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052-0715-24L 2 Credits BSC , MSC D-BAUG , D-ARCH

Topology

Lecturers & Examiners: Dr. Matthias Vollmer, Dr. Philipp Urech
VVZ CR n/a

Last Updated: 2026-02-05 16:31:01

Abstract

The Elective Course series “Topology” delves into the multifaceted nature of places. During the Autumn Semester 2024, we will explore the fallow site Hardturm in Zurich West. The participating students from D-ARCH and D-BAUG will be tasked with observing how communities shape urban spaces and with juxtaposing digital environments to investigate potentials.

Objective

This elective course gives architecture students the opportunity to further develop their perception of space through a site-specific approach in the field of landscape architecture. The students will learn to use 3D point cloud technology and other spatial sensing technologies in order to analyze complex urban landscape and develop new ways of editing and representing these intertwined spaces.

Content

Students will document and analyze a case-study site to reveal its topological potentials and sensory qualities. This understanding will be gained through point cloud modeling and audiovisual composition. In particular, we will develop a new, comprehensive sectional model of a topologically interesting site situation. Students will become acquainted to working with digital models produced with laser-scanning and combined with sound. Through a series of steps, they will learn how a laser-scanning survey is conducted, how the raw data is processed, how point cloud models are assembled, what qualities these models can provide to analyze, explore and represent space as an audiovisual experience. Collected samples from the field will be assembled and built into an interactive application in the «Landscape Visualization and Modelling Lab». The software taught is open-source and can be installed on private laptops, facilitating applicability beyond the course.

Resources

Lecture Notes

Literature will be provided during the course.Poster:https://lvml.ethz.ch/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/topology_2024HS_poster.pdf3D model:https://lvml.ethz.ch/model/

Learning Materials (Links)

General Information

Language
English
Levels
BSC , MSC
Frequency
Semesterly recurring

Examination

Type
ungraded semester performance

Course Components

Type Title Time & Place Hours
colloquium Topology
Keine Lehrveranstaltung am 24.10.2024 (Seminarwoche) sowie in den beiden letzten Semesterwochen (vor Schlussabgaben). Kursorte: Siehe jeweilige Raumangaben! Unterrichtssprachen: Deutsch und Englisch / Teaching languages: German and English.
  • Thu 12:45-14:30 (HIL H 40.5)
  • Thu 12:45-14:30 (HIL H 40.8)
2 h weekly

Offered In