fall 2005
ARC 393/394:
Vertical Studio
Course Description
This course will investigate the concepts of Techne (technology), Topos (place), and Typos (type) as a foundation for sustainable architecture. Through readings, the study of exemplars, and the resolution of design problems you will be introduced to a way design-thinking that is unique to the discipline of architecture.
Students who are introduced to design as a visual practice commonly understand architecture as image-making or as an exercise in personal expression. In this model of practice architects strive to construct artful metaphors that are free of the constraints of everyday life. If architecture is practiced as a visual art, the physical limits of technique, the ecological limits of places, and the social history of institutions are too easily understood as obstacles to be overcome in the pursuit of individual expression. In contrast, the hypothesis to be investigated in this studio is that significant designs emerge from the everyday conditions that are embodied in technologies, places, and types. These English words may derive from the ancient Greek but do not quite mean the same thing as do techne, topos, and typos. In fact, it is the discontinuity of meaning from the ancients to our contemporary world that should inform your investigations.
With these concepts in mind, the structure of the studio can be understood as a matrix that defines three problems:
| problem 1: | problem 2: | problem 3: | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Techne | bearing wall | wood frame | weave |
| Topos | West Texas hot/arid |
New England cold/temperate |
Louisiana hot/humid |
| Typos | a pool pavilion | a commons pavilion | a music pavilion |