26.10.2012 Views

laba manifest - ENAC | School of Architecture, Civil and ...

laba manifest - ENAC | School of Architecture, Civil and ...

laba manifest - ENAC | School of Architecture, Civil and ...

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

Research<br />

<strong>laba</strong> merges analytical research with creative design, seeking to develop <strong>and</strong><br />

refine methodologies which produce ideal solutions for specific programs,<br />

locations, technologies or conditions. Many critical issues influencing<br />

contemporary territories have enormous spatial implications, yet are seldom<br />

addressed by architects. <strong>laba</strong> investigates these issues.<br />

The pressure <strong>of</strong> immigration into European fringe cities (Athens- City <strong>of</strong><br />

Immigrants /<strong>Architecture</strong> <strong>of</strong> Integration lapa 2010/11) <strong>and</strong> the urbanization<br />

<strong>of</strong> the ocean (A Territorial Constitution for the Barents Sea, <strong>laba</strong> 2011/12) are<br />

two examples.<br />

Technological developments such as GIS allow architects to investigate<br />

urban development from any distance. Vast resources <strong>of</strong> information <strong>and</strong><br />

data are available <strong>and</strong> accessible. Sophisticated environmental modelling is<br />

already possible through this technology. Ultimately, environmental factors<br />

influencing cities can be designed <strong>and</strong> tested.<br />

At the same time, to really underst<strong>and</strong> urban phenomena architects need to<br />

do extensive field work. The close-up view <strong>of</strong> urban situations at the human<br />

scale, <strong>and</strong> the “gods-eye” view inform each other respectively <strong>and</strong> are<br />

mutually dependent. Coupling these perspectives <strong>and</strong> utilizing the available<br />

technological resources reveal the true nature <strong>of</strong> a particular urban context,<br />

<strong>and</strong> enable the architect to arrive at specific local solutions for global tasks.<br />

Through the development <strong>of</strong> this set <strong>of</strong> skills, <strong>laba</strong> aims to strengthen the<br />

architect’s position within the urban debate. This approach also informs the<br />

teaching programme.<br />

Currently <strong>laba</strong> maintains a broad research base, drawing on experience gained<br />

from specific design locations where a new urban or territorial condition is<br />

<strong>manifest</strong>ed. Two particular areas <strong>of</strong> interest are;<br />

- design as mediator <strong>of</strong> the urban context<br />

- digital tools <strong>and</strong> their influence on the design <strong>and</strong> production <strong>of</strong> architecture.<br />

<strong>laba</strong>’s research is currently carried out by one post-doctoral position, two<br />

doctorates <strong>and</strong> one research assistant. Further to this, <strong>laba</strong> is committed to<br />

the development <strong>of</strong> an interdisciplinary design doctorate “Complex Design”<br />

at the EPFL through the SNF programme “ProDoc” (application in progress).<br />

Two further research proposals have been submitted in 2012: CH16M2048<br />

(1 doctoral position) <strong>and</strong> WiuUrbis (Waste Impact on Environmental <strong>and</strong> Urban<br />

Design in Romania) part <strong>of</strong> the SNF Romanian-Swiss Research Programme<br />

(two 50% positions) where both partners (EPFL LABA <strong>and</strong> UVT-DG) aim at<br />

identifying the best solutions for environmental <strong>and</strong> urban design in Romania,<br />

which will be used primarily by decision makers in Romania but also by<br />

research circles in both Switzerl<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> Romania.<br />

The project’s solutions are supported by GIS <strong>and</strong> Remote Sensing techniques<br />

<strong>and</strong> incorporate several methods: (a) volunteer mobile information (VGI),<br />

(b) GIS mapping, <strong>and</strong> (c) 3D computer simulations. The other solutions are<br />

<strong>of</strong>fered by architects, who will create waste-management-based urban<br />

design models. The cumulative solutions will contribute, on the one h<strong>and</strong>,<br />

to a better underst<strong>and</strong>ing <strong>of</strong> the problem <strong>and</strong> help raising awareness among<br />

stakeholders <strong>and</strong>, on the other, to the creation <strong>of</strong> an implementable urban <strong>and</strong><br />

environmental design <strong>of</strong> the selected locations.<br />

<strong>laba</strong> <strong>manifest</strong> - june 2012 10

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!