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80 520 Transformation in Practice: Gamlebyen

Full course name in English: 
Transformation in Practice: Gamlebyen
Studiepoeng: 
24
Emnekode: 
80 520
Studienivå: 
Syklus 2
Undervisningssemester: 
2021 Høst
Eksamenssemester: 
2021 Høst
Undervisningsspråk: 
Engelsk
År: 
2021
Maksimum antall studenter: 
15
Emneansvarlig
Amandine Kastler
Erlend Skjeseth
Forkunnskapskrav
  • Good understanding of written and spoken English
  • Intermediate to a good level of digital modelling and draftsmanship
  • Experience with and interest in building large scale material models
Om emnet

“This practice is not nostalgic – the fragments it deals with are not treated longingly as a part of some lost whole, but rather as the emergent potential for what comes next.” Andrew Clancy, Critical practice: can architecture be critical?

The studio promotes a form of practice within the field of building heritage that is as comfortable working with existing buildings as proposing new. Contemporary architecture needs to develop ways of operating between the lines of history without falling into the well-worn traps of romanticism, sentimentalism and conservatism. Through analysis of the pre-existing urban fabric, this studio will draw on what is already there by harvesting fragments of the historical city and abstracting these findings into durable pieces of architecture. Tools and tactics to engage actively with the historic fabric of the city will be developed, and an elastic approach between standing out and fitting in will be practiced. To do this, the binary opposition between strict conservation and the tabula rasa will be challenged. Working within the constraints and resources of a particular site and its environs, the question we will ask is how to build into, on top and around what already exists.

The current dilemma for the city of Oslo is how to handle a forecast of continued growth inside a perimeter that is sanctified to protect the natural environments that surround it. Crossing the line towards the outback is a no-go zone and there is strong opposition to building tall buildings. The need to densify is inevitable and the city needs to better utilise its existing neighbourhoods. This inevitably will put pressure on historical areas, creating tensions between stakeholders. Yet, this is also an opportunity to improve, extend and enhance existing places through a more sustainable form of development that focuses on addition without subtraction.

The testing ground for the work will be Gamlebyen, a neighbourhood situated on the inner east side of Oslo. As the gaze of developers turns east from the seafront, this area is increasingly drawing speculation. Gamlebyen is an area protected by history and archaeology, its existing built environment is a tapestry woven over many centuries by countless authors. The area where medieval Oslo was once located has seen periods of prominence followed by decay and destruction. War and fire left it a burned-out timber village, replaced by Christiania, a new city of bricks and mortar further to the west. For centuries Gamlebyen remained peripheral to the major developments of the city. Industrial and infrastructural interventions in the 20th century left the neighbourhood partially destitute and impoverished. Today, the area has seen a significant increase in property prices and an influx of new residents. However, as the city grows and densifies around it, Gamlebyen remains a partly hidden treasure and a repository of subculture and resistance unique in Oslo.

Cycles of boom and bust have resulted in a scared yet rich and densely layered piece of urbanity, wedged tightly between the past and the future. The complex assemblage of built fragments and the seemingly ad hoc appropriation of space are valuable features of Gamlebyens character. Yet, they are not currently reflected in the regulatory zoning plans governing development in the area, leaving gaps and blind spots open to developer-led statements pushing in from the west.  The studio will operate in these sites of composite character by delving into the technical, cultural and legal parameters that determine their treatment. The diversity of the approaches in the studio will reflect the pluralistic nature of complex heritage sites, where different parcels require differentiated approaches. Hence, projects will reach beyond the one-off proposal and be relevant for anyone who wishes to practice as an architect in historical settings.

Working Methods:

The studio does not consider research, in any form, to be a separate exercise from ‘propositional thinking’, rather, it asserts that the act of reading, observing, surveying and fabricating new artifacts is all propositional by nature and therefore a powerful asset within design thinking. Projects will be developed iteratively throughout the semester using architectural drawings and large-scale material models, both analogue and digital. The different work phases will be supported by workshops and seminars.

Survey

The studio will lend considerable attention to understanding context through fieldwork and will embed itself in Gamlebyen to study variations in style and typology. Surveys will not only quantify physical properties but also the qualified values such as significance, symbolism and local tradition. Using both analogue and digital surveying techniques, recordings will document the intersection between historical periods and typologies. These fragments of the city will be iteratively adapted and translated to create a familiar, yet new building type that mediates these fault lines.

Artifact Model(s)

The survey will be the foundation for the artefact, a large-scale material model that starts the inverted design process from fragment to building. The artifact model is a physical and material manifestation of an essential component or junction found in your survey, which is subsequently translated into a three-dimensional piece at a detailed scale. This ‘hot-spot is a free-standing bricolage of materials that suggests something more than the sum of its parts. The original is not a prescriptive tool but rather the starting point for new designs. The production of models depends on workshop availability during the spring semester. Both analogue and digital tools will be used to make and represent new artifacts. 

Proposal

Proposals will focus on contextual construction through the design of a multi-functional building that embodies the complexity of the site it inhabits. This is architecture as a general practice, working on ordinary everyday things. The output of the studio will consist of well-resolved projects with distinctive formal qualities built on clear intentions. Proposals can be deceitful and camouflaged, replacing the limitations of modernist dogma with the full array of exciting strategies at hand for an architect in our day and age. Due to the proximity of buildings from different periods, each proposal will have to contain multiple aspects, differentiated through formal expression, programmatic disposition or its relationship to the immediate context. Or in other words, make a skillfully woven synthesis of seemingly disparate things. Depending on the site, projects will engage with the transformations and connection of existing buildings, as well as the design of autonomous new buildings. A selection of sites will be determined prior to the start of the course.

Læringsutbytte
  • Independently undertake a precise measured survey of a site in Gamlebyen, using analogue and digital surveying technology.
  • Document and interpret the current condition, both quantitative and qualitative, of an existing building or site using architectural drawing convention.
  • Design and build large scale material models as an approach to transform existing buildings and places.
  • Formulate individual architectural proposals based on close observation and analysis of existing conditions and identify the architectural qualities in one's own work that demonstrate relevance to the field. 
  • Understand the basic regulatory frameworks that govern architectural projects in the field of building heritage, such as zoning plans and heritage guidelines, assess their impact on one’s own architectural project.
  • Convey through oral presentation and text an understanding of the key terms, definitions, and concepts of preservation and situate them relative to one’s own architectural project.
Praktisk organisering og arbeidsmåter

The studio will be taught with Benjamin Sjöberg and will be closely linked to the practice work of Kastler Skjeseth Architects. http://www.kastlerskjeseth.no/.  

Students will be expected to work in Gamlebyen on-site for parts of the semester. Teaching will consist of twice-weekly tutorials, seminars, pin-ups and reviews with invited critics. Students are expected to be active participants, to attend all trips, studio meetings, pin-ups and reviews, while keeping up with a rigorous level of production. This studio is a full-time commitment.

It is highly recommended to take the Re Store Values elective course in conjunction with this studio.

The studio will be evaluated by assignments and participation and judged as “passed” or “not passed” (according to AHO regulations for master studies).

Pensum

A complete course syllabus and program will be handed out at the beginning of the semester

VurderingsformGrupperingKarakterskalaKommentar
VurderingsmappeIndividuellBestått / ikke bestått Pass/Fail, based on the following criteria in relation to the given assignments:

The final grade in the course will be given based on:
- Attendance and design production for twice-weekly studio meetings: 30%
- Mid review and Interim review presentation: 30%
- Final review presentation: 40%

The oral presentation is a part of the portfolio assessment.

Mid review, Interim review and Final review: Work presented for the Mid review, the Interim review and the Final review will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

- Conceptual Clarity: Students should demonstrate proactive engagement with the material and self-motivated intellectual pursuits that enhance their design ambitions. Students are expected to clearly articulate their ambitions and the intellectual underpinnings of their work in pin-ups and desk crits.

- Technique: Students are expected to execute all assignments with care and precision.

Assignments will be evaluated not only on the basis of the ideas but also to a large degree on the quality of the execution. Students are responsible for planning sufficient time for developing appropriate and thorough representations.

Portfolio: The care taken in the compilation and design of the portfolio the presentation of physical models will be considered in the final assessment. The portfolio is to be formatted and printed at A2 or larger. Each student will also be required to design a portfolio booklet at A3 to accompany the printed portfolio.
Vurderinger:
Vurderingsform:Vurderingsmappe
Gruppering:Individuell
Karakterskala:Bestått / ikke bestått
Kommentar: Pass/Fail, based on the following criteria in relation to the given assignments:

The final grade in the course will be given based on:
- Attendance and design production for twice-weekly studio meetings: 30%
- Mid review and Interim review presentation: 30%
- Final review presentation: 40%

The oral presentation is a part of the portfolio assessment.

Mid review, Interim review and Final review: Work presented for the Mid review, the Interim review and the Final review will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

- Conceptual Clarity: Students should demonstrate proactive engagement with the material and self-motivated intellectual pursuits that enhance their design ambitions. Students are expected to clearly articulate their ambitions and the intellectual underpinnings of their work in pin-ups and desk crits.

- Technique: Students are expected to execute all assignments with care and precision.

Assignments will be evaluated not only on the basis of the ideas but also to a large degree on the quality of the execution. Students are responsible for planning sufficient time for developing appropriate and thorough representations.

Portfolio: The care taken in the compilation and design of the portfolio the presentation of physical models will be considered in the final assessment. The portfolio is to be formatted and printed at A2 or larger. Each student will also be required to design a portfolio booklet at A3 to accompany the printed portfolio.
AktivitetKommentar
Gruppearbeid Students are expected to regularly work in the studio and to be active participants in the collaborative studio environment. Sharing knowledge, techniques, and ideas with your fellow students is incredibly important to your own creative development and to your success in this studio. Students are expected to keep the studio space orderly and to collectively organise and maintain a large table and wall space for group meetings and pin-ups.

Students are expected to work independently and to show initiative in locating the resources and supplies they need to complete their work. Since this course involves site visits outside of the school, students are expected to behave maturely and respectfully.
Individuell oppgaveløsning Deadlines and required deliverables are indicated on the syllabus and on individual project assignments and are not negotiable. Students must complete assignments by the given deadline.

Students are responsible for managing their own print schedules and for backing up files. Loss of data will not be considered a valid justification for submitting incomplete project work.

Deadlines can only be extended in cases of illness or special circumstances, and requests for extensions must be submitted to the tutor before the deadline in writing, accompanied by a medical certificate when necessary.
Oppmøte Students are expected to be present and working during all studio meetings, which occur twice a week. Students are also expected to be present during all seminars and reviews. Absences for social engagements, holidays, etc. will not be accepted. Absences from studio meetings and reviews will affect the final grade and multiple unexcused absences will result in course failure.
Forventet arbeidsinnsats:
Aktivitet:Gruppearbeid
Kommentar: Students are expected to regularly work in the studio and to be active participants in the collaborative studio environment. Sharing knowledge, techniques, and ideas with your fellow students is incredibly important to your own creative development and to your success in this studio. Students are expected to keep the studio space orderly and to collectively organise and maintain a large table and wall space for group meetings and pin-ups.

Students are expected to work independently and to show initiative in locating the resources and supplies they need to complete their work. Since this course involves site visits outside of the school, students are expected to behave maturely and respectfully.
Aktivitet:Individuell oppgaveløsning
Kommentar: Deadlines and required deliverables are indicated on the syllabus and on individual project assignments and are not negotiable. Students must complete assignments by the given deadline.

Students are responsible for managing their own print schedules and for backing up files. Loss of data will not be considered a valid justification for submitting incomplete project work.

Deadlines can only be extended in cases of illness or special circumstances, and requests for extensions must be submitted to the tutor before the deadline in writing, accompanied by a medical certificate when necessary.
Aktivitet:Oppmøte
Kommentar: Students are expected to be present and working during all studio meetings, which occur twice a week. Students are also expected to be present during all seminars and reviews. Absences for social engagements, holidays, etc. will not be accepted. Absences from studio meetings and reviews will affect the final grade and multiple unexcused absences will result in course failure.