Themes 
innovative housing concepts; design visualisation and communication; precedent-based studies; group dynamics and evocative presentation formats.

Abstract
This contribution addresses the issues, working methods, results and findings – and consequently opportunities – of a recently completed integral education initiative entitled ‘House of the Future’.

In this full semester, interdisciplinary third year course – in which students of architecture as well as industrial design participated and collaborated – the aim was to crossover and where possible: shift - existing boundaries, focussing on design futures past and present…

The elective study programme was open to a limited number of students, who had to sign in beforehand. In practice this meant that a group of 60 motivated, inquisitive students was mustered, forming a recognisable temporary ‘Office of the Future’ within the Architecture faculty community as a whole.

The eventual pedagogical ’design’ of the course involved three interrelated levels of study:

• A precedent-based analytical study trajectory, focussing upon futuristic and/or innovative architectural ‘prototypes’ of the past, as well as houses designed specifically for less familiar climactic conditions. The primary working method in this line was hands-on modelling – digital (3D ‘sketch’ modelling, making active use of layering options) as well as physical (resulting in exposition-worthy project models scale 1 : 33). In the analytical study groups students collaborated in groups of 3 – 4. Each team prepared – and subsequently presented – a concise project portfolio, accompanied by study- and presentation models.
• An exploratory design project, aimed at the evolvement of housing concepts for the (not too distant) future, taking into consideration aspects of durability, dwindling natural resources and potential climate change scenarios. This study line kicked off with a series of acquainting and activating workshop sessions, addressing aspects such as lightweight construction (aerospace), product design and futurism in a historic context. After these initial exercises, intended as ‘eye-openers’, design teams of two students were formed, each specifying their own design parameters and ambitions. After several design development- and presentation rounds, the 30 design teams presented their findings and proposals using posters and models.
• A formal study project entitled ‘The Chair’, in which the students – in this case working individually – were required to develop a working prototype for a ‘seat for the future’. Starting with a reference study of chair design (particularly by architects) each student developed and eventually ‘realised’ a novel seating element, presented as a 1 : 3 model with an accompanying folder and sketch portfolio.

In each of these study lines various types of design visualisation andcommunication modes were actively employed. An aspect that was stressed in the tutoring sessions as well as in a special lecture series (open to all members of faculty). Furthermore each student was required to reflect upon the course content and individual learning process in an graphically designed, professional booklet.

Envisioning Futures (PDF 3,3Mb)