052-1113-24L Architectural Design V-IX: (In) Consistency (A.Theriot)
| Semester | Autumn Semester 2024 |
| Lecturers | A. Theriot |
| Periodicity | every semester recurring course |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Comment | Please register (www.mystudies.ethz.ch) only after the internal enrolment for the design classes (see http://www.einschreibung.arch.ethz.ch/design.php). Project grading at semester end is based on the list of enrolments on 30.10.2024 (valuation date) only. This is the ultimate deadline to unsubscribe or enroll for the studio. |
Courses
| Number | Title | Hours | Lecturers | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 052-1113-24 U | Architectural Design V-IX: (In) Consistency (A.Theriot)
 Permission from lecturers required for all students.
No course 22/23.10.2024 (seminar week). | 16 hrs |
| A. Theriot |
Catalogue data
| Abstract | We aim to seize economic requirements to transform constraints into levers, producers of qualities. These may well be tangible or intangible, prosaic or poetic, constant or unstable, general or occasional... As long as they are initiated by the economy and located far from any rationality. Creating generosity, “excesses” that make the strength and uniqueness of a place. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Learning objective | The semester will unfold in three chapters: CHAP 1: MYTHOLOGY CHAP 2: FINDING FREEDOMS CHAP 3: BINDING FRAGMENTS INTEGRATED WORKSHOPS: - Mathis Pfäffli (artist) - Bertran Suris (Motion Design) - Jacqueline Pauli (Structure) - Gontran Dufour (Facade and envelope) + Lecture series (Emanuele Coccia / Sub.global ...) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Content | For architecture to endure, it has to change. Yes, but if they were to change too quickly, they would simply be following fashion. And fashion is what goes out of fashion. Fashion is the world of futility and the ephemeral. Fashion is inconsistency. But are we really so sure? Because fashion is also what is remembered and spread to other areas. Fashion is also a place for innovation, for questioning social and physical norms. When fashion goes beyond fashion, it becomes a democratic asset. Fashion is also a spatial spectacle. On the face of it, ephemeral and expensive fashion shows are the antithesis of architecture. They are simply tools of communication and commerce, with a very limited lifespan. But paradoxically, architecture can learn from these happenings. Such events sometimes seem like happy mirages, where architectural materials and textiles produce stimulating formal echoes for a few minutes and then evaporate. This bubble of pure artifice also plays on the memories of its spectators. While the physical trace of the show may only last a very short time, its impressions can linger for a long time. So it's not all that inconsistent. Our work seeks to bring together these two seemingly antagonistic visions: between the firmness and permanence of permanent architecture and the fairy-tale, experimental nature of fashion shows. Without copying fashion, architecture can draw inspiration from the speed with which it spreads, its capacity for transformation and its awareness that it is only a temporary phenomenon. By moving towards greater lightness, it could find new consistencies through the use of light, modular, inflatable and even biodegradable elements. The fragility of ephemeral architecture is only apparent. Experimenting with such devices allows us to gain maximum scale with the least amount of material. Here we return to the textile origins of architecture: huts, tents, blankets. By unburdening itself, architecture (re)finds its fundamental consistency. We can recall the words of the philosopher Emanuele Coccia, who said that ‘the world has the consistency of an atmosphere’, a framework that is both encompassing and threatened. This consistency must be defended in a world of perpetual instability, without taking refuge in the strategy of firmness at all costs. This consistency can be as solid as it is volatile. We must not consider the logics as established, but rather imagine that they respond to each other in a more organic way. Each project is part of an ecosystem, and we have to take account of its atmospheric and even intangible nature. In this way, we continue to respond to a fundamental paradox of architecture: while buildings must be solid, they always carry with them an imperative for movement and transformation. It is by evolving that architecture gains in consistency. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prerequisites / Notice | Group work only. Introduction: 17.09.24 - 9h00 - ONA E 25 Intermediate crit: 16.10.24 / 19.11.24 Final crits: 17.12.24 Extra costs: Approx. CHF 300 per student. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Competencies |
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Performance assessment
| Performance assessment information (valid until the course unit is held again) | |
Performance assessment as a semester course | |
| ECTS credits | 14 credits |
| Examiners | A. Theriot |
| Type | graded semester performance |
| Language of examination | English |
| Repetition | Repetition possible without re-enrolling for the course unit. |
| Additional information on mode of examination | Ultimate deadline for changing enrolments for this course is 30.10.2024, 24:00 h. After this date it is strictly forbidden to enrol for the course or to delete the enrolment! |
Learning materials
| Main link | Information |
| Only public learning materials are listed. | |
Groups
| No information on groups available. |
Restrictions
| General |  : Special students and auditors need a special permission from the lecturersPermission from lecturers required for all students |
Offered in
| Programme | Section | Type | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Architecture Bachelor | Architectural Design (from 5. Semester on) | W | |