Architectural Design V-IX: Schoolplay (F. Persyn)

Abstract

What does it mean to practice architecture today?During the last decade we have seen many practices take shape which go beyond architecture as the design of buildings.The Newrope chair has explored process oriented methods, centered around the idea of "Design in Dialogue" – to design not only spatial proposals with the architect’s conventional tools, but to equally care for the way we develop

Objective

PRACTICING ARCHITECTURE TODAY Explore what it could mean to practice architecture beyond designing buildings, by shaping processes, facilitating dialogue, and amplifying a multiplicity of voices. Develop a critical understanding of the conventions of architectural practice and experiment with playful ways of challenging, unlearning, or replacing them. ENGAGING WITH SITES AND PRACTITIONERS Work in complex environments in Zurich, Switzerland, and across Europe, engaging directly with sites and their actors. Collaborate with a wide range of spatial practitioners and learn from their diverse methods of perceiving, assessing, and reshaping environments. Treat the ONA building and its surroundings as fertile ground for experiments and real-life encounters with different users. LEARNING TOOLS AND METHODS Learn to diagram, sequence, and activate new design methods and tools. Develop, present, and perform 1:1 scale prototypes and spatial mock-ups that respond to real-life challenges. THINKING CRITICALLY Engage with contemporary discourses in architecture, urbanism, and beyond — including ecological thought, spatial justice, communal practices, gender and postcolonial theory. Develop precise language and communication tools for argumentation, positioning, and reflection. COMMUNICATING AND COLLABORATING Acquire skills to communicate and collaborate effectively across disciplines and practices. Contribute to a collaborative studio culture by taking responsibility for collective debates, workshops, and shared activities.

Content

This semester we will revisit some of the practices and places we have engaged with over the years, under the title of ‘school play’. We believe that play is the foundation of learning, creativity, self-expression, and understanding the world. We take inspiration from (spatial) practices that use play as a driving force for urban transformation, from street raves and Live Action Role-Play to the design of playgrounds and other open public structures. This semester we will imagine the school and world around us as a place of play and experimentation. We invite you to participate in this semester-long endeavor. You will be given a lot of freedom to develop your own approach towards a site and subject of your own choice. You will be able to team up with one of the spatial practitioners we have invited to work with us and who are involved in urban transformation processes - large and small - that will benefit from your input. They range from the umbrella organization for planning in the region Zurich and the National Territorial Planning Agency of Albania to Kunsthalle Sankt Gallen and the De Ceuvel ​​Zoöp in Amsterdam. You will be working closely with (one of) them to make a customized plan and prototype. As a result, multiple ‘micro-studios’ will emerge, each dealing with a very specific context. The semester will unfold in four phases. In the first phase you will get to know our Design in Dialogue approach and methods and tools and will be introduced to our collaborators. During the first Design in Dialogue session a match will be made and the ‘play’ can begin. In the second phase you will test different experimental approaches in response to the specific needs of your collaborator in connection to the urban transformation processes they are engaging with. These experiments will be presented during the second Design in Dialogue session, after which you will spend the third phase refining your approach and developing 1:1 scale prototypes, ranging from spatial interventions to role play settings. ​​The ‘school play’ semester culminates in a programme of playful public presentations of your prototypes and a programme of conversations reflecting on alternative design practices, together sketching an expanded understanding of what architecture and urban transformation can entail. In order to emphasise the festive nature of this series of events we named it: ‘The Festival’. During the final weeks of December 2025 the Design in Dialogue Lab and other parts of the ONA building and its surroundings will transform into a platform for serious play and interaction. You will be presenting - or performing - your prototype for and with your collaborator as part of the festival.

Resources