INSIGHTS: PATHS AND ARRIVALS. DESIGN AT THE BOUNDARY BETWEEN LAND AND SEA

Specific Foundation / Core

The course is also offered to exchange programme students.

The course is an advanced studio and it aims at make students capable of designing for a specific place, something which especially in the designing of outdoors spaces is part of their project as well. This place is even more special, when it is at the boundary between sea and land, where changes and especially changes of light are too intense, the fluidity of the liquid element and its reflections change dramatically the landscape according to weather conditions and hour of the day. Since we (in Greece) live in a place constituted by 2/3 of sea and 1/3 of land, we try during the course and with assistance of the lectures, to make students sense and understand the special qualities of the greek seacoast landscape, and more so the special quality of light in the greek seacoast landscape, something about which our poets have written (Elytis), and which is compatible to some forms and scales, and not to others. Also, since the space where we design is at the boundary between land and sea, at the point where the solid and the liquid meet , but also at the point where the solid and the liquid separate from each other, we deal and discuss over the concept of “boundary”. Also, since our approach to the project is conducted through a method based on immediate experience, we ask students to design while having in mind the pedestrian visitor, and they are encouraged to design while thinking that they are walking through the space, so that they will approach the experience of the user who has the experience of the place. This we think is important in the designing of an outdoors space, where even an experienced architect is at risk of loosing the sense of scale, sense into which a kind of design based on the human body that experiences space while moving into it , brings as back. After having successfully completed the course, students will be able to: _explore relations of architectural narrative and concept with space, form, programme and context, _understand a complex programme brief and design a special large scale building, _explore and experiment with contemporary construction methods and materials along the synthetic procedure of design

The course concerns the design of an outdoor public space, upon the natural boundary between land and sea, which is at the same time the boundary of the element of water with land in general. Advanced design studio. It focuses on design concept structuring and experimentation. It explores interrelationships among architectural narrative with place, space, form and program through the design of a large Scale environment with closed and open air swimming pools. Emphasis will be given to notions such as programmatic and spatial structure, as well as identity. Design will be on level of preliminary study, with the production of an A3 dossier as the final presentation. The ability to use multiple means and programmes is required, while the use of working models is strongly encouraged.

architectural design, concept, design process, boundary between land and sea

16-02-2020