One Building, Every Drawing
Over the final two to three weeks, each student documents and presents one small building of their choice through the complete drawing pipeline, demonstrating every skill in the course. The capstone replaces an exam: the boards are the evidence.
By the end, students will be able to
- Select a modest real building (a house, café, small temple, kiosk, or pavilion) accessible for repeated observation.
- Produce a complete, internally consistent drawing set spanning observation, systems, and imagination.
- Propose and draw one designed modification to the building, developed through speculative sketches and diagrams.
- Present the full set in a reviewed pin-up, with the Lesson 1 diagnostic re-drawn for before/after comparison.
Required deliverables
- 1Three observational studies — line, tone, and spatial sketch on site.
- 2Measured plan, section, and elevation at 1:50 with full conventions.
- 3One cutaway or exploded paraline.
- 4One measured two-point perspective, fully rendered with shadow and entourage.
- 5Parti, circulation, and site diagrams.
- 6A speculative overlay series proposing one modification.
- 7All composed on two A1 presentation boards.
Three-week schedule
Site selection approval, on-site observation studies, and measuring visit.
Drawing-systems production (plan/section/elevation, paraline, measured perspective); first desk crit.
Diagrams, speculative modification, rendering, board composition; second desk crit; final pin-up review with external guest critic.
Score your set against the rubric
Rate each criterion the way a reviewer would, and tick the gateway checks. Your weighted score and grade band update live. This is the exact rubric used at the final review.
Observation studies (3 on-site drawings: line, tone, spatial)
15%3/5 · Satisfactory — Generally accurate; some hesitant lines or flat passages.
Measured multiview set (plan, section, elevation @1:50)
25%3/5 · Satisfactory — Minor dimensional or convention slips; alignment mostly holds.
Paraline drawing (cutaway or exploded)
10%3/5 · Satisfactory — Slight axis drift; reveal is partial.
Rendered perspective (measured two-point)
20%3/5 · Satisfactory — Setup sound but rendering uneven; minor scale slips in entourage.
Diagrams & speculative series (parti, circulation, overlays)
15%3/5 · Satisfactory — Diagrams readable but over-detailed; evolution thin.
Board composition & presentation (2×A1 + 5-min talk)
15%3/5 · Satisfactory — Readable boards with some clutter; delivery uneven.
Gateway — internal consistency
The same building must be recognizable and dimensionally coherent across every drawing. A fail here returns the set for revision before scoring.
Grade bands: 85+ Distinction · 70–84 Merit · 50–69 Pass · <50 Resubmit