Initiatives

INITIATIVES GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, PLANNING, AND PRESERVATION

Initiatives

1.0 STUDIO X Studio-X is GSAPP’s global network of advanced research laboratories for exploring the future of cities.

With locations in Amman, Beijing, Moscow, Mumbai, New York, and Rio de Janeiro, it is the first truly global network for real-time exchange of projects, people, and ideas between regional leadership cities in which the best minds from Columbia University can think together with the best minds in Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe, and Asia.

Studio-X is a new platform for incubating a whole new kind of conversation about the future of the built environment – intense collaborative workshop by day, energizing event space by night. Each Studio-X location generates a remarkable density of activity and is equally important. But the real energy of the network comes from the activities generated between the nodes. Read Dean Mark Wigley’s statement about Studio-X to learn more.

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2.0 DEAN’S STATEMENT In this time of unprecedented global transformation, which has generated so many urgent challenges but also whole new forms of creativity, architecture’s unique ability to address both the most direct practical problems facing global society and the highest ambitions for that society becomes all the more important.

As the field devoted to representing the greatest aspirations of society, architecture (including urban design, urban planning, historic preservation, and real estate development) is a key lens through which to see, understand, and participate in our evolving world. Architecture is a form of optimism. More than simply supporting the basic rhythms of everyday life, it tries to envision a better life, turning practical dilemmas into the most expressive opportunities, whether at the scale of a vast city, a building, a single interior, or a small piece of furniture.

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In recent years, GSAPP has used the label ÒStudio-XÓ to refer to its most advanced laboratories for exploring the future of cities. The label conveys the sense that a whole new platform for research and debate is needed to face the array of urgent questions that will face the next generation of designers.

of the world. The first Studio-X was set up as in downtown Manhattan just over three years lished a decisive reputation for innovation thro program of research projects, exhibitions, workshops, publications, performances, a attracting exciting minds from all fields. Equ Studio-X is a place for new forms of creativity in the Studio-X spaces in downtown Beijing, Amm Yetofthetheworld serve is changing so rapidly that whole new forms of creativ- and Rio de Jan face mostwepressing while plans for problems.

A placeand to invent, ity, expertise responsibility are needed. China, the Middle East, Eastern Tokyo are being testEurope, and celebrate new ideas.South Asia, and Africa are acting as the key laboraLatin America, A lively hub of the most excittories for the future of the built environment, generating whole new ways of Studio-X is not a ing discussions. An incubator urgent questions to address. The change is so fast, the scale so sity branch aim of thinking energetic and thinking in the heart of the city. interfaceand historical questions so deep that schools of archi- leadership ed large, and theAncultural for tecture direct exchanges betweenAlmost all urban transformations today involve complexresearch around have to evolve. the opposite, o colleagues from around the dynamic interplays between unique combinations of global forces. In such a around the wo world. A dynamic space that world, critical thataswe learn to exchange ideas in new ways while at the leaders in a evolves at it theissame speed cross-disciplinar immersing thesame urban time environment itself.ourselves in the local conditions, knowledge, history, and expertise in each region to develop a new level of debate and global re- continental exc and between div The global network of sponsibility. While GSAPP has long been very active on the ground in all these Those regions u Studio-X spaces that we are regions most building is --a the new kindactive of in the most places -- a new level of engagement is most radical t urgentlyworkshop necessarily and the willbest lead to wide the field. have the most tointeach us about the future of international in which minds from ranging Columbia transformations University think the best minds in Latin Schoolscan need to together becomewith students.

The continuous flow of exciting ideas and pe America, the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe, and Asia. these sister Studio-X spaces turns the simp In recent years, GSAPP has adopted the label “Studio-X” to collaborative refer to its most studio into an unpreced Each Studio-X is located in the liveliest part of the historic open advanced laboratories future of thenetwork built environment that possible future aimed at the brightest downtown of aleadership leadership city at the heartfor of the a major region

THE BASIC CONCEPT IS EXTREMELY SIMPLE: AN OPEN SPACE OF COLLABORATIVE WORK AND GLOBAL EXCHANGE OF IDEAS

have to evolve at the same rapid speed as the urban environment itself. The label tries to capture the sense that we have to be ready to face many unknown questions that will arise and need to be engaged urgently, creatively, and responsibly with a range of different partners. A Studio-X offers a protective space for private and collegial exchange of ideas still in formation and a public gallery/lecture space, website and publication program for the exhibition,

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a pilot project ago. It estabough its dense competitions, and debates ually dynamic man, Mumbai, neiro followed communication and discussion of the thoughts and designs that result from this and around s Moscow organized the traditional setting conferencing; kitchen/coffee exchange.

Such laboratories will be locatedofaround the world in aadynamic g completed.

shop; an o found in architecture schools equally all over orproblems visiting scholars/designers. interactive network dedicated to the practical in the city and to open that fosters collaborative emergent thinking. a typicalloft-like univer- space ming to export Each St empty room ducationTheand vision of the Studio-X global network is to establish a unique exchange of center t new people d the globe. On ideas and people between key regional leadership cities around the rapidly personal our colleagues evolving between world are the globe, including Beijing, New York, Moscow, Amman, Rio-Sao Paolo, Mumbai, n cross-cultural, of the openand Accra. The aim of this exchange is a global partnership able to not norm ry, andoffer cross-support to the highest possible level of reflection on the new realities and anging as an the sam changeactive, within intelligent, and productive engagement with those realities. Typically les, chairs, equipped verse regions. located in the historic downtown of a global city, each Studio-X acts as an open undergoing the is screens technolo platform for collaborative research and debate with a publication gallery, an transformation pending on of Colu cities. exhibition gallery, a lecture space and an open studio workspace. During the e using it and digital day, the Studio-X is an active workshop, with combinations of ever-shifting between eeople taking place. visualiza teams of local experts and visitors from the region or globe working on deple idea of an widest dentedsigns, globalreports, exhibitions, books, competitions, films, magazines. etc. During workspace is the Studio-X acts a hub of social exchange and intense debate resource the evening, e. by: awithbook a lively program of exhibitions and events. It is a hot spot in the city, buzzideas to ng room thatsocial energy, invention, and dedication to a better future. ing with audience e research Each Studio-X is electronically linked in real time to every other Studio-X The loc m around the around the world and ideas, people, and projects are continuously shared Studio-X -X locations a continu a between typicalthem. The global Studio-X platforms are deeply integrated into the workshop interactive nars, sy showing what COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY GSAPPand 4 perfo n the other staff hel in real time;

ANYONE ENTERING THE SPACE CAN LOOK AT WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE OTHER STUDIO-X SPACES AROUND THE WORLD, JOIN IN THOSE ACTIVITIES DIRECTLY THROUGH VIDEO CONFERENCING, OR REPLAY AND REACT TO THE RECENT EVENTS IN THE OTHER SPACES

BOOK GALLERY

GLOBAL INTERFACE

GALLERY

LECTURE SPACE

WORK SPACE

MEETING ROOM

OFFICES

A new platform for incubating a whole new kind of conversation about the future of the built environment Ă? intense collaborative workshop by day, energizing event space night. curriculum and research structure of all the by programs at GSAPP, with students

and teachers having multiple opportunities to spend time working in or with any Studio-X in the global network. Equally, students, teachers and experts from each platform around the world can work in or with any of the other platforms. The traditional hierarchical model of a leadership school concentrating expertise in a single place, synthesizing it and transmitting a singular approach to the major questions facing us gives way to the model of a distributed horizontal network that can incubate new evolving forms of intelligence for a new evolving world.

It is the ambition of the GSAPP to establish the most decisive global network of teaching, research and communication about the built environment. Such a global think tank must be based on the deep conviction that those parts of the world that are changing the most have the most to teach us. Older centers of power and wisdom must learn from the newer centers, which in turn learn from each other. No one city or region has any monopoly on the wisdom our shared world needs. Future thinking must be collaborative. Architecture can act as the key lens on our world rather than the usual global frameworks (economy, public policy, ecology, etc.) to leverage the inherent optimism of the field into new kinds of visionary and practical understanding. The ability of architecture to reflect, magnify, communicate, and celebrate our highest aspirations must be turned into a powerful global tool.

The Studio-X global network is a massive undertaking that will take some

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COFFEE BAR

NEW YORK

BEIJING

AMMAN

MUMBAI

RIO

MOSCOW

ISTANBUL

JOHANNESBURG

The first truly global network for real-time exchange of projects, people and ideas between regional leadership cities – maximum bandwidth for research, education, communication, and pilot practical engagements. years to complete. After the opening of the Studio-X in downtown Manhat-

tan in 2008, Studio-X Beijing and the Amman Lab were launched in March 2009 and have already become lively engaged sites. The Studio-X spaces in Brazil, India, Russia and Africa are currently being set up. With the addition of each hub in the network, this radical experiment in redefining the role, responsibility, and capacity of globally collaborative modes of education, research and action, increases its bandwidth exponentially. A new kind of collective brain is emerging.

3.0 ABOUT STUDIO-X In recent years, GSAPP has used the label “Studio-X” to refer to its most advanced laboratories for exploring the future of cities.

The label conveys the sense that a whole new platform for research and debate is needed to face the array of urgent questions that will face the next generation of designers.

Studio-X is a place for new forms of creativity in the face of the most pressing problems. A place to invent, test and celebrate new ideas. A lively hub of the most exciting discussions. An incubator of energetic thinking in the heart of the city. An interface for direct exchanges between colleagues from around the world. A dynamic space that evolves at the same speed as the urban environment itself.

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obal The Network acts as the scaffolding for an ever-changing expl global network of Studio-X spaces that we are building is a new kind of international workshop in which the best minds from Columbia University can think together with the best minds in Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe, and Asia. Each Studio-X is located in the liveliest part of the historic downtown of a leadership city at the heart of a major region of the world. The first Studio-X was set up as a pilot project in downtown Manhattan two years ago. It established a decisive reputation for innovation through its dense program of research projects, exhibitions, competitions, workshops, publications, performances, and debates attracting exciting minds from all fields. Equally dynamic Studio-X spaces in downtown Beijing, Amman and Mumbai followed. A beautiful Studio-X space in the heart of Rio de Janeiro is now being established and plans for Moscow are being completed. Studio-X is not a typical university branch aiming to export leadership education and research around the globe. On the opposite, our colleagues around the world are the leaders in a cross-cultural, cross-disciplinary, and cross-continental exchange within and between diverse regions. Those regions undergoing the most radical transformation have the most to teach us about the future of cities. The continuous flow of exciting ideas and people between these sister Studio-X spaces turns the simple idea of an open collaborative studio into an unprecedented global network aimed at the brightest possible future.

Each Studio-X is organized around the traditional setting of the design studio found in architecture schools all over the world: a simple open loft-like space that fosters collaborative exploration, an empty room that welcomes new 7

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that fosters collaborative exploration, an empty room that welcomes new people and new ideas.

Each Studio-X is organized around the traditional setting of the design studio found in architecture schools all over the world: a simple open loft-like space that fosters collaborative exploration, an empty room that welcomes new people and new ideas.

The organization of the open space keeps changing as an array of tables, chairs, computers, and screens is rearranged depending on which teams are using it and which events are taking place.

This central workspace is supplemented by: a book gallery and reading room that displays unique research publications from around the different StudioX locations not found in a typical bookstore; an interactive video interface showing what is happening in the other Studio-X spaces in real time; a gallery space displaying unique exhibitions curated locally or between Studio-X spaces; a space for public lectures; a meeting room for more private discussions or video-conferencing; a kitchen/coffee shop; and offices for the staff or visiting scholars/designers.

Each Studio-X is a cultural center that supports close personal interactions between people that might not normally be together. At the same time, the

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space is equipped with the latest technology to take advantage of Columbia’s expertise in digital design and data visualization to draw on the widest array of global resources and communicate ideas to the widest possible audience.

The local director of each Studio-X acts as the curator of a continuous array of projects, workshops, lectures, seminars, symposia, exhibitions, and performances with a small staff helping to tie the daily operations of the space to the surrounding city. In key moments, all the Studio-X spaces would be linked in a single real-time global workshop allowing unprecedented bursts of creativity.

4.0 MISSION Each Studio-X is a new kind of cultural space in the city bringing together the worlds of architecture, design, art, planning, preservation, construction, media, business, education, and research A special relationship with local artists: visual, multi-media, installation, performance, music, literature Not tied to any existing institution A neutral space in the heart of the city

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Fostering a whole new kind of conversation about the future of our cities, countries, regions, and the globe Incubating and supporting new forms of creativity Not a school, think-tank, gallery, performance space, communication center, or office–but elements of all Studio-X is an open flexible work area with exhibition space, book gallery, lecture space, meeting space, some offices and a serious espresso machine During the day: a collaborative workspace, with diverse teams from the city, the region, and the globe working on designs, research, art works, reports, books, magazines, exhibitions, media, websites...

During the evening: a space of passionate discussion, with lectures, debates, seminars, meetings, book launches, music performances, exhibition openings‌ A hot spot, buzzing with social energy, invention, and dedication to a better future

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A space for fresh explorative thinking Welcoming all groups from the most radical artists to the largest corporations A cultural space that belongs to the city, representing its most passionate, urgent needs and celebrating its unique strengths Deep friendship and collaboration with local schools, cultural organizations, think tanks, business, government, and foundations Concentrating and communicating the wisdom of the city, the country and the continent Celebrating local issues and expertise within a global network of similar Studio-X creative spaces Leadership cities in leadership regions exchanging ideas in an unprecedented synergy of expertise and inventiveness The first truly networked global think-tank devoted to real-time engagement with the future of the world’s built environment New bridges of creativity between continents

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built on an inhuman , no sense of urban a case of Ôcreate nt to cultivate and ctive architectural t is urgently needed

Allowing the world to learn from the world

5.0 AMMAN GSAPP’s Amman Lab, with studio workshop, seminar room, offices and exhibition space, opened within the Columbia University Middle East Research Center (CUMERC) in March 2009 and has already acted as the site for studies of city planning processes, engaged historic preservation projects, architectural design studios in the historic downtown, and urban planning studios in the poorer neighborhoods in East Amman. GSAPP teams are collaborating with the city to restore a historic house that will act as the downtown Studio-X Amman.

6.0 BEIJING Studio-X Beijing is a global research center established by Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP) in March 2009 in a large factory building in a new art zone near the historical center of the city. As a subsidiary of the Columbia Global Center in Beijing, Studio-X Beijing acts as a design laboratory where visiting students from New York, as well as scholars, design professionals or students from local institutions collaborate on research along with business, industrial, and government

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STU EXHIB EVE RESE SYMP WORK PUBLIC ME VISITING S

leaders devoted to the built environment.

The form of the studio is “X”, it can be used for lectures, symposiums, exhibitions and others, as a space where ideas and knowledge are exchanged; it can also be used as event space by cultural institutions, providing a link between the studio and the city.

7.0 MUMBAI

AVERY HALL Ð COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

The classical university model Curating Conversations a hyper-concentrated think tank attracting The Studio-X Global Network Initiative is a global network of advanced rebrilliant people ideas from all regions of the search laboratories for exploring the future ofand cities launched in 2008

by Mark is taken to itsSchool limit toofdevelop the most Wigley, Dean of the Columbia world University Graduate Architecture, Planning and Preservation. radical and influential experiments in leadership thinking about the gobal environment.

Mumbai. A dense, dynamic sprawl in perpetual flux. The beautiful dichotomy.

Urban chaos. It is true that those regions undergoing the most radical transformation have the most to teach us about the future of the city. One in a series of spaces generating intense collaboration, dense activity and phenomenal creativity, Studio X Mumbai sits poised to be understood as an incubator of ideas, an empty container in the broadest spectrum of the definition, an ephemeral void which demands to be inundated with the ideas, thoughts & aspirations of the city of Mumbai and of course India at large.

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UDIOS BITIONS ENTS EARCH POSIA KSHOPS CATIONS EDIA SCHOLARS

Uninhibited in its cross disciplinary approach, The Studio X network moderates the exchange of ideas on culture, art, education, real estate development, music, literature, philosophy, film and of course architecture & design. Located in the heart of downtown Fort district overlooking the rooftops & monuments of Mumbai, Studio X constantly sets out to define & redefine itself in relation to the intellectual & physical fabric of the city. It represents the new marketplace STUDIO-X GLOBAL yet NETWORK of thought globally connected extremely regionally specific for Mumbai, where ideas are ‘negotiated’ & a variety of relationships are formed and fosThe 21st universityand model tered redefining thecentury role, responsibility, capacity of globally collaborative distributed global response network and of open-source modes ofaeducation, research, action. platforms in all regions of the world incubating forms of leadership through continuous Althoughnew deeply integrated into the curriculum, research structures & knowlcollaborative exchangeof people edge base of Columbia’sinternational GSAPP, its a radical experiment aimed at questionand ideas. ing the traditional methodologies used for imparting & collecting knowledge therefore utilizing a host of alternative tools to traverse the notional question, “What is the future of the city?”.

One such tool is that of creating conversations to orchestrate innovative scenarios for interaction. I would consider the conversation itself a ‘collaborative methodology’. It provokes its users to participate and engage the process by inverting the nature by which knowledge is typically disseminated and consumed. Its spontaneity, unpredictability, impermanence and equality reveal certain connections, which may have been hidden or subverted in reference to

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normal organizational hierarchies that exist within the community.

The relationship of curator and consumer is also as integral to motivating and sustaining the conversation. As opposed to traditional unidirectional methods of imparting knowledge, I believe the curator and consumer share a more egalitarian relationship within the context of Studio X. The threshold between both in this scenario although undefined & ambiguous is much more fluid and inclusive in reference to the discourse generated. This in turn reflects an alternate approach to the process of curating. The curator no longer controls or moderates all aspects of the exchange but accepts the notion that the subject may be an ‘unknown’ or ‘variable’ and this lack of control and knowledge actually provides a more transparent engagement with knowledge generated.

Since its launch in February 2011 & uninhibited in its cross disciplinary approach, The Studio X network moderates the exchange of ideas and has been initiating it’s directive of engaging the past, present & future conditions of the city through a host of innovative and varied programming. Developing dialogues through events on contemporary architectural work & practice to public art, sociological research within urban centers to technology and the future of Design, we have presented over 16 events/lectures/exhibitions in collaboration with eminent thinkers & groups such as PUKAR, Penguin Books India Ltd,

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Geoff Geoff Manaugh Manaugh Co-Director Co-Director

Nicola Nicola Twilley Twilley Co-Director Co-Director

ÔÒWe ÔÒWe want want toto reach reach aa wider wider audience,Ó audience,Ó says says Manaugh.

Manaugh.

Twilley Twilley likewise likewise affirms affirms Studio-XÕs Studio-XÕs para-academic para-academic trajectory: trajectory: ÒIn ÒIn the the past, past, architecture architecture schools schools have have not not always always been been the the best best place place toto have have conversations, conversations, atat least least not not inin the the places places where where those those conversations conversations need need toto happen.ÓÕ happen.ÓÕ Geoff Geoff Manaugh Manaugh and and Nicola Nicola Twilley, Twilley, Studio-X Studio-X New New York York

SLUMLAB, ArtOxygen2011 and the Mohile Parikh Center, The UrbanVision. URBZ, Co-Directors Co-Directors 2011 Ð present Ð present DROOG Design, Gautam Bhatia, The People Tree Arts Trust, ARTES Foundation, CelebrateIndia, Christopher Benninger Architects, The Asia Society, SoftGrid February February 14,14, 2012 2012 METROPOLIS METROPOLIS UK, The Dialogue Group & the 1%-ers art collective & revered Architects, critics & educators like Sen Kapadia & BV Doshi.

Our future events will connect us to Public Art Groups, Architectural practices, Design think tanks & the most provocative minds of Urban India engaging in subjects such as ecology & sustainability, contemporary design methodologies, Urban Research & development & the critical review of current Architectural Practice within Mumbai, India & abroad.

The potential of the working studio and a prolifically assembled archival framework of material on the city, we plan to offer new and innovative tools for engaging our users and propose to further promote the idea of a new cultural space or “working laboratory on the city”, inviting organizations, institutions & individuals to participate in the process and join the conversation.

8.0 NEW YORK GSAPP’s Studio-X New York was established in New York in summer 2008 in a

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lower Manhattan industrial building in a neighborhood largely occupied by creative industries. It has quickly become a major node of activity in the city.

During the day, an ever-changing array of people work in collaborative teams on exhibitions, reports, books, magazines, competitions, seminars, workshops, etc. In the evening there is a great density of events, with lectures, debates, launches, performances, and exhibition openings.

9.0 BRAZIL Over the last ten years, Brazil has experienced significant urban development and economic growth, impacting Brazilian society at all levels. In this context, the case of Rio de Janeiro is especially emblematic, as the recent opportunities brought by offshore pre-salt oil discoveries, the preparations for the Olympic Games, and the success of new public safety policies have put the city back on track after decades of decline.

Since March 2011, Studio-X Rio has been investigating this condition from its home in a three-storey building at Praça Tiradentes, a square in the city’s downtown area. The space brings together professionals, academics, locals, decision makers, students, institutions, artists, and entrepreneurs to confront our most pressing urban challenges, from the very complex to the very simple, from the most tangible to the most abstract.

As with the rest of the Studio-X network, Studio-X Rio does not have a defined mode of operation, but rather is dedicated to exploring possibilities and

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formats that spark new ideas and new thinking. We are particularly interested in how cross-cultural, cross-disciplinary, and cross-continental exchanges can affect and contribute to each other in the face of the urban transformations of the city and the country.

10.0 EXPERIMENTS IN MOTION Experiments in Motion is a research initiative conducted by the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation in partnership with Audi of America to develop and test new paradigms in the relationship between motion, mobility and design. The program will draw from global thought leaders from around the university, architecture and design professionals, and an expanded network of urban mobility experts from New York City and Audi. Part of the Audi Urban Future Initiative, the program is curated by Therrien Barley.

As part of the Audi Urban Future Research, Experiments in Motion represents the U.S. pilot of a series of locally driven, interdisciplinary research and student programs with the world’s leading institutions and schools, tapping into the vast potential of academic intelligence and emerging talent.

“As urban environments continue to evolve, transportation needs to evolve in parallel. Audi aims to not only engage the discussion, but to actively contribute to the knowledge and insights of our global experts,” says Johan de Nysschen,

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president of Audi of America. “We look forward working very closely with Columbia University, one of the most prestigious and visionary institutions in the country, on this important project and topic.” “The history of cities is unthinkable without considering the emergence and development of new forms of mobility,” says Mark Wigley, Dean of GSAPP. “Experiments in Motion is the beginning of a new dialogue on mobility and represents a radical new way of collaboration between a corporation and a research institution. We are thrilled to partner with Mark Wigley and GSAPP, one of the most visionary schools of thought globally,” said Scott Keogh, chief marketing officer, Audi of America

EXPERIMENT #1: PARADIGMS IN MOTION

Our understandings of mobility must be caught up to the speed of the today’s cities. Paradigms in Motion will investigate new understandings of motion and mobility through a three month think tank consisting of interdisciplinary thought leaders from Columbia University, architecture and design professionals from New York City, and experts from Audi’s internal and external networks. Their findings will be released in the spring of 2012 and will provide hypotheses that will inform the architecture designed in the second experiment.

EXPERIMENT #2: DESIGN IN MOTION

New paradigms of mobility in the city require new kinds of architects. Design in Motion will build on the think tanks’ hypotheses by assembling three teams

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of graduate students and professors at GSAPP who will envision architectural designs that will create new relationships between New York City and the citizens moving through it. Half way through the semester, the students will test their design proposals by traveling to three of the fastest growing cities in the world. Design in Motion will be documented through a custom digital interface that will allow the students to communicate with each other and the public throughout the design process. The final designs will be presented in May of 2012 and will become the starting point for the third experiment.

EXPERIMENT #3: PARTICIPATION IN MOTION

No vision of the city can be realized without public support. Participation in Motion will be a public interface for the collected intelligence of the previous experiments and will open the documents, designs, and theories of the project to public discussion. In partnership with the New Museum and Columbia’s Studio-X event and studio space in downtown New York City, the program will be open to the public through a series of events and formats.

The city of the future demands a new type of automotive manufacturer, a new type of architect, and new type of citizen. Experiments in Motion connects the disruptive potential of the university with Audi in order to change the way the corporation not only operates but thinks. Likewise, Experiments in Motion aligns with GSAPP and its commitment to provide the conditions for a new type of architect to emerge. This conversation between the corporation, the university and the public will generate new forms of public participation to motivate new types of citizenship.

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“As a project that is directly concerned with innovations – new paradigms of motion, new methods of teaching, new forms of participation – it is crucial to have two partner institutions willing to work together in new ways,” say Christopher Barley and Troy Conrad Therrien of design practice Thierren Barley, responsible for the curatorial concept of Experiments in Motion. “Although the project is still fresh, Audi and Columbia have already begun to pose novel questions through their continuing partnership.”

Experiments in Motion is curated by Therrien Barley, an emerging design and curatorial practice in New York, in partnership with Audi of America, following their involvement in Audi Urban Future Project: New York in May 2011.

11.0 C-BIP The Columbia Building Intelligence Project (C-BIP) is a three-year pilot project designed to explore new forms of technology-enabled collaboration within and between the various sectors of the architecture, engineering, and construction industry. The project grows out of an interest in using emerging technologies and the increasing trends toward more integrated forms of practice to address the chronic adversarial atmosphere that has inhibited the progress of our industry for many years. In addition, C-BIP works with the premise that we cannot change the future of our industry without transforming the education of our future leaders, which begins with a renewed engagement between academia and industry.

C-BIP is comprised of local and international Think Tanks along with Integrated Design Studios (IDS) and research seminars at the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation at Columbia University. The Think Tanks occur in the fall, spring and summer and bring together leading industry experts including architects, engineers, builders, owners, fabricators, research scientists, software developers and educators in an open dialogue about current projects, working processes and research that form the cutting edge 21

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of industry practices. Each year, one of the Think Tanks is in New York and is more directly related to the work of the IDS allowing an exchange of ideas between students, faculty and the Think Tank participants. Acknowledging that one cannot talk about the dynamics of the AEC industry without acknowledging the deep impact that global exchange is having on everything from working methods to material supply chains, the other two Think Tanks take place in major regional centers around the world to better understand how the discussion shifts in different cultural and economic contexts. The Think Tanks uncover key questions and issues that establish a broad foundation to position and evolve the IDS and other support classes each year.

The Integrated Design Studio is the heart of The Columbia Building Intelligence Project. Based on the objective of developing a new studio model that responds to the increasing complexity of contemporary design problems, the studio breaks with the traditional model of architectural education in which 12 students are guided by a single studio teacher for a single semester. Instead, through the new organizational structure developed for The Columbia Building Intelligence Project, three studios work together in a highly collaborative manner that encourages the sharing of information, the open exchange of ideas and a deep understanding of the need for collective teamwork. The students produce design work that is shared and combined through structured parametric modeling that allows the individual work of each student to contribute to a collective solution. The Integrated Design Studio’s approach of distributed and coordinated design is partly modeled on new forms of digital coordination and concurrent design practices pioneered by large companies like Boeing but also on less hierarchical working protocols like open source product development. The IDS takes place in the fourth semester of the Master of Architecture Program, when students are moving from their core studios to their advanced studios, bringing enough background to make informed contributions and having enough time to integrate their new findings into future work at the GSAPP with the goal of establishing a new studio model for the future of architectural education.

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