Navigation
Approved: 5-18-09
Purpose
The Architecture Department intends to implement a portfolio policy that will require all students to collect work representing their progress toward the B. Arch. As a start, the Department is once again asking you as a Fourth Year student to submit a bound portfolio of your work and, as a pilot, to archive a digital version of this portfolio in a drop box that will be established on the College server. Both will be used for assessment purposes as the Department prepares for an accreditation visit in 2010-2011.
Size & Format
- Your bound portfolio should be 8-1/2x11-inches or its metric equivalent.
- A clear-front report cover or a small, three-ring view binder should be adequate to the purpose of presenting the work, which should not exceed 20 pages.
- Contents should be separated by tab dividers, with inserts based on the list of required material (see below).
- Pages should be bound and composed so that your work is clear and legible.
- The digital version should be in PDF format with a maximum size of 5 MB.
- Images should be 150 dpi. Oversize files or blurry images will not be acceptable.
- The file name should include the registration term, course prefix and number, and your last name, all separated by underscores. Example: 2092_ARCH351-01_NAME.pdf.
- The drop box path is: CAED-File-Server/ARCH/Courses/4th Year Portfolio. Instructions for reaching the server are posted in the College's Wireless & Server Connections Guidelines.
Required Material
Both your bound portfolio and the digital version should include the following in this order:
- Short resume (1-2 pp). This should be placed where visible, in front or on the outside of your bound portfolio.
- Index of work submitted.
- Reflective essay (300-400 words).
- Syllabus and all written assignments from Arch 320/420 if taken or a substituting course at an off-campus program.
- Syllabus and one complete project that was the focus of a Fourth Year studio.
- Other studio projects or process images as space allows. All design work should be limited to twelve double-sided pages.
What is a Complete Project?
A complete project should include a program statement, precedent studies, process drawings (both diagrams and sketches), 2D representations of the site and building (plans, sections, and elevations), axonometric and/or perspective drawings, analog and/or digital models, and any other relevant material. For an example, download the online portfolio of Katsunori Shigemi (pdf) (1MB).
Resume
This should include your current contact information, educational history, and work experience. It may also include other information. For guidance, go to the Resumes & Tools web page at the Career Services web site.
Reflective Essay
This should be an honest consideration of your own progress over the past year. Given the skills you need to acquire:
- Where have you made the most progress?
- Where have you made the least progress?
Your essay should consider the reasons for your greater or lesser degree of success in each case. Some of these may be internal (focus, motivation, aptitude); some may be external (family or financial problems, the effectiveness of a course or instructor). Your narrative should also include a plan for future improvements, i.e., what you can do to improve your performance in the next year.
Due Date
Your bound and digital portfolios will be due in the Department and drop box by
5 p.m. on June 12, the last Friday of Spring Quarter. The mailing address is:
Architecture Department
Cal Poly
One Grand Avenue
San Luis Obispo CA 93407-0282
Extensions may be granted if you are submitting from an off-campus program.
Need Help?
A portfolio is a prerequisite of professional life, so any Architecture faculty member should be able to help you. Professors Jim Doerfler, Tom Fowler, Bruno Giberti, and Marc Neveu are serving as special advisors to this project. As always, photographer Josef Kasperovich is available to help you document your work in the Photo Lab.