Disc*2015 is an intensive five-week summer program offered by UC Berkeley's College of Environmental Design that exposes current college students to the challenges of global urbanization and empowers them with the tools and expertise necessary to craft innovative design-based solutions for the urban environment.
The Program
Guided by UC Berkeley faculty, Bay Area urbanists, designers, makers, and entrepreneurs, Disc*2015 students will learn how to confront some of the most pressing challenges of global urbanization using innovative people-centered design. Through design and digital fabrication studio sessions, lectures and talks, demos and workshops, field work and site visits, students will have the opportunity to develop and test their own creative ideas while working with some of the most forward-thinking researchers and practitioners from the Bay Area design community. Disc* graduates will have a strong understanding of the present and the future of the global urbanization process, a broad toolkit to tackle its urgent demands, as well as compelling artifacts for their academic portfolio.
Disc*2015 is about the present and the future of global urban environments, their challenges, and the potential of design and innovation as catalysts for change. Students will attend lectures and talks, partake in interactive demos and workshops, experiment in the digital fabrication lab, conduct field work and site visits, and be immersed in design studio culture throughout the four weeks.
Curriculum
The program is comprised of four components: Global Cities / Global Challenges - a series of twelve lectures that will introduce students to the reality of global urbanization and its most pressing demands; the Urban Innovation Talks - six keynote presentations by leading Bay Area practitioners from across design fields; and two studio courses, one focusing on Urban Design and Fast-Prototyping, the other on New Media and Technologies for the urban environment.
In addition, as a standalone piece, an introductory workshop on the use of the Arduino Mini Controller, will reinforce the program’s focus on DIY technology. Field work will give students an opportunity to engage directly with the dynamic urban environment of the Bay Area, as well as its complex interplay with the natural environment. Site visits will bring students inside internationally renowned digital manufacturing facilities and globally recognized design practices.
Developed as the core of the program, the studio is the place where all students’ collaborative creative work will take place. Working in groups, students will develop a project from design conception to final prototyping and will present the final result of their work to instructors and to a select group of guest critics.
Why Should I Attend?
- Identify and explore the major debates around global urbanization and sustainability.
- Understand the potentials and limitations of design and technology interventions.
- Construct a project that spans from conception to design and fabrication.
- Build an academic portfolio to use when applying to graduate school or jobs.
- Design a product, artifact, or intervention that affects environmental awareness or change.
Typical Schedule
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 am |
Global Cities + Global Challenges Lecture Series |
Global Cities + Global Challenges Lecture Series |
Global Cities + Global Challenges Lecture Series |
Studio | Site Visits |
| 10am | |||||
| 11am | Urban Innovators Talks | Urban Innovators Talks | Urban Innovators Talks | ||
| 12 pm | Lunch | Lunch | Lunch | Lunch | |
| 1 pm | Urban Design + Fast Prototyping Studio | Urban Design + Fast Prototyping Studio | Urban Design + Fast Prototyping Studio | Studio | |
| 2 pm | |||||
| 3 pm | |||||
| 4 pm | |||||
| 5 pm | |||||
Contact
If you have additional questions or require assistance, please contact:
Summer Programs Office
College of Environmental Design
Email: summerdiscovery@berkeley.edu
Phone: 510.643.1188
