In the spring semester 2018 the studio will continue to investigate the relationship between the four fundamental architectural categories; substructure, structure, space and material, that is to say, to study how ideas of structural and material assembly are inseparable from the formation of characterful spaces. 

The focus of the discussion will be on the notion of the “new” in architecture. A series of selected buildings built during the 20th century, situated in the Metropolitan City of Milan, and the city itself, act as a starting point for the investigations. The students will visit, sensually experience and study buildings created by the architects Mario Asagno (1886-1980) and Claudio Vender (1904-1986). Based on these subjective experiences and analyses, the students are asked to position themselves in relation to the “new” or “modern” in architecture, in writing and through a semester project. How do we define an individual position as architects in relation to the history of architecture - what to continue and what to leave behind? What kinds of values do we want to take with us into the future?

The semester task, titled NOVELTY, is to develop one, or several autonomous structures based on the concept of the “new” with a minimum area of 1000 m2 and maximum area of 10 000 m2. The selected buildings’ substructures (historical, political, philosophical, typological), construction, materiality, surface ornament and spaces, will serve both as an immediate inspiration, and as case studies to be analysed according to the given topic.  An individual architectural program is to be developed, framed by each student’s findings/interests in the building/s.  Relevant topics to be discussed throughout the semester will be; to alter, to renew, to remain, to repeat, to substitute, recurrence or recombination.

Architecture is about having a sensual approach to technical challenges. The awareness and ability to gain knowledge from own sensual experience of existing buildings and a context and how to use this in the making of architecture is a critical and continuous discussion in studio Positions.