Architectural Design V-IX: A House for 10'000 People (Ch. Kerez)

Abstract

Architecture defines the spaces in which we live and work in during every moment of our lives. We will study the large scale in which the work of an architect has an impact on the biggest possible amount of people. A house as big and complex as a whole village. The design work is understood as an investigation on the daily conditions of our times, through the media of architecture.

Objective

This semester the design studio will focus on the big scale. Students will develop a design based on a given competition brief and will deal with the theme through a critical approach. Analysis of fundamental aspects of the given task, fast track design methods leading to alternative concepts should establish the strategic and factual basis for a critical understanding on how to deal with the big scale. The goal is to develop an individual and critical understanding of the topics and, just like in a real office, students will work individually towards a final collective output.

Content

Architecture defines the spaces in which we live and work in during every moment of our lives. We will study the large scale in which the work of an architect has an impact on the biggest possible amount of people. A house as big and complex as a whole village. The design work is understood as an investigation on the daily conditions of our times, through the media of architecture. The brief and the site of actual competitions will be the starting point of the semester. In the studio, students will work individually during some design stages and they will work together during others. This collaboration is understood as a teamwork in which each participant has a clear task, different from the others. Students will develop their design capacities, which relate specifically to the work in the large scale and they will develop their own individual and critical understanding of the challenges of our times. Throughout the semester there will be lectures and discussions with architects working on large commissions. Zaha Hadid Architects, Christine Binswanger, Bjarke Ingels and Ma Yansong will be guests of this semester and give some inputs.

Resources