VORKURS PRE-COURsE 2015
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VORKURS PRE-COURsE 2015 7 days 15 teachers 100 students 50 nations
INTRODUCTION Prof. Alfred Jacoby, DIRECTOR DIA For several years, DIA Graduate School has established a Welcome Week, designed to acquaint Freshmen Students primarily to each other, to Architecture and Urbanism, but also to Germany‘s culture of welcoming international students to its academic institutions. Our international student body surely is a unique asset to both Dessau as well as to our School, and I hope that our new students become happy members of the DIA Graduate School for the upcoming semesters. This year, DIA Welcome Week started out under the headline of a Pre-Course. It was inspired by the famous Vorkurs, which was taught just a few steps away from DIA campus, at Gropius‘ famous Bauhaus Building. It offered a onesemester basic course that all students had to undertake before starting the regular Bauhaus Program. It served as an introduction to the relevant industrial technologies, its materials as well as its practices at the time. Following a similar intention, the DIA Graduate School works with the basic questions and technologies of today, both in its entire course as well as during its Pre-Course Week, which serves as a warm-up before the master program. For the Pre-Course, a team of DIA teachers has prepared a meticulous program of workshops, lectures and excursions. Both guests from outside the school and DIA lecturers were involved in it. My thanks go to the team that developed and executed the Pre-Course Week, first and foremost to Prof. Johannes Kister, who created the conceptual idea for it. All participants, be that teachers or students, paved the path for this publication with their inputs and results. In line with other publications in the DIA series of books, it will hopefully also serve as a good messenger and reveal the broad intellectual realm of theory and practice at the DIA Graduate School.
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BACKGROUND OF A NEW PRE-COURSE / VORKURS AT DIA Prof. johannes kister Reading the comments and analyzing the feedback on the historical Bauhaus School’s Vorkurs, brings to mind the special importance that this course played within its curriculum. At the time of the historical Bauhaus, the mindset of architects would be geared towards controlling their hands. Nowadays, many decades beyond that, our mind also needs to control a computer and its software. However, until today, one unchanged strong credo in Dessau is, that creating something with one’s own hands, is an important exercise and challenge. It needs a student’s full concentration and attention. Here, real handicraft is still regarded as an essential component of architectural work and teaching. Thus, such skills still form an important part of the toolbox of today’s Architecture Students enrolled at DIA in Dessau. In the original Bauhaus Vorkurs, Josef Albers played an important role. With his pedagogical introduction, he demonstrated development process from a two-dimensional drawing to a three-dimensional sculptural object. Today, Prof. Dieter Raffler plays an important role in DIA’s Pre-Course as an experienced workshop Master, who acts as an academic hinge to Albers’ Vorkurs ideas and methods. This goes back to his own student years at the Ulm School of Design, where Dieter Raffler studied the work of Josef Albers and became fascinated by his work with paper.
PROGRAM Larisa Tsvetkova, M.A. The DIA Graduate School of Architecture teaches a master program with over 200 students from more than 50 countries from all over the world. The new DIA Vorkurs / Pre-Course Week 2015 aimed to give an introduction to the local context, the basics of European architecture and planning approaches, as well as to the master program itself. The first part on the DIA Pre-Course Week was a four-day intensive academic program. Several workshops focusing on arts, crafts and design techniques were offered every morning and afternoon. Additionally, students had the opportunity to visit the Bauhaus Building, its Master Houses as well as the UBA Building (German Federal Environment Agency). They were accompanied by professional tour guides from the Bauhaus Foundation. In the evenings, lectures on architecture theory and history were organized. The second part of the week consisted of a three-day program in Potsdam and Berlin focused on European architecture and city planning, contemporary urban development strategies and sustainability. A variety of excursions was organized by DIA lecturers. The Pre-Course Week provided a great opportunity to get to know teachers and students, who form a unique and diverse international community: something that makes the DIA a special place, whith so many different cultures coming together.
In the past years, Prof. Raffler has intensified his research of this historical work employing paper, which lead him to even recreate some of the models made by Albers students at the Bauhaus School. Consequently, in Prof. Raffler’s Workshop, he asks students to create complex objects only with the use of a pencil, a simple ruler and plain paper. In the framework of a Pre-Course, such exercises provide students with a good start and prepare them for the challenges waiting for them within the DIA Master Program.
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DIA Exhibition at the Anhalt University of Applied Sciences Š Larisa Tsvetkova
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INTRODUCTION 3 BACKGROUND 4 PROGRAM 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS 8
TOURS IN POTSDAM AND BERLIN EUROPEAN ARCHITECTURE AND PLANNING 54 Potsdam Architecture Walk 56 Prof. Carl Constantin Weber & Prof. Johannes Kister New Museum Berlin 64 Prof. Johannes Kister & Cornelia Böttner
WORKSHOPS IN DESSAU DESIGN AND CRAFTS THEORY AND PRAXIS 14
Berlin Urban Exploration 68 Larisa Tsvetkova & Prof. Johannes Kalvelage
The Hands Do What The Mind Wants: 2D and 3D Paper Folding Prof. Dieter Raffler & Prof. Johannes Kister
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Hansaviertel 80 Ignacio Bóscolo
Upside down, 180° 22 Prof. Carl Constantin Weber
Berlin Architecture Photo Walk 82 Laurian Ghinitoiu
Hybrids 30 Prof. Carlos Campos & Anna Trentin The Random Machine II 38 Prof. Carlos Campos & Anna Trentin I Am in Dessau Prof. Attilio Terragni
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Kreuzberg Tour and Jewish Museum 72 Larisa Tsvetkova & Prof. Johannes Kalvelage From Alexanderplatz to Tempelhof 78 Ignacio Bóscolo
STUDENTS IMPRESSIONS 86 impressions: dia pre-course week 88 Hamed Khalidi IMPRESSIONS: DESSAU, POTSDAM AND BERLIN 89 Ivan Haimann impressions: EXCURSION TO BERLIN 90 Hamed Khalidi WALKING AROUND BERLIN 91 Blanca Beatriz Tovar Campos FEELING HOME Taraneh Bahman Rokh
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CREDIT 106 IMPRINT 108 8
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Workshop with Prof. Attilio Terragni. Presenting at the final exhibition Š Larisa Tsvetkova 10
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Workshop with Prof. Attilio Terragni. Presenting at the final exhibition Š Larisa Tsvetkova
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WORKSHOPS IN DESSAU DESIGN AND CRAFTS Intensive workshops offered practical exercises, working in 2D and 3D with different techniques and materials. The aim was to train understanding of space, objects and shapes through drawing and modelling as well as getting practical skills and inspiration for the future projects.
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The Hands Do What The Mind Wants 2D and 3D Paper Folding Design BASICS Workshop with: Prof. Dieter Raffler Prof. Johannes Kister Prof. Dieter Raffler is a retired Professor for 2D and 3D design basics at the Department of Design at Anhalt University of Applied Sciences in Dessau. He is one of the last graduates of the „Hochschule für Gestaltung in Ulm“ (Ulm Graduate School of Design), a successor of the Bauhaus university. His teaching in Dessau is partly based on the principles of the famous Bauhaus Master and an important actor in the „Vorkurs“, Josef Albers (see also background information, page 2). The two practices of Albers from 1925 and 1955 of the Ulm School of Design have been accomplished during the workshop for the DIA welcoming program. Repeatedly, former Bauhaus students have been describing the “Vorkurs” (Pre-Course) of the Bauhaus as a common ground, as a guide everybody can orientate on, as a code which stays. After almost 90 years the „Vorkurs“ has not only become a historical phenomenon, but it is also getting a new meaning and importance. Working with the mind and hands during a creative act, producing three-dimensional objects from two-dimentional materials is a challenging exercise. It means achieving a very basic and clear understanding of three dimentions in their full complexity with the means of your mind and by your own hands. This workshop is not only a practical relive of the historical course. It might also be an initiation, because apparently the craftsmanship alone no longer seems necessary. The „Vorkurs“ is not a creative dogma. It is a prelude that gives powerful tools.
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Workshop with Prof. Dieter Raffler. Preparing and presenting the work © Larisa Tsvetkova
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Workshop with Prof. Dieter Raffler. Final exhibition. top: © Larisa Tsvetkova, bottom: © Pavel Babiienko
Workshop with Prof. Dieter Raffler. Final exhibition. top: © Larisa Tsvetkova, bottom: © Mohammed Eid
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Workshop with Prof. Dieter Raffler. Presenting 3D paper folding work at the final exhibition Š Larisa Tsvetkova
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Upside down, 180° tension and expansion WORKSHOP WITH: PROF. CARL CONSTANTIN WEBER During this plastic workshop participants experience space in an experimental way. An expansive volume is modeled by adding and deforming single elements which are initially flat materials. Textile strips are dipped into a liquid with gypsum and suspended in a wooden frame. Under the weight of wet plaster, the strips are deforming themselves to expressive curves. The gravity center of the curves can be changed dynamically by the angles. Single strips are added one by one, and it is important to work with a conceptual master plan in order to coordinate the resulting curves with each other. Fast curing process of the gypsum allowes to turn the models by 180 degrees in short periouds of time. The final effect is a structure that grows against the gravity. This is ideally very powerful and associative. A three dimensional body grows from a raw, too dimensional material.
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Workshop with Prof. Carl Constantin Weber. Teamwork Š Pavel Babiienko
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Workshop with Prof. Carl Constantin Weber. Work in progress. top: © Mohammen Eid, bottom: © Alejandro Garin Odriozola
Workshop with Prof. Carl Constantin Weber. Teamwork and the final results © Pavel Babiienko
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Workshop with Prof. Carl Constantin Weber. Work in progress Š 26Pavel Babiienko
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Workshop with Prof. Carl Constantin Weber Presenting the „Upside Down“ objects at the final exhibition © 28Larisa Tsvetkova
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HYBRIDS Analogical mechanisms to explore connectivity WORKSHOP WITH: PROF. Carlos Campos assistant: Anna Trentin Hybrids is a three-days workshop that focuses on connectivity as a tool for producing and understanding architecture. Starting by manipulating simple objects, like fruits or vegetables, students can explore the different possibilities for creation of new organizations by merging, mixing, piling up, combining... The goal is to discover both personal and common mechanisms, to address the task of space making. Hybrids Workshop consisted of two different segments. In the first one, students were asked to fabricate a Hybrid construction, using fragments of fruits and vegetables. Clear mechanisms and treatments were the outcome of this practice. During the second segment, students worked on the production of a bigger structure, using a given module made by straws. This new Hybrid was created to occupy a significant space at the main university building. The workshop ended with an exhibition and a presentation of the group work. Hybrids helped students to find out, how diverse our design approaches can be. The final outcome was composed by two opposite ways of addressing space making: On the one hand, repetition without any difference, on the other hand, endless accumulation of differences. The final goal was to merge and mix, combine and pili up both approaches in order to create a new category of object. A Hybrid.
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Workshop „Hybrids“ with Prof. Carlos Campos. Teamwork build up © Larisa Tsvetkova
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Workshop with Prof. Carlos Campos. Excersice with Fuits © Carlos Campos
Workshop with Prof. Carlos Campos. Excersice with Fuits © Carlos Campos
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Workshop „Hybrids“ with Prof. Carlos Campos Final presentation © Larisa Tsvetkova 35
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Workshop with Prof. Carlos Campos. The „Hybrids“ Team © Esra Savga
Workshop with Prof. Carlos Campos. Final model © Pavlo Babiienko
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THE RANDOM MACHINE II Representation based on mechanical repetition WORKSHOP WITH: PROF. Carlos Campos assistant: Anna Trentin “Repetition allows a poem to say several things at once, resulting in an integrated whole” Gregory Bateson. Multidimensionality of poetic language. The Random Machine II Workshop consisted of three different segments. In the first one, students were asked to fabricate a drawing random machine. Using leftovers, simple battery-powered toys or recycled appliances, students were capable to design and produce these mechanisms to generate both complexity and randomness. During the second segment, they worked on the production of Syntax Diagrams, in order to feed the machines with external information (idiolectic software). At the last segment of the workshop, students produced several series of 50 by 70 centimeters automatic drawings, feeded with Syntax Diagrams information. The final outcome of this practice was a set of handrawings, traced on some enlarged views of the mechanical drawings. Students work at this workshop was outstanding. A strong commitment and perseverance was demonstrated from the very begining. Students showed strong design and fabrication abilities, lots of patience as well as search for beauty and organization addressing random and complex scenarios.
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Workshop „The Random Machine“ with Prof. Carlos Campos © Carlos Campos
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Next page: Drawing created with The Random Machine. © Yu-Wei Han 40
Workshop „The Random Machine“ with Prof. Carlos Campos. Creaitng the drawings © Carlos Campos
Workshop „The Random Machine“ with Prof. Carlos Campos. Presenting final results © Carlos Campos
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I AM IN DESSAU WORKSHOP WITH: PROF. ATTILIO TERRAGNI We have prepared a book, a welcome book for all new students coming to Dessau. It is done for the students: to stay with them for the two years of studies, to fill in with their thoughts, words, poetry, drawings, numbers, etc… The book is a homage to the unknown city of Dessau; still to be discovered. The pages have signs, maps, portraits, words, paintings, names, photos, drawings, music, all coming from dessau and fragments of memories to be discovered while living in Dessau. We have used various collage techniques and such simple tools as scissors, glue, cutters and hands. At the final exhibition, on the floor the leftovers of the working process are presented: students can use it! Everyone is invited to take a picture and start their own collage drawings, diagrams, projects, plans, graphics, new figures... Welcome to Dessau everybody!!I
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Workshop „I Am In Dessau“ with Prof. Attilo Terragni. FInal Layouts. Teamwork.
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Workshop with Prof. Attilo Terragni. Creating the collages top: © Alina Safiullina, bottom: © Mohammed Eid
Workshop with Prof. Attilo Terragni, final presentation © Larisa Tsvetkova
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Workshop with Prof. Attilo Terragni, final presentation Š Larisa Tsvetkova49
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Workshop „I Am In Dessau“ with Prof. Attilo Terragni. FInal Layouts. Teamwork.
Workshop „I Am In Dessau“ with Prof. Attilo Terragni. FInal Layouts. Teamwork.
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52 Workshop „I Am In Dessau“ with Prof. Attilo Terragni. FInal Layouts. Teamwork.
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TOURS IN POTSDAM AND BERLIN EUROPEAN ARCHITECTURE AND PLANNING A three-day excursion to Potsdam and Berlin offered an opportunity to explore different examples of historical as well contemporary projects in architecture and urban planning. We have dicussed a variety of topics, including history of European cities, reconstruction and restoration, sustainable buildings and participatory processes in urban development. Additionaly, DIA teachers who are based in Berlin offered a unique opportunity to visit their offices or project sites.
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POTSDAM ARCHITECTURE WALK TOUR WITH: PROF. carl constantin weber prof. johannes kister cornelia böttner Potsdam is an architectural, landscape and planning „Invention“ of the recourse of the classical architecture of Athens and Rome. Historical self-assurance of the distinguished Prussian „rediscovers“ or „reinvents“ the classic, one of the most influential architecture of the early modernity. Mies van der Rohe and other architects since then have been studying Schinkel, Schlüter and Lenné. The city walk gives an introduction to a big european architectural discourse, which is also readable in the permanent reinvention of Berlin.
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Excursion to Potsdam with Prof. C. C. Weber, Prof. J. Kister and C. Böttner © Mohammed Eid
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Potsdam architectural divercity top: © Pavlo Babiienko, bottom: © Mohammed Eid
Potsdam architectural divercity top: © Mohammed Eid, bottom: © Hayda Abdelrahim
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St. Nikolai Church and a typical Potsdam street with Prof. C. C. Weber and Prof. J. Kister top: © Mohammed Eid, bottom: © Pavlo Babiienko
St. Nikolai Church and Park Sanssouci top: © Blanca Tovar, bottom: © Hadya Abdelrahim
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Potsdam atmosphere © Pavlo Babiienko
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NEW MUSEUM BERLIN TOUR WITH: PROF. JOHANNES KISTER CORNELIA BÖTTNER What started in Potsdam as a laboratory test, has been continued in the Berlin New Museum. This museum is telling about history, but it also became part of the history itself, by the destruction during the Second World War. Another (contemporary) layer of interpretation has been added to the building by Chipperfield. This building demonstates architectural language as a cultural discourse beyond functionality and technique.
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Excursion the New Museum with Prof. Johannes Kister und Cornelia Böttner top: © Pavlo Babiienko, bottom: © Mohammed Eid
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New Museum Berlin
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BERLIN URBAN EXPLORATION TOUR WITH: lARISA TSVETKOVA PROF. JOHANNES KALVELAGE Diverse and alternative, creative and dynamic, progressive and innovative - all that is Berlin. It might take just a few days to fall in love with this city, but it does take time to understand it. Our urban exploration has started in the historical city center, the area at the river Spree where the first church and the main market place of the old village called Berlin used to be. We have looked at maps and models that help to understand development of the city. It is fascinating to look at different layers of time, including the history from the medieval times until the period before and after the Berlin Wall, the current challenges and tendencies as well as the future strategies for the city. Walking from the very South to the North of Berlin Mitte district, we have discovered a remarkable architectural and urban diversity. That includes the panel buildings of housing from the 70s, the much criticized Castle construction project, as well as typical Berlin yards of the „Mietskaserne“ typology, along with contemporary projects such as the Dutch embassy by Rem Koolhaas or the office building of Chipperfield architects. We could see some parts of that small unimportant village the city used to be before it a rapidly grew and became the European „Kasernestadt“ with the famous Berlin blocks. We have discussed planning and cultural challenges that Berlin had to face while being divided into two cities as well as when reuniting and recreating itself again afterwards. During the past years, the booming city of Berlin is bringing new tasks for architects and planners, raising questions about urban density, public spaces, segregation and gentrification. Each neighborhood of Berlin has its own identity and specific qualities, telling endless stories about complex processes, developments and systems that form this unique city.
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Berlin Urban Exploration with Larisa Tsvetkova and Prof. Johannes Kalvelage top: © Mohammed Eid, bottom: © Johannes Kalvelage
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Exploring typical Berlin yards with Prof. Johannes Kalvelage © Larisa Tsvetkova
Layers of architectural history in Berlin top: © Johannes Kalvelge, bottom: © Larisa Tsvetkova
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KREUZBERG + JEWISH MUSEUM TOUR WITH: LARISA TSVETKOVA PROF. JOHANNES KALVELAGE Berlin’s Kreuzberg neighborhood has a long history of alternative culture, self-organized initiatives, innovative architecture and urban experimentation. This area’s unique history has created a mixture of several dense urban centers full of live and lots of hidden spaces where green oases and little neighbourhood projects can de found. Open lots, squated buildings, art spaces and people from all over the world have turned Kreuzberg into one of Berlin’s most vibrant districts. Urban and architectural regeneration projects from the IBA1987 (Internationale Bauaustellung / International Building Exhibition) offer interesting examples of innovative and sustainable housing which is also well integrated in the neighbourhood. After the Wall came down in 1990, Kreuzberg transformed from a fringe area of West Berlin to a central district in a major European city practically overnight. During the last years, Kreuzberg is going through a rapid process of gentrification, facing challenges in providing affordable and adequate housing for old and new residents of the area. Durting our tour we walked from the very South to the North of Kreuzberg, starting at the border to Berlins upcoming Neuköln district and ending up close the touristic part of Mitte, where the impressive Jewish museum by Daniel Libeskind is located.
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Kreuzberg + Jewish Museum Tour with Larisa Tsvetkova and Prof. Johannes Kalvelage top: © Ivan Haiman, bottom: © Sofia Danylova
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Kreuzberg architectural impressions © Koleva Teya
Jewish Museum top: © Koleva Teya, bottom: © Johannes Kalvelage
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Housing in the former hospital buildings „Am Urban“
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From Alexanderplatz to Tempelhof TOUR WITH: Ignacio Bóscolo Although most of the “big” cities in Europe are based in a centralized structure with a well-defined center, Berlin seems to be an exception. It´s not only that it doesn´t have one but it looks as it has a lots of different nodes spread around which provide a wide range of different activities. This walking tour tried to find out how two of these nodes of Berlin that are completely different are connected to each other. The starting point is Alexanderplatz, a place that is often thought of as Berlins main center. But after wandering around, one realizes that this idea is much more related with the image of what it represents rather than with its real function. The end point is Tempelhof, the biggest urban void in the middle of the city where the main characters are the citizens. The people of Berlin, apart from just enjoying the space, also take daily care of keeping its present condition against future developments. In between both, we visited a series of different exciting buildings from different decades and centuries such as Franziskaner-Klosterkirche, Nikolaikirche, the Netherlands Embassy and the social housing buildings at Kottbusser Tor. Along the way we could also understand how a series of different interventions such as the side of the Spree, the canal in Kreuzberg and the Heisenheide Volkspark between others, create a sense of continuous public space.
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Excursion Berlin with Igancio Bóscolo top: © Anastasija Palagina, bottom: © Pavlo Babiienko
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Hansaviertel TOUR WITH: ignacio Bóscolo Berlin 1957. Meanwhile in the East some neoclassical blocks were built along the axis of Karl Marx Allee, the International Building Exhibition called Interbau tried to rethink new ways of inhabiting on the west side of Tiergarten. The result was a masterplan where a mixed use area was providing a different range of communal facilities. 14 renowned architects such as Alvar Aalto, Egon Eiermann, Walter Gropius, Oscar Niemeyer and Werner Düttmann between others, were in charge of a total amount of 36 buildings (including several housing blocks and schools, two churches, a cinema, a library, and so on). Although nowadays the whole complex is quiet disconnected from the rest of the city, the main goal of the walk was to rediscover this lost treasure with its original hand drawings, and to understand how certain innovative ideas from that period still last in time. The last stop of this “modern” walk is the famous Bauhaus Archive just on the other side of Tiergarten where we could get a better understanding of where all these ideas were coming from.
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Excursion with Ignacio Bóscolo. Hansaviertel, Bauhaus Archiv Berlin © Jacob Lutta
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ARCHITECTURE PHOTO WALK TOUR WITH: Laurian Ghinitoiu The Architecture Photo Walk followed some of the most known architecture objects in Berlin, from the Holocaust Memorial or Neue National Gallery, till Tempodrom or the apartment building of Aldo Rossi and many others. We used photography as a tool to analyse architecture within the wide context. We have looked at urban spaces of different scales, inclusing big noisy boulevards, small streets with quiet and hidden courtyards as well different construction details, of course. We discovered a wide range of styles, materiality and colours, which were completed by the human scale with their emotion and interaction. Analysing the same buildings at different times of the day with different intensity of lights and shadow, from the early morning till evening, gave us a better understanding of architecture.
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Excursion with Laurian Ghinitoiu. Architecture and reflections Š Ilya Kibardin
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Excursion with Laurian Ghinitoiu, Holocaust Memorial Berlin Š Ilya Kibardin
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STUDENTS IMPRESSIONS The DIA Pre-Course 2015 was an intense and exciting experience, which included getting to know new people, new cities and new approaches to architecture in a short period of time. We asked our students to share their impressions, ideas and thoughts.
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impressions: dia vorkurs week
Impressions: Dessau, Potsdam and Berlin
Hamed Khalidi
ivan haimann
county of origin: INDIA
county of origin: croatia
As Architecture students and professionals, we like to believe that Architecture has the power of infusing a spirit of knowledge, inspiration and curiosity among those who seek it. Coming back to school after some time working in an office was certainly a big test for all 100+ of us who came from many different countries to begin our master studies at the DIA in Winter Semester 2015-2016. But the „Vorkurs“, the DIA Pre-Course Week, ensured that the students embarked on this new journey with vigour and excitement.
The first week of workshops and lectures was a fun and productive experience. It prepared me in order to better understand architecture that I was yet to see.
The DIA master program began with intensive 7 days filled with excursions, workshops, exercises, tours and of course, parties! Coming from such diverse cultures and countries, the importance of this week cannot be emphasized enough, as it gave us the opportunity to interact with faculties, locals and each other to give us a sense of the amazing journey that awaits us as students. While some of the workshops had us working in groups, leading us to interact with each other in order to get the best out of our creative endeavours, other workshops centred on the iconic Bauhaus ‘Vorkurs’, which helped us to rediscover our passion for drawing and crafts. Tours in and around Dessau helped us to learn about the historic city we are going to inhabit for the next two years. The final hours of the day allowed us to unwind with our new friends and colleagues extending the cultural interchange outside the studios. Having students stretching such diversity is always an exciting facet of education, but the teachers and professors created a conductive learning environment in these workshops to bring the best out of us. On a personal level, it feels as if the redundant unused grey cells have been brought back to life! It feels great to be a student again!
As we started the excursion in the city of Dessau, I was instantly impressed by the building of UBA (Umweltbundesamt) which gave me a perspective of what a sustainable building means and what it could be. I found it as a great example of self-sufficiency and aesthetics. Already the next day, arriving to Potsdam, the first thing that caught my attention was the contrast between GDR and classical architecture (the city library and Schinkels protestant church). Disappointed in details in the renovated interior of Schinkels church it was a real delight to take a walk through the Holland Neighbourhood and the Kings Forest. I was mostly impressed by the picturesque and romantic setting, I guess because of Lenné‘s landscape. Passing the Glienicker Lake, it was a beautiful but also strange site to see. It is a place where the border between Eastern and Western Germany was. In front of the bridge, one could see a golden sculpture of an angel with broken wings, just next to the shadow of the former wall, all set with a beautiful view of lullaby forests and castles. As we approached Berlin, it occurred to me how fascinating it´s scale is: the amount of people, as well as all those things that this city has to offer is unique. I have been living in Berlin before, but nevertheless when we arrived at Alexaderplatz it surprised me again with its spaciousness, and if that wasn‘t enough, the Fernsehturm (the TV tower „Alex“) was just around the corner to amaze me, too. I was happy to walk around Mitte, Kreuzberg and Tempelhof wih Ignacio. It was interesting to revise most of the places that I saw before, in the „poor but sexy“ Berlin that is always so enjoyable on a sunny day. The last part of the trip, and the end of the Pre-Course Week had a interesting program, including a visit to the studio Bundschuh and presentations of his work in Prenzlauer Berg district as well as walking around this area on our own, exploring the famous Mauerpark and the area around Bernauerstrasse with my international colleagues. In conclusion the whole experience was enlightening and sharing that experience with my new class mates was the most amusing aspect of the excursion.
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impressions: excursion to berlin Hamed Khalidi county of origin: INDIA As a part of the „Vorkurs“ program at the DIA master program, the first semester students visited the iconic city of Berlin. The Berlin excursion was an intensive three-day trip that included tours, photography walks, museum visits as well as interactions with architects as a part of studio or site visits. This gave us a unique opportunity to learn and interact with the city, all the while being continuously inspired and stimulated by it! Berlin is a city of inspiration and information, with some of the most noticeable architects and artists in the world leaving their mark on the city. As we walked across the streets and squares, we carelessly stumbled upon some unique and inspiring architecture and art. The city narrates so much, given the intense last three decades it has witnessed. A true embodiment of creativity and innovative endeavours, Berlin never ceased to impress as we continued our explorations. In terms of urban planning, the city remains as one of the best connected cities in the world, given its almost seamless interconnections between various modes of transportation. This allowed us to experience more of Berlin in a short time. Through the studio visits, we learned from architects many laws and guidelines followed in the city. For instance, the continuous roofline across streets; the extents of the facade lines to allow passage for pedestrians; the elements of courtyards connecting back to the street; presence of green and open spaces within every community block. Another alluring part about Berlin was, how streets offered a diverse range of architectural expressions, whilst remaining harmonious to the context and surrounding buildings. We were able to observe various instances, where these buildings were able to interact with the street through unique architectural vocabularies such as balconies, arcades, courtyards etc. For us as architecture students it was invigorating to see the various principles of urban design in action and implementation. I would like to especially applaud the efforts of the coordinators and teachers at the DIA in ensuring this exchange was possible. Our thirst for knowledge and inspiration was quenched by this inspiring excursion to Berlin, which only promises our return to the city to learn more from it at every opportunity.
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WALKING AROUND BERLIN Blanca Beatriz Tovar Campos county of origin: El Salvador From the moment I got off the train, I felt this sensation of being in a big and structured place, where everything is part of a unity of organization. Discovering Berlin when using public transportation has been a great experience for me. It was interesting to check out the routes and departure times, using the U-Bahn and S-Bahn, experiencing the city and feeling all the adrenaline get to a specific place. Also, by walking around the streets of Berlín, I noticed that people showed lots of respect to the rules. Compared to other cities (specially outside of Europe), where following the traffic light is not common, this clear organization is unususal. When our group had the photo walk, visiting some outstanding buildings of Berlín, I felt stunned to see that structures, facades, lanscapes, and the envolvement of these buildings. Some of them I studied in my University in El Salvador, so I just felt that I was experiencing a dream - for real. Also, to go around the real Berlín, as Laurian said, is a beautiful experience. Seeing the café’s, small restaurants and the people taking the sun, enjoying the lanscape and the pubhlic spaces, made me feel very grateful for the things that I felt in there. We also have experienced things in the city that maybe not all visitors (at least not tourists) get to see. For example, there was a large and peaceful protest, where we saw many gathered, organized people on the streets. At the end of the day, we visited the New Museum, where I had another interesting experience when walking around the halls of the museum, where the tour guide explained the reasons behind every detail. This made me realize once again that the beauty is in the details, and that we as architects have a great opportunity to build and develop things that can make people feel good and enjoy life. Outside the Museum, in the streets and public spaces around, there were people performing little shows and playing music; many families where sunbathing on the grass and enjoying the day. I though at that moment, that we don’t need much to have a great time, we just have to see the good part in every space and time. For me, coming from a very little country and being my first time in Europe, the things that I got to learn so far about Germany were very impressive. It also made me feel grateful for all the knowledge that I’m gathering right now: not only in a professional way, but also on a personal level, as experiences for my life. I would really like to transmit all of these impressions and feelings to the people in my country. And I hope that, some day, we grow as a country of unity and respect.
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FEELING HOME TARANEH BAHMAN ROKH county of origin: IRAN “Take my hand and I will close my eyes, guide me home and as a child I will eagerly fantasize, it has been a long time since I have been home and I hope I am nearly there no matter how far you are, they say home knows no race, no distance, Home is fare. They say, even if you run away home can still find you, they say you can’t have it all but occasionally you deserve to.” - I Am Coming Home by Ayesha Sartawi „Home is where you make it yours“ - Unknown When I first arrived to Dessau and looked at the buildings around me, I thought I could hear the buildings. They were speaking their message to me. The design of the buildings delivers the story of the place. It can communicate with people through its design, structure and orientation of spaces. The historical environment of this city speaks about the past. Location of the train station, the Bauhaus Building and the DIA Campus is the structure of Dessau is just perfect. The place that we are living in turns into our home if we feel comfortable with the people around us. Even the culture and the traditions of a community can be enough to give people feeling of home, something where they belong to, something that makes our life comfortable and meaningfull. And for me, that is the feeling I have about Dessau. During the Pre-Course Week I have learned lots of new information and had fun working with people from many different cultures during the workshops and the excursion to Potsdam and Berlin. I also was happy to find some of my individual and group work presented at final exhibition. I am thankful for this opportunity that helped me to explore myself more and more.
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Site visit with Sam Chermayeff © Low Jeng Foong 93
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Excursion to Potsdam © Pavlo Babliienko
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Visiting the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin Š Koleva Teya 96
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At the Embassy of the Netherlands in Berlin Š Johannes Kalvelage
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Next to the German Parliament buildings in Berlin Š Alina Safiullina 100
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Anhalt University of Applied Sciences, Dessau Campus. DIA exhibition Š Larisa Tsvetkova 102
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Anhalt University of Applied Sciences, Dessau Campus. DIA exhibition Š Larisa Tsvetkova 104
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CREDIT
CONCEPT AND PROGRAM
WORKSHOPS
Prof. Alfred Jacoby
Prof. Dr. Carlos Campos & Anna Trentin, M.A. FADU, UBA Buenos Aires
Prof. Johannes Kister Prof. Dieter Raffler Prof. Johannes Kalvelage Prof. Carl Constantin Weber Larisa Tsvetkova, M.A. Cornelia Böttner
Prof. Attilio Terragni Politecnico di Milano Prof. Dieter Raffler, Prof. Johannes Kister & Cornelia Böttner DIA Graduate School of Architecture Prof. Carl Constantin Weber DIA Graduate School of Architecture
COORDINATION
LECTURES
Larisa Tsvetkova, M.A.
Prof. Dr. Carlos Campos
Cornelia Böttner
Prof. Dr. Jasper Cepl Prof. Johannes Kister Prof. Attilio Terragni
EXCURSIONS Prof. Johannes Kister, Prof. Carl Constantin Weber & Cornelia Böttner Larisa Tsvetkova, M.A. & Prof. Johannes Kalvelage Ignacio Bóscolo, M.A. Laurian Ghinitoiu, M.A.
site visits Prof. Roger Bundschuh & Ignacio Bóscolo, M.A. Sam Chermayeff Prof. Peter Ruge Larisa Tsvetkova, M.A.
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DIA SERIES PUBLISHER
PHOTOS
This book is part of a series of scientific publications, which, at loose intervals, publish the results of the thematic projects and academic events as a reflection of the work accomplished within the DIA master course. As such, they reveal a panorama of architectural discourse about the city, society, history as well as the tectonic object as perceived through the eyes of students from all over the world.
DIA Graduate School of Architecture
DIA lecturers:
Dept 3. Faculty of Architecture, Facility Management and Geoinformatics
Carlos Campos, Argentina Johannes Kalvelage, Germany Larisa Tsvetkova, Russia
Prof. Alfred Jacoby, DIA Director
BauhausstraĂ&#x;e 5 06846 Dessau
Prof. Johannes Kister, DIA Director Public Affairs
Anhalt University of Applied Sciences
Fon +49(0)340 5197 1531 #1 Amsterdam Housing (2012)
Arie Graafland
#2 Jerusalem: The Damascus Gate (2013)
Arie Graafland and Alfred Jacoby
#3 After Geometry (2015)
Attilio Terragni
dia-architecture.de afg-hs-anhalt.de
#4 Redesign (2015) Gunnar Hartmann #5 Vorkurs / Pre-Course 2015 (2016)
Johannes Kister
EDITING Editor: Larisa Tsvetkova Assistant editor: Djamila Pietzner
LAYOUT
DIA students: Hadya Abdelrahim, Saudi Arabia Pavlo Babiienko, Ukraine Sofia Danylova, Ukraine Mohammed Eid, Egypt Low Jeng Foong, Malaysia Alejandro Garin, Uruguay Ivan Haiman, Croatia Yu-Wie Han, Taiwan Ilya Kibardin, Russia Teya Koleva, Bulgaria Jacob Lutta, Tanzania Anastasija Palagina, Lithuania Agustina Pascotto, Argentina Alina Safiullina, Russia Esra Savga, Turkey Blanca Tovar, El Salvador
COPYRIGHT
Larisa Tsvetkova
DIA Graduate School of Architecture, Anhalt University of Applied Sciences
The authors and photographers
Solid Earth Print Production, Berlin, Germany Climate-neutral print on recycling paper, certified with the EU Eco Label 500 copies published in 2016
Graduate School of Architecture Š 2016
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DIA series © 2016