Tools for Design, Fall 2012 (Q2)

INTERIORS, BUILDINGS & CITIES MSc 2

Studio TOOLS FOR DESIGN

(15 ECTS, AR0740)

 

Tutor:

Peter Luthi

Coordinator:

Eireen Schreurs

Course content

Some students believe that a good design simply is the result of a well-chosen (formal) concept. I think this is a misunderstanding. In projects where the design process is documented (like in Venturi's Vanna Venturihouse) you will discover that the design is the result of endless modifications of a few relevant design main points.

In the project “Tools for Design” the emphasis lies on the conversion of a well-known building type: the city block. A building type which could on one hand be located anywhere in Rotterdam and on the other hand must fit into the urban fabric of the area around the Grote Marktplein both in scale and programme. Because of the compact time schedule we provide a very structured approach. We will develop the design step by step, starting with town planning issues relating to the city block and ending with the design of a public part of the building (Grand Café). In order to achieve a useful, beautiful and lively building proposal the results that we obtain from working on different scales have to be integrated. During the design process we will use relevant design tools, which we will discover by analysing similar projects by architects like Herzog and De Meuron, Kahn and others.

Practical information

This course is a full time design studio which will give you 15 ECTS upon successful completion. The course is specially designed for students that feel insecure about their design skills and want to practice design in a compact and intensively guided setting. The course is given by Peter Luthi as an msc2 studio and is FULL time. The course starts in week 1 and 10 and takes 8 weeks, with studio once a week, usually on a Thursday. There is a maximum of 12 people that can enrol each half semester. It is the only design course in the msc2 that starts halfway the semester.

In order to enrol: please mail to p.luthi@tudelft.nl

For further questions please mail the coordinator e.p.n.schreurs@tudelft.nl

Goal

Acquiring some techniques and researching on methods which the designing process makes controllable.  

Working method

With the use of a design project we try to let the student in weekly steps exercise in all scales of designing and to get grip on the designing methods which are relevant for an in all circumstances good build environment.

The order of rank in the designing steps are in this project very important

Weekly there will be presented some subjects with relevant literature.

To spare some designing time, the most necessary information is available.

On the first meeting you will receive a list which is giving you a overview over the whole period, about the subjects/ designing steps/ weekly results en the necessary information for project week 2.

The first week is reserved for active research/ analysing the situation and evaluating the own till now handled designing process.

You will receive the relevant information and assignments which you have to present on the first meeting.

If you have a question about the project you can do this by mail. We appreciate it when you are thinking with us about the arrangement of the project (tools of design and composition).

Please confirm by mail to Peter Luthi if you want to participate

The assignment

Develop in the given situation, the next 8 weeks, an urban building block which in relation with measure, scale and programme reacts on the existing adjacent environment, and which also can be a prototype of an urban building block which can be a part and also a enrichment of the existing city.

(situation building block in the city, see attachment 1+2)

(situation building block in the adjacent environment, see attachment 3)

The activities of each week consist of a mix of analyse activities (study track A) and design activities (study track O)

Week 1

A 1; study track A: research of the existing adjacent environment of the given situation in place, in relation with scale, programme, appearance, materialisation, construction, and building parts (Tuesday and Saturday are, interesting, market days!)

O 1; study track O: develop for the given situation an idea (vision) of an urban building block, which can be a part and also a enrichment of the existing environment.

A2; study track A: research your designing process with an own completed designing project and define the different phases of the design process.

On the first meeting we expect a presentation of the following results:

A1: some A4 perspective hand sketches (no photographs), within the sketches some personal comments in relation with programme, scale, material, appearance…. (a preview of a perspective sketch with comments, see attachment 4)

O1: some A4 perspective hand sketches (no digital drawings) of the new to be designed building block, within the sketches personal comments in relation with scale, appearance…… etc. (a preview of a perspective sketch, see attachment 5)

A 2: some A4 sketches with schemes of the different phases of the designing process, which illustrates the by you followed and appropriate designing process.

A 2: a short presentation of the, by A 2, own chosen project.