DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE DIPLOMA PROJECT PRINCIPLES

1. Aim and Scope of the Diploma Project

The aim of the Diploma Project is to provide development of professional maturity level through the general criticism given in the jury evaluations that the student has the necessary knowledge and development; realizes the diploma project, which proves that “he /she has reached the desired professional level” in all discipline areas that constitute the whole of education and teaching in the Department of Architecture. The scope of the Diploma Project is determined by the jury according to this aim. The result of the Diploma Project is an “Architectural Project” study, qualified as an architectural product.

2. Registration Conditions for the Diploma Project

The student needs to meet the Prerequisites for the Graduation Project (MIM 492, MIM 492E) or the Diploma Project (MIM 4902, MIM 4902E) in the curriculum and ‘Other Requirements’ determined by the Senate.

3. Generation and Coordination of Diploma Project Commission and Jury / Juries

Diploma Project jury/ juries are generated by the Diploma Project Commission, determined by the Department Chair for each semester. The Diploma Project Commission consists of faculty members, who represent fundamental discipline fields, which form the entire education and teaching in the Department of Architecture.  Members of the Diploma Project Commission are appointed by the Head of the Department  for three years. The Department Chair leads the Diploma Project Commission. Among the faculty members, who teach Architectural Design Project Studio, a Diploma Project Coordinator is determined by the Head of the Department each semester to coordinate diploma project juries. Diploma Project Commission is responsible for determining the project schedule.

Core Juries of Diploma Projects: Diploma Core Juries consist of three core members, including two Architectural Design Project Studio professors and one faculty member/lecturer from disciplines related the project subject, and one research assistant as a reporter. The two architectural design studio professors in core juries are assigned by the Department Chair upon the recommendation of the Diploma Project Commission. The third core jury member, proposed by these two members, is appointed by the Department Chair with the approval of the Architecture Diploma Project Commission. Research Assistants as Reporters are appointed by the Architecture Head of the Department.Diploma Project Core Juries are appointed in the previous semester of the Diploma Project at the latest.

Chair of the Jury: Each Core Jury selects a member among themselves as the Chair of the Jury. The Chair ensures that the activities of the jury are organized and coordinated; the correspondence and announcements are prepared by the work schedule and regulations, and he/she provides necessary communication with the Diploma Project Coordinator and works coordinated. It is the responsibility of the Chair to create, distribute, announce all the documentation generated during the jury studies, record the minutes and notes in the evaluation of the projects and send them to the Diploma Project Coordinator. The Chair of the Jury represents the Core Jury in the coordination meetings to be held by the Diploma Project Coordinator. If the Chair of the Jury cannot be found due to a valid excuse in the coordination meetings, a member from the Core Jury, given a proxy, can represent the jury.

Diploma Project Jury: The Core Jury prepares the project leaflet, determines the proposal of the Diploma Project Jury, which will consist of five or seven members among the faculty members/lecturers from the relevant disciplines in the faculty and jury members from academia/practice from outside the university (provided that there is a maximum of three members). The eligibility of the subjects proposed by the Core Juries and the jury members to be invited from within and outside the Faculty are evaluated and approved by the Diploma Project Commission. The Head of the Department submits Jury Member Information, Diploma Project subjects and schedule to the Dean’s Office of Istanbul Technical University, Faculty of Architecture. The juries, diploma subject posters and project leaflets are published on the Architecture Department web page at least one week before the start of the academic semester.

The relationship between the Juries and the Department of Architecture is led by the Diploma Project Coordinator.

4. Responsibilities of the Diploma Project Coordinator

The Diploma Project Coordinator ensures the coordination between the juries, in terms of even distribution of the students to the juries, drawing of lots, assigning the Diploma Project and execution of the stages. The coordinator is responsible for the entries of the students, who have received the Diploma Project, to the Student Affairs Office automation system

The Diploma Project Coordinator evaluates the conditions of the excused students, who cannot take the Sketch Exam within the scope of “Acceptance of Excuses and Making Excuse Exams of Istanbul Technical University” and present them to the Head of the Department.. He/she evaluates the students, who did not participate in more than one Interim Jury in total, as VF and enters the grades into the automation system.

Diploma Project Coordinator follows and records the Diploma Project Leaflet Submission, signed minutes of the Interim Jury, Sketch Exam and Final Jury at the end of each jury session. He/she is responsible for the full implementation of the schedule determined by the Diploma Project Commission. When the jury studies are finalized, he/she announces the grade evaluations within one day after the date of the Final Jury at the latest.

The Diploma Project Coordinator is responsible for the entry of grades into the Student Affairs Office automation system at the end of the semester. He/she prepares the report regarding the Diploma Project studies and submits it to the Head of the Department.

5. Assigning the Diploma Project

The subject of the Diploma Project is given to the students, who are entitled to receive the Diploma Project, along with the project leaflet and calendar that are prepared by the Diploma Project Jury within the framework of the Diploma Project Principles within the first week of the semester.

The Diploma Project Coordinator creates the diploma jury student groups with a maximum of 25 students, by taking into account the condition of equality according to the Diploma Project Principles. In special cases, the number of students, assigned to each jury, may change with the recommendation of the Coordinator and the approval of the Department Chair. The distribution of students to the juries is made by preference. If there is more demand for jury quotas, the balance in student numbers between the jury groups is provided by a lot.

The Diploma Project is not given in the summer school.

6. Examination and Other Check Overs Related to the Diploma Project

At least one sketch exam is held and evaluated by the jury during the Diploma Project process.

The Diploma Project jury evaluates the Diploma Project and makes general criticism in the interim juries held on the dates specified in the program and the final jury after the final submission of the project, based on the work schedule.

7. Generation and Inspection of Diploma Project Final Submission Content

Diploma Project Juries are required to control the Diploma Project Final Submission Set, indicated below,

1. Site Plan
2. Floor Plans / Sufficient Number of Sections and Elevations
3. System Section (at least 1) and Details
4. Diagrams and visual representations explaining the approaches related to the layout decisions, architectural programming etc. to be determined by the jury according to the project subject.
5. Drawings and diagrams, including the Structural System
6. Explanations and drawings related to the Construction Technology
7. Physical model
8. Presentation prints scaled down to A3 size
9. Project Description Report
10. Electronic files.

8. Submission and Evaluation of the Diploma Project

Diploma projects are sealed and received by the chairs of the juries and reporters in the submission times determined by the Diploma Commission. Students, who fail to deliver the Diploma Project Final Submission Set as defined in the Item 7 on-time fully, or whose projects are considered unsuccessful, can receive the Diploma Project in the following semesters again.

The jury examines and evaluates the Diploma Project final submissions collectively. Juries allow students to explain their work in open sessions. Evaluation is made depending on the results of the Collective Jury studies and the Sketch Exam. The jury makes all its meetings with absolute majority and takes its decisions with the majority of the members, who are present at the meeting.

Within two weeks following the entry date of Diploma Project grades into the Student Affairs System, the Diploma Project Commission presents a report containing information related to the Diploma Projects carried out in that semester (number of students, grade distribution, problems experienced, etc.) and other evaluations to the Head of the Department.

9. The Success Criteria of the Diploma Project

Students, who receive the Diploma Project, need to make presentations in the three interim juries and in the final jury, and to participate in the sketch exams fully. The grade of the student, who does not take the Sketch Exam, is evaluated as VF. Students, who do not enter more than one jury, are evaluated with VF grade. Students, who fail to submit their final project, or, submit and not join the final jury, are considered unsuccessful (FF). For the Diploma Project to be considered successful, a minimum (CC) grade must be obtained.

“Principles of Acceptance of Excuses and Making Excuse Exams at Istanbul Technical University” is only valid for the Sketch Exam.

10. Enforcement

For the general rules not written in the Diploma Project Principles, the “Senate Principles” are valid related to taking the Diploma Project, submissions and examinations of the Diploma Project.

These principles come into force starting from the Spring Semester of the 2018-19 Academic Year.