052-1181-24L Architectural Design V-IX: Blind Spots Empty Lots (GD N. Cristelo Dias / M. Nägeli)
| Semester | Autumn Semester 2024 |
| Lecturers | C. Kerez, N. M. Cristelo Dias, M. Nägeli |
| Periodicity | yearly 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 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 052-1181-24 U | Architectural Design V-IX: Blind Spots Empty Lots (GD N. Cristelo Dias / M. Nägeli)
 No course 22/23.10.2024 (seminar week). | 16 hrs |
| C. Kerez, N. M. Cristelo Dias, M. Nägeli |
Catalogue data
| Abstract | The semester will focus on space as the language of architecture. Real-life constraints, requirements and disciplines will found the basis for the research in the form of fast-pace design exercise | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Learning objective | To improve skills in finding, developing, and representing an architectural concept by: - Formulating and designing spaces that challenge conventions and lead to concrete, coherent, and radical visions - Understanding the specificities of a site and establishing a strategic and factual basis for a critical attitude - Using knowledge in a project-relevant way by collecting, curating, and producing significant material for such - Expressing and representing ideas coherently and efficiently | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Content | When searching for areas in the City of Zürich that have not yet been built on, developed, or densified, one comes across interfaces where residual areas and building zones overlap. These increasingly rare, still vacant areas are located where the elements of the city are not so densely layered. The opportunities of these Blind Spots form the starting point for the design work. The 25 found and selected urban spaces are not only some of the last conventional plots in the city but also areas where a hidden potential of densified cities resides: backyards, gaps, ends of row buildings, islands within infrastructural knots, and temporary parking lots. What all have in common is that they fall in the buildable categories defined in the kommunaler Zonenplan, such as residential, industrial, commercial or center and core zones. Even though they are located in prominent areas of the city, surrounded by developed environments, these plots have remained just as they are: in the absence of Gestaltung and free of permanent function. How can this spatial value be translated into meaningful contributions to the city? And how much should actually be built? The sites will be worked on in two scales: In a first, small scale design, abstract spaces will be formulated through individual work and conveyed by exploring different modes of expression. The open, experimental approach is intended to encourage the questioning of conventions and to formulate new visions for the sites. In a second design, the appropriated tools serve as a possible foundation and are further used and supplemented. Working in pairs, a larger plot will be examined, potentials, constraints and specificities will be identified and described in maps. Based on the Zonenplan and the site analysis, a suitable use is to be defined and coherent, unconventional ideas developed. The semester will be structured and complemented by a series of workshops and input from guests. Space and form will be expressed and explored through various tools. Visions will be developed, variants tested and projects looked at in a different light or from a new perspective. Discoveries and new outputs are discussed in regular plenary sessions. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prerequisites / Notice | Individual and group work, including 5 or more weeks of group work Introduction: 17.9.24, 10:00a.m. HIL D15 Intermediate crits: 16.10.24 and 19./20.11.24 Final crits: 17.12.24 Extra costs: approx. CHF 80.--. per student (estimated costs, without possible seminar week costs) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 | C. Kerez, N. M. Cristelo Dias, M. Nägeli |
| Type | graded semester performance |
| Language of examination | English |
| Repetition | Repetition only possible after 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 lecturers |
Offered in
| Programme | Section | Type | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Architecture Bachelor | Architectural Design (from 5. Semester on) | W | |