Research - LABA - EPFL
Research - LABA - EPFL Research - LABA - EPFL
laba manifest laba epfl - manifest enac- laba - august - august 2012 2012 1
- Page 2 and 3: Position within the discipline laba
- Page 4 and 5: Current Sea of opportunities In the
- Page 6 and 7: Methodology details ASSIGNMENTS lab
- Page 8 and 9: Methodology details laba field trip
- Page 10 and 11: Learning outcomes 1st semester : te
- Page 12 and 13: Research digital technologies appli
- Page 14 and 15: Reading list Histoire de l architec
laba manifest<br />
laba epfl - manifest enac- laba - august - august 2012 2012<br />
1
Position within the discipline<br />
laba team<br />
Prof. Harry Gugger<br />
Architect + Professeur ordinaire<br />
Tél. +41 61 225 10 20<br />
harry.gugger@epfl.ch<br />
Goetz Menzel<br />
Head of Teaching<br />
Tél. +41 61 225 10 22<br />
goetz.menzel@epfl.ch<br />
Aurelie Blanchard<br />
Teaching Assistant<br />
Tél. +41 61 225 10 26<br />
aurelie.blanchard@epfl.ch<br />
Gwendolyn Kerschbaumer<br />
Head <strong>Research</strong><br />
Tél. +41 61 225 10 24<br />
gwendolyn.kerschbaumer@epfl.ch<br />
Nancy Couling<br />
<strong>Research</strong> Assistant / PhD<br />
Tél. +41 61 225 10 23<br />
nancy.couling@epfl.ch<br />
Dr. Octavian Iercan<br />
<strong>Research</strong>er Geoinformatics<br />
Tél. +41 61 225 10 24<br />
octavian.iercan@epfl.ch<br />
Juliette Fong<br />
Head Administration<br />
Tél. +41 61 225 10 21<br />
juliette.fong@epfl.ch<br />
http://laba.epfl.ch<br />
laba manifest - august 2012<br />
The sphere of the architect is shrinking: today architecture finds itself<br />
in the paradoxical situation of being more popular than ever before and<br />
getting enormous media attention, while at the same time experiencing<br />
total decline. On the one hand architecture has become the media of many:<br />
developers, investors, corporations and institutions and on the other hand,<br />
most construction happens without architects. At the same time architectural<br />
design has become more complex requiring an ever-greater number of skills<br />
and competences taken over by a series of specialist consultants. As a result<br />
architects also become marginalized in the design process.<br />
To address this problem, laba has developed a design methodology ensuring<br />
that architects continue to play a central, coordinating and integrative role in<br />
the design process.<br />
laba’s approach to teaching is thus strongly influenced by the context of<br />
professional practice, meaning that students are exposed to key elements<br />
of the profession beyond pure design. At one end of the spectrum students<br />
are trained in territorial and urban design and are confronted with the<br />
development of a project. On the other end of the spectrum the processing<br />
of projects is structured according to building phases used by professional<br />
associations and the introduction to the building process is supported through<br />
a series of lectures on structure, façade, building service and fit out.<br />
The aim is to offer a well-rounded education, allowing architects to understand<br />
the design and building process in it’s entirety and to be pro-active participants<br />
in this process.<br />
Given the increasing global nature of the profession, laba also fosters an<br />
international environment by working with a local partner institution and<br />
conducting the studio in English.<br />
Finally, laba’s name reflects its didactic and scientific orientation: it is<br />
a laboratory, a place of applied research, dedicated to the analysis and<br />
development of design and building processes.<br />
1
Theme Urban nature<br />
epfl campus - 2005/06<br />
Havanna - 2006/07<br />
London - 2007/08<br />
Geneva - 2008/09<br />
Bahrain - 2009/10<br />
Athens - 2010/11<br />
laba manifest - august 2012<br />
laba’s focal theme is Urban Nature. The objective is to research the nature of<br />
the contemporary urban environment and to equip architects for the task of<br />
constructing sustainable solutions for these environments.<br />
What has been the case for the ‘developed’ world since the beginning of the<br />
20th century is currently becoming a reality for the developing world - the<br />
majority of people will be living in an urban environment. In addition, as<br />
agglomerations expand, so do their supporting local and global territories.<br />
Urban agglomerations are thus leaving their mark on the majority of the<br />
earth’s surface. Due to the scale and character of this territorial expansion,<br />
the definition of the urban becomes more diffuse and complex.<br />
Urban systems are per se intricate, dynamic and determined by many diverse<br />
phenomena outside the architectural sphere. Architecture and urban design<br />
are hence inherently interdisciplinary, touching upon for example social,<br />
technical, aesthetic, cultural, economic, political, ecological and ethical<br />
issues. Our discipline cannot be understood in an isolated manner, but only<br />
within the wider context of these adjacent fields.<br />
Architects must therefore have a good understanding of the impact of these<br />
forces on the built environment in order to be able to respond adequately. This<br />
usually happens through collaboration with consultants in specialized areas.<br />
Architects are in this sense both assimilators and specialists; assimilating<br />
the knowledge embedded in parallel disciplines and specialists in the spatial<br />
articulation of this knowledge in architecture and urban design.<br />
Our studio and research aims at exploring the complex context of the<br />
architectural and urban design process through a number of national and<br />
international study objects and subsequently, at exploring appropriate<br />
physical expressions.<br />
Within the larger theme of Urban Nature, we are particularly interested in<br />
an urban morphology which makes cities more attractive and liveable. While<br />
over 50% of the population live in urban areas, these areas are further<br />
differentiated into specific and emerging typologies, some of which combine<br />
both characteristically ”rural” and “urban” components. laba investigates the<br />
contribution of urban design to understanding and improving these contexts.<br />
Through our teaching and research, we aim to position ourselves and<br />
participate in both the current academic and non-academic discourse on<br />
urban design and planning.<br />
Teaching and research on urban design is currently limited in the School of<br />
Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering ENAC and laba sees it’s<br />
studio and research unit as a pivotal element in expanding the academic field<br />
of urban design within our school. The intention is to develop a larger network<br />
of urban design and planning studios, classes and research units both within<br />
the existing <strong>EPFL</strong> structure and in collaboration with other Universities<br />
specifically the ETHZ and it’s Contemporary City Institute Studio Basel.<br />
With Studio Basel laba, forms a platform to research today’s city called<br />
“Cerberus”.<br />
2
Current<br />
Sea of opportunities<br />
In the 2011/12 academic<br />
year, laba`s investigation<br />
on ocean territories led to<br />
the Barents Sea, north of<br />
Norway, in collaboration<br />
with the Oslo School of<br />
Architecture and Design.<br />
Student groups developed<br />
five Territorial Constitutions<br />
for the Barents Sea and<br />
went on to develop thirteen<br />
architectural projects<br />
exercising the articles of the<br />
constitutions within the topic<br />
“Exploring Infrastructure-<br />
Living and Working in the<br />
Barents Sea”. A 10-day<br />
workshop to the Barents<br />
region took place between<br />
the two project phases.<br />
CH2048<br />
We will be studying a<br />
hypothetical Switzerland<br />
in 2048. Should growth<br />
continue as in the past<br />
3-5 years, the population<br />
of a current 8 million will<br />
increase to around 14<br />
million, putting enormous<br />
pressure on the existing<br />
urban, suburban and rural<br />
areas.<br />
We believe that simply<br />
continuing today’s planning<br />
policies and practices for<br />
the next 40 years is not an<br />
appropriate response. It<br />
seems to us, that a more<br />
radical reevaluation and<br />
proposal is needed.<br />
CH2048 will thus be raising<br />
fundamental questions<br />
about how our territory is<br />
planned and how it develops.<br />
laba manifest - august 2012<br />
3
Methodology overview<br />
laba teaching<br />
laba manifest - august 2012<br />
Over the last 6 years, laba has developed a specific studio methodology.<br />
Each year, an urban research laboratory location, which exemplifies a critical<br />
and widespread urban issue, is selected. Each culturally specific location<br />
contributes to the data-base for a comparative investigation of planning<br />
systems across the world.<br />
The laba methodology takes students through design scales ranging from<br />
the territorial to the architectural, and introduces them to parallel fields of<br />
expertise which greatly influence the urban morphology of the given context.<br />
Equipped with this knowledge, students establish what we call an “Urban<br />
Constitution”. This document serves as a roadmap for long term urban<br />
development.<br />
laba’s portfolio includes the development of particular skills required to work<br />
in this way - the application of GIS systems to urban design, architectural<br />
field-work and trans-disciplinary input from invited experts backed up by<br />
specific urban research projects. In this way, the laboratory aims to enable the<br />
architect to arrive at specific local solutions for global tasks and to strengthen<br />
his position within the urban debate.<br />
Based on this road map, students continue to work on a smaller scale, focusing<br />
on the actual spatial form that the urban constitution would take. Projects<br />
will range from specific urban design proposals to complex buildings. These<br />
projects act as a proof of concept for the Urban Constitution.<br />
Students share their work through frequent public presentations in order to<br />
become proficient in this crucial skill.<br />
The collaboration with a partner institution connected to the given study<br />
area allows both groups to be exposed to a different cultural and academic<br />
approach.<br />
An annual publication exhibits the results of the studio.<br />
4
Methodology details<br />
ASSIGNMENTS<br />
laba students group work<br />
Assignments<br />
Reviews<br />
laba manifest - august 2012<br />
5 X CASE STUDIES / DESIGN TEAMS<br />
5 x design teams<br />
The methodology is organized over two semesters.<br />
Semester 1<br />
In the first semester, students analyse a given urban region / territory.<br />
The work is organized around 4 assignments. Apart from the first assignment,<br />
all are carried out in groups with each student taking a specific place within<br />
a matrix that has 5 physical locations in the form of case-studies on one axis<br />
and 5 urban research themes on the second axis.<br />
Schedule:<br />
Week 1<br />
MY ...<br />
Each participating student is thus assigned a role in two different types of<br />
groups: each student is part of a team of five designers, the design team, which<br />
concentrates on planning and spatial conceptualization, and is concurrently<br />
a member of a specialist group, which addresses specific design-related<br />
research topics.<br />
25 25 STUDENTS students 5<br />
5<br />
x<br />
X<br />
specialists<br />
SPECIALISTS<br />
teams<br />
TEAMS<br />
eastern<br />
mediterranean<br />
EASTERN<br />
MEDITERRANEAN<br />
north<br />
sea<br />
NORTH<br />
SEA<br />
persian<br />
PERSIAN<br />
gulf GULF<br />
carribean<br />
sea<br />
CARIBBEAN<br />
SEA<br />
south china<br />
sea<br />
Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Week 9 Week 10 Week 11 Week 12 Week 13<br />
My...reviews<br />
SOUTH CHINA<br />
OCEAN<br />
CASE STUDIES<br />
Inputs Intro trip Lecture<br />
Lecture<br />
theme 1<br />
theme 2<br />
TERRITORIAL STRATEGIES<br />
TERRITORIAL CONSTITUTIONS<br />
CS reviews TS reviews TC reviews<br />
Lecture<br />
theme 3<br />
Lecture<br />
theme 4<br />
Lecture<br />
theme 5<br />
governance GOVERNANCE infrastructure INFRASTRUCTURES resources RESSOURCES climate CLIMATE economy<br />
ECONOMY<br />
Sarina Balkhausen Martin Lepoutre Giulia Altarelli Kristin Weinrich Elsa Beniada<br />
François Nantermod Alexandros Fotakis Jeanne Wery Mathieu Bujnowskyj Pauline Seigneur<br />
Diana Brasil Ingrid Gjermstad Nicoletta Caputto Achille Grosvernier Nicolas Feihl<br />
Marine Beaumanoir Joan Genergonzalez Carmen Fischer Noémi Giliand Lucia Tinghi<br />
Augustin Clément Tess Walvaren Caroline Iorio Chloé Coninckx Alessia Catellani<br />
5
PAINTINGS<br />
by Pauline Seigneur<br />
PAINTINGS<br />
by Pauline INSTALLATION<br />
Seigneur<br />
by Elsa Beniada<br />
my Barents<br />
case study South China Sea<br />
territorial strategy climate<br />
territorial constitution for Barents<br />
Assignments<br />
laba manifest - august 2012<br />
a) My urban region<br />
Students are asked to represent their conception of the specific urban region.<br />
The goal of this project is to allow each student to interpret the urban region<br />
in their own highly personal way. This exercise is an important basis for<br />
discussion, especially given that a large number of our students are foreign<br />
and can make an important contribution to our international perspective.<br />
b) Case-Studies<br />
The morphological structure of regions and cities similar to the specific region<br />
we are studying, is analysed.<br />
This work is done in groups with each group member researching one of 5 key<br />
urban themes such as infrastructure, food, energy, health and education, as<br />
well as other important demographic and urban parameters such as density,<br />
economy, etc.<br />
The 5 chosen themes are those considered most relevant to the particular<br />
urban study area.<br />
Each specialist researches his/her theme and it’s role within the evolution of<br />
the urban structure. The final group report is a compilation of the individual<br />
themes, including standardized statistical and physical data, as well as an<br />
overall analysis and set of conclusions. The conclusions identify special and<br />
unique features and clarify the advantages and problems of each case.<br />
c) Urban Strategies<br />
The specialists from each case-study work together as a group to conduct<br />
research on the given urban area. The 5 themes such as infrastructure, food,<br />
energy, health and education represent the focus of each specialist group.<br />
The groups will propose an urban strategy driven mainly by the creation of<br />
optimal conditions for the development of their theme. These urban strategies<br />
will be extreme to the point of being almost narrow-minded in focusing on one<br />
theme. However, it is in this extremity that useful approaches and concepts<br />
are developed, which can later be modified in co-existence with the network<br />
of the other 4 themes.<br />
d) Urban Constitution<br />
The goal of this assignment is to produce an urban constitution: a roadmap<br />
providing a logical set of guiding rules which allow for an appropriate longterm<br />
development of the given urban area.<br />
The students work together in their original case-study group, thus forming<br />
again 5 groups with specialists from each theme. Group work is understood to<br />
be an important component. Students learn to negotiate and be a productive<br />
member of a larger entity.<br />
Each group develops an urban constitution which addresses the significant<br />
issues and needs of the given zone in the short, medium and long term.<br />
The proposed plan is represented as a schematic strategy that integrates<br />
the multiple overlaying aspects of urban planning and design. The urban<br />
constitution comprises texts as well as maps and models.<br />
6
Methodology details<br />
laba field trip to the Barents sea<br />
laba design devellopment reviews<br />
Phases<br />
Reviews<br />
Field Trip<br />
laba manifest - august 2012<br />
Laba’s study trips are a crucial part of the studio and link the urban<br />
constitution established in the first semester, to it’s implementation in the<br />
form of architectural projects in the second semester.<br />
The field trip usually takes place at the end of the first semester, after students<br />
have acquired an in-depth knowledge of the place through data, studies and<br />
visual material. They confront this theoretical knowledge with a personal<br />
experience of the place and explore in depth a specific site of intervention<br />
where they propose an architectural / urban design project.<br />
Semester 2<br />
The second semester focuses on the specific physical implementation and<br />
testing of the urban constitution. In this semester new typologies of urban<br />
morphology will be explored. What can government officials, architects, urban<br />
designers and planners do to improve the quality of urban life? What kind<br />
of urban typologies work well, how can housing, working and civic spaces<br />
be rethought and redesigned to reflect the needs and desires of an urban<br />
population? This semester can be considered a ‘rehearsal’ for the specific<br />
<strong>EPFL</strong> SAR master thesis. Students learn to develop a project on their own,<br />
from the formulation of the question to it’s development into an architectural<br />
project. For this students work individually or in groups of two depending on<br />
the complexitiy of the proposed project.<br />
The second semester is organized around 4 assignments based on building<br />
phases as defined by different architectural bodies (AIA, RIBA, SIA, loi MOP).<br />
Students define the projects themselves, that is they choose a site as well as<br />
a program.<br />
Schedule:<br />
Week 1<br />
Inputs Lecture<br />
Structure<br />
This refers back to the objective set out at the beginning, namely to extend the<br />
architect’s influence on the built environment. The matrix below shows that<br />
the actual field of influence of the architect today is much reduced compared<br />
to the expanded field of influence that laba is advocating:<br />
SIA<br />
RIBA<br />
AIA<br />
MOP<br />
laba<br />
Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Week 9 Week 10 Week 11 Week 12 Week 13 Week 14 Week 15 Week 16<br />
FEASABILITY STUDY<br />
FS<br />
reviews1<br />
PRODUCTION PROCESS<br />
Strategic<br />
planning<br />
Feasibility<br />
studies<br />
Pre-<br />
Esqui-<br />
Feasibility<br />
study<br />
Lecture<br />
Building<br />
services<br />
Preliminary<br />
studies<br />
Outline<br />
design<br />
FS<br />
reviews 2<br />
Site analysis<br />
Avant-projet<br />
sommaire<br />
Schematic design<br />
Lecture<br />
Facade<br />
Pro-<br />
Scheme<br />
design<br />
Lecture<br />
Fit-Out<br />
Schematic<br />
design<br />
Avant-projet<br />
définitif<br />
SCHEMATIC DESIGN<br />
Detail design<br />
Design<br />
development<br />
Pro-<br />
Design<br />
development<br />
SD<br />
reviews<br />
Production<br />
information<br />
Contract<br />
documents<br />
Contrat de<br />
travaux<br />
Construction<br />
documentation<br />
ARCHITECTS ACTUAL FIELD OF INFLUENCE<br />
ARCHITECTS EXPANDED FIELD OF INFLUENCE<br />
DESIGN DEVELOPMENT<br />
Invitation to<br />
bid<br />
Tender<br />
action<br />
Bidding or<br />
negotiations<br />
Exécution et<br />
examen<br />
Implemantation<br />
Project<br />
planning<br />
DD<br />
reviews<br />
Contract administration<br />
Direction de<br />
l’exécution<br />
Site<br />
operations<br />
Pilotage<br />
de chantier<br />
Presentation documentation<br />
CHARETTE<br />
Final<br />
reviews<br />
Management<br />
Feedback<br />
Post-contract<br />
services<br />
Réception<br />
7
the different project phases<br />
Assignments<br />
laba manifest - august 2012<br />
a) Feasibility Study<br />
This study outlines the current physical, infrastructural and legal conditions<br />
and restrictions of a site and assesses the compatibility with a proposed<br />
program.<br />
A rough massing proposal is developed within a site model.<br />
b) Schematic Design<br />
The diagrammatic descriptions of the feasibility study are transformed into<br />
a functional, logical, thematic and aesthetic architectural parti – an overall<br />
design concept.<br />
Within this phase, the contextual issues of site and connections are addressed<br />
and solutions for basic issues such as structure, materials, overall aesthetics<br />
and volumetric relationships are explored. The overall character of the project<br />
is formulated.<br />
c) Design Development<br />
The goal of this phase is to strengthen the parti by generating appropriate and<br />
specific details that will guide the process of deciding on the techniques and<br />
technologies to be employed for fabrication and construction.<br />
d) Presentation Documents<br />
This phase combines all previous phases into a full set of documents<br />
representing the project.<br />
Deliverables for final critiques<br />
First semester: Students present their ‘urban constitution’<br />
- a presentation projected on a screen (powerpoint or pdf projection)<br />
- the same presentation in book format (printed in A3 format)<br />
- 1 – 2 maps showing the constitution in map format<br />
Second semester: Students present their architectural / urban design project<br />
- drawings (scale depends on project)<br />
- site plan<br />
- ground floor plan<br />
- relevant upper floor plans<br />
- elevations<br />
- sections<br />
- relevant detail<br />
- photo montage / visualization<br />
- models (scale depends on project)<br />
- site model<br />
- model of building / urban design<br />
8
Learning outcomes<br />
1st semester : territorial scale<br />
2nd semester : architectural scale<br />
laba manifest - august 2012<br />
laba students are able to:<br />
1st semester<br />
- critically assess their own cultural background and how it influences the<br />
understanding of a site<br />
- use comparative case-studies to better understand their own research<br />
location<br />
- analyze the influence of key issues such as housing, infrastructure, economic<br />
measures, governmental measures, etc. on urban areas<br />
- create an ‘urban constitution’, that is a long-term roadmap for the development<br />
of an urban area<br />
- present their work through oral presentations and printed documentation<br />
including texts, diagrams and maps<br />
- learn to work in groups<br />
2nd semester<br />
- formulate a feasibility study regarding a site and program of their own<br />
choosing<br />
- conduct field research including the survey and documentation of a site<br />
- initiate and follow a project through the various design phases: schematic<br />
design, design development and detail drawings<br />
- present their project through drawings, models, text descriptions, as well<br />
as oral presentations<br />
Recommended complementary classes<br />
Students are encouraged to take further classes on the topics of territorial<br />
and urban planning and theory. Of the current study plan we consider the<br />
following classes as particularly relevant to our studio:<br />
AR-221, 222, 323, 324, 421, 422 Theory of architecture<br />
AR-223, 224, 323, 423m 424 History of architecture<br />
AR-451, 452 Architecture and construction of the city<br />
AR-261, 362 Theory of urban design<br />
AR-383 City and habitat: from housing to territory<br />
AR-458 city and mobility<br />
AR-477 Understanding and reconceiving the urban<br />
AR-492 Globalization and regionalization<br />
AR-465 Urban habitat and development<br />
AR-459, 460 City sciences<br />
AR-489 Urban sociology<br />
9
<strong>Research</strong><br />
laba manifest - august 2012<br />
laba merges analytical research with creative design, seeking to develop and<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. laba investigates these issues.<br />
The pressure of immigration into European fringe cities (Athens- City of<br />
Immigrants /Architecture of Integration lapa 2010/11) and the urbanization<br />
of the ocean (A Territorial Constitution for the Barents Sea, laba 2011/12) are<br />
two examples.<br />
Technological developments such as GIS allow architects to investigate<br />
urban development from any distance. Vast resources of information and<br />
data are available and accessible. Sophisticated environmental modelling is<br />
already possible through this technology. Ultimately, environmental factors<br />
influencing cities can be designed and tested.<br />
At the same time, to really understand urban phenomena architects need to<br />
do extensive field work. The close-up view of urban situations at the human<br />
scale, and the “gods-eye” view inform each other respectively and are<br />
mutually dependent. Coupling these perspectives and utilizing the available<br />
technological resources reveal the true nature of a particular urban context,<br />
and enable the architect to arrive at specific local solutions for global tasks.<br />
Through the development of this set of skills, laba aims to strengthen the<br />
architect’s position within the urban debate. This approach also informs the<br />
teaching programme.<br />
Currently laba maintains a broad research base, drawing on experience gained<br />
from specific design locations where a new urban or territorial condition is<br />
manifested. Two particular areas of interest are;<br />
- design as mediator of the urban context<br />
- digital tools and their influence on the design and production of architecture.<br />
laba’s research is currently carried out by one post-doctoral position, two<br />
doctorates and one research assistant. Further to this, laba is committed to<br />
the development of an interdisciplinary design doctorate “Complex Design”<br />
at the <strong>EPFL</strong> through the SNF programme “ProDoc” (application in progress).<br />
Two further research proposals have been submitted in 2012: CH16M2048<br />
(1 doctoral position) and WiuUrbis (Waste Impact on Environmental and Urban<br />
Design in Romania) part of the SNF Romanian-Swiss <strong>Research</strong> Programme<br />
(two 50% positions) where both partners (<strong>EPFL</strong> <strong>LABA</strong> and UVT-DG) aim at<br />
identifying the best solutions for environmental and urban design in Romania,<br />
which will be used primarily by decision makers in Romania but also by<br />
research circles in both Switzerland and Romania.<br />
The project’s solutions are supported by GIS and Remote Sensing techniques<br />
and incorporate several methods: (a) volunteer mobile information (VGI),<br />
(b) GIS mapping, and (c) 3D computer simulations. The other solutions are<br />
offered by architects, who will create waste-management-based urban<br />
design models. The cumulative solutions will contribute, on the one hand,<br />
to a better understanding of the problem and help raising awareness among<br />
stakeholders and, on the other, to the creation of an implementable urban and<br />
environmental design of the selected locations.<br />
10
<strong>Research</strong><br />
digital technologies application<br />
fish farming in Mediterranean sea<br />
GIS visualisation<br />
laba manifest - august 2012<br />
Bifurcation of the Digital Chain<br />
This research investigates contemporary digital technologies and how they<br />
are influencing architectural design and production.<br />
The parameters affecting architectural design are becoming increasingly<br />
complex and interrelated. In contemporary society, digital tools are used to<br />
mange the complexity of information, and digital technologies have changed<br />
the way people interact with information and the world around them. This<br />
thesis investigates the use of contemporary digital technologies in design and<br />
production to determine if they are also being used effectively to manage the<br />
increasing complexity of architectural design projects. The research explores<br />
this topic at the level of both design theory and technology theory, and then<br />
employs practical design and production investigations as “proof of concept”<br />
for the developed theories. The research work concludes by providing an<br />
answer to the question: “do current digital technologies constitute a paradigmshift<br />
in architecture?”.<br />
The role of ocean space in contemporary urbanization<br />
Pressure on ocean space for energy production, extraction of resources,<br />
residential, infrastructural and logistical development is increasing. Although<br />
research has shown that almost no part of the global ocean remains<br />
unaffected by human impact, as yet few architects are involved in this process<br />
and physical structures in the ocean seem to be determined by engineering<br />
and world market logistics.<br />
The objective of this research is to propose a position for ocean spatial typologies<br />
within the contemporary urban debate in relation to networks, landscape,<br />
ecology and technology. Ocean activities characterized by a quantum shift in<br />
intensity, scale and technology will be the focus of the examination.<br />
Preliminary investigations have revealed that the majority of spatial decisions<br />
about the ocean apply planning instruments directly comparable to those<br />
used on land.<br />
Interaction with water in the form of planning implies particular operational<br />
conditions and responsible treatment of a valuable resource and a complex<br />
habitat. Which forms of urbanisation, and which planning strategies can be<br />
developed with the ocean itself as an “active” agent?<br />
GeoDesign as an approach to Architecture<br />
In architecture a variety of 2D and 3D CAD software solutions are used for<br />
design and design rendering to create a virtual representation of architectural<br />
projects. Although these tools have a great capacity of handling large amounts<br />
of data, they fail in integrating the project in it’s urban and environmental<br />
context. Geographic Information Systems and their software application can<br />
offer the missing support in designing a well-integrated project.<br />
Laba thus investigates the possibility of creating a GIS Decision Making<br />
Software Model for Architecture, both using existing software and new<br />
software development. laba’s existing and extensive methodology of site<br />
investigation will be expanded through a GIS DMM (Decision Making Model).<br />
This model will incorporate a multitude of data layers, from climate data up to<br />
political administration information, which will enable the designer to grasp<br />
the local situation in one central location.<br />
11
<strong>Research</strong><br />
LiDAR model<br />
population density map<br />
urban portrait from studio basel<br />
Mumbai<br />
laba manifest - august 2012<br />
Programming Interfaces and Google’s keyhole technology.<br />
Laba is also starting to investigate the usage of high resolution LiDAR<br />
technologies for site investigation and urban fabric analysis. Using LiDAR<br />
architects will be able to stay in touch with the project site even if it is far<br />
away from the architectural office. Integrating this knowledge in the laba<br />
investigation model (LIM) will provide the architect with extensive knowledge<br />
of the site’s condition.<br />
CH2048<br />
Within the framework of a larger research project initiated by the ALICE<br />
lab under Professor Dieter Dietz, laba will conduct research on the urban<br />
morphology of a hypothetical Switzerland in 2048. This will be the focus of our<br />
2012 / 2013 studio.<br />
Even though the current official projected number of inhabitants for 2048<br />
is lies between 6.5 and11.5 mil.), the number of inhabitants would reach 14<br />
million if we project the growth rate of the last few years into the future.<br />
This almost doubling of the population will put considerable pressure on the<br />
built and rural environment of Switzerland. We believe it will not be sufficient<br />
to simply continue with the existing regional and urban strategies, but that<br />
new approaches are needed. Given the longevity of urban developments, we<br />
further believe it to be necessary to envision them far ahead of time, rather<br />
than react step by step to immediate pressures.<br />
In our first semester, we will look at 5 different regional zones ranging from<br />
metropolitan areas to rural areas and propose ‘constitutions’ for these types of<br />
zones. In the second semester we will focus on exploring urban morphologies,<br />
that is urban and architectural interventions that test and support the urban<br />
constitutions established in the previous semester. Each architectural / urban<br />
design intervention will refer back to the urban constitution of the zone in<br />
which it is located.<br />
Sustainable built environments – Holcim Foundation Forum 2013<br />
laba conducts research on sustainable built environments within the<br />
framework of the Holcim Foundation Forum 2013. Harry Gugger is in charge<br />
of a research group focusing on the ‘compact city’ and to what extent we can<br />
still argue today, that this is the most sustainable settlement type. Our group<br />
invited 4 experts from the fields of urban design, landscape architecture,<br />
sociology and urban planning and economics to discuss this topic. Each expert<br />
will submit a paper to be presented at the Forum in Bombay in April 2013 and<br />
to be published thereafter. Our own paper will act as a framework for the 4<br />
12
Reading list<br />
Histoire de l architecture moderne<br />
Learning from Las Vegas<br />
Delirious NY<br />
laba manifest - august 2012<br />
A<br />
Allen, Stan: Points and Lines: Diagrams and Projects for the City<br />
B<br />
Baccini, Peter / Oswald, Franz: Netzstadt – Einführung in das Stadtentwerfen<br />
Baccini, Peter, Oswald, Franz: Netzstadt – Transdisziplinare Methoden zum<br />
Umbau urbaner Systeme<br />
Bell, Daniel: The Coming of Post-Industrial Society<br />
Benevolo, Leonardo: Histoire de la Ville<br />
Brown, Denise / Venturi, Robert / Izenour, Stephen: Learning from Las Vegas<br />
Burdett, Richard: The Endless City<br />
C<br />
CIAM manifesto 1933<br />
Corboz, André: Le Territoire comme palimpeste et autres essais<br />
D<br />
E<br />
F<br />
Flury, Aitoa: Cooperation: The Engineer and the Architect<br />
G<br />
H<br />
Hall, Peter: Cities of Tomorrow – Critical History of Planning in Theory and<br />
Practice in the 20th Century<br />
David Harvey: The condition of postmodernity<br />
Harvey, David: Spaces of Capital – Toward a Critical Geography<br />
Harvey, David: Cities of Hope<br />
Herzog and de Meuron: El Croquis<br />
Hobsbawn, Eric: The Age of Capital<br />
I<br />
J<br />
Jacob, Sam: Ceci n’est pas une pipe<br />
Jacobs, Jane: The Death and Life of Great American Cities<br />
Jameson, Frederic, Postmodernism or the Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism<br />
Jameson, Frederic / Meyoshi, Masao: The Cultures of Globalization<br />
K<br />
Kahn, Louis: Monograph<br />
Klitz, A. / O.Frey / W.Rosinak: ‘Stadt und Nachhaltigkeit’<br />
Koolhaas, Rem: S,M,L,XL<br />
Koolhaas, Rem: Delirious NY<br />
Koolhaas, Rem: Content<br />
Kunstler, James Howard: The Geography of Nowhere: The Rise and Decline of<br />
America’s Man-Made Landscape<br />
L<br />
Lampugnani, Vittorio: Architektur und Städtebau des 20. Jahrhunderts<br />
Le Corbusier: Monograph<br />
Lefebvre, Henri: The Production of Space (orig. „La Production de<br />
l’Espace“ Paris, 1981)<br />
13
Composition et non-composition<br />
Collage City<br />
The endless city<br />
laba manifest - august 2012<br />
LeGates, Richard T. / Stout, Frederic: The City Reader<br />
Loos, Adolf: sämtliche Schriften in zwei Bänden<br />
LSE: The endless City, Living the Endless City (LSE)<br />
Lucan, J.: composition et non-composition<br />
Lynch, Kevin: The Image of the City<br />
M<br />
N<br />
O<br />
OMA: El Croquis<br />
P<br />
Q<br />
R<br />
Rienets, Tim / Sigler, Jennifer / Christiaanse, Kees: Open City- designing coexistence<br />
(Arch Biennale Rotterdam 2009)<br />
Rossi, Aldo: L’Architecture de la Ville<br />
Rowe, Collin / Fred Koetter: Collage City<br />
S<br />
Sanaa: El Croquis<br />
Sassen, Saskia: The Global City<br />
Schmid, Christian: Stadt, Raum & Gesellschaft- Henri Lefebvre und die<br />
Theorie der Produktion des Raums, Stuttgart 2010<br />
Schuler, Martin / Dessemontet, Pierre: BFS = Atlas des mutations spatiales<br />
de la Suisse<br />
Soja, Edward W.: Postmetropolis – Critical Studies of Cities and Regions<br />
Stoll, Katrina / Lloyd, Scott: Infrastructure as Architecture - Designing<br />
composite networks<br />
T<br />
Tafuri, Manfredo: Architecture and Utopia<br />
U<br />
V<br />
Van der Rohe, Mies: Monograph<br />
W<br />
Weber, Max: Die Stadt des Occident<br />
X<br />
Y<br />
Z<br />
Zumthor, Peter: Apprendre à penser l’architecture<br />
14