MSc3/4 Programme Spring 2012

 

INTERIORS, BUILDINGS & CITIES MSc 3/4

CULTURE, IDENTITY AND SOCIABILITY IN THE INNER CITY

The Library as a Public Retreat

 

Programme

A library / study centre consisting of various elements such as library, mediatheque, study spaces, meeting rooms, exposition space, office, café or restaurant.

(approximately 15.000 m2)

 

Site

The site is in Amsterdam, chosen by each student from a given selection of locations in the centre and its immediate periphery.

 

Theme

The question “Who owns the city centre?” seems to be ever more crucial.

In the inner city of Amsterdam one sees large public institutions, small cultural and social spaces and social housing gradually being supplanted by shopping and leisure areas and luxury apartments.

In our view, the city government should resist this tendency by supporting alternative initiatives that stimulate a more mixed use of this important area.

Furthermore, we believe that educational institutions, such as universities and ‘hogescholen’ are very important for the public life in the city. As an example of the relevance of situating these libraries in the city centre, one could mention the ongoing discussion about the disputed site of the university library at the Binnengasthuis area.

The university library as an architectural assignment in the city gives students the opportunity to create a truly public building, where various users might meet. Designing a building in the city requires a close reading of both the existing location and the wider context of both the city itself and its context. Context in this sense relates to many things: the architectural traditions and cultures of Amsterdam, the precedents of domestic and institutional architecture, the continuities and discontinuities in the architecture of the city; and finally, a careful study of architectural models and building typologies from various periods. The library in history offers a rich and inspiring range of prototypes.

 

 

Organization and focus

The Msc3 Interiors, Buildings and Cities offers a full and elaborate programme, consisting of these 3 specific elements:

• an intense Design Course with several design exercises focusing on building mass, space, materials and appearance. At the end of Msc3 we expect a convincing preliminary design in drawings and models at 1:200 scale.

• a Research Seminar, related to the topics of the Studio and focusing on both the programme, the intended users and the specific location, led by Irene Cieraad (a cultural anthropologist)

• a lecture series on urban theory offered by DSD: New Urban Questions.

 

Teachers:

Mark Pimlott

Christoph Grafe

 

Graduation Courses MSc3 Interiors 30 ects:

Interiors         Design Course                                  (AR3Ai133/ 15 ects)

Interiors
        Research Seminar                            (AR3Ai132/ 6 ects)

Architecture
Research Methods and Practices   (AR3A160/ 6 ects)

DSD
              New Urban Question                        (AR3DSD040/ 3 ects)