Course syllabus

ARK132 ARK132 Matter, space, structure 2 lp3 VT22 (22.5 hp)
Course is offered by the department of Architecture and Civil Engineering

     

Mss 2 - Ark 132 
- AFTER BUILDING - 

The second Matter Space Structure (MSS) studio of 2021-2022 will continue an on-going exploration of architecture that departs from existing environments, buildings, and materials. This involves extending the architect’s engagement with “a project” to include a longer time span and untypical responsibilities, ranging from what happens before building, such as ways of investigating a context or the sourcing of materials, to what happens after building, such as occupancy, reparation, and adaptation. Rather than dismissing these issues as mundane or relegating them to other disciplines, the studio will consider them as architectural and designerly problems. 

To address these issues, the studio will work with an existing building in the context of Ringön, one of Gothenburg’s development areas. Ringön is a former shipyard district, home to a variety of organisations and businesses, that is currently undergoing transformation and where there is a need to adapt (rather than demolish) the building stock. We will begin by developing hybrid ways of representing and mediating the building in its current state, from drawing and modelling to scanning and photography. This will include producing an atlas of the building’s layers and materialities, its proud moments and flaws, as well as its traces of previous activities, to define its overall traits and character. Based on the atlas, the building will undergo a series of transformations that takes notions of time, material, and activity into account.

The studio will develop across two phases: Situated atlas and Speculative transformations.

 

Schedule

TimeEdit
+ See Module Course Documents for pdf 
*Due to the pandemic the schedule might change from onsite meetings to digital sessions. The schedule will be updated with this information continuously and also added to the canvas schedule. 

Course design

Matter Space Structure emphasises a design research approach in which artistic development of each student and the development of common knowledge and discourse in the studio is pursued in tandem. Projects are developed through focused and informed experimentation and an iterative process that evolves through phases articulated in the brief. The artefacts and media that are the outcome of the studio embody artistic and disciplinary approaches, and through their process of making, they also generate methods and know-how.

Our studio investigates the role of architectural representation in the conception and production of architecture. Architects do not build, we design through drawings, models, descriptions as well as through an ever-expanding assortment of techniques such as collage, videos, photographs, scanning, simulations, and mock-ups. Means of representation are explored as design mediums and transfers between those mediums are explored as design opportunities. We expect students to critically expand and develop their repertoire of architectural representation, from early explorations to articulation of design.

Work developed during the studio will be laid out into an evolving booklet. This involves the continuous documentation, formatting, annotation, and curation of material produced. Information becomes diagrams, sketches are scanned, models photographed, analysis is concluded, references to work or readings are reformulated and turned into arguments, conclusions are formed, etc.

 

See Course Pm for resources and literature.

We will use Canvas throughout the course for communication - please note that we use the announcement tool to gather information.

See course PM for examination and grading and schedule for deadlines etc. More info in the course introduction. 

Course literature

+ See Course Documents for pdf with references. Each student is then encouraged to find and add additional references in relation 

 

Learning objectives and syllabus

Learning objectives:

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING 
Demonstrate knowledge about a variety of methods to obtain understanding of the context after the course.
Demonstrate basic understanding of a conceptual design process and knowledge to control of the design process and maintain the initial conceptual properties in the final design proposal.
Refer to relevant knowledge of the topic and demonstrate a critical understanding of architectural history and theory in general 

SKILLS AND ABILITIES 
Synthesize ideas and intentions into physical models and make an informed selection among alternative design proposals.
Apply various techniques of the conditions that frame the site such as modelling, collaging, diagramming.
Practice the iterative method from the alternative design concepts, the spatial sketches, to the designs presentation
Prove prolificness in conventional drawings and model skills along with experimental abilities in alternative representations. 
Use the informed drawings and models as evocative arguments in the contemporary architectural conversation.

VALUES AND APPROACHES
Use the design as a rhetoric approach based on a clear set of values
Put forward arguments for the discourse in the project itself.
Reflect chosen approaches, values and evaluation criteria associated with the design iterations

 

Link to the syllabus on Studieportalen.

Study plan

Examination form

Participation at a minimum of 80% attendance to all compulsory activities, including supervision sessions, seminars, pin-ups, and reviews is required to pass the course.

Grading is cumulative across the duration of the studio:

20% Material presented at the mid review.

40% Material presented at the final review.

20% Development of the work across the semester.

20% Degree of participation in text seminars.

The final grade thus takes progress during the entire studio into account, as well as the quantity and quality of the work presented at the final review. The work is in addition assessed for its level of effort, engagement, and graphic and verbal presentation.

Grades are Pass with distinction (5), Pass with credit (4), Pass (3), Fail. In case of a fail grade, the student will receive a written list of complimentary tasks to complete, but no further supervision. Not presenting at the final review or less than 80% attendance will result in a fail grade.

 

Faculty

Naima Callenberg (course responsible, supervisor) 0702748801, naima@chalmers.se 

Daniel Norell (examiner, supervisor) norelld@chalmers.se 

Peter Christensson (supervisor) peter@chalmers.se