will assess your progress. At this point, we may adapt teams based on how
much work is needed and the type of work needed.
For your grade, you will be assessed for your individual contribution within your team. You will be
responsible for communicating with both myself and your teammates if you feel there isn’t enough work
for you.
Project 3: Final Design w/ all documents
By the conclusion of the semester, each team will present one final and unified design. This design will
be presented in several ways: through a presentation, a model and a rendering (either digital, collage or
hand-drawn). Each team member will be responsible for some aspect of the final design and
presentation to the client. This could include organizing the visit (in person or via Zoom), creating and
giving the presentation, as well as creating all the supporting documentation mentioned above. At the
conclusion of the class, each team member will write me a one page document stating what they
contributed to the success of the final project.
Additional Grad Student project:
In addition to the EMS project, there is a second client in Sherman Park which is a follow-up to a project
that was done last summer by teens. The clients have some concerns about the built product and want it
revised. A group of students will take this on. This project may include construction/deconstruction.
Recommended Texts:
Dream Play Build: Hands-on Community Engagement for Enduring Spaces and Places by James Rojas and
Jahn Kamp
The Space: A Guide for Educators by Rebecca Louise Hare & Dr. Robert Dillon
The Third Teacher by CannonDesign
Additionally, I have readings on community-based urban planning pedagogy that I will upload to Canvass.
Office hours:
I don’t have official office hours but am generally available Monday/ Wednesdays and after class on
Friday. My office is room 399 Community Design Solutions. I’m also happy to meet virtually or for coffee
if you have anything you’d like to discuss. You can also call/text: 773-301-9645
Arch 390/UP 692
BASIC WEEK-BY-WEEK SCHEDULE
Week 1: September 8th
Welcome! Expectations
Our first class will provide an overview of the semester and give a preview of how we will approach the
work of design for a campus building.
Guest Speaker: Benjamin Trager Interim Director of Community Engagement & Experiential Learning
[9:45]
Review: Meeting our client - what do we want to know?
[Assignment: take a walk through the EMS building lobby. Write 3 questions you’ll want to ask our
primary building contact when we meet them on the 15th]
Week 2: September 15th
Intro to the Project
Guest Speakers: Lisa McGovern + Avie Judes from the College of Engineering [9:45]
Discussion + Activity:
● Tour the EMS building with two key stakeholders and get an overview of the project
● Document existing conditions with floor plans as reference
○ Photograph spaces
○ Take measurements of furniture and anything not spelled out on the existing drawings
[Start adding images to the Miro Board]
[Drawings will be given to students so you can start to build a model of the spaces]
Week 3: September 22nd
[Reflection #1 Due]
Intro to Brutalism on Campus
Tour with former SARUP Dean, Robert Greenstreet
Prof. Greenstreet will give us a tour of campus with an emphasis of how Brutalism is prominent on
campus. We’ll go into several buildings to discuss positive and negative aspects of their design.
Additional Guest Speaker: Ryan Shortridge
Adjunct faculty, Ryan Shortridge will discuss the process for creating a design for the teen summer
Design Build Workshop.
Week 4: September 29th
Preparing for stakeholder engagement
Guest Speaker: Jessica Figenholtz; Higher Education Practice Leader, Principal, AIA LEED AP Perkins + Will
Discussion + Activity:
● As a class, discuss the best ways we can reach current engineering students. How can we engage
them?
● How does what P+W does relate to our project?
Week 5: October 6th
[Reflection #2 Due]
OFFICE TOUR: WORKSHOP
Guest Speaker: Brian Shermer; Principal, Design Research Workshop Architects
Activity: @ Workshop, work in teams to come up with strategies to engage current and prospective EMS
students. Review with Brian @ end of class.
Week 6: October 13th
Plan to get Feedback from existing Engineering students
Discussion + Activity: During this class period, we will discuss what we’ve learned to date about campus
outreach and create a plan to engage students and stakeholders that meets our projects needs. By the
end of class, each “team” will create their engagement strategy to be used the week of October 28th.
[preliminary building models done]
Week 7: October 20th
Guest Speaker: Joe Lawton
[Reflection #3 Due]
Joe Lawton, SARUP Alumni and Principle of Media Objectives, an experiential design firm within VDTA in
Chicago, will be the guest lecturer to talk about how they approach interior design; including issues on
wayfinding, graphics, color and related signage.
[NOTE: Krisann is out of town on the 21st to participate in the Association on Community Design
conference in Chicago.]
Week 8: October 27th
Client Engagement Week
We will use this class period to go over to EMS and implement the strategies we designed to engage
people in the design process.
Week 9: November 3rd
Guest Speaker: Campus architects [to be confirmed]
[Krisann is out of town at the ACSA Conference.
Week 10: November 10th
We will spend the class period working on our group designs.
Week 11: November 17th
[Reflection #4 Due]
Design crits: a few faculty and visiting architects will review your preliminary designs and give feedback
Week 12: November 24th
NO CLASS: THANKSGIVING BREAK
Week 13: December 1st
Continue with design
Week 14: December 8th
Final presentation prep
Week 15: December 15th
FINAL PRESENTATIONS
We will present to our client and other campus stakeholders and give them both digital and print images
and booklets of our work.
Academic conduct The University, as an instrument of learning, is predicated on the existence of an
environment of integrity. Faculty have the primary responsibility for establishing and maintaining an
atmosphere and attitude of academic integrity such that the enterprise may flourish in an open and
honest way. Students share this responsibility for maintaining standards of academic performance and
classroom behavior conducive to the learning process. Please review Chapter UWS 14 and Faculty
Document No. 1686 at: http://www4.uwm.edu/acad_aff/policy/academicmisconduct.cfm for both
UWM’s and our expectations of appropriate student academic conduct.
Original Work and Plagiarism: All work in this course should be your own. In written work, cite your
sources for quotes, facts, and opinions, both in the body of your work and in the bibliography. Do not
copy word for word unless you place the words in quotation marks. Any plagiarism will be dealt with as a
serious ethical breach. If you have questions about whether you are crossing an ethical line, ASK ME.
Here is a link to some good information on plagiarism from the Harvard Guide to Using Sources:
https://usingsources.fas.harvard.edu/what-constitutes-plagiarism
Special Accommodation Students with limitations due to disability, including learning disability may
request for any reasonable accommodations. Students will be allowed to complete examinations or
other requirements that are missed because of a religious observance. In case of special
accommodations are needed in order to meet any of the requirements of this course, please contact me
as soon as possible.
Other Course Policies This course adheres to campus policies regarding students with disabilities,
religious observances, active military service, incompletes, discriminatory conduct, academic
misconduct, complaints about the course, grade appeals, and firearms. For details about these policies,
see http://www4.uwm.edu/secu/news_events/upload/SyllabusLinks.pdf and
http://uwm.edu/secu/wp-content/uploads/sites/122/2016/12/Syllabus-Links.pdf
Syllabus Links
1. Students with disabilities. Notice to these students should appear prominently in the syllabus so
that special accommodations are provided in a timely manner. http://uwm.edu/arc/
2. Religious observances. Accommodations for absences due to religious observance should be
noted.https://www4.uwm.edu/secu/docs/other/S_1.5_ACCOMMODA_OUS_BELIEFS.pdf
3. Students called to active military duty. Accommodations for absences due to call-up of reserves
to active military duty should be noted.
Students: http://uwm.edu/active-duty-military/
Employees: https://www.wisconsin.edu/ohrwd/download/policies/ops/bn9.pdf
4. Incompletes. A notation of "incomplete" may be given in lieu of a final grade to a student who
has carried a subject successfully until the end of a semester but who, because of illness or other
unusual and substantiated cause beyond the student's control, has been unable to take or
complete the final examination or to complete some limited amount of term work.
https://www4.uwm.edu/secu/docs/other/S_31_INCOMPLETE_GRADES.pdf
5. Discriminatory conduct. Discriminatory conduct will not be tolerated by the University. It poisons
the work and learning environment of the University and threatens the careers, educational
experience, and well-being of students, faculty, and staff.
https://www4.uwm.edu/secu/docs/other/S_47_Discrimina_duct_Policy.pdf
6. Title IX/Sexual Violence. Title IX is a federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in education
program or activities, and UWM policy prohibits such conduct (see Discriminatory Conduct,
above). This includes sexual violence, which may include sexual harassment, sexual assault,
relationship violence, and/or stalking in all educational programs and education-related areas.
UWM strongly encourages its students to report any instance of sex discrimination to UWM’s
Title IX Coordinator([email protected]). Whether or not a student wishes to report an incident of
sexual violence, the Title IX Coordinator can connect students to resources at UWM and/or in
the community including, but not limited to, victim advocacy, medical and counseling services,
and/or law enforcement. For more information, please visit: https://uwm.edu/sexual-assault/.
7. Academic misconduct. Cheating on exams or plagiarism are violations of the academic honor
code and carry severe sanctions, including failing a course or even suspension or dismissal from
the University.https://uwm.edu/deanofstudents/academic-misconduct/
8. Complaint procedures. Students may direct complaints to the head of the academic unit or
department in which the complaint occurs. If the complaint allegedly violates a specific
university policy, it may be directed to the head of the department or academic unit in which the
complaint occurred or to the appropriate university office responsible for enforcing the policy.
https://apps.uwm.edu/secu-policies/storage/other/SAAP%205-1.%20Discriminatory%20Conduct
%20Policy.pdf
9. Grade appeal procedures. A student may appeal a grade on the grounds that it is based on a
capricious or arbitrary decision of the course instructor. Such an appeal shall follow the
established procedures adopted by the department, college, or school in which the course
resides or in the case of graduate students, the Graduate School. These procedures are available
in writing from the respective department chairperson or the Academic Dean of the
College/School.
https://apps.uwm.edu/secu-policies/storage/other/SAAP%201-10.%20Grade%20Appeals%20by
%20Students.pdf
10. LGBT+ resources. Faculty and staff can find resources to support inclusivity of students who
identify as LGBT+ in the learning environment. http://uwm.edu/lgbtrc
11. Smoke and Tobacco-Free campus. UWM prohibits smoking and the use of tobacco on all campus
property.https://apps.uwm.edu/secu-policies/storage/other/SAAP%2010-8.%20Smoke%20and%
20Tobacco-Free%20Campus%20Policy.pdf
12. 12. Final Examinations. Information about the final exam requirement, the final exam date
requirement, and make-up examinations.
https://apps.uwm.edu/secu-policies/storage/other/SAAP%201-9.%20Final%20Examinations.pdf
13. Students in Need. Any student who faces challenges securing their food, housing, or technology,
or is struggling with mental, physical, or emotional health, and believes this may affect their
performance in the course is urged to contact the Dean of Students ([email protected]) for
support. Furthermore, please notify the professor if you are comfortable doing so. This will
enable them to provide any resources that they may have and can connect you to the Dean of
Students as well.
