The studio introduces the student to speculative approaches towards a design problem. The first sequence focuses on questions of "interiority" and it's relationship to the setting in which it resides (an existing building), and to its cultural context (program & narrative). Cultivating transformative logics of representation, students are encouraged to develop the project from the inside-out. The studio aims to disrupt conservative logics of part to whole relationships and spatial composition by examining and materializing unexpected correlations between familiar objects. The studio will embark on experimental design procedures that involve cycles of making (analog) then modeling (digital), at various scales. The studio will simultaneously conduct research on the history of the office and its trajectory to the contemporary workplace, discuss relevant cultural topics, and engage in discussions.
The project is an adaptive reuse of a warehouse in the city. Students will research and understand the history of the workplace - from the autonomous cubicle layout, to the hyper-technological open office environment, to the current emergence of the shared office space that offers a hotel-like interiority. The studio ultimately argues for an object's role in an architectural interiority.
Studio Unit
The studio develops narratives through a curatorial approach and set creation, to form critical architectural questions about the nature of the workplace.
The studio engages in cyclical feedback between making, drawing and modeling; constantly moving in between analog and digital mediums. Transitioning between these two realms will allow students to be opportunistic with the advantages each tool holds, and offer opportunities for novel translations of the project at various stages.
Students formulate speculative hybrid models; mesh-based techniques are integrated with traditional orthographic modeling. A strong emphasis is placed on representations through images, line, colour, pattern & weight.
From Objects to Architecture : Students are encouraged to formulate a personal hybrid workflow and aesthetic, with a strong emphasis on graphical representations and critical design enquiry.
Models are fine tuned to adhere to program specifics, context, material and graphics without diluting the aesthetic and formal attitude of the preliminary design investigations.
