This paper presents a materials design research project which started in the year 2004 in order to cater for the materials needs of the 65 hour-annual reading comprehension course given at the School of Architecture of Córdoba State University. The aim of this course is the development of higher-level and lower-level reading comprehension processes in order to attain efficient reading comprehension of specialized texts taken from one particular field. This paper will describe the data-gathering methods for the Needs Analysis carried out before the actual process of materials development was started. Then reference will be made to the theoretical principles which underlay this materials development process. The paper will also include an exploration of the finished coursebook, which includes authentic texts taken from the typical genre(s) that architecture students need to have access to, accompanied by a variety of reading and language focus tasks designed with the purpose of enabling students to acquire the necessary strategies to develop into autonomous readers. These features, among others, will be analysed with the purpose of showing the strengths and weaknesses of the materials produced. The pedagogical implications of this analysis will be explored.
