Start semester
40 550 Re:Source Pavilion (Timber Studio)
Admission to AHO and successful completion of three years bachelor level studies (180 ECTS).
Re:Source Pavilion
Part of master course series: Timber Studio
The pavilion as a building task
For many, the pavilion is a contested building task. As its function tends to be limited and its construction less durable, the pavilion may be criticised for its use of resources. However, it may also be a testbed for new architectural ideas and for solutions that are not (yet) possible in commercial contexts; it may explore potential future building techniques or resource applications; it may exhibit these to both the professional world and to the broader public; and it may create new professional networks. Furthermore, both the building material sourcing and scenarios for subsequent uses may be active and conscious part of the conceptualization and design of the pavilion.
Four focus stages of material sustainability: "Plan A/B/C/D"
Previous "Timber Studio" master courses at AHO* and an associated PhD** have been evolving along ideas about sustainable material use stemming from the study of literature and built precedents along with invited lectures. Even when employing renewable resources that in addition store carbon, such as timber, these environmental benefits are maximized when the materials are in use as long as possible and when their use is planned in a cascading circle that does not end in a landfill, but feeds into energy or soil production.
This cascading circle may be understood as a perpetual succession of four use stages, or focus areas, that each try to minimize material or energy losses along the way.
"Plan A": The first focus should always be on extending a building's life span. This is supported by the construction's durability, the layout's and surfaces' adaptability and the building's overall lovability.
"Plan B": If at some point, the building needs to be taken down, it should be possible to reuse it as a whole or its components with the least modification and the least loss of material possible (design for disassembly).
"Plan C": When building components do not allow any further reuse, their materials' recycling will give them another life. Even when flagged as "upcycling" however, this new life is sometimes a dead end, for example when the materials' treatment only allows for later disposal in a landfill.
"Plan D": Materials should always be treated in a way that does not impede their later composting for soil amendment or their combustion for energy production. However, some paints or impregnations turn wooden materials into hazardous waste, and composites are often impossible to separate into their organic and inorganic constituents.
Re:Source Pavilion
While the previous "Timber Studio" courses have mainly dealt with "Plan A", this course's task is designed to predominantly address "Plan B" and "Plan C". It will focus on wooden construction materials and pay special attention to their provenience (e.g. pre-used, cut-offs, waste, left-overs) and to their afterlife (not impeding composting or combustion). It will furthermore engage in design for disassembly and scenarios for subsequent uses.
During the fall semester, we will focus on the conceptualization of the pavilion and the design and rough dimensioning of its construction system and details. We will work with sketches on paper, physical models, digital models, 1:1 detail mock-ups and visualizations. We will also document the study of sources used in this course, such as lectures or the analysis of example projects. The teacher team will have expertise in architectural design and theory, timber construction, parametric design and timber engineering. A continuation of the course is possible in spring 2023, when it is planned to build and exhibit the pavilion along the World Conference on Timber Engineering 2023 in Oslo. The disassembly and relocation to the pavilion's subsequent location will also be part of that semester.
Teacher team
Ute Groba (AHO, course responsible)
Samuel Blumer (sblumer ZT GmbH, Graz, Austria)
Rune Veslegård (Snøhetta)
Moritz Groba (Oslotre)
* ‘Low-rise High-density Prefabricated Timber Housing’ (fall 2016); ‘Housing Individuals’ (fall 2020); ‘Timber Topping’ (fall 2021); ‘Timber Housing Cycles’ (spring 2022).
** Groba, Ute. 2021. ‘Timber Tales : A Qualitative Study of Timber Materiality in Housing Projects’. Oslo: The Oslo School of Architecture and Design.
Knowledge:
- about timber properties and how they impact design, construction and detailing
- about state-of-the-art timber techniques as tested and displayed in international timber pavilions
- about timber construction systems and details
Skills:
- Use of physical models, sketches, drawings and 3d-programs
- Communicate with engineers, producers, and develop solutions together
General competence:
- Coherence of general architecural ambition, concept, material choices, design, constrution, details
- Collaboration with student teammates and consultants
Click here for reading list in Leganto.
| Mandatory coursework | Courseworks required | Presence required | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Presence required | Required | Requirements to pass: Active participation in lectures, workshops, group meetings and desk crits are required, as well as the steady development of the project with regular supervision meetings. Unless impeded by new Covid-related restrictions, all meetings will take place at AHO. Physical attendance is required. It is mandatory to attend and meet the requirements of midterm and final review. | |
| Supervision talks | Required | Regular supervision meetings are required. The student is expected to advance the project between supervision meetings and to prepare the necessary models and drawings for each supervision. | |
| Exercise | Required | Smaller accompanying tasks will be part of the mandatory coursework, such as the analysis of example projects, lecture reports or reading tasks. Their submission will be required according to a course book template. | |
| Excursions | Required | The participation in local site visits and the study trip are part of the mandatory course program. Those who have a justifiable reason not to join the study trip will receive an alternative task to be completed during the study trip week. |
| Form of assessment | Grouping | Grading scale | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Project assignment | Individual | Pass / fail | The final grade will be set on the basis of: - engagement during class meetings and steady effort over the entire semester - interim presentations and models - documentation and presentation of the process and the final result - final presentation - demonstration of creative, analytical and critical thinking skills - clear argumentation; coherence with conceptual, spatial, functional and technical design solution - ability to communicate the project visually and verbally - (spring 2023: built pavilion as a group result) Requirements to pass: Active participation in lectures, workshops, group meetings and desk crits are required, as well as the steady development of the project with regular supervision meetings. It is mandatory to attend and meet the requirements of midterm and final review. |
| Workload activity | Comment |
|---|---|
| Excursion |