Advanced Studio

Abstract

Students in the Advanced Studio will look at the Anniviers valley (Valais) to reimagine Switzerland's future energy landscapes in relation to the multiple temporal and spatial layers, material flows, and socioecological dynamics under a rapidly changing climate.

Objective

Students will think critically as landscape designers about Switzerland's future energy landscapes and develop proposals that go beyond problem-solving, to integrate complex visions of the territory that address socioecological dynamics and challenges across multiple timescales. Throughout the semester, students will elaborate their own research and design methodologies by integrating different fieldwork and site-reading techniques in combination with archival research. The projects will result from an iterative process where research and design go hand-in-hand. Students will be required to work across different spatial scales, addressing material flows and temporal layers. This includes documenting, analysing, and interpreting past and present metabolisms within Alpine energy landscapes and proposing possible futures through iterative design proposition. Students will be required to document their working methods and design process throughout the semester and present this as part of their final design work.

Content

Swiss Alpine landscapes are undergoing radical changes—ecological, economic, cultural, among others—which will continue to increase in the upcoming decades as climate change accelerates glacial melting. Plans to reduce reliance on fossil fuels will require an increase in the of capacity of hydroelectric energy production in the Alps. This will involve enlarging existing reservoirs and constructing new ones at high-alpine locations. This energy transition will unquestionably have an impact on the Swiss Alpine landscape at many different levels, with unforeseeable outcomes. During the semester, students will look at the Anniviers valley in the canton of Valais to understand, reflect on and develop proposals around the topic of future Alpine energy landscapes. The studio builds on the students’ previous knowledge from foundational courses, design studios, and digital survey and representation methods. By combining these competences with archival research, students will work on a dynamic understanding of the territory that overlays its complexity across temporal and spatial scales. Reflecting on the meaning of future energy landscapes in relation to material and cultural flows, encourages students to critically reimagine alternative futures for the Anniviers valley which integrate both the visible and hidden complexities of the territory.

Resources