2024 Høst

Start semester

61 150 Commons – Urban landscapes

Emnenavn på Norwegian Bokmål:

Fellesrom – By og landskap

Credits:

Course code:

61 150

Level of study:

Bachelor

Teaching semester:

2024 Autumn

Assessment semester:

2024 Autumn

Language of instruction:

Norwegian

Year:

2024

Required prerequisite knowledge

Du må ha bestått følgende emner:

61 110 Form – Landskapslaboratorium

80 112 GK1 Examen Philosophicum

61 120 Form – Parklaboratorium

61 121 Landskapsarkitekturens historie

61 123 Økologi for landskapsarkitektur – økologisk form og funksjon

61 133 Systemer – Naturlaboratorium

61 143 Systemer – Bynaturlaboratorium

Course content

«Fellesrom - By og landskap» har Osloregionen som studieobjekt. Emnet er todelt, bestående av en prosjekteringsoppgave samt forelesningsrekken «Urbane praksiser». Studentene blir introdusert til tverrfaglig samarbeid i et emne der studenter fra både landskapsarkitektur- og arkitekturprogrammet jobber med samme semesteroppgave.

1) PROSJEKTERINGSOPPGAVE: BYUTVIKLING OG TRANSFORMASJON

Oppgaven er et transformasjonsprosjekt, forankret i relevant fagdiskurs. Oppgaven utvikles gjennom analytiske forstudier som skal hjelpe studentene å danne seg et bilde av hvilke strukturelle, landskapsmessige og arkitektoniske potensialer som kan utvikles, og hvilket konseptuelt rammeverk oppgaven bør baseres på. Prosjektet som utvikles skal manifestere de intensjoner og lesninger studentene definerer i arbeidet med den lokale situasjonen.

Studentene arbeider med by- og stedsutvikling i stor og liten skala, og utvikler strategiske designprosjekter som vil inngå i en større, sammenhengende helhet.

2) FORELESNINGSREKKE: URBANE PRAKSISER

Urbanisme er et sammensatt fagfelt som henter kunnskap fra ulike fagtradisjoner. Forelesningsrekken på i 5 semester adresserer relevante problemstillinger innenfor urbanismefaget i dag. Den gir en introduksjon til det norske plansystemet, og gjør rede for urbanismefagets ulike tilnærminger og betraktningsmåter. Pedagogisk sett gjøres dette gjennom å presentere forskjellige teorier, prosjekter og praksisformer innenfor urbanismefaget. Forelesningene skal så langt det er mulig knyttes direkte opp mot studioundervisningen.

Learning outcome

«Fellesrom - By og landskap» skal samlet gi basisopplæring i teori, metode og praksis innenfor urbanisme. Studentene skal etter endt kurs ha tilegnet seg grunnleggende kunnskaper om problemstillinger og arbeidsmåter innenfor urbanisme. I tilnærmingen til urbanisme er inngår landskapet som en del av det urbane prosjektet og utviklingen av prosjektet.

Studentene skal kunne lese og fortolke urbane landskap og i tillegg artikulere landskapsbaserte beskrivelser av de urbane omgivelsene. De opparbeider seg en kunnskap om urbane fellesrom (commons) gjennom lesning og fortolkning av urbane landskap og i prosjekteringsoppgaven.

Videre skal studentene ha vært med på å utvikle og presentere et komplekst byformingsprosjekt basert på reelle rammer og forankret i et aktuelt byplantema. Hovedfasene omfatter analyser og tolkninger, plan- og prosjektutvikling samt presentasjon.

Endelig skal studentene i studiokurset oppøve evne til å arbeide overlappende i ulike skalaer og å etablere en grunnleggende forståelse av sammenhengen mellom arkitektur, landskap og samfunn.

Working and learning activities

Innholdet i emnet, inkludert semesteroppgave, studiereise og organisering av undervisning og veiledning, koordineres med emne 60 150 GK5 By og arkitektur.

Emnet er basert på prosjekteringsprosesser knyttet til en gitt problemstilling og kontekst. Studentene vil tilnærme seg prosjekteringsoppgaven gjennom analyse og tematiske studier, og basert på dette utarbeide et planprosjekt. Flere av oppgavene, inkludert hovedoppgaven, vil være gruppearbeid.

Undervisningen vil bestå av forelesninger fra lærerteam og inviterte gjester i tillegg til prosjektveiledning i grupper, workshops, delgjennomganger og avsluttende gjennomgang med eksterne kritikere.

Parallelt med dette emnet følger studentene emnet 61 151 By- og byplanhistorie. Her introduseres studentene til historisk og teoretisk kontekst og til verktøy og referanser som er relevante for prosjekteringsarbeidet.

Det gjennomføres en studiereise i løpet av semesteret. Målet med reisen er å gi studentene konkret erfaring med by-, landskaps- og transformasjonsprosjekter av høy kvalitet. Erfaringene skal gi grunnlag for løpende diskusjoner og refleksjoner om aktuelle og relevante problemstillinger om urbane landskap og i urbanisme og byplanlegging.

Fysisk oppmøte til undervisning, veiledning, delgjennomganger og andre undervisningsaktiviteter er forventet og nødvendig for å oppfylle læringsutbytte.

Curriculum

Litteraturlisten vil være tilgjengelig i Leganto.

Mandatory coursework	Courseworks required	Presence required	Comment
Annet - spesifiser i kommentarfeltet		Not required	Deltagelse på aktiviteter (som f.eks. ekskursjoner, feltarbeid, workshops, delgjennomganger) definert som sentralt for kurset, samt innlevering av oppgavebesvarelser utlevert i undervisningen.

Form of assessment	Grouping	Grading scale	Comment
Portfolio assessment (Vurderingsmappe)	-	Pass / fail	Hovedoppgaven og flere av introduksjonsoppgavene vil være gruppearbeid. - Besvarelsene vil bestå av bl.a. tegninger (snitt og planer), modeller, illustrasjoner og tekst. - Til sluttgjennomgangen skal en digital leveranse lastes opp på Moodle, øvrig materiell tas med til gjennomgangen. - Endelige innleveringskrav er beskrevet i detalj på Moodle. Studentene må presentere innlevert materiale muntlig på delgjennomganger, midtgjennomgang og sluttgjennomgang. Studentene må møte på og presentere muntlig på sluttgjennomgangen.

Start semester

2024 Høst

40 330 Speculative futures #3: Ecology and Economy

Emnenavn på Norwegian Bokmål:

Speculative futures #3: Ecology and Economy

Credits:

Course code:

40 330

Level of study:

Master

Teaching semester:

2024 Autumn

Assessment semester:

2024 Autumn

Language of instruction:

English

Year:

2024

Maximum number of students:

Person in charge

Lisbeth Funck

Matthew Anderson

Required prerequisite knowledge

Admission to master in architecture at AHO and successful completion of three years bachelor level studies (180 ECTS)

Course content

Studio Positions propose an ongoing program of research and studio teaching within the framework of Speculative futures, through work based and theoretical research. Over four semesters the studio aims to question and develop innovative critical and sustainable approaches to architecture.

In autumn 2024, the studio is part of a European collaboration project (BIP), European cities in transition: Charleroi – River Sambre, with five other architecture schools in Europe and local actors.

The students will critically examine the legal and economic circumstances and consequences of selected historical and contemporary case studies of human actions in matters related to the environment and animal welfare. The material will be collected in an archive that will form a common source of knowledge for the workshop in Belgium in October 2024.

The workshop will consist of field-studies operating in the blurred zone between the rural landscape and the city, documenting in different media the multiidentity of the river, aiming for an expanded portrait of the river.

Learning outcome

Knowledge:

Ecology and economy Critical reflections on the architect s´ role in times of climate change
Contemporary discourses related to status of international and national laws and convention of protections of non-human life.

Skills:

Theoretical research skills International interdisciplinary groupwork and presentation of work for an international professional audience.

General competence:

Critical thinking Interpretation of research data into an architectural context

Working and learning activities

Individual and groupwork Investigations and written critical reflections of selected cases Lectures Reading One week workshop /fieldwork

Excursion: Charleroi – River Sambre, Belgium The students will receive a travel grant that covers costs for travel and accommodation NB! 18.10 – 26.10

Tuesdays program: individual and group research, lectures, discussions Workshop in Belgium.

Participation is required.

Form of assessment	Grouping	Grading scale	Comment
Project assignment	-	Pass / fail

Start semester

2024 Høst

60 314 Mapping Rural Norway

Emnenavn på Norwegian Bokmål:

Mapping Rural Norway

Credits:

Course code:

60 314

Level of study:

Master

Teaching semester:

2024 Autumn

Assessment semester:

2024 Autumn

Language of instruction:

English

Year:

2024

Maximum number of students:

Person in charge

Espen Aukrust Hauglin

Required prerequisite knowledge

Admission to AHO and successful completion of three years bachelor level studies (180 ECTS)

Course content

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) provide students with the opportunity to collect, edit, analyze, and visualize geographic data, either as prerequisite or as an integrated part of project development.

The course will introduce basic concepts and methods in mapping, spatial analysis, and GIS. As a case, the course will explore rural communities in northern parts of Østerdalen with a focus on the study of spatial and non-spatial relationships between the built environment and natural resources. The approach to the study is through cartographic mapping and how maps developed in GIS provide insight and knowledge about the use of GIS to study spatial and local phenomena.

The course will emphasize describing situations today, as well as discussing any development opportunities that potentially can be derived from the mapping and detailed cartographic studies.

The course builds on the elective course Coastal Mapping (www.coastalmapping.no), which studied the fishing industry's footprint on land in northern Norwegian fishing villages in the period 2018-2022.

Learning outcome

Knowledge:

- Handling geographical information and cartographic representations on a territorial and local scale.
- Knowledge of and skills in studies of urban form from a cartographic perspective.

Skills:
- Skills in using Geographical Information Systems (GIS) for visual mapping and analysis.
- Skills in putting together and presenting a complex spatial study.

General competence:
- Knowledge of rural areas which gives competence to understand and work in this type of area.
- Competence in GIS and handling of geographical knowledge entered on own CV.

Working and learning activities

The course will be organized as joint work with lectures and seminars on mapping, spatial analysis, and GIS. Each student will produce maps and material that describe and discuss rural communities in northern parts of Østerdalen.

The course will conduct an excursion to the northern parts of Østerdalen during the semester

Form of assessment	Grouping	Grading scale	Comment
Project assignment	-	Pass / fail

Start semester

80 302 Norwegian tectonic traditions

Emnenavn på Norwegian Bokmål:

Norske tektoniske tradisjoner

Credits:

Course code:

80 302

Level of study:

Master

Teaching semester:

2024 Autumn

Assessment semester:

2024 Spring

Language of instruction:

Norwegian

Year:

2024

Maximum number of students:

Person in charge

Kolbjørn Nesje Nybø

Required prerequisite knowledge

Admission to AHO and successful completion of three years bachelor level studies (180 ECTS).

The course is open to students from: Architecture, Design and Landscape Architecture

Course content

Studies of historical Norwegian house types, structural systems, and construction methods. The focus will be on wood and wooden structures, iron and iron structures, and old masonry structures with lime mortar and plaster.

Learning outcome

Knowledge:

Be able to identify Norwegian structures in wood, iron, or masonry in an architectural-, cultural- and technical context. Be able to explain the architectural design, structural system, and craft traditions.

Skills:

Be able to apply the knowledge by participating in the building of a full-scale structure.

General competence:

Good understanding of traditional Norwegian building methods and material properties.

Working and learning activities

The first part of the course consists of lectures, discussions, and mini excursions. Parallel to this the students will write a scientific essay; this can also involve scientific experiments or model building. The essay must be submitted and presented for the class the week before the immersion week. The immersion week will be a workshop at AHO or somewhere else, where the students will build the structural system of a small house in full scale.

Curriculum

Click here for reading list in Leganto.

Mandatory coursework	Courseworks required	Presence required	Comment
Exercise	1	Required	A scientific essay will be written during the semester, with submission before elective course week. The essay must be presented orally and is part of the final assessment. The essay can have a self-selected topic, and can be written alone or in a group, but it must highlight a topic that is relevant to the course. The essay can also be an explanation of your own scientific experiment, your own physical model or the like.
Annet - spesifiser i kommentarfeltet		Required	The elective course week is a workshop: Building a small full scale timber framed building. Active participation in the workshop is required and is part of the final assessment basis. if you are prevented from participating in the elective course week, a replacement assignment must be submitted.

Form of assessment	Grouping	Grading scale	Comment
Portfolio assessment (Vurderingsmappe)	Individual	Pass / fail	The course is assessed on the basis of scientific essay, presentation of the essay in plenary and participation in the workshop or submitted replacement assignment.

Workload activity	Comment
Lectures	Attendance and participation in lectures is expected.
Written assignments	Writing of a scientific essay

Start semester

2024 Høst

40 329 Life Cycle Methodology WALL ASSEMBLIES

Emnenavn på Norwegian Bokmål:

Life Cycle Methodology WALL ASSEMBLIES

Credits:

Course code:

40 329

Level of study:

Master

Teaching semester:

2024 Autumn

Assessment semester:

2024 Autumn

Language of instruction:

English

Year:

2024

Maximum number of students:

Person in charge

Tine Hegli

Required prerequisite knowledge

Admission to AHO and successful completion of three years bachelor level studies (180 ECTS).

Course content

The seminar introduces practice-oriented strategies that can assist design development processes in achieving emissions reduction (climate mitigation), reduced waste production (resource efficiency) and further nurse necessary systemic changes in the building industry, cross sectors and in society at large (circular economy).

The fall semester 2024 we will focus on surplus masses from construction sites as point of departure for investigation of biobased building materials. We will examine quantities of surplus mass, what they consist of, how they are transported and where they end up in today´s linear economy. The aim of the exercise is to explore the upscaling potential for utilization of these masses and further narrow down the studies to investigations of alternative wall assemblies. Finally we will compare physical properties, resources efficiency and environmental footprint to elements of existing practice. The second half the semester the students will bring in exterior walls (single materials or full assemblies) relevant for their studio project and make an identical analysis to open for discussions on environmental sustainability and circular practice.

The course will run in close collaboration with the studio Circular Prototyping CRITICAL MASS and be linked to ongoing industrial initiatives. We will use FutureBuilt guildelines as boundary conditions for emissions reduction aligned with the UN 1.5-degree target and possibly involve directly in actual pilot projects.

At the core of the course curriculum lays Life Cycle Assessment (LCA); a methodology for assessing environmental impacts associated with all life cycle stages of a material/product, process or service. The assessment method provides transparency to the way design decisions are made and opens up for discussions on how to improve societal and/or commercial systems to meet the UN Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs). The course theoretical set-up and associated design assignments will provide an opportunity for in-depth investigation that can further lead to innovative results across studio environments and institutes. The course outcome is an illustrated report documenting the actual assessment (comparative study) and a reflection upon the potential for systems improvement. Parts of these studies will involve site visits, meetings with industry, physical investigation of surplus masses and development of representative physical models.

Learning outcome

Knowledge:

Knowledge on historical background for today’s geopolitical agenda in relation to UN Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs) and impact of the IPCC 1.5-degree pathway.
Knowledge on climate mitigation strategies as resulting policies applicable for the building industry – nationally and internationally.
Knowledge on design strategies to lower up-front carbon emissions; assessment of material properties and environmental impacts, circular design strategies and use of lifecycle methodology as guideline to assess environmentally sound result (LCAs).
Knowledge on production and use of bio-based materials throughout history, and of products already introduced in today’s building industry.

Skills:

Framework, vocabulary and references relating to the LCA methodology.
Use of LCAs as design drivers in iterative design development processes.

General competence:

Assessment of material properties and environmental footprint as an integrated part of design development across disciplines.

Working and learning activities

Studio project as case
Report – template – catalogue

Form of assessment	Grouping	Grading scale	Comment
Report	-	Pass / fail	Illustrated report

Start semester

2024 Høst

40 328 Restore values: Høvikodden. The Provenance of an art center

Emnenavn på Norwegian Bokmål:

Restore values: Høvikodden. The Provenance of an art center

Credits:

Course code:

40 328

Level of study:

Master

Teaching semester:

2024 Autumn

Assessment semester:

2024 Autumn

Language of instruction:

English

Year:

2024

Maximum number of students:

Person in charge

Erik Fenstad Langdalen

Required prerequisite knowledge

Admission to AHO and successful completion of three years bachelor level studies (180 ECTS).

Course content

This seminar explores the full material provenance of the Henie Onstad Art Centre (HOK), located at Høvikodden in Bærum, including building materials, technical infrastructure, furniture, display systems, lighting, maintenance systems, as well as the thousands of art works that has been on display across the decades.

By thorough investigations of the archives at HOK and at other locations, and through on-site surveys of the building, the students will excavate the sourcing, ownership history, production history, economy, usage and alteration records of the components, materials and artworks.

By constructing an alternative history of the building, this seminar challenges the way we understand and value-assess buildings, and might change the way we transform them for the future. In addition, the seminar aims to provide scenarios for HOKs future development.

Henie Onstad Art Centre was inaugurated in 1968 and designed by the young architects Jon Eikvar and Svein-Erik Engebretsen. It was radical of its time, both in terms of its curatorial ideas and its innovative architecture. Initiated and funded by the figure skater and Hollywood movie star Sonia Henie and her husband, the shipowner Niels Onstad, HOK represented a state-of-the-art cultural institution much inspired by Moderna Museet in Stockholm, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam and Louisiana Museum of Modern Art outside of Copenhagen. Based on the personal relationships of HOK’s director Ole Jørgen Moe with people like Pontus Hultén, Willem Sandberg and Knut W. Jensen, the new center aimed for a new definition of art, showcasing contemporary music, dance, performance, film and photography alongside paintings, drawings and sculpture, engaging its visitors in new ways.

Eikvar and Engebretsen, recent graduates from Statens Arkitektkurs at Statens Håndverk- og Kunstindustriskole (later Oslo School of Architecture) and employees at Nils Holter’s studio, won the competition in 1965 with an innovative scheme influenced by ideas that was circulating at the time. The project development and the building process progressed in line with the radical museum concept, including experimentation with new materials, 1:1 mock-ups, «electronic» site-management and more. Since 1968, the building had been expanded, altered and restored several times, and the art center has gained reputation as one of the leading art institutions in Scandinavia.

The seminar is part of the research project Provenance Projected. Architecture Past and Future in the Era of Circularity led by Mari Lending and Erik Langdalen, and will contribute to a forthcoming book and an exhibition at Henie Onstad Art Centre. Curators and staff at HOK will participate in the course, in addition to artists, historians and faculty at AHO.

Learning outcome

Knowledge:
• Knowledge of HOK and the curatorial and architectural context the art center was conceived within, as well as the material and technical culture the architects were engaging in
• Knowledge of the discourse of preservation and reuse of architecture, including provenance studies

Skills:
• analytical, interpretive, critical, and creative skills essential to work with preservation projects, including archival research, surveying methods, as well as archiving, editing and dissemination techniques

General competence:
• Through individual studies and group discussions, participants will be encouraged to examine their own disciplinary position, and be equipped with the critical and communicative abilities necessary to participate in the public discourse on the field

Working and learning activities

The seminar will use HOK as its main arena for weekly meetings and on-site studies. In addition to readings and lectures, each student will be given a category to study throughout the semester (examples):

1. Art (loans and collection)

2. Display systems

3. Ceilings

4. Load-bearing walls

5. Non-load-bearing walls

6. Floors

7. Stairs and ramps

8. Lighting

9. Furniture and objects (storage systems, seating, desks, shop, paper, computers)

10. Technical systems (ventilations, electrical, security, heating, plumbing)

11. Operation and maintenance systems (art handling, cleaning, restoration, repair)

12. Outdoor systems (vegetation, earth, rock, paths, roads, historical traces) The findings will be assembled and disseminated in the Restore Sanity database. The final output will be in the form of a presentation and a pop-up exhibition.

Weekly trips to HOK

The course has weekly half day seminars on Tuesdays and it is mandatory to attend at least 80% of the seminar days.

Form of assessment	Grouping	Grading scale	Comment
Project assignment	-	Pass / fail

Start semester

40 421 Nordic light in architecture

Emnenavn på Norwegian Bokmål:

Nordic light in architecture

Credits:

Course code:

40 421

Level of study:

Master

Teaching semester:

2024 Autumn

Assessment semester:

2024 Autumn

Language of instruction:

English

Year:

2024

Maximum number of students:

Person in charge

Kathrine Næss

Required prerequisite knowledge

Admission to AHO and successful completion of three years bachelor level studies (180 ECTS).

The course is open to students from: Architecture

Course content

Background:

How daylight enters a room, is essential to our behaviour, well-being and health. The unique climate of the Nordic hemisphere, characterized by an angle of the sun between 0-10% approximately 35% of the time and cloudy, diffuse light 2/3 of the time necessitates a distinct approach to daylight in architecture on northern latitudes.

In housing projects quantitative methods are predominantly used, and although building regulations are only securing a minimum average percentage of daylight; climate and context are not taken into consideration. A qualitative approach to working with daylight is mostly discussed in smaller housing projects. There is a need to improve how we assess and work with quality of daylight.

The objective of the course is therefore to provide students with basic tools and methods to assess both quantity and quality of daylight in the process of Making. Additionally, it aims to bridge the existing gap between technology and the art of building — encouraging students to adopt both a technical and phenomenological approaches to daylight in their work. The course also seeks to enhance students´ competance and awareness of local specificity concerning climate and context, emphasizing the potential of daylight as an essential generator for architectural quality.

In the course we work with both physical and digital models to establish an awareness of precision in the representation of light. We establish a relation between daylight in the scale model, representation of daylight in the digital model and how it is perceived and observed in the already built (1:1).

Each student will individually frame an interest related to the studio project (mastercourse) and build a model 1:20 of parts of the project where methods and tools to assess either quantity or quality of daylight are discussed in drawings, images and models.

The course is structured around research-based teaching methodologies, and students and teachers will actively participate in a collaborative effort spanning Nordic countries, aiming to improve education on daylight within the region.

Learning outcome

Knowledge:

of daylight theory (history of daylight, ongoing research projects, scientific)

of the specific Nordic light (Nordic climate) and its characteristics.
of taxonomy of quality of daylight
of various kinds of light and shadow
of the relationship between geometry, the light opening and the context and how it affects the “light-figure” in a space.
of Building regulations and requirements in TEK 17
of glass as material and how it affects light

Skills:

In basic tools for assessing both quantity and quality of daylight in the process of making
In using simple tools to draw the “light-figure” with diffuse skylight in plan and section (no-sky line + “upper and lower daylight limit”)
In representation of daylight in both analogue and digital models
In conducting a process of making architecture with daylight as the main generator.
In digital tools for measuring quantity of daylight and daylight resources on the façade (VSC).

General competence:

In the ability to translate theory and methods into the architectural making process.
In utilizing the tools and methods introduced in the course to assess quantity and quality of daylight within own architectural work.
In demonstrating av understanding of the complexity of the multifaceted nature of daylight, and how that can be used to achieve spatial qualities.
In reflecting upon the multiple perspectives on daylight: sustainability, energy, climate, health and behavior.
In an awareness of the effect the specific characteristic of material has on daylight (reflection, color, texture etc.)

Working and learning activities

The course is structures into 3 modules: 1) Tools & Method 2) Explore—geometry and daylight, and 3) Daylight work.

Each module includes of 1 task, relevant lectures and readings, feedback sessions, and pin-up presentations. Attendance is expected at all common activities.

Teaching activities and communication are organized through the Outlook calendar

Tools & Method

Observing daylight over time: Drawings, models, photography and simulations to document both quality, quantity and variations of light over time in one specific room
Comparison of analogue and digital tools to assess daylight quality and quantity in one specific room.
Reading essential texts (papers, articles, essays) and present short lectures to the group.
Interviewing practicing architects on their tools and methods to assess daylight quantity and quality in the process of making.
Excursion to Daylight LAB, NMBU, measuring daylight in a physical model.

Explore —geometry and daylight

Exploring the potential of Nordic light in models (spatial instruments to investigate the relation between proportions, geometry and light openings) and model photos — with the aim to make a taxonomy daylight quality on northern latitudes.
Case study —historical references.

Daylight Work

Using tools and methods from Module 1 and 2, to explore further one specific daylight condition in the studio project, in model 1:20, drawings and images.

Curriculum

Course literature will be available in Leganto.

Mandatory coursework	Courseworks required	Presence required	Comment
Presence required		Required	Students are required to attend no less than 80%.

Form of assessment	Grouping	Grading scale	Comment
Portfolio assessment (Vurderingsmappe)	-	Pass / fail	The basis for assessment in the course is based on a portfolio consisting of assignments and presentations. To pass requires hand in of the assignment in all 4 phases and attend 80% if the course activity. Students will be assessed on what is achieved in relation to described learning outcomes and on the project assignment (all 4 phases).

Workload activity	Comment
Attendance	Students are expected to attend all course days and be active participants in the seminar activities.

Start semester

2024 Høst

40 332 Vitruvius – an investigation

Emnenavn på Norwegian Bokmål:

Vitruvius – an investigation

Credits:

Course code:

40 332

Level of study:

Master

Teaching semester:

2024 Autumn

Assessment semester:

2024 Autumn

Language of instruction:

English

Year:

2024

Maximum number of students:

Person in charge

Victor Plahte Tschudi

Required prerequisite knowledge

Admission to master in architecture at AHO and successful completion of three years bachelor level studies (180 ECTS).

Course content

The course reaches back to the foundational text in architecture, Vitruvius´ De Architectura (On Architecture) written ca. 20 BCE. It aims to re-evaluate the text and unravel the messages Vitruvius carries to today, concretized in specific areas of investigation. The first part of the course centers on understanding the text and its context, including some of Vitruvius´ central notions, and the books´ translations, interpretations, and publication history. A second part traces Vitruvius´ influence on architectural history and theory from antiquity to the present. A third part explores the relevance of Vitruvius today and aims to investigate how De architectura yields new and meaningful dimensions to the practice and thinking of architecture. Areas of investigation include materials, color, notions, gender, sustainability, the role of the architect, and the idea of the classical.

Learning outcome

Knowledge:

• Insight into the currents of architectural history from antiquity to the present.
• Understanding of bookmaking and publication history
• A grasp of central themes and notions in architecture that range from ideas such as beauty, “the classical”, and the problematic relation between architecture and words to the secrets of materiality, color, and the climatic impact on architecture nestling within Vitruvius´ text.

Skills:

• Analysis and interpretation of text
• Presentations of text
• Ability to conceptualize ideas and remanifest them as concrete projects

General competence:

• Ability to do independent research, write and present short papers, imagination and dexterity to develop projects.

Working and learning activities

The course is organized as combination of lectures and seminars on Tuesdays throughout the term. The lectures provide a context for the work and is held by practicing architects, as well as book- and architectural historians. The seminars take the form of workshops in which texts are discussed and themes developed. The course includes a midterm presentation of a preselected text-passage from Vitruvius and a final presentation and exhibition of relevant projects. Short daytrips are also on the agenda.

Students meet weekly (Tuesdays) for obligatory seminars and lectures and are expected to actively participate in discussions. Work includes short oral presentations of “finds” and a final project of written and visual material.

Form of assessment	Grouping	Grading scale	Comment
Project assignment	-	Pass / fail	The assessment is based on general course work and on a final project that consist of combination of visual material and an oral presentation

Start semester

2024 Høst

40 331 Exhibiting Architecture: Forensics, Fashion, Ecologies

Emnenavn på Norwegian Bokmål:

Exhibiting Architecture: Forensics, Fashion, Ecologies

Credits:

Course code:

40 331

Level of study:

Master

Teaching semester:

2024 Autumn

Assessment semester:

2024 Autumn

Language of instruction:

English

Year:

2024

Maximum number of students:

Person in charge

Tim Ainsworth Anstey

Required prerequisite knowledge

Admission to AHO and successful completion of three years bachelor level studies (180 ECTS).

Course content

In this seminar students get to work on an exhibition proposal for a museum in northern England that explores the relation between architecture, dress, room and landscape through studying the “attributes” of an amazing seventeenth century noble-woman. The provisional exhibition title is “Lady Anne Clifford: Forensics, Fashion and Ecology” and it will open at the Abbott Hall Museum, Cumbria, UK in Spring 2025.

In the seminar students will use architectural means – scanning, modelmaking and sectional drawings – to make archival information speak. Anne Clifford moved in life from being a wronged heiress to a powerful political actor, and used dress, representation, building and physical travel to secure her ends. Student work will address the sectional space this endeavour occupied, between the detail of costume, architectural interiors and exteriors and the open landscape.

The seminar aims to combine historical study and architectural technique to increase our awareness of material and ecological links, at scales from the jewel to the region.

The course is carried out in collaboration with Professor Judith Clark, London College of Fashion and Ryan Cook, Intermediate Unit 9, The Architectural Association.

Learning outcome

Knowledge:
• Practiced conceptual thinking about the communicative potential of architectural mediation techniques

Skills:
• Learnt basic research techniques based on using archival information
• Demonstrated how the analytical techniques they already have can be applied to historical material in order to produce vibrant new design propositions.
• Developed precise writing techniques to caption an exhibition display

General competence:
• Evolved tech

Working and learning activities

In the first part of the term, working in small groups, students will define a sectional condition that can be reconstructed from the archival information surrounding Anne Clifford. They will research the means of architectural mediation that could make this condition speak (drawing, model-making, scanning). This research will be contextualised by seminars that provide an account of the cultural history surrounding the both the period, the persons studied and aspects of method investigation. In the second phase the groups will construct the architectural mediations of the sections they have chosen, and develop ideas about how these might be used in the exhibition space at Abbot Hall.

The elective concludes during elective week with a field trip to Northen England both the look at a series of architectural spaces that relate to the project assignment and for a final critique of the exhibition proposals in the gallery space in Cumbria. Students need to finance the costs for travel from Norway to the UK and for three-four nights accommodation. Those who remain in Oslo during the field trip will be allowed an additional three days to complete the main assignment, particularly proposals about the exhibition design, and will participate in the final review digitally.

The course has weekly half day seminars on Tuesdays alternating between digital and physical format.

Form of assessment	Grouping	Grading scale	Comment
Project assignment	-	Pass / fail

Start semester

2024 Høst

60 539 Sustainable Architecture and Urban Studies

Emnenavn på Norwegian Bokmål:

Sustainable Architecture and Urban Studies

Credits:

Course code:

60 539

Level of study:

Master

Teaching semester:

2024 Autumn

Assessment semester:

2024 Autumn

Language of instruction:

English

Year:

2024

Maximum number of students:

Person in charge

Andreas Kalstveit

Jørgen Johan Tandberg

Required prerequisite knowledge

Admission to master in architecture at AHO and successful completion of three years bachelor level studies (180 ECTS).

Course content

For the past years, the course Sustainable Architecture and Urban Studies has investigated the implications of the green shift on Norwegian cities, towns, and rural areas.

As with any paradigm shift, the focus on greener urban development enforces existing political conflict lines and makes them more apparent. The implementation of a new, green power industry is required for the country to reach its goal of reducing emissions by 55 percent within 2030; yet this typically collides with another international commitment, that of preserving vulnerable nature. Urban living in larger cities has been proven more sustainable due to the minimized transport needs; yet at the same time we need to safeguard communities in the country’s periphery that maintain more traditional ways of living.

The intention of the course Sustainable Architecture and Urban Studies is to study the issues and potential conflicts that arise as the country is changing, and more importantly: to dare to discuss them through architectural proposals.

In Flekkefjord, we looked at how the city could handle a growth of 2000 skilled workers, if a new battery factory was placed in nearby Lista. In Beitostølen, we looked at how the the town could increase the number of tourists while preserving vulnerable nature. In Gjersrud Stensrud, we investigated how new forms of autonomous public transport could facilitate 10,000 new homes in a way that also maintained as much virgin land as possible. In Horten, we looked at how the city itself could absorb the need for new holiday homes in the Oslo Fjord and be revitalized through new jobs and activities in the city centre. In Grorud, we studied how housing areas could be planned to implement new knowledge about sustainable urban freight, limiting the need for large scale transport within a neighbourhood.

Each semester, we choose a new site and a new theme, typical of the challenges Norway faces in the near future. We develop proposals that are defined by a clear strategic purpose on a regional level, a defined building program that is in actual, realistic demand, a rational, sustainable, and economic means of construction, and a seductive public image. Our role as architects is to bring these things into a higher unity: our aim is therefore to develop strategic building projects that can also serve as exemplars for a new "aesthetics of sustainability".

This semester, we will continue our collaboration with Bane NOR Eiendom, a subsidiary of Bane NOR, the government agency that owns and operates the Norwegian railway network. Bane NOR Eiendom is in possession of all Norwegian railway stations, and is responsible for the development of a large amount of real estate throughout Norway. The course is a collaboration between the Institute of Urbanism and Landscape and the Institute of Architecture.

Learning outcome

Knowledge:

-Increased knowledge about sustainable construction, detailing and urban planning.

-Ability to analyze the urban fabric of Norwegian cities, and situate a strategic building project.

-Greater awareness of an architectural project’s impact upon its local context.

-Ability to reflect critically upon the extent of an architectural proposal as an intervention on an urban scale.

Skills:

- Urban analysis

- Urban design strategies for sustainable cities and rural areas.

- Architectural design

General competence:

-Ability to communicate and discuss Architectural projects and Urban design proposals.

-Ability to develop an individual architectural project.

-Ability to develop architectural drawings and printed material on a high level.

Working and learning activities

We will devise viable and sustainable strategies for the future development of an urban area (TBD), in collaboration with Bane NOR Eiendom and local municipalities. The course is structured so as to educate “generalists” that are Course description of master level course - Sustainable Architecture and Urban Studies.docx 2 : 2 interested in developing a project at all levels: regional strategies, urban plans, building plans and typical details. The output of the course will be both urban plans (overall strategies) and building proposals (exemplary buildings). We will work in phases, from a regional scale to a building detail scale, consulting experts at strategic points throughout the semester. Bane NOR will be involved throughout the semester. There will be desk crits each week, and a final presentation at the end of each phase.

We arrange a study trip abroad to study exemplary building projects and engage with international professionals.

Attendance requirements:

Compulsory supervision 1-2 times a week throughout the semester, and for pinups and presentations. Submission of digital presentation with printed material.

Form of assessment	Grouping	Grading scale	Comment
Portfolio assessment (Vurderingsmappe)	-	Pass / fail	Assessment folder includes presentation.

Mandatory coursework:	Annet - spesifiser i kommentarfeltet
Courseworks required:
Presence required:	Not required
Comment:	Deltagelse på aktiviteter (som f.eks. ekskursjoner, feltarbeid, workshops, delgjennomganger) definert som sentralt for kurset, samt innlevering av oppgavebesvarelser utlevert i undervisningen.

Form of assessment:	Portfolio assessment (Vurderingsmappe)
Grouping:	-
Grading scale:	Pass / fail
Comment:	Hovedoppgaven og flere av introduksjonsoppgavene vil være gruppearbeid. - Besvarelsene vil bestå av bl.a. tegninger (snitt og planer), modeller, illustrasjoner og tekst. - Til sluttgjennomgangen skal en digital leveranse lastes opp på Moodle, øvrig materiell tas med til gjennomgangen. - Endelige innleveringskrav er beskrevet i detalj på Moodle. Studentene må presentere innlevert materiale muntlig på delgjennomganger, midtgjennomgang og sluttgjennomgang. Studentene må møte på og presentere muntlig på sluttgjennomgangen.

Form of assessment:	Project assignment
Grouping:	-
Grading scale:	Pass / fail
Comment:

Form of assessment:	Project assignment
Grouping:	-
Grading scale:	Pass / fail
Comment:

Mandatory coursework:	Exercise
Courseworks required:	1
Presence required:	Required
Comment:	A scientific essay will be written during the semester, with submission before elective course week. The essay must be presented orally and is part of the final assessment. The essay can have a self-selected topic, and can be written alone or in a group, but it must highlight a topic that is relevant to the course. The essay can also be an explanation of your own scientific experiment, your own physical model or the like.

Languages

2024 Høst

Start semester

61 150 Commons – Urban landscapes

Start semester

40 330 Speculative futures #3: Ecology and Economy

Start semester

60 314 Mapping Rural Norway

Start semester

80 302 Norwegian tectonic traditions

Start semester

40 329 Life Cycle Methodology WALL ASSEMBLIES

Start semester

40 328 Restore values: Høvikodden. The Provenance of an art center

Start semester

40 421 Nordic light in architecture

Start semester

40 332 Vitruvius – an investigation

Start semester

40 331 Exhibiting Architecture: Forensics, Fashion, Ecologies

Start semester

60 539 Sustainable Architecture and Urban Studies

Pages

Workload activity:	Lectures
Comment:	Attendance and participation in lectures is expected.