PR3 | COMMON MODULE 3 | WEEK 3 INTERDISCIPLINARY WORKSHOP III Connectivity and Narrative Topographies

This common module will be held within Project III of the Foundation Studio for one studio meeting of the fourteenth week of the Fall semester of the 2017-2018 academic year. The activities of Common Module III – Connectivity and Narrative Topographies are designed to bring an approach towards the definition and perception of “topography”, “land” and the “change” in the land-scape though the disciplines including architecture, urban and regional planning, industrial design, interior architecture and landscape architecture. Altogether, the instructors will provide a learning environment for students from these five departments. Attendees will work on common design problems, be expected to apply the knowledge and use the skills acquired via their respective experiences of their previous and current semesters.

QUESTIONS TO EXAMINE

What is the topography and design thinking?

How do you define “land” and the “change” in the land-scape? (discussion and scale perception based on different environmental conditions).

How do we perceive landscape topography depending on conditional changes in environmental and geographical landscape? (Extreme landscapes, urban environments, rural lands, virtual environments, etc.)

How do you imagine the reciprocal relations between interdisciplinary design adaptations and additions to topography?

Spatial definition of “connectivity” on topography. (How do we develop connectivity in natural environments).

ACTIVITIES, OUTCOMES, INSTRUCTIONS Students are asked to develop a landscape scenario including a geographical theme (consider ge fundamental effects of nature such as water, climate, fire, vegetation, soil, etc.).

Due to interdisciplinary working groups of architects, urban and regional planners, industrial designers, interior architects, and landscape architects students are asked to think about the adaptation of their disciplines to topography and propose and additional component related to their team scenario. The required scenario development should include a proposal about “connectivity” in landscape. This can refer to a connectivity component such as road - river – watershed, bridge etc., or the connectivity can refer to a metaphorical component of proposed landscape environment.

MODULE SCHEDULE*

13.30 – 14.00: Group discussions about landscape, topography and connectivity (Interdisciplinary groups of 2 or 3 students from different disciplines).

14.00 – 14.30: Scenario development including conditional changes in environmental and geographical landscape (discussion and writing).

14.30 – 15.00: Preliminary sketches and material selection for proposed scenario.

15.00- 16.30: Model production of the topographical landscape and connectivity (A-2 size model production).

16.30-17.00: A summary of philosophical development of modeled scenario in brief (A5 paper summary attached to the model).

Final exhibition of models and scenarios.

*Schedule hours are only listed to define the studio flow of the module. Please feel free to proceed when you are finished with the module steps.

EXPECTED OUTCOMES

A-2 size model of proposed topographical scenario is expected to be presented at the end of the common module.

Explanatory photos of the model and a brief summary of the scenario are expected to be presented as an A-2 size poster on the following week.

MATERIALS

Students are asked to bring A-2 size cardboards, papers, strafoam or any other material to develop or layer topography

Glue or any binder, craft knife

Any other material that they choose to attach to the topography to create texture, color, pattern or scale

(students are encouraged to use recycled material from their environments)

Sketch book/notebook to discuss their ideas as a team

Pencils/pens for sketching and taking notes

Camera or cellphone camera to take photos of their models

READING SUGGESTIONS

Beardsley, J., 2006. Earthworks And Beyond: Comtemparary Art In the Landscape

McHarg, Ian, 1969. Design with Nature. John Wiley and Sons Press ISBN-13: 978-0471114604

Leatherbarrow, D., 2015. Topographical Stories: Studies in Landscape and Architecture. University of Pennslvania Press.

Forman, R. T. T., Godron, M., 1986. Landscape Ecology. John Wiley and Sons Press, ISBN: 978-0-471-87037-1.