Lecturers: Roman Kirschner and Anthea Oestreicher
Contents and Objectives
The seminar is an introduction into designing (with) spaces. „Soft Architecture“ differs from the classical idea of architecture in that it does not aim to build permanently habitable spaces. It rather encourages students to experiment with existing spaces, to ask what they offer and how they can be adapted to communicate and afford specific atmospheres, narratives, rules, actions and interactions.
Experimenting with spaces comprises experimentation with structures and materials that give these spaces character. Through trial and error, bodily experiences and discussions, students develop their sensitivity and intuition as designers.
This year we will approach this experimentation with an ecological twist. Since spaces are neither abstract nor clinically pure, we also always have to take microbiological lifeforms and entropy into account. In this year’s issue will deal with microscopic/planktonic life forms, growth processes, environmental conditions, microcosms, and technically mediated connections between micro ecologies in playful settings.
Schedule
Course: 16.09. – 10.10.2024, Monday – Thursday: 9-17
Week 1
(Introduction, Excursions, Ideation and Team Building)
| Monday (16.09.) | Tuesday (17.09.) | Wednesday (18.09) | Thursday (19.09) |
9:00-11:00 Kickoff (4T31) (11:00 ??) 1st semester welcome | Anfrage - ZHAW outdoor (wetter - flex) | outdoor (wetter - flex) Visit Grundwasserwerk Hardhof - Tour 9:30 Limmat Spot Project Development Individual Mentoring | 9:00 Project Group Building (4T06) |
13-15 irgendwas nicht theoretisches;) 15-17 Einführung Aesthetics of Interaction | Ideation exercises [Semester Overview with Jürgen (Zoom)] | outdoor (wetter - flex) | Project Development Individual Mentoring |
Week 2
(Concept development (Topic/Goal/Spatiality), Prototyping, Game Development (Rules/Realisation))
Monday (23.09) | Tuesday (24.09) | Wednesday (25.09) | Thursday (26.09) |
09:00 - 10:30 Presentation of idea per subgroup Discussion (5F02 - 9-12) | Project Development | Individual Mentoring Project Development | Individual Mentoring Project Development |
13-15 | Project Development | Individual Mentoring Project Development 15-17 Aesthetics of Interaction | 13:00 - 14:30 Presentation Mockups, Experiments and Ideas. (4T06 13-17) Martina (Experimental Ecology) |
Week 3
| Monday (30.09) | Tuesday (1.10.) | Wednesday (2.10) | Thursday (3.10) |
Individual Mentoring Project Development | |||
| 13-15 | Project Development | 15-17 Aesthetics of Interaction |
Week 4
| Monday (7.10) | Tuesday (8.10.) | Wednesday (9.10) | Thursday (10.10) |
| Mentoring Project/ Exhibition Execution Details | Individual Mentoring - Zurich project Project Development | Class Feedback | |
13-15 15-17 Aesthetics of Interaction | Project Development | 15.00 Exhibition Vernissage | Documentation & |
Locations
Indoor:
16.09. – 03.10.: Room: Projektraum 4.K22-1 + Werkstatt
other rooms for occasional presentations (see schedule above)
7.10. - 10.10. Kunstraum ZT 5.K12
Outdoor: various locations at Limmat and lake Zurich.
Exhibition Vernissage: 9.10. 15:00
Things to bring for field days or working on site
Tools for documentation, water equipment that might be needed (swim suit, rubber boots),
basic construction material by preference (tapes, cable ties, strings, small tools, saw (?), knife (?), textiles (?)),
Field research task:
Develop attention for atmosphere, presence, performances (of spaces, people, materials), fields (of actions, of influences), rhythms of environment (sea, wind, season), different time frames, collaboration with the landscape, interactions between people, materials, and spaces.
Design task:
Develop a temporary piece of architecture or spatial intervention in any of available locations (underwater, coast, abandoned military architectures). We demand a strong conceptual involvement but it is most of all about concrete experiences and tests!
Subtask:
How to recreate or represent the experiences and spaces from the field trip back in Toni?