Site plan - exhibition 6th May

Inspiration for PHASE4?

hello,

I mentioned on the session earlier today that there has been buildings erected by students at BAS earlier. Check the enclosed photos for an idea of what have been done.
The pictures are from my 2nd grade and the course "Urban Shelter" with Finnish architect Sami Rintala in June 2006.

Please have a look at even more pictures at my Flickr-account on:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brynlund/

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The Invisibles are Working

Chaosorderchaosorderchaosorder.

Marjan Teeuwen, Archief Sheddak 1 (2010), Verwoest Huis 2 (2008), Verwoest Huis 8 (2008)

Thoughts

What is reality? What is in our minds? What do we see? What do we feel is inside of us? What do we make up in our heads?

Der Mensch als Industriepalast [Man as Industrial Palace] from Henning Lederer on Vimeo.

FFO Workshop 2010 02 26

At FFO we got useful information about the organization and were naturally discussing universal design, while trying out different ways of being blind. As you can see from the picture below, we where handed out special glasses and blindfolds that represented the most common visual impairments.

I tried to write, draw and braid hair, while being totally blind. It was a good experience and you got the impression of what kind of blindness you would prefer. (Like you have the option to choose, haha.) However, I think that most of the participants, including myself, would prefer having partially clear vision, from being totally blind or suffer from cataract - blurred vision. To be able to see clearly in some parts of the visual field and not at all in other parts seemed a bit disturbing, but yet manageable.

Somehow, I think I got even more respect for the blind after this workshop. I will occasionally continue walking around alone with my head down to learn more, and recommend others to do the same!

Introduction

We see, hear, feel and move through space and the experience and our body is in constant dialogue with the physical form in which we exist. Aware and unaware we constantly register form, texture, scale and movement and in doing so we perceive seen and un-seen architectural intentions and quality in a never ending dialogue with space.

Universal design is a new design concept focusing on physiological diversity and equal rights. Universal design points to the responsibility of the architect to design spaces for all, spaces for participation and social interaction – and spaces for experience! Often functionality is considered the core issue of universal design but in this course we will focus on the senses – vision, hearing, touch and the kinaesthetic senses – and through these discuss the balance between aesthetics, functionality, architectural quality and universal design.

As architects and humans we will look at our potential for inspiring socially sustainable living. We will discuss how to coexist in our complex urban environment, and how to stimulate social solidarities. Social sustainability is the examination of the social processes underlying sustainability: particular, universal and their interdependence.

We will explore the use of our body and our senses in the experience of architecture as well as investigate architecture's invisible details as an enhancing factor for social interaction and bodily awareness.

Studies will be based on universal design theories and methodologies as well as readings on social sustainability, perception, architectural experiences and sensory disabilities. Through 1:1 exercises and collaboration with impaired users we will explore aspects of architectural space which are invisible to the eye.

The semester will take us through 4 phases of studying form and space as facilitator of the meeting between diverse individuals using Universal Design as a design tool to investigate the relation between the individual and the general in architectural design.