ARCH551 Digital Design Studio
Syllabus | International University of Sarajevo - Last Update on Oct 10, 2025
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Architecture
Nerma Omićević
Course Lecturer
Course Objectives
It builds on the knowledge of image design and foundational digital media design techniques introduced in the Digital Design Studio, integrating and applying this knowledge in the context of interactive multimedia and interaction design understanding. The unit develops interaction narrative, engagement, curiosity and design methods using the computer interface.
Learning Outcomes
After successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:
Course Materials
Required Textbook
Essential Mathematics for Computational Design 2nd From http://download.rhino3d.com/en/Rhino/4.0/EssentialMathematicsSecondEdition/; Getting Started with Processing by Casey Reas and Ben Fry, June 2010, O'Reilly Media; Processing: A Programming Handbook for Visual Designers and Artists by Casey Reas and Ben Fry August 2007, MIT Press.
Additional Literature
The Grasshopper Primer - Second Edition http://www.liftarchitects.com/journal/2009/3/25/the-grasshopper-primer-second-edition.htmTeaching Methods
Weekly studio-based lectures (2 hours per week)
The students will work with the teacher on the assigned design task
The teacher will take a part as a project manager, learner-centred and interactive/participative methods will be emphasized throughout the studio
Students will develop creative thinking and cognitive strategies to redefine a design problem, formulate strategies for action, gather information and apply strategies, as well as develop an architectural vocabulary and comprehension of underlying ideas sufficient for intelligent dialogue
Weekly Topics
| Week | Topic | Readings / References |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Overview of the course content | |
| 2 | Grasshopper/Processing/Intro to Grasshopper/Intro to Project | The Grasshopper Primer, pp 1-18; Getting Started with Processing by Casey Reas and Ben Fry, pp 1-12 |
| 3 | Human Creativity/Tutorial 01 | Processing by Casey Reas and Ben Fry, pp 15-48 |
| 4 | Nature Creativity/Tutorial 02 | http://www.ted.com/talks/michael_hansmeyer_building_unimaginable_shapes.html; https://vimeo.com/34182381; https://vimeo.com/7806193 |
| 5 | Computer Creativity/Tutorial 03 | "http://www.ted.com/talks/benoit_mandelbrot_fractals_the_art_of_roughness.html; http://www.ted.com/talks/stephen_wolfram_computing_a_theory_of_everything.html; http://www.wolframscience.com/nksonline/toc.html " |
| 6 | Digital Nature/Tutorial 04 | http://www.ted.com/talks/brian_greene_on_string_theory.html; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nv1_YB1IedE&context=C45286a9ADvjVQa1PpcFNduhbh-3c5UnwwarSQj4CSFm7xz3WWZQg= |
| 7 | Bounds, Environments, Senses/Developing proposals, from initial modeling of the idea to the final realization through production tools/Tutorial 05 | Reading list will be determined. |
| 8 | Midterm Presentations | |
| 9 | Genetic Architecture and Computation/Developing proposals | "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5uDWFSeypM; http://vimeo.com/41321768 " |
| 10 | Day of critique | |
| 11 | In-term review | |
| 12 | Genetic Architectural Design/Developing proposal | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlYS_GiAnK8 |
| 13 | Beauty/Developing proposal | Reading list will be determined. |
| 14 | Beauty and Applications/Developing proposal | Reading list will be determined. |
| 15 | Final Submission |
Course Schedule (All Sections)
| Section | Type | Day 1 | Venue 1 | Day 2 | Venue 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARCH551.1 | Course | Friday 17:00 - 18:50 | A F1.3 - Computer Lab | - | - |
Office Hours & Room
Assessment Methods and Criteria
Assessment Components
Final Exam
AI: Not AllowedAlignment with Learning Outcomes : 4 5 6
Mid-Term presentation
AI: Not AllowedAlignment with Learning Outcomes : 2 3
In-term review
AI: Not AllowedAlignment with Learning Outcomes : 1
IUS Grading System
| Grading Scale | IUS Grading System | IUS Coeff. | Letter (B&H) | Numerical (B&H) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 - 44 | F | 0 | F | 5 |
| 45 - 54 | E | 1 | ||
| 55 - 64 | C | 2 | E | 6 |
| 65 - 69 | C+ | 2.3 | D | 7 |
| 70 -74 | B- | 2.7 | ||
| 75 - 79 | B | 3 | C | 8 |
| 80 - 84 | B+ | 3.3 | ||
| 85 - 94 | A- | 3.7 | B | 9 |
| 95 - 100 | A | 4 | A | 10 |
Late Work Policy
Information about late submission policies will be shared during class and posted in this section. Please check back for official guidelines.
ECTS Credit Calculation
📚 Student Workload
This 4 ECTS credit course corresponds to 100 hours of total student workload, distributed as follows:
Tutorial hours
5 hours ⏳ (5 week × 1 h)
Assignments
11 hours ⏳ (11 week × 1 h)
Home study
66 hours ⏳ (11 week × 6 h)
In-term exam study
8 hours ⏳ (2 week × 4 h)
Final exam study
8 hours ⏳ (2 week × 4 h)
Term project/presentation
2 hours ⏳ (1 week × 2 h)
100 Total Workload Hours
4 ECTS Credits
Course Policies
Academic Integrity
All work submitted must be your own. Plagiarism, cheating, or any form of academic dishonesty will result in disciplinary action according to university policies. When in doubt about citation practices, consult the instructor.
Attendance Policy
Students are expected to adhere to the attendance requirements as outlined in the International University of Sarajevo Study Rules and Regulations. Excessive absences, whether excused or unexcused, may impact academic performance and eligibility for assessment. Mandatory sessions (e.g., labs, workshops) require attendance unless formally exempted. For detailed policies on absences, documentation, and penalties, please refer to the official university regulations.
Technology & AI Policy
Laptops/tablets may be used for note-taking only during lectures. Phones should be silenced and put away during all class sessions. Audio/video recording requires prior permission from the instructor.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Usage: The use of AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini) varies by assessment component. Please refer to the AI usage indicator next to each assessment item in the Assessment Methods and Criteria section above. Submitting AI-generated content as your own work, where AI is not explicitly allowed, constitutes an academic integrity violation.
Communication Policy
All course-related communication should occur through official university channels (institutional email or SIS). Emails should include [ARCH551] in the subject line.
Academic Quality Assurance Policy
Course Academic Quality Assurance is achieved through Semester Student Survey. At the end of each academic year, the institution of higher education is obliged to evaluate work of the academic staff, or the success of realization of the curricula.
Learning Tips
Be prepared to contribute thoughtfully during class discussions, labs, or collaborative work. Active participation deepens understanding and encourages critical thinking.
Complete assigned readings or prep materials before class. Take notes, highlight key ideas, and jot down questions. Aim to grasp core concepts and their applications—not just facts.
Use course frameworks or methodologies to analyze problems, case studies, or projects. Begin early to allow time for reflection and refinement. Seek feedback to improve your work.
Don’t hesitate to reach out when something is unclear. Use office hours, discussion boards, or peer networks to clarify concepts and stay on track.
Syllabus Last Updated on Oct 10, 2025 | International University of Sarajevo
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Referencing Curricula Print this page
| Course Code | Course Title | Weekly Hours* | ECTS | Weekly Class Schedule | ||||||
| T | P | |||||||||
| ARCH551 | Digital Design Studio | 3 | 0 | 4 | ||||||
| Prerequisite | None | It is a prerequisite to | - | |||||||
| Lecturer | Nerma Omićević | Office Hours / Room / Phone | Wednesday: 9:30-12:00 Thursday: 9:30-12:00 |
|||||||
| nomicevic@ius.edu.ba | ||||||||||
| Assistant | N/A | Assistant E-mail | ||||||||
| Course Objectives | It builds on the knowledge of image design and foundational digital media design techniques introduced in the Digital Design Studio, integrating and applying this knowledge in the context of interactive multimedia and interaction design understanding. The unit develops interaction narrative, engagement, curiosity and design methods using the computer interface. | |||||||||
| Textbook | Essential Mathematics for Computational Design 2nd From http://download.rhino3d.com/en/Rhino/4.0/EssentialMathematicsSecondEdition/; Getting Started with Processing by Casey Reas and Ben Fry, June 2010, O'Reilly Media; Processing: A Programming Handbook for Visual Designers and Artists by Casey Reas and Ben Fry August 2007, MIT Press. | |||||||||
| Additional Literature |
|
|||||||||
| Learning Outcomes | After successful completion of the course, the student will be able to: | |||||||||
|
||||||||||
| Teaching Methods | Weekly studio-based lectures (2 hours per week). The students will work with the teacher on the assigned design task. The teacher will take a part as a project manager, learner-centred and interactive/participative methods will be emphasized throughout the studio. Students will develop creative thinking and cognitive strategies to redefine a design problem, formulate strategies for action, gather information and apply strategies, as well as develop an architectural vocabulary and comprehension of underlying ideas sufficient for intelligent dialogue. | |||||||||
| Teaching Method Delivery | Face-to-face | Teaching Method Delivery Notes | ||||||||
| WEEK | TOPIC | REFERENCE | ||||||||
| Week 1 | Overview of the course content | |||||||||
| Week 2 | Grasshopper/Processing/Intro to Grasshopper/Intro to Project | The Grasshopper Primer, pp 1-18; Getting Started with Processing by Casey Reas and Ben Fry, pp 1-12 | ||||||||
| Week 3 | Human Creativity/Tutorial 01 | Processing by Casey Reas and Ben Fry, pp 15-48 | ||||||||
| Week 4 | Nature Creativity/Tutorial 02 | http://www.ted.com/talks/michael_hansmeyer_building_unimaginable_shapes.html; https://vimeo.com/34182381; https://vimeo.com/7806193 | ||||||||
| Week 5 | Computer Creativity/Tutorial 03 | "http://www.ted.com/talks/benoit_mandelbrot_fractals_the_art_of_roughness.html; http://www.ted.com/talks/stephen_wolfram_computing_a_theory_of_everything.html; http://www.wolframscience.com/nksonline/toc.html " | ||||||||
| Week 6 | Digital Nature/Tutorial 04 | http://www.ted.com/talks/brian_greene_on_string_theory.html; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nv1_YB1IedE&context=C45286a9ADvjVQa1PpcFNduhbh-3c5UnwwarSQj4CSFm7xz3WWZQg= | ||||||||
| Week 7 | Bounds, Environments, Senses/Developing proposals, from initial modeling of the idea to the final realization through production tools/Tutorial 05 | Reading list will be determined. | ||||||||
| Week 8 | Midterm Presentations | |||||||||
| Week 9 | Genetic Architecture and Computation/Developing proposals | "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5uDWFSeypM; http://vimeo.com/41321768 " | ||||||||
| Week 10 | Day of critique | |||||||||
| Week 11 | In-term review | |||||||||
| Week 12 | Genetic Architectural Design/Developing proposal | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlYS_GiAnK8 | ||||||||
| Week 13 | Beauty/Developing proposal | Reading list will be determined. | ||||||||
| Week 14 | Beauty and Applications/Developing proposal | Reading list will be determined. | ||||||||
| Week 15 | Final Submission | |||||||||
| Assessment Methods and Criteria | Evaluation Tool | Quantity | Weight | Alignment with LOs | AI Usage |
| Final Exam | 1 | 40 | 4,5,6 | Not Allowed | |
| Semester Evaluation Components | |||||
| Mid-Term presentation | 1 | 40 | 2,3 | Not Allowed | |
| In-term review | 1 | 20 | 1 | Not Allowed | |
| *** ECTS Credit Calculation *** | |||||
| Activity | Hours | Weeks | Student Workload Hours | Activity | Hours | Weeks | Student Workload Hours | |||
| Tutorial hours | 1 | 5 | 5 | Assignments | 1 | 11 | 11 | |||
| Home study | 6 | 11 | 66 | In-term exam study | 4 | 2 | 8 | |||
| Final exam study | 4 | 2 | 8 | Term project/presentation | 2 | 1 | 2 | |||
| Total Workload Hours = | 100 | |||||||||
| *T= Teaching, P= Practice | ECTS Credit = | 4 | ||||||||
| Course Academic Quality Assurance: Semester Student Survey | Last Update Date: 20/10/2025 | |||||||||