Initiatives open house spring 2014

INITIATIVES

Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation

Initiatives

1.0 STUDIO X

2.0 DEAN’S STATEMENT

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

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.

With locations in Amman, Beijing, Istanbul, Johannesburg, Mumbai, New York, and Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, and Tokyo, 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.

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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 “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.

of the world. The first Studio-X was set up as a pilot project in downtown Manhattan just over three 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 is a place for new forms of creativity in the Studio-X spaces in downtown Beijing, Amman, Mumbai, and Rio de Janeiro followed face of the most Yet the world we pressing serve is changing so rapidly that whole new forms of creativity, ries will be located around the world in a dynamic interactive network dedicated while plansisfororganized Moscow andaround the traditional setting of problems. A place to invent, EachEurope, Studio-X conferencing; a kitchen/coffee shop; an expertise and responsibility are needed.

China, the Middle East, Eastern equally to practical problems in the city and to emergent thinking.

Tokyo are being completed. test and celebrate new ideas. the design studio found in architecture schools all over the or visiting scholars/designers.

Latin America, South Asia, and Africa are acting as the key laboratories for the A lively hub of the most excitis not a typical world: aStudio-X simple open loft-like space that fosters global collaborative ing discussions.

An incubator future of the built environment, generating whole new ways of thinking and urgent Theunivervision of the Studio-X network is to establish a unique exchange of sity branch aiming to room export Each St of energetic to thinking in theThe change is so fast, the scale so large, exploration, questions address. and theleadership cul- an empty ideas and people between key regional leadership cities around the rapidly evolveducation and heart of the city. An interface center t that welcomes new people tural and historical questions so deep that schools of architecture have to evolve. globe, research around theing globe.

On including Beijing, New York, Amman, Rio-Sao Paolo, Mumbai, Istanbul for direct exchanges between personal Almost all urban transformations today involve complex dynamic interplays be, and Johannesburg.

The aim of this exchange is a global partnership able to offer the opposite, our colleagues and new ideas. colleagues from around the around are theto the highest possible level of reflection on the new realities and active, between tweenA unique of global forces. In such a world, it is critical that we the worldsupport world. dynamiccombinations space that leaders in a ofcross-cultural, evolves the same speed as in new ways while at the same time immersing learn toat exchange ideas intelligent, Theourselves organization the open and productive engagement with those realities. Typically located notin norm cross-disciplinary, and crossthe urbanlocal environment itself. knowledge, history, and expertise in each region to in the conditions, de- changing the within historic space keeps an downtown of a global city, each Studio-X acts as an open platform the sam continental exchange as velop global a new level of debate and global responsibility. While GSAPP has longand been forchairs, collaborative research and debate with a publication gallery, an exhibition equipped galdiverse regions. array of between tables, The network of very active on that the ground most places lery, a the lecture space and an open studio workspace. During the day, the Studio-X Those regions Studio-X spaces we are in all these regions -- the most active in thecomputers, and undergoing screens is technolo most radical transformation building a new kind of -- a newislevel of engagement is urgently necessarily and will lead to rearranged wide ranging is an active depending on workshop, with combinations of ever-shifting teams of local experts of Colu have the most to teach us about the future of cities. international workshop which the best minds need from Columbia transformations ininthe field.

Schools to become students. and visitors from the region or globe working on designs, reports, exhibitions, which teams are using it and digital University can think together with the best minds in Latin competitions, films, magazines. etc. During the evening, the Studio-X acts The continuous flow of exciting ideas and peoplebooks, between America, the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe, and Asia. which events are taking place. visualiza In recent years, GSAPP has adopted the label “Studio-X” refer spaces to its most a hub these sister to Studio-X turns the simple idea of of an social exchange and intense debate with a lively program of exhibitions open collaborative studio intohave an unprecedented Each Studio-X is located in the liveliest part of the historic advanced leadership laboratories for the future of the built environment that andglobal events. It is a hot spot in the city, buzzing with social energy, invention, widest and central workspace is brightest possible future. downtown of a leadership city at the heart of a major region network aimed at theThis resource

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

ANYONE ENTERING THE SPACE CAN LOOK AT WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE OTHER STUDIO-X SPACES AROUND THE WORLD, JOIN IN THOSE ACTIVITIES DIRECTLY to evolve at the same rapid speed as the urban environment itself. The label tries dedication to a better future. supplemented by: a book ideas to to capture the sense that we have to be ready to face many unknown questions THROUGH VIDEO gallery and audience that will arise and need to be engaged urgently, creatively, and responsibly withreading room Eachthat Studio-X is electronically linked in real time to every other Studio-X around displays a range of different partners. A Studio-X offers a protective space for private andunique research the world and ideas, people, and projects are continuously shared between them.

CONFERENCING, OR REPLAY publications the Studio-X platforms are deeply integrated into the curriculum andThe collegial exchange of ideas still in formation and a public gallery/lecture space, from around The global re- loc Studio-X Studio-X locations website and publication program for the exhibition, communicationdifferent and discussearch structure of all the programs at GSAPP, with students and teachers having AND REACT TO THE RECENT sion of the thoughts and designs that result from this exchange. Such a continu not laboratofound in a multiple typicalopportunities to spend time working in or with any Studio-X in the global workshop bookstore; an interactive EVENTS IN THE OTHER nars, sy video interface showing what SPACES and4 perfo is happening in the other 3 INITIATIVES

Studio-X spaces in real time;

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staff hel

BOOK GALLERY

GLOBAL INTERFACE

GALLERY

LECTURE SPACE

WORK SPACE

MEETING ROOM

OFFICES

COFFEE BAR

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 night. network. Equally, students, teachers andbyexperts from each platform around

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 practical engagements.

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.

laucnhed in March 2011, India in February 2011, and Istanbul in November 2013.

And in March 2014 the newly launched Studio-X in Johannesburg. 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.

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.

3.0 ABOUT STUDIO-X

The Studio-X global network is a massive undertaking that will take some years to complete. After the opening of the pilot Studio-X in downtown Manhattan 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 were

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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.

The 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 COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY GSAPP

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obal Network acts as the scaffolding for an ever-changing exploratory ecology. 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 six 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 was established followed by Istanbul and Johannesburg. 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 people and new ideas.

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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 Studio-X 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 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

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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.

tries, 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...

A special relationship with local artists: visual, multi-media, installation, performance, music, literature

During the evening: a space of passionate discussion, with lectures, debates, seminars, meetings, book launches, music performances, exhibition openings‌

Not tied to any existing institution

A hot spot, buzzing with social energy, invention, and dedication to a better future

A neutral space in the heart of the city

A space for fresh explorative thinking

Fostering a whole new kind of conversation about the future of our cities, coun-

Welcoming all groups from the most radical artists to the largest corporations

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Li Hu Director

“It’s true that Beijing is built on an inhuman scale. There’s no street, no sense of urban space. Here it is almost a case of ‘create your own world.’ ...I want to cultivate and promote a kind of collective architectural thinking and debate that is urgently needed in China today.”

Li Hu, Studio-X Beijing Director 2009 – present September 22, 2010 ARTINFO 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 Allowing the world to learn from the world

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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 leaders devoted to the built environment.

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STUDIOS EXHIBITIONS EVENTS RESEARCH SYMPOSIA WORKSHOPS PUBLICATIONS MEDIA VISITING SCHOLARS

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 – 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 research brilliant people and ideas from all regions of the laboratories for exploring the future of cities launched in 2008 by Mark Wigley, world is taken to its limit to develop the most Dean of the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and radical and influential experiments in leadership Preservation. 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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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 of thought STUDIO-X yet GLOBAL NETWORK globally connected extremely regionally specific for Mumbai, where ideas are ‘negotiated’ & a variety of relationships are formed and fostered redefining the The 21st century university model collaborative modes of education, role, responsibility, and capacity of globally a distributed global network of open-source research, response and action. platforms in all regions of the world incubating forms of leadership continuous Althoughnew deeply integrated into thethrough curriculum, research structures & knowledge international people aimed at questioning the base of collaborative Columbia’s GSAPP, its a exchangeof radical experiment and ideas. 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 normal organizational 14

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Geoff Geoff Manaugh Manaugh Co-Director Co-Director

Nicola Nicola Twilley Twilley Co-Director Co-Director

‘“We ‘“We want want toto reach reach aa wider wider audience,” audience,” says says Manaugh.

Manaugh.

Twilley Twilley likewise likewise affirms affirms Studio-X’s Studio-X’s para-academic para-academic trajectory: trajectory: “In “In 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.”’ happen.”’

Geoff Geoff Manaugh Manaugh and and Nicola Nicola Twilley, Twilley, Studio-X Studio-X New New York York

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.

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

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, SLUMLAB, ArtOxygen and

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.

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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.

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

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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 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 ISTANBUL Studio-X Istanbul opened in November 2013 in a two-storey building at Salıpazarı, in Istanbul’s downtown area. We develop free events such as lectures, workshops, seminars and exhibitions that foster discussion on the built environment and research projects that generate new forms of sharing the urban public space.

The Studio-X Istanbul Research Guide, permanently under construction, is intended to be a tool for unpacking the city, the possibilities and conflicts associated to its development, and to walk through its physical, virtual and imagined spaces.

11.0 JOHANNESBURG Studio-X Johannesburg will further deepen Columbia University’s longstanding relationship with South Africa and foster new collaborations with partners from

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across the African continent.

Our aim is to create a creative public platform that will explore alternative imaginaries of the city, with particular focus on the future of global connection, individual and collective acts of agency and productive collaboration. In the face of the official narratives of apocalyptic urbanization and global crisis, Studio-X Johannesburg will cultivate encounters amongst researchers, urbanists, theorists, filmmakers, artists, activists, architects and policy makers, to explore and give expression to the creative and emergent urban visions and practices of the future.

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TOKYO LAB

Tokyo Lab is a hub for architectural activity located at Shibaura House, a space designed by Kazuyo Sejima in a lively neighborhood of the city.

Since 2011, it has hosted creative events with local and international architects, coders and hackers, as well as numerous parties and gatherings.

13.0 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 19

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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, 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

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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 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 21

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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.

“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.

14.0 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 COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY GSAPP

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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 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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