51-265 Environments Studio I: Understanding Form & Context

9 units, Carnegie Mellon University

With our need for human, in-person connection laid bare during the pandemic, designing meaningful places for people to interact with one another, learn, explore, shop and work is more important than ever. This studio begins your journey as a designer of environments and experiences, as you learn the elemental strategies for designing narrative-driven spaces and experiences. You will develop your ability to think through the relationship between time, space, scale, materials, and atmosphere, while also considering how technology can open opportunities. You will use what you learn in Prototyping Lab 1: Environments and Narratives in Space and Time to develop both analog and digital high-fidelity artifacts that communicate your conceptual ideas and the interactive experiences you design. This course is a requirement for Design students who wish to study Environments during their time at SoD.

Prerequisites: 51-102

Offered: Fall 2026, Fall 2025

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