Environmental Design Electives

The courses below can fulfill the听"ENVD Elective" requirements on your curriculum guides, which can be downloaded for your convenience. For more information about the courses listed below, you can visit 听and search the class you want to learn more about, and find the specific term in which the course is offered.

Below is a list of pre-approved ENVD-specific electives. Please contact your advisor with any questions or concerns.听

ENVD Electives-Fall 2025

This introductory course introduces students to BIM modeling through the Revit platform. Fundamental skills will be taught to help students understand technical and practical aspects of this software to both support academic projects and gain early exposure to expectations in professional practice. Emphasis throughout the course will be placed on the most successful ways to utilize this powerful program whether in early design stages or later stage production. This course is not intended to evaluate design skills but advance knowledge of the presented software.

Focuses on construction and use of computer-based information systems to represent and manipulate geographic data. Emphasizes the recording, mapping, and transforming of data for analysis and use by planners.听

Illustrates color media techniques for the preparation, composition, and presentation of landscape and built environment drawings.

Fall 2025 (7 week, Session 2) 听TTH 2:00pm-4:45pm

Teaches the student fundamental to intermediate skills and design practices around 3d modeling using Rhino 3d software. 3D modeling is the process of developing a mathematical representation of any three-dimensional surface or object (either inanimate or living) via specialized software that can be used for representation, calculations, fabrication, visualization etc.. Learning strategies around how to see your world in 鈥3d models鈥 and learning when/how/where to use these techniques will make students confident designers and marketable.

Please contact Nate Jones for more information and to register.

The course is an exploration of topics related to graphic design and visual communication as they relate to constructing your own professional identity. Topics will include layout, composition, fonts, color theory, printing, publication and web-based presence. We will work on visual communication strategies to develop graphically compelling and clear portfolios in both web-based and print formats for use in applications for graduate school and professional practice. A comprehensive and 铿倁id approach to the use of the Adobe Creative Suite for all design tasks will be stressed.

  • Comprehend the fundamentals of graphic design and their application in visual communication.
  • Be able to speak about visual communication in your own language and evaluate critically the visual design surrounding us.
  • Construct a comprehensive personal and professional identity through print and digital mediums.
  • Be able to synthesize the inherent strengths of various different software tools into a 铿倁id digital design process.

This 7-week course focuses on the training and practice of visual sensitivity in the freehand graphic technique including composition, freehand sketch, and color application to improve the skill of design and to achieve the graphic presentation effectively. This course will help students to develop skills and understanding with 1) the pencil sketch, 2) the freehand drawing with pen, 3) pastel, 4) the introduction of Chinese painting, 5) watercolor, and 6) watercolor rendering. The objectives of this course are to improve composition capability and artistic/color appreciation, develop a variety of skills in different mediums, and generate attractive work to support the student portfolio.

Addresses variable topics in the relationship of human experience and behavior to the built environment, e.g., social research methods in environmental design.

Fall 2025 (16 week)听TTH 9:30pm-10:45pm

Architectural Imagination and AI:
How can AI reshape the way we imagine and design spaces, cities, and speculative worlds? This course explores the creative intersection of artificial intelligence and architecture, pushing the boundaries of design through generative tools and world building techniques. Students will engage critically with AI鈥檚 potential while addressing its ethical and environmental challenges. Through a mix of theory, hands-on experimentation, and world-building exercises the course will culminate in a major project where students design speculative architectural worlds using AI generated imagery, videos, and interactive-storytelling.

Addresses variable topics in the relationship of human experience and behavior to the built environment, e.g., social research methods in environmental design.

Fall 2025 (7 week, Session 1) 听TTH 2:00pm-4:45pm

Fidgets and Stims:
This course will introduce key concepts on neurodiversity as it relates to the design of products and the built environment. "Neurodiversity" encompasses the broad spectrum of normal human variations in cognition, emotion, and sensory processing. Students will create fidget designs aimed at enhancing emotional wellbeing by encouraging soothing, self-stimulatory behaviors, known as "stims." They will then design and evaluate new fidget prototypes created using digital fabrication methods such as 3D printing and CNC milling.听

Provides an advanced seminar on new technologies and issues of professional practice in the environmental design professions.

Fall 2025 (16 week)听TTH 11:00am-12:15pm

Dispute Resolution:听
This course develops skills in negotiation, communication, and public dispute resolution involving government, private sectors, and the public. It combines theory with hands-on practice, focusing on interdependent situations requiring mutual agreement in development and policy matters. Students engage in discussions on real-world policy conflicts, analyzing case studies and participating in two 2-party exercises. Through active participation, they explore, apply, and critique various conflict resolution techniques across different dispute contexts.

Enrollment is open to all majors, with priority registration given to ENVD majors. After April 21, non-ENVD majors will be registered based on seat availability and enrollment windows. Non-Environmental Design students must submit an Intent to Enroll Form: https://forms.gle/kzETNF94ikV1xZmR6

Provides an advanced seminar on new technologies and issues of professional practice in the environmental design professions.

Fall 2025 (7 week, Session 1) F 8:00am-1:00pm

Urban Design Livable Cities:听
This seminar is a 7-week conversation about urban design and human well-being. From the park bench to the layout of city systems, urban design deals with the physical form of the city at multiple scales. Building design, public spaces, transportation and access to nature all play a strong role in the day-to-day human experience. The field of Positive Psychology, or happiness research, tells us that the built environment is responsible for a great deal of human well-being. In this course, we will draw upon this research and other social theories to evaluate the form and performance of public spaces. The course will also explore tried-and-true urban design principles and consider emerging trends.

Provides an advanced seminar on theory and criticism in environmental design, e.g., architecture now and introduction to design theory and criticism.

Fall 2025 (7 week, Session 2)听TTH 2:00pm-4:45pm

Sustainability & Feng Shui:听Supported by CU Diversity Grants, this 7-week course demonstrates a synthesis design approach, emphasizing design with climate and using feng-shui as a clue. Class field investigations identify landform patterns of areas prone to fire, wind, and postfire debris flows to avoid rebuilding in impacted areas. Students are also trained to evaluate and improve their home design to enhance healthy living, combining feng-shui principles and scientific knowledge. Class exercises Tai Chi during class breaks.

Please contact Nate Jones (nathan.p.jones@colorado.edu) for more information and to register.鈥

Rotating ENVD Electives-Not offered in Fall 2025

In this course, students weave together digital tools used in the landscape design and city planning profession into a cohesive project. Emphasis is on the exploration of design, 3D modeling, analysis, and how to use and present data. Tools covered include ArcGIS (mapping), Microsoft Excel (data analysis), InDesign (layout), and SketchUp (3D modeling). This self-paced, asynchronous class will be taught through a combination of pre-recorded tutorials and virtual class sessions for collaboration and discussion.

Teaches the student basic to intermediate concepts, strategies, materialities and lots of other interesting things around the topic of digital design and fabrication. In the last decade or so, DD+F (Digifab) has evolved from a novel, boutique approach towards design to a critical component of design + making especially in Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Product design. Students will use 3d modeling (Rhino) and parametric plugins( i.e. Grasshopper) to investigate new ways of making using 3d printing, CNC machining, laser cutting and other digital fabrication processes. Learning strategies and concepts around DigiFab as well as looking at materiality in digifab and learning when/how/where to use these techniques will make students confident designers and marketable.

Course Requisites: This course is intended for upper-level undergraduate students only (Juniors and Seniors). To be eligible to enroll in this course, you must have completed 57-180 credits.

Provides an advanced seminar on history and historiography of environmental design, e.g., American dwellings.

Provides an advanced seminar on new technologies and issues of professional practice in the environmental design professions.

Please contact Nate Jones (nathan.p.jones@colorado.edu) for more information and to register.

Approved Electives from other Disciplines

Below is a list of approved outside courses that can be used for an ENVD elective. Please consult with an ENVD academic advisor for enrollment instructions for AREN & ATLS courses.

Approved non-ENVD courses for ENVD elective requirement

ENVD students must complete this enrollment request form:

Please consult with an ENVD academic advisor for enrollment instructions.

Please visit classes.colorado.edu to search for听the class you want to learn more about and find the specific term in which the course is offered.

Please visit classes.colorado.edu to search for听the class you want to learn more about and find the specific term in which the course is offered.

Please visit classes.colorado.edu to search for听the class you want to learn more about and find the specific term in which the course is offered.

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