Research - LABA - EPFL

Methodology details
laba field trip to the Barents sea
laba design devellopment reviews
Phases
Reviews
Field Trip
laba manifest - august 2012
Laba’s study trips are a crucial part of the studio and link the urban
constitution established in the first semester, to it’s implementation in the
form of architectural projects in the second semester.
The field trip usually takes place at the end of the first semester, after students
have acquired an in-depth knowledge of the place through data, studies and
visual material. They confront this theoretical knowledge with a personal
experience of the place and explore in depth a specific site of intervention
where they propose an architectural / urban design project.
Semester 2
The second semester focuses on the specific physical implementation and
testing of the urban constitution. In this semester new typologies of urban
morphology will be explored. What can government officials, architects, urban
designers and planners do to improve the quality of urban life? What kind
of urban typologies work well, how can housing, working and civic spaces
be rethought and redesigned to reflect the needs and desires of an urban
population? This semester can be considered a ‘rehearsal’ for the specific
EPFL SAR master thesis. Students learn to develop a project on their own,
from the formulation of the question to it’s development into an architectural
project. For this students work individually or in groups of two depending on
the complexitiy of the proposed project.
The second semester is organized around 4 assignments based on building
phases as defined by different architectural bodies (AIA, RIBA, SIA, loi MOP).
Students define the projects themselves, that is they choose a site as well as
a program.
Schedule:
Week 1
Inputs Lecture
Structure
This refers back to the objective set out at the beginning, namely to extend the
architect’s influence on the built environment. The matrix below shows that
the actual field of influence of the architect today is much reduced compared
to the expanded field of influence that laba is advocating:
SIA
RIBA
AIA
MOP
laba
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
FEASABILITY STUDY
FS
reviews1
PRODUCTION PROCESS
Strategic
planning
Feasibility
studies
Pre-
Esqui-
Feasibility
study
Lecture
Building
services
Preliminary
studies
Outline
design
FS
reviews 2
Site analysis
Avant-projet
sommaire
Schematic design
Lecture
Facade
Pro-
Scheme
design
Lecture
Fit-Out
Schematic
design
Avant-projet
définitif
SCHEMATIC DESIGN
Detail design
Design
development
Pro-
Design
development
SD
reviews
Production
information
Contract
documents
Contrat de
travaux
Construction
documentation
ARCHITECTS ACTUAL FIELD OF INFLUENCE
ARCHITECTS EXPANDED FIELD OF INFLUENCE
DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
Invitation to
bid
Tender
action
Bidding or
negotiations
Exécution et
examen
Implemantation
Project
planning
DD
reviews
Contract administration
Direction de
l’exécution
Site
operations
Pilotage
de chantier
Presentation documentation
CHARETTE
Final
reviews
Management
Feedback
Post-contract
services
Réception
7