2016 Høst

The elective course investigates how Rome’s architecture and the idea of history entwine. “Temporality”, “history”, and “past” are no abstract notions but ingredients of and in architectural practices at all times.

The course will systematically analyze how the idea of the past is framed, conveyed, invented in architecture, and in an architectural discourse, in a series of case studies, from antiquity to the present, which will include buildings, models, drawings, prints, texts. We shall look beyond the monuments and rather hunt for the collisions and cover-ups between epochs in order to learn how architecture uses history strategically and practically. A hypothesis is that materials and media as such contribute to shape the past, not the other way around, combining in a temporal chain we call history. Things that produce the past may range from a strategic use of materials like marble, concrete and plaster to signs, wires, lighting or other simple devices employed to camouflage that ancient buildings in reality have become modern. For one might say that history does not exist other than as a display of the present. By what means does Rome historicize its legacy? How can we say that a building “exist” in the past? When and how do monuments become ancient and for what purpose? Do buildings themselves – their historicity, additions, preservation, reconstructions – in some way structure temporality and the notion of time’s passing?

The course’s aim is to unravel strategies from Roman antiquity to Mussolini’s fascism, to stage, censor, and alter history through the means of building. We have classed these strategies in three groups – materials, mediations, annexations. Each group consists of case studies – one each day – which we will study in depth and that include archaeological sites, buildings, print collections, and architectural texts.

Short Stories Grand Narratives is a theoretical course that discusses land use debates and challenges in the northern region of Norway. Designers, architects, and landscape architects often move seamlessly between observing, thinking, drawing, modelling, reading and writing. While focusing on reading and writing, this course reflects on the design process, and in particular how architects incorporate expertise and knowledge from other disciplinary fields in their projects.

The overall objective of the course is twofold; first, it aims at giving the students a positive writing experience and an opportunity to develop their ideas textually. Second, it aims to introduce different perspectives on the Arctic and Sub Arctic sea- and landscapes. Short Stories reflect both the student’s personal encounters, and local accounts and cases that reflect the fact that the Arctic is a populated environment where people tend to their diverse, everyday practices. Grand Narratives reflect the geopolitical significance of Artic territories, the drama in the unfolding of climate change, long historical lines, power structures, indigenous perspectives, landscape practices, and pressing contemporary issues in changing land use policies, centralization, and urbanization.

In the context of the Syria crisis and as a contribution to the global response to mass displacement, In Transit II aims to develop design solutions, urban planning strategies, and tactical urbanism interventions to increase the livability for people in transit and their host communities.

Traditional, centralized urban planning seems to fail when faced with extreme, even temporary, population growth. Whether the reasons are due to political will, ability to engage or economic incapacity, the slow-moving urban planning processes are not meeting the urgency of these matters. Simultaneously, transitional spaces - such as refugee camps, are designed for the short term: to meet an emergency need and then disappear. This is no longer the reality in a globalizing world faced with urbanization and mass displacement caused by disasters and prolonged conflicts. The average stay in a refugee camp is now 17 years. At the same time, over 80% of displaced populations worldwide are seeking sanctuary in cities instead of settling in camps or camp-like settings. There is currently a disconnect between solving immediate needs and developing sustainable solutions benefitting the ones fleeing and the urban environments hosting them.

Both host community arrangements and large-scale refugee facilities require rapid urban planning interventions. Both situations also require hands-on design solutions ready for immediate implementation. In line with the urgency of the situation, the In Transit II course will be fast-paced, and make use of the following approach: smart programming combined with attractive physical spaces – where the goal is to achieve city or neighborhood coherence, and social cohesion between the new arrivals and their host communities.

The studio will focus on mass displacement and urbanization by looking at the situation in two vastly different host countries: JORDAN and NORWAY
The Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan is currently housing 80,000 persons, while in Norway the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) is planning to rent “flotels” (ships) and construct “barrack cities” that will each house between 1000-5000 persons.

Despite the temporary nature of such facilities, emergency accommodations tend to become permanent settlements. How can we maximize the capacity of people in acute need of protection, and at the same time ensure a high degree of dignity and livability? How are we addressing the long-term spatial and specifically urban needs with rapid relief interventions?
How can we develop design strategies for durable solutions and livable communities in in countries where refugees seek asylum?

What is the best option for the new arrivals, and what are acceptable solutions for the hosts? What is the spatial and programmatic common ground for the new arrivals and their host communities?

“Barrack cities” or “Flotels”– can’t we do better?
Background:
The number of refugees arriving in Europe seeking international protection continues to increase. However, it remains low compared to Syria`s neighboring countries, with slightly more than 10% of those who have fled the conflict seeking safety in Europe. As Syria is entering its sixth year of conflict, more than 2.1 million Syrians have been registered by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in neighboring countries: Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, and Jordan. Approximately 2 million Syrian refugees are currently in Turkey. One million refugees and migrants fled to Europe in 2015.

Dette er en introduksjon til design management på et teoretisk og et praktisk plan.
Design management er et bredt fagområdet som omhandler mange forskjellige temaer some oppstår i grensesnittet mellom design og ledelse.
Kurset vil gi et kort historisk perspektiv på fagområdet for så å fokusere på og diskutere flere dimensjoner av faget – fra operasjonell til strategisk design ledelse.

Emnet gir innsikt i hvordan man bruker en designerly tilnærming for å løse andre utfordringer og i samarbeid med andre faggrupper (design tenkning). Emnet har fokus på design satt i et støre perspektiv i en kulturell og sammfunsperspektiv. Kommunikasjon rundt fagområdet er også viktig.

Kurset gir innsikt i følgende:

Operasjonell design management
Ledelse og styring av designprosesser og prosjekter (briefing, koordinering, tverrfaglige samhandling samt operasjonelle strategier).
Studentene lærer flere metoder.

Brand management 

Ledelse av prosesser for utvikling av nye merkevarer (produkt eller tjeneste) fra analyse og konseptutvikling til gjennomføring. Ledelse og vedlikehold av exsisterende merkevarerer.

Strategisk design management 

Bruk av designprosesser og design tenkning for innovasjon. Hvordan kan design bidra til at en organisasjon når sine strategiske mål og er bedre rustet til å møte fremtidens utfordringer?