CONTENT / Situation. In the city people, ideas and objects cohabitate. Some have attracted the others, but their relations remain difficult and the potential profits of their cohabitation remains largely unrealized. In the article “Do it by yourself” published in L’Architecture d’aujourd’hui in 1970, Tschumi and Montès developed a reflection on interaction in architecture underlining how the cohabitation of people, ideas and objects in the city can facilitate ‘urban success’ and challenge the issues of contemporary society. They also claimed that ‘restricting the interaction [between people, ideas and objects] impoverishes the urban condition: I felt the need to see people talking and confronting experiences, expanding the field of knowledge, I was walking through the city through ancient objects that had come to a new existence.
(Montès F, Tschumi B. Do-It-Yourself-City. L’Architecture d’aujourd’hui. 1970)
In this sense the topic of Interaction in the context of architecture helps us in understanding the importance of raising a dialogue between inhabitants (human and non-human / visible and invisible) and architecture, understanding the political framework through a critical analysis of our current society. What does interaction mean? How this can be improved and defined in architecture dealing with a specific climatic, cultural and social condition?
We can explore this by thinking of the program as an open framework that can be adapted to the current social, environmental and political challenges. We will learn from the cultural specificity at different climatic zones, from the north to the south. Looking at the urban environment as an ecosystem.
AIMS / Learning from the ecosystemic relationships in their own urban environment students will understand the notion of program as an open framework inducing us as architect to rethink the traditional relation between forms and function, considering the interaction between the space and its inhabitants to generate new radical scenarios in the city through architecture.
The aim of this workshop is to build upon what has been explored in the previous workshops.
TOOLS / Students will learn how to define a program as a series of activities, understanding architecture as an instrument to provide the space for life.
- Montage technique (Reflecting)
- Story tale / max 200 words (Unpacking)
- Layered section drawings / collage technique (Communicating)
METHOD / The design process will be structured in three moments:
SEMINARS: Reflecting on the role of “Interaction” as a way of generating the architectural program and concept in architecture, understanding its relationship with the society, through talks with invited architects and artists. Reflecting on the notion of ecological design thinking. How will we live together in the future city?
EXERCISES: Unpacking the urban fabric. Reading the city as an ecosystem, identifying, understanding and communicating (exchanging) the spatial and social dimension and qualities of the communities (Human and non-human) around the globe.
OUTPUT: Communicating the idea/strategy through the production of an online showcase in form of a public exhibition. Each students will produce 10 images (montage+future scenario+layered section) + a text of 200 words.
SCHEDULE /
We will meet in zoom: https://umu.zoom.us/j/9465597160
- 1st day /: Introduction to the workshop + Lectures (recorded).
- 2nd day / Group work /Feedbacks and tutorials.
- 3rd day / Online Showcase + Final discussion.
The schedule will be adapted to the needs of each university providing access to recorded lectures and a-synchronous submissions.
Expected Learning Outcomes / After these two weeks workshop the student will be able to:
- Develop architecture projects through design processes and conceptual work methods
- Document an architectural project and present it orally and visually
- Design a building programme based on research (mapping) and strategy.
References /
Film / Audio:
Wenders, Wim (2010) If Buildings could talk
Text:
Koolhaas, Rem (1977) The Story of the Pool
Calvino, Italo (1972) Invisible cities
Lynch, Kevin (1970) The image of the city
Collage:
Superstudio (1972) Supersuperficie
Montage:
Mili, Gjon (1939) Black and White Movements.
Tschumi, Bernard (1994) Architecture and Disjunction
Umeå School of Architecture – Umeå University (SWEDEN)/
Maria Luna Nobile (maria.nobile@umu.se)
Richard Conway (richard.conway@umu.se)