Creative Synergies Studio Brief.
ARC3001.
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Studio 07 Craig Gray and Stella Mygdali
2020/21
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Contents
1.0 Synopsis 2.0
Studio Themes
3.0
Studio Leaders
4.0
Studio Description
5.0
Framing
(Stage 1)
6.0
Testing
(Stage 2)
7.0
Synthesis
(Stage 3)
8.0 Tectonics 9.0
Climate Crisis
10.0
Architectural Theory
11.0
Marking Criteria
12.0
References and Reading
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01. Creative mapping of Amsterdam - Frank Desme, Project 360º
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Synopsis
From micro to macro. Through rigorous testing and analysis, our studio will explore the various functions, processes, skills and materiality involved in the art of hands-on making, architectural craft and a tactile appreciation of space and volume. We will explore how compatible they are in a future of cutting edge architectural research, and wider sustainable strategies aimed at reducing the profession’s inexcusable contribution to the ongoing climate crisis. And ask alongside this, if an emphasis on a more performative and process-based approach to the programming, arrangement and inhabitation of space, can positively impact a proposal at an urban scale, whilst producing tangible benefits to the wider community it serves? The central question asked of our students is what role the institution of education, and the spaces in which it takes place, can play in consolidating and mediating between transient and established communities. And if, when aligned with the aforementioned considerations, it can be used as an appropriate template for a more contextual and sustainable, contemporary community architecture?
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Studio Themes
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The studio will place significant importance on the themes listed below throughout each stage of the design process. Using both the individual and collective as a means by which to measure your ongoing development. However it is our hope that the interpretative nature of the brief, coupled with an emphasis upon each individual determining and developing the specifics of their own programme, will lead to a much more diverse and individualised set of thematic guidelines as the year progresses.
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Community Engagement
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Architectural & Cultural Context
- Process - Inhabitation -
Making / Fabrication
- Craft - Research - Sustainability
02. Shed Boat Shed. / Simon Starling / The Modern Institute (2005)
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Studio Leaders
Studio 07 will be led by Craig Gray and Stella Mygdali. Craig is a qualified architect with over 10 years experience, currently running his own practice in Glasgow. He also works as a lecturer and member of the Stage 3 coordination team at Newcastle University. Craig has worked across a wide range of scales and sectors, including helping deliver the winning proposals for the Dalmarnock Commonwealth Games Village and working in the studios of Frank Gehry, Will Alsop and Joshua Prince Ramus (REX), before returning to Glasgow to help establish the practice Stallan-Brand in 2012, specialising in the design and delivery of numerous award winning education buildings around Scotland. Setting up his own practice in 2019, Craig has indepth knowledge of complex structural solutions and technical detailing, as well as a passion for community engaged architecture and a love of contemporary art. Stella is a registered architect, member of the Technical Chambers of Greece. She holds a PhD in Architecture and an MSc by Research in Architecture (Distinction) from the University of Edinburgh. Her research focuses on performative explorations of space informed by architecture, art, and psychoanalysis. She has experience in teaching architectural history and architectural theory at the University of Edinburgh (ESALA) and architectural design at the University of Newcastle (SAPL). She has presented her work in conferences and group exhibitions internationally, including the 12th Venice Biennale of Architecture.
03. Broomlands Primary School. / Stallan-Brand (2018)
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Studio Description
Studio 07
The Ouseburn river, with its narrow walkways, steep
You will be encouraged initially to draw from your
sloping banks and derelict gap sites, adjacent to and
own experiences of the practical and social aspects
often partially occupied by fragments of an industrial
of education both pre and post-Covid. Analysing the
past, will form the starting point from which you will
impacts and ongoing challenges that you and your
begin your explorations into the key thematic drivers
peers have and continue to face, as well as identifying
of our Studio.
any potential opportunities to begin challenging the
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accepted norms of teaching, learning and interacting Historically a site of significant industry, craft and
that we have for so long taken for granted. Draw on
human commerce, the area now finds itself at an
your own experiences to suggest what a research
interesting juncture in its ever changing social and
and learning environment can be and do, taking into
architectural reclassification. As is regularly the case,
consideration all the synergies and processes that can
small scale cultural practices, makers, craftspeople,
create a sustainable collective endeavour.
artists and musicians organically re-inhabited abandoned post-industrial warehouses and workshops. And in doing so reinvigorated the area, whilst inadvertently increasing demand and desirability for more opportunistic, larger scale development. Through extensively analysing and documenting the architectural, topographical, cultural and historic context of the area, we will seek to ascertain what impact these proposals have on the existing residents of the Ouseburn, as well as the traditionally more working class, historic communities of Sheildfield to the north, and Byker to the east. Using education and research as a programmatic fulcrum, here we will evaluate and rigorously test the feasibility of an institutional building and the possibilities a structure of this nature could afford as a moderator between a transient or even remote student community, and those existing, established, and emerging communities of the site and its surrounding areas. To institute means to begin, to set in motion; you are invited to encapsulate this dynamic in a proposal that stimulates and generates learning experiences and creative encounters, while operating between the university and the communities of Ouseburn and of the wider context.
04. Serendipity explored in Corrugated Cardboard © ZJA Zwarts & Jansma Architect
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Studio Description
(continued)
As we progress, you will begin to combine and enhance your contextual research and personal introspection, with the goal of eventually determining an appropriate specialism to be housed in your institute. This will form the programmatic root of your graduation project, from which you will be encouraged to conduct an academic exercise into the specific processes, rituals, spatial relationships and tactile, human scaled considerations of your chosen field. These could range from subjects as diverse as adaptive reuse and re-appropriation of building materials, to biological architecture or the inherent possibilities of 3D printing, but must look to actively engage and assimilate with an established local community or group. In previous years, prior to the current restrictions on studio use and the opportunities afforded by the equipment and expertise available in the workshop, the studio placed a significant emphasis on the use of physical models. And whilst these resources currently prove more challenging to rely upon, we will still promote and reward the use of physical spatial exploration in our studio. In light of these constraints a greater focus will be placed on the creative selection and reuse of more accessible modelling materials, whilst the use of less precious exploratory spatial models will be complimented by the use of smaller more refined investigations of specific details, tectonics and atmospheric models. Another key aspect of your studies will involve the creation, in groups, of a series of large scale contextual site sections and an extensive digital model, showing in detail the surrounding architectural and topographical context, in which your building will be regularly tested and refined.
05. Kengo Kuma, Paris Atelier, Conceptual models © Designboom
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06. Spatial Agency / Atelier d’architecture autogeree (2001)
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Framing (Stage 1)
The early stages of framing will involve a series of weekly group exercises centred around site reading and information gathering. You will work initially in small groups to begin gathering, collating and distributing your findings with the goal of producing a comprehensive body of physical and analytical research which will form the basis of a shared studio resource. This will include several extensive contextual site sections, a detailed three-dimensional digital context model, as well as historic mapping, data gathering on existing and neighbouring communities and research into current and proposed policy, as well as any relevant proposed development of the site and wider area. Crucially, framing will also see the beginnings of your first design explorations, derived from your analytical content and your own approach to an individual interpretation of the brief, which you will begin to develop in the early weeks of this stage. These formative studies will form the basis upon which you will progress the more extensive and detailed studies required in Testing.
07. Example of student analysis. / M. Chi Fai Chan (2018)
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Testing (Stage 2)
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Semester 2 sees a deliberate move away from larger group work exercises to those necessary to being individually interrogating and developing your approach to a bespoke programmatic and design solution. During this stage you will test your initial design studies, with more frequency, in much greater detail and at a range of scales, and through the identification of a programmatic specialism being to think about the specific necessities and human requirements of your proposals unique inhabitants. At the micro scale, considering the tactile human qualities of your brief, you will be required to evidence essential spatial relationships and how the processes involved programmatically effect the rationale of your planning and three-dimensional volumes. This will be achieved through detailed investigations into how spaces are inhabited, both in plan and section, and how your attitude towards a tectonic language and materiality impact upon the individual daily rituals of your users. In parallel to this we expect a similar level of rigour to be applied to your studies of much larger, urban scaled considerations. All testing and representation of developing proposals should not be performed in isolation, context is an absolutely intrinsic aspect of our approach and will play a significant role in the weighting of how successful we judge your proposals. An understanding and appropriate response to architectural, topographical and cultural context will be one of the most important aspects to resolve during testing.
08. Example of student plan development. / R. Caplan (2019)
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Synthesis (Stage 3)
This stage sees the culmination of your process, testing, research, theoretical position, brief development and attitude towards context, all documented and consolidated into a coherent architectural declaration. Evidence of significant resolution and compatibility is essential in all plans, sections and elevations at this stage. Alongside this a comprehensive understanding of materiality and detailed technical information will be required to support your understanding of the bespoke requirements of your chosen user and their specific practice. As well as a complete package of necessary architectural drawings, we will place significant emphasis on the documentation and reflection upon your own unique design processes and methods of representation. These explorations into your bespoke methods of thinking and making, reflecting and adapting will form an equally important part of the material we expect to see when you begin the process of carefully compiling your academic portfolio.
09. MAD Office, inhabited section. / F. Fogazzi Fai / M. Pavanello (2018)
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Tectonics
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Alongside your submissions for ARC3013 Architectural Technology: Integrated Construction, it is our intention and as a studio to help you view the decisions made when deciding upon a suitable structural strategy through a highly critical lens. In line with our studio values, the application and holistic integration of a tectonic language will be inescapably aligned with our approach to sustainability. We will question the suitability of standard construction practices, critique your approach to specification, and discuss the impact and feasibility of site constraints on your approach to phasing and working considerately within part of an established community. This level of consideration is even more important now, when considering how your proposals might assimilate parts and respond to specific elements of existing structures which have been identified through your site studies. We will encourage the regular use of exploratory physical models testing and evaluating the feasibility and aesthetic of your structural solutions, as well as the tectonic qualities they possess at a range of scales, from superstructure to detailed connections and key junctions. Alongside this we will continue to utilise a range of representation techniques from digital to analogue to evaluate the material and atmospheric qualities your decisions have upon the forms and volumes you are creating.
10. Technical section. / PFC Observatorio (2018)
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Climate Crisis
The role the architectural profession plays in contributing to the climate crisis is understandably under increasing scrutiny. As designers it is our responsibility to challenge the outdated and unsustainable practices which have for too long been the norm in the profession. Sustainability should be a fundamental consideration in the approach to all stages of your design process, and we will actively encourage and support this whilst placing a specific emphasis on three specific approaches.
Structural and material specification: Current research suggests in the field of construction alone, the simple act of applying a more considered approach to specification, one in which sustainability was at the forefront of the selection process, could reduce the industry’s carbon emissions by up to 60%. We will therefore encourage you to apply a significant amount of critical thought into the sustainability, embodied energy, adaptability and longevity of all aspects of your specification. From your choice of structural system, to the finishes of your floors and walls, each decision you make should be thoroughly researched and justified from a sustainable perspective.
Retrofitting and adaptive reuse: The site of the Ouseburn and surrounding areas, in which you will conduct your initial analysis, offers ample opportunity to identify existing fragments of the areas industrial past which are suitable for creative re-appropriation and integration into your proposals.
Emerging technologies and research: A critical part of your graduation project will be the identification and integration into your brief of a research specialism. As part of this we will engage in regular discussions into suitable fields of interest, as well as being given numerous talks by various specialists concerning some of the most exciting emerging technologies. These range from biological architecture, to the latest technology in high rise timber structures and viable zero carbon alternatives to cementitious concrete.
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Architectural Theory
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Synergies refer to mutually reinforcing, dynamic interactions, that embody the essence of ‘working together’. The studio asks you to critically explore the research and learning condition outside the academic architectural studio, in a structure that will enable and forge connections across the city and its university. In the heart of this study, lies the enquiry of how architectural education and research can stay visible and relevant to a changing world, especially in the rapid unfolding of environmental catastrophes. Building upon former pedagogical alternative structures, contemporary scholars and practitioners have been interested in challenging the isolation of the academy, expanding the discipline of architecture and reinforcing the collaborative intent across communities. In the studio we will study a range of ideas and approaches within art, architecture and humanities to inform your critical exploration of the following starting questions: Which questions should be shaping educational environments to support future architects in being responsive and responsible? What matters in the future of creative, material and space-making practices? Viewing architecture as a practice that ‘connects’: what modes of engagement can create meaningful and dynamic interactions between users and environments?
12. Sustainable Concrete Hand Crafted cladding prototype
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Marking Criteria
In addition to the general marking criteria universally applied across all Stage 3 studios, the following two headings contain the specific additional criteria against which students in Creative Synergies will be assessed.
Inhabitation and Spatial Relationships of chosen Specialism. Students will need to display a detailed understanding of the specific processes, relationships and facilities required to accommodate and support their chosen specialism, as well as demonstrate physically and visually how these elements inhabit, influence and inform the daily rituals of their users.
Contextual Response: Between the Academy and the City. Students will be required to demonstrate a thorough knowledge of existing contextual conditions, both topographical and architectural, and evidence their proposals extensively within this setting. Additionally they should be able to declare clearly how their intervention integrates and benefits an existing local community group, identified and researched through detailed site reading and analysis, while establishing a strong link with an academic research / teaching agenda.
13. UCL at Here East. / Hawkins Brown
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References and Reading
Rendell, Jane. “Architectural Research and Disciplinarity”. Architectural Research Quarterly, Cambridge University Press 8, no.2 (2004): 141-147 Frichot, Hélène. Creative Ecologies: Theorizing the practice of architecture. New York: Bloomsbury Visual Arts, 2018 Freire, Paulo. Pedagogy of the Oppressed, New York: Bloomsbury, 2015 (2000) Anderson, Jane. “What do we learn when we go outside”. Architecture Connects: Strategies for the Co-production of Architectural Knowledge, Charrette, Volume 5 number 2, Autumn 2019: 1-7 (open access) Marco, Frascari, Jonathan Hale & Bradley Starkey (eds). From Models to Drawings. Oxon: Routledge, 2007 Blundell Jones, Peter, Petrescu, Doina, and Till, Jeremy, (eds). Architecture and Participation. London, New York: Taylor & Francis Group, 2005 Sennett, Richard. The Craftsman. New Haven, London: Yale University Press, 2008 Note: more references will be suggested during the year.
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