Welsh School of Architecture (WSA). Masters in Architecture Design (MA AD) 2023-2024

MA AD

Masters Architectural Design

Masters in Architecture Design (MA AD) Handbook

2023-24

Preface

Section 1: Research by Design at the MA AD

1.1 MA AD Structure

1.2 MA AD Practice-Based research and multidisciplinary approach

1.3 MA AD Learning and Assessment

1.4 MA AD Core Modules

Section 2: MA AD units

2.1 The Design Units

Unit A. H>D_Contemporary Architecture and Heritage for Socio-Economic Development

Unit B. EcoLoci (2022-2023)

Unit C. Learning Environments - Design Research Laboratory II LE-DR Lab II (2022-2023)

Unit D. URBAN WATERS, BODIES, (dis-)CONNECTIONS (2022-2023)

2.2 MA AD Reading List

2.3 MA AD 2020-22 Selected Work

Section 3: MA AD support

3.1 Other Optional Components

3.2 Studio Culture and Conduct

3.3 Supporting facilities

3.4 Unit leaders and module leaders

Preface

The postgraduate MA in Architectural Design (MA AD) is an advanced, experimental, and innovative design research course focusing on the multiple connections between design and research within complex multi-dimensional environments, aiming to address current global challenges from innovative perspectives. By pursuing the MA AD, the students transition from merely addressing site-specific issues to becoming sophisticated design-research practitioners producing consistent design-driven knowledge with the potential of being replicated and adapted to diverse contexts.

MA AD uses design-led research tools, techniques and methods to inform the student’s iterative design research explorations informed by relevant theories and responding to the demands of sites, contexts and people. In this process, the student’s architectural design research projects are conceived as open-ended test beds of ideas, spaces, materials and languages, articulated through a dialogue at multiple scales with contexts, locals and relevant

stakeholders. It also integrates knowledge drawn from many adjacent disciplines to architecture.

This Handbook is issued to MA AD postgraduate international students, staff and external contributors. The MA AD benefits from a well developed multidisciplinary educational environment and a carefully programmed framework, both responsive and dynamic. The MA AD course is as well in synergy with other WSA PGT courses, such as our Masters in Urban Design (MA UD) and other undergraduate courses, including the 4Y-5Y Masters in Architecture (MArch).

Section 1: Research by Design in the MA AD

1.1 MA AD Structure

This programme is available on a one-year full-time basis. The students will be based at the Welsh School of Architecture for the duration of the one of the top-ranked schools of architecture in the UK (Top 2, The Guardian University Guide 2023). The taught element of this programme is structured around the Architectural Design and Research (ADR) design module worth 60 credits, where the students will use techniques of research through design to explore an issue of interest related to one of the MA AD’s designs units. This will normally run between October and April and will conclude with a final presentation in front of a panel of reviewers. The students’ work in the design studio is complemented by the 30 credit module Analysis of Precedents (AOP) and a broad range of choice of optional study modules from other PGT courses.

The MA AD structure encompasses three Core modules, summarised as follows:

ART701 Architectural Design and Research

ART703 Analysis of Precedent

(60 cr.) (30 cr.)

ART704 Design Thesis (Dissertation)

(60 cr.)

In addition, the MA AD encompasses ten further Optional modules, that in 2022-2023 are:

AR3003 Issues in Contemporary Architecture

ART505 Design Tools: Methods of Repair

ART018 Enclosures in Environmental-metal Building Design

ART035 Low Carbon Buildings

ART041 Climate Comfort & Energy

ART702 Architectural Technology 3A

ART501 The Conservator’s Role

ART502 Tools of Interpretation

ART802 Computational Form Finding

(10 cr.) (20 cr.) (20 cr.)

(10 cr.) (20 cr.) (10 cr.)

(20 cr.) (20 cr.) (20 cr.)

The students will usually start the dissertation element of the programme in May and complete this over the summer. The dissertation is the culmination of the design research learning progress.

The dissertation usually comprises a documented design project, accompanied by a 6,000 word critical commentary. Support for developing the necessary skills of research through design will be provided during the taught elements of the programme.

Details of the requirements for each of the above modules is provided in briefs, guides and handbooks specific to each of the modules, as well as in the relevant module descriptors.

1.2 MA AD practice-based research and multidisciplinary approach

MA AD Design practice-based research

Developing critical thinking in Design means that the students will define their own independent position in architectural design thinking.

Themed studios or ‘Design Units’, guided by a Unit Leader who always will be an experienced and internationally-renowned design tutor with expertise interest in a specific Design-Research (D-R) area. At the beginning of the year, the Unit Leaders (ULs) will present their Units, and the students will select the Unit of their interest.

MA AD practice-based research is an original investigation undertaken in order to gain new knowledge, partly by an exploratory analytic and design work.

The emphasis is on the creative process and the works generated from that process.

The originality and contribution to knowledge that is key to any consistent research that could be defined as such will be demonstrated by a consistent design research methodology and through the creative outcomes of your design work.

Multidisciplinary Approach

Bridging the gap between practice and research by acquiring the MA AD modules’ Learning Outcomes related to:

1. Practice-Based and Design-Research (D-R)

2. Advanced Contemporary Architectural Design

3. Reflective Design Practice

The MA AD optional modules will inform the students’ research and design explorations from the rich WSA’s multidisciplinary research approaches on:

- Contemporary architectural and urban design

- Social inclusion and cultural diversity in architecture

- Urban politics and regeneration

- Contemporary approaches to architectural heritage

- Architectural professional practice

- Low carbon/energy design and construction

- Building performance, prediction and evaluation

- Making/prototyping

- Tectonics and architectural technology

- Sustainable cities

- History and theory of architecture and urbanism

- Heritage building conservation

How will I be supported?

Contact time with staff is high, and you will receive regular feedback on your progress throughout the course through weekly tutorials. The Course Director (Programme Leader-PL) is responsible for overseeing the students’ progress. You will also have a Personal Tutor (PT)

with whom you can (in confidence) discuss any concerns that may affect your progress. Regular Progress Crits and Reviews are held throughout the year with the MA AD Team. Please be aware that an open-door policy exists throughout the School. The School provides opportunities for you to reflect on and define your individual learning needs. This generally takes the form of a reflective diary or a sketchbook. Increasingly, these take the form of online journals.

Further Resources on Cardiff University Support Digital Learning at Cardiff University ( https://xerte.cardiff.ac.uk/play_12804 )

Computer Aided Design facilities Online Teaching materials in LC Architectural library online /physical resources CU Student support services (e.g. Careers Service, Counselling Service, the Disability and Dyslexia Service, Students’ Support Service)

1.3 MA AD

Learning and Assessment

Most of the students’ time in School will be spent in our design studio. Our key teaching method in the studio is a combination of weekly presentations and participative seminars. In addition, we deliver oneto-one tutorials supported by lectures and group assignments, into which all aspects of the subjects are integrated. We offer a varied range of working spaces, workshops and computer-aided design facilities to support these different kinds of teaching activities. The MA AD Studio is the location for design teaching, model-making tutorials, workshops and intellectual debates. It is also used for exhibitions and “crits” – at which students display their work for critical discussion and assessment by staff, fellow students and visiting critics. Working both formally and informally with your fellow students in the studio provides the students opportunities for valuable peer review and discussions around their work. The students will be taught both by permanent academic staff and tutors from leading UK practices

that will provide with an exciting mix of design approaches and experiences.

As one of the top-ranked schools of architecture in the UK and leading in Wales, we have strong and lasting links with the Welsh Government and other public institutions; additionally, we undertake close collaborations with the construction industry and professional practices. Strong international links at European and International levels, with EU public institutions, other schools of architecture and internationally renowned practices make the WSA a cosmopolitan hub for developing architectural design thinking and practice innovation.

The School encourages effective student-led and independent learning, whether through site analysis, library research or “reflective practice”.

MA AD also includes lectures and seminars as part of optional modules and support the design module. Teaching also includes the provision of online learning materials, such as briefs, bibliographies, readings and precedents, as appropriate to the module. We aim to make appropriate use of audio-visual support to aid learning and for the development of subject-specific skills. The students will be given access to relevant teaching materials through the University’s virtual learning environment, “Learning Central”.

The dissertation element of the programme is conducted through the process of design, continuing from your taught design project completed in the first part of the course. You will be meeting with your design unit tutor weekly until the end of June. This is usually followed by a period of reflection and writing where you will work independently under the guidance of your tutor and the supervision of the programme leader or another member of the academic staff.

How the students will be supported?

The School provides opportunities to reflect on and define the students’ individual learning needs. This generally takes the form of a reflective diary or a sketchbook. Increasingly, these take the form of online journals.

The Architecture Library is located in the same building as the WSA, and provides easy access to resources and support. Digital course materials are also generally held on the University network.

Modules within the programme make an extensive use of the University’s virtual learning environment, Learning Central, where the students can access discussion forums and find course materials, including recordings of lectures, and links to related materials.

The University also offers a range of services for students to access, including the Careers Service, the Counselling Service, the Disability and Dyslexia Service, the Student Support Service, and excellent libraries and resource centres.

Feedback

Feedback on coursework is usually given using a standard feedback pro-forma or can be given orally. The students will usually receive your feedback from the module leader. If questions regarding feedback are asked, module leaders are usually happy to give advice and guidance.

How the students will be assessed?

Design projects and related exercises are assessed continuously, often through pin-up reviews and symposia where feedback is given. At the end of the year, a portfolio of all design-related work is presented for formal examination by a panel of reviewers.

Optional modules are usually assessed through written examination and coursework submitted during the semester. Please read the module descriptions of optional modules to find out more about the ways these are assessed.

The assessment criteria are established in the School’s Teaching Handbook, in project and coursework documentation, and explained at introduction to the various modules and design projects.

MA AD learning outcomes

The Learning outcomes for this Programme describe what the students will be able to do as a result of their study at Cardiff University. They will help them to understand what is expected. Academic staff will focus on what they want the students to achieve within each module. These Learning Outcomes (LOs) could be summarized as follows:

Knowledge & Understanding:

- Critically understand how knowledge is advanced through design-led research to produce clear, logically-argued and originally-written design work related to architectural culture, theory and design.

Intellectual Skills:

- Pursue a personal research agenda within the context of the School’s research portfolio.

Professional Practical Skills:

- Generate complex design proposals showing understanding of current architectural issues, originality in the application of subject knowledge and, where appropriate, ability to test new hypotheses and speculations at professional level;

- Evaluate materials, processes and techniques that apply to complex architectural designs and building construction, and to integrate these into practicable design proposals.

Transferable/Key Skills:

On completing the programme, the students should be able to:

- Demonstrate problem-solving skills, professional judgment, and ability to take the initiative and make appropriate decisions in complex and unpredictable circumstances;

- Identify individual learning needs and understand the personal responsibility required to prepare for work within the architectural profession;

- Evaluate and apply a comprehensive range of visual, oral and written media to test, analyse, critically appraise and explain design proposals.

1.4 MA AD core modules

Architectural Design and Research (ADR)

ART701

This module represents the core of the taught part of the MA in Architectural Design. It aims to extend the students’ knowledge and skills of architectural design through the conception, development, communication, and presentation of a complex design proposal. The development of this design proposal unfolds over the course of the year in response to challenges set by a series of design thesis Unit Leaders (ULs), tutors and consultants (as elaborated below in Section 2). Alongside the design project, this module enables students to develop skills in design as research – forming an essential precursor to the design-based dissertation module that will follow. As part of developing a design thesis, students are expected to understand current architectural issues and be informed by appropriate history, theory, and precedent in addressing

specific contexts. Students will learn how research questions might arise in response to formulated design problems and how issues can be addressed in informed, responsive, creative and propositional ways.

ADR is organised around the ‘Design Thesis’, which has a long history in architectural education, having figured in institutions as diverse as the École des Beaux-Arts and the Bauhaus. It remains a strong tradition in architectural education, not least at the Welsh School of Architecture. It provides the opportunity for students in school to demonstrate their abilities and take a stand in the discipline before beginning life as an architect in practice. Notwithstanding, the synthetic and propositional skills it develops are valuable resources for a wide range of settings beyond practice.

The design thesis provides an opportunity for graduates to formulate an intellectual position regarding architectural design with practice-based research methodologies. Its architecture can ‘say’ whatever the students want it to – but it must be responsive to the work that has gone before, accepting or rejecting it knowledgeably from a consistent and well-informed intellectual position. Architecture is a research activity, and the design proposition should demonstrate the research which underpins it in all respects: cultural, social, formal, political, technological, contextual, tectonic, environmental, historical, philosophical, and economical. In synthesising an approach to these facets of the discipline, projects will proclaim their architectural positions.

The main project of the ‘Design Thesis’ may be informed by a research process with the support of preparatory, analytical work, a built artefact or a

‘primer’ project which may substantiate and help in defining the design hypothesis or question. A thesis describes a reasoned argument as a response to a research question that stems from a knowledge gap previously identified in a first analytic or exploratory work. A practice-based researchled architectural proposition should set out a clear and cogent argument. It should demonstrate the reasoning and evidence that it supports. Therefore, it should show the coherence of purpose and be systematic and methodical. Any representation should be well-structured and be robust enough to withstand testing through criticism and review, but it is fair to say that there is an equivalence of valency of design development to a ‘final’ solution.

Unlike undergraduate education, the graduate collaborates with staff who set the parameters and extend the design project’s possibilities. And unlike in the undergraduate years – where Technology, History, Theory, Urban Design and Economics are presented in separate courses alongside to the design studio, at MA AD level there is no such separation. The design thesis should demonstrate the fundamental integration of the many facets of architecture. The emphasis in the final design is on the graduate’s initiative and responsibility. The educational framework set by the MA AD team will help graduates develop the thesis and provide opportunities to work with like-minded colleagues.

The school is not prone to projects that rest on self-indulgence. Architecture has moral and ethical responsibilities. The design thesis must be rooted in a serious question or questions The choice of question and resolution details will be determined

through the particular processes adopted by each unit. Investigations may focus on a social need or economic situation, the distinctive character of a specific site, or the architecture that might derive from a particular material or materials, phenomenal qualities of light or sound or touch, or much else besides. The MA AD also demands that the design proposition should be grounded in the needs of the real world: not only “can you have an idea?” but “can you make the idea work?” in the contexts of inhabitation, site, climate, culture and feasible technologies. The school believes that such pragmatism is not inhibiting; architects must deliver their speculations. And from necessity comes richness.

Professional architecture is an expert practice, and the elegant resolution of the thesis demonstrates expertise. The school of architecture, staff, and collaborators have international reputations in their

respective fields of specialism. It is to the advantage of the graduate to engage with these fields and specialists. It is also important to collaborate with colleagues in a studio environment, especially for the MA AD students with the other stundents from other PGT courses. For these reasons, the design module aims to establish transversal collaborations between MA AD, MA UD and MArch.

Each Unit will normally have a maximum of 9 students working together. Graduates may choose from several themes. We try our hardest to ensure that each student has their first or second choice of Unit.

MA AD cohort will come together to frequently share lectures, seminars and crits as appropriate and work broadly to the same timetable until Easter. Graduates are encouraged to pay attention to Units other than their own, spend time together, and learn from what

each other is doing, including the other design courses across the school.

However, the note should be made that individual Units set criteria and will work, develop, and progress in different ways throughout the year. Therefore, attempting to gauge personal progress through a direct comparison between the different Units wouldn’t always be helpful.

In the UK, the Arts and Humanities Research Board (now Council) (AHRB, 2000) defines research primarily as research processes rather than outputs. This definition is built around three key features:

1. It must define a series of research questions or problems that will be addressed in the course of the research. It must also define its objectives to seek to enhance knowledge and understand the questions or problems to be addressed.

2. It must specify a research context for the questions or problems to be addressed. It must specify why it is essential that these particular questions or problems should be addressed, what other research is being or has been conducted in this area and what specific contribution this project will make to the advancement of creativity, insights, knowledge and understanding in this area.

3. It must specify the research methodology for addressing and answering the research questions or problems. The research project shows how to answer the questions or advance available knowledge and understanding of the issues. It should also explain the rationale for the chosen research methods and why they provide the most appropriate means to answer the research questions.

Creative Design output can be produced or practice undertaken as an integral part of the research process. However, the outcomes of such design practice must be accompanied by documentation of the research process and some form of analysis or explanation to support its position and demonstrate critical reflection.

The project work will be aimed at a higher level of creative ambition. Therefore the level and complexity of the problem set for and tackled by each student will be of a sufficiently high order to enable the following levels of achievement:

• Systematic knowledge

• Critical awareness

• High level of visual thinking and representation

• Processes and solutions informed by the forefront of the discipline of architectural design

Projects will be developed under one of the several Units that the students will select. These Units are led by tutors who are equipped to assist students in translating abstract and conceptual ideas into briefs and realisable architectural proposals.

The themes offered are expected to be grounded on areas of research and expertise that are established and can be supported from within the School. Specialist advice from outside the School will supplement the work of each thematic studio.

As specific outcomes will necessarily vary between units, unit tutors will map their aims and envisaged outcomes against the general attributes and criteria in their extended Unit briefs. The distinctive nature of each Unit has been displayed in various exhibitions we have held in recent years, and we look forward to seeing this varied and rich range of Unit themes over the coming years.

Analysis of Precedent (AoP) ART703

This module focuses on how architecture can learn from what precedes it and how we analyse precedents to learn something applicable to future design thinking. The emphasis will be on discovering issues that are not always immediately obvious. As part of your design project units, the students will work in groups to identify a relevant set of precedents from any design field or other built, artificial or natural environment, and then conduct an in-depth analysis to address your research questions. The methods of analysis that will be used vary depending on the nature of the unit project and the issue being investigated. It will include graphical analysis of form, space, environment (physical and virtual), ecosystem, performances and atmospheres, physical measurements and observations, and written reflections and analysis. In addition, you will define an abstract and series of explanatory texts. On successful completion of the Module a student should be able to:

1. Determine a suitable research question that can be addressed though analysis of precedent 2. Identify, suitable precedent examples to address the research question

3. Critically analyse the precedent examples through drawing, model making, calculation, measurement, observation, reflective writing, as appropriate to themes and context.

4. Develop collaborative working skills

5. Relate the outcomes of the analysis to relevant existing theoretical frameworks and the students’ design unit

6. Present the outcomes of the analysis in a clear a coherent manner.

Reading List:

• Clark, R. H. 1979. Analysis of precedent: an investigation of elements, relationships, and ordering ideas in the work of eight architects. Raleigh, N.C.: Raleigh, N.C. : North Carolina State University.

• Hawkes, D. 1996. The environmental tradition : studies in the architecture of environment. Spon.

• Unwin, S. 2014. Analysing architecture. Fourth edition, revised and enlarged. arg. London ; New York : Routledge.

Design Thesis. Dissertation (DT) ART704

This module represents the culmination of the MA in Architectural Design. It builds on the skills and intellectual position developed as part of the Stage 1 Architectural Design and Research (ADR) module, It aims to extend the students’ knowledge and skills developed through realising their design research. The final design thesis should show understanding of current architectural issues and be informed by appropriate history, theory and precedents in addressing specific contexts. A ‘thesis’ should evidence how research questions arising in response to formulated design problems and issues can be addressed in informed, responsive, creative, and propositional ways.

Specifically, students are expected to:

1. Identify and manage individual learning needs so as to prepare for and maintain professional standards commensurate with qualification.

2. Plan and manage their time and a variety of tasks in order to meet deadlines

3. Communicate clearly through report writing and briefing documents

4. Demonstrate independent learning ability

5. Work effectively as part of a group and in consultation with specialists

6. Clearly communicate intentions, processes and solutions through visual, oral and written presentation.

7. Use visual, verbal and written communication methods and appropriate media (including sketching, modelling, digital and electronic techniques) to represent the testing and analysis of complex design research proposals and their resolution to a range of professional, academic and lay audiences.

References

Reading lists specific to each thematic design thesis unit are included as part of the Units briefs.

Directed reading lists related to the thesis topic will be led by the Thesis tutor.

2.1 The Design Units

The four MA AD Design Research Units 2022-2023 cover complementary aspects of contemporary architecture design. We strongly encourage the cross-feeding between the four Units and the other design masters (MA UD and MArch) to promote the common intellectual reflection and foster a collaborative practice culture. The themes of the Units are part of the diverse and rich research agenda that exists across the Welsh School of Architecture. These themes also respond to the world in which architecture will be practiced. Architects must equip ourselves to confront and respond to the need for low carbon futures. Architectural education at the Welsh School Architecture must be responsive to the contemporary challenges we are currently facing.

The Design Units for 2022-2024 Academic Year are as follows:

Unit A: H>D_Contemporary Architecture and Heritage for Socio-Economic Development.

Unit B: EcoLoci (2022-2023)

Unit C: Learning Environments - Design Research Laboratory II (2022-2023)

Unit D: URBAN WATERS, BODIES, (dis-) CONNECTIONS (2022-2023)

UNIT A. H>D_LAHORE

2024 Contemporary Architecture and Heritage for Socio-Economic Development

Re-imagining the History and the Future of the Historic Walled City of Lahore. Joint Unit_WSA and the Department of Architecture of the University of Engineering and Technology of Lahore (DoA-UET), Pakistan.

Introduction

Historically, the urban and architectural development of Lahore’s historic walled city has been very fragmented and unstructured, devoid of any proper planning or rationale behind it. This chaotic development has been particularly problematic since the country’s independence in 1947 when the Pakistani society regained its agency for rethinking and planning their country. Since then and along the same lines, the Pakistani architectural profession has been unable to make informed planning decisions for the recovery and reorganisation of Lahore’s historic walled city and the recovery of its heritage values from sensitive socio-economic, inclusive and cultural approaches, aiming for supporting for supporting its sustainable preservation and development for future generations. Instead, for decades the focus has been on unfortunate short-term and fragmented monetary benefits for landowners and developers with explicit neglect of its historical, social and heritage values as its key assets. As a result, the highly valued heritage of this area has undergone profound degradation processes throughout time, including issues of abandonment, criminality, deprivation and underused spaces.

The H>D Unit focuses on understanding the importance of these heritage values from a contemporary architectural standpoint beyond a

mere conservationist approach. The aim will be to reimagine contemporary architectural and urban design interventions that would re-establish a sensitive dialogue with its heritage values while reactivating its activity. A key aspect will be to enhance the local citizenship’s awareness of the importance of their heritage values, key for supporting the socio-economic development of the community. Students will investigate the past and the current state of heritage in the walled city and how its usage and importance have evolved throughout time, including all aspects and processes that have contributed to its degradation in different periods to the present. They will also explore other important features defining the character of the walled city such as the very important religious character and the built structures signifying it. In the next stage, they will identify potential intervention sites where current degradation and unplanned uses and activities are harming to an extreme extent the rich historical, cultural, and social aspects that have informed the heritage values of the walled city. A multi-scalar contextual analysis is required for understanding this multi-layered complexity and for making interpretations according to relevant themes arising. On the grounds of previous analytical stages, the students will develop contemporary interventions at public space and architectural scales, by establishing a sensitive dialogue with these complex heritage contexts. The new interventions will be considered as an additional page added to this rich multi-layered history.

The final aim of the H>D WSA-UET Studio will be to develop and test Architectural Design Research (AD-

Dr. Federico Wulff Barreiro (WSA-MA AD) + Dr. Mamuna Iqbal (UET-DoA)

R) strategies at multiple scales for the reactivation of neglected and abandoned spaces within the walled city of Lahore by promoting its heritage values while enhancing the local community’s participation and empowerment in a co-design process. The final objective will be the urban and architectural transformation of these intervention sites together with a profound positive impact on their surrounding urban and social fabric.

This joint H>D WSA-UET Design Research Unit will articulate a close collaboration with the most important institutional actors in the area, namely the public sector institution of Lahore Walled City Local Authority and the private organisation of The Aga Khan Cultural Services-Pakistan. Using design research tools, techniques and methods, the aim will be to develop preliminary design research proposals co-produced with our institutional partners and the local community. This will be the grounds for the students’ architectural and urban design professional projects for the area during the springtime and during the Stage 2 advanced dissertations.

As Bloomfield (2007: 6) argues, [...] “identifying and creating ‘third spaces’ away from the dualism of either/or, them vs. us – places which have no exclusive belonging to one side or the other and are many-sided, a space open to all. Usually, these spaces will be open-ended, self-managed and nonhierarchical, encouraging equal participation”.

Reading List:

Walled City of Lahore

• Ali, R. H. (1990). Urban conservation in Pakistan: a case study of the walled city of Lahore. Architectural and Urban Conservation in the Islamic World, 79.

• Bajwa, Khalid & Smets, Peer. (2013). The Walled City of Lahore: The Modes of Marginality and Specificity of Spatial Structure and Urban Life.

• Batool, T. (2016). Conservation in the Walled City of Lahore: How state efforts affect the urban fabric of heritage cores. American University.

• Jodidio Ph. (2019) ed., Lahore: A Framework for Urban Conservation. Munich: Prestel.

• Peck, L. (2018). Lahore: The Architectural Heritage. Roli Books Private Limited.

• Zahid, A., & Misirlisoy, D. (2021). Measuring place attachment, identity, and memory in urban spaces: case of the Walled

• City of Lahore, Pakistan. Journal of Architecture and Urbanism, 45(2), 171-182.

Books and Articles on Interculturality, Social diversity, Urban Agency, Participation, Co-design

• Aelbrecht, P.S. (2016). ‘Fourth places: the contemporary public settings for informal social interaction among strangers’. Journal of Urban Design 21(1), pp. 124–152. Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13574809.2015.1106920.

• AWAN N., SCHNEIDER T., TILL J. (2011), Spatial Agency: Other Ways of Doing Architecture, London: Routledge.

• BUNDELL-JONES, P., PETRESCU, D. AND TILL, J. (eds., 2005) Architecture and Participation. Abingdon: Spon Press.

• GEHL, J. (2011). Life between buildings: using public space. Washington DC: Island Press.

• GROTH, J. and CORIJN, E. (2005) Reclaiming Urbanity: Indeterminate Spaces, Informal Actors and Urban Agenda Setting. Urban Studies 42(3): 503–526, doi: 10.1080/00420980500035436.

• LEFEBVRE, H. (1991a), The Production of Space, Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.

• SENNETT, R. (2011). ‘Boundaries and borders’. In: Burdett, R. and Sudjic, D. eds. Living in the endless city. Washington, D.C.: Island press, pp. 324-331.

• SOLA-MORALES I. (1995), “Terrain Vague” in Territorios, Barcelona: G.G., 181193.

• Source: Terrain Vague – de Sola Morales – Landscape+Urbanism (landscapeandurbanism.com)

Dr. Federico Wulff and EMUVE Unit European Research project

• Wulff Barreiro F., Brito Gonzalez O. (2022), “The multi-scalar production of intercultural urban landscapes. Inter-Cultural Nodes as urban and social reactivators: the case of Ballarò, Palermo” in Generosity and Architecture, Edited by Mhairi McVicar et al., London: Routledge.

• The multi-scalar production of intercultural urban landscapes: Inter-C (taylorfrancis. com)

• EMUVE European Research Project, funded by the European Commission

Unit B. EcoLoci (2022-2023)

Dr Marianna Marchesi

Overview

Cities are centres for innovation with a high concentration of resources, capital, data, and talent spread over a relatively small geographic area. Twothirds of us will be living in urban areas by 2050. Despite taking up just 2 per cent of global landmass, our urban centres consume more than 75 per cent of natural resources, are responsible for over 50 per cent of solid waste and emit up to 60 per cent of greenhouse gases, contributing to climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss and the consequent impact on society and economy. There is strong evidence suggesting that the nature and scale of the challenges faced by cities demand much more than traditional approaches. Cities need to be innovative in designing and testing new solutions to respond to increasingly complex and interconnected local challenges related to sustainable urban development. The design unit aims through design research at envisioning and designing responses to identified systemic challenges in the urban environment for promoting sustainable development. The overall ambition of the unit is to foster the development of urban innovations to provide ambitious and creative ideas as enablers of sustainable development. The design unit will focus on Castelfranco Veneto (Italy), a medieval walled town in North Italy. Its town wall infrastructure (town walls and its green belt) is strongly linked to the identity of the local community, but it is currently neglected. Key issues and challenges include their extent, their relationship with the surrounding urban context, and their role/ function within the townscape. Moreover, a set of historical public buildings and open spaces linked to the wall infrastructure in the townscape are currently

underused. These precious resources are critical to the effective and sensitive sustainable development of the walled town which can create valued places for residents and tourists while addressing urban challenges.

Castelfranco’s town wall infrastructure and linked public buildings and open spaces represent an opportunity for the city to create a network of innovative strategic actions for supporting the sustainable development of the town and strengthening the identity of the local community. Proposed design research themes are as follows:

1. Designing in a spirit of circularity, carbon neutrality and sustainable living

2. Preserving and transforming cultural heritage for sustainable development

3. Adapting and transforming buildings for community/collective purposes and sustainable living

4. Regenerating urban spaces

Work Plan

The design unit will engage students in design research to build skills for thinking critically, learning independently and tackling complex challenges. Through design research, students will analyse the context and define challenges to answer within the project, define appropriate methods and approaches of research to inform the process, develop solutions to address identified challenges and deliver a design proposal integrated into a dissertation thesis. The design unit will consist of two main parts implemented within the proposed topic: Stage 1: architectural design research (ADR) and Stage 2: dissertation thesis (DT). In the first stage, students will explore the context, define challenges, develop ideas to address them and deliver a comprehensive

urban-architectural design proposal through design research. In the second stage, they will integrate the design research proposal into a dissertation thesis. Learning and teaching will be performed through inquiry-based learning by a mix of activities: group work, individual work, flipped learning sessions combined with gaming sessions and focus groups, reflective practice activities, face-to-face group and individual tutorials, a unit trip to visit the place in Italy, peer-review, self-assessment, and crits scheduled across the year combined with written feedback. Research activities will inform the design as well as research will be implemented through design.

Reading List

City

• Aldo Rossi (1999. The architecture of the city, Cambridge, Mass.; London: MIT

• Lynch Kevin (1964). The image of the city. Cambridge, Mass.; London: M.I.T. Press

• Bently, I., Alcock, A., Murrain, P., McGlynn, S., Smith, G. (2005). Responsive environments. Architectural Press.

• Gehl, 2020. Projects. Available at: https://gehlpeople.com/work/projects Architecture

• Norberg-Schulz Christian (1980), Genius loci: towards a phenomenology of architecture. New York: Rizzoli, 1980

• Carlos Marti Aris (2021) The Variations of Identity: The type in architecture. Cosa Mentale

• Frampton Kenneth (2001), Studies in Tectonic Culture: The Poetics of Construction in Nineteenth and Twentieth-Century Architecture. The MIT Press

• Zumptor Peter (2010) Thinking Architecture. Birkhäuser; 3rd, expanded ed. edition

• Deplazes Andrea (2018) Constructing Architecture: Materials, Processes, Structures. A Handbook. Birkhäuser; 4th edition

• Ching, F. (2014). Architecture: form, space and Order. Wiley

• Brand, S. (1997). How Buildings Learn. New York: W&N

• Kendall, S., Teicher, J. (2010). Residential Open Building. Spon Press

• Timberlake, J. & Kieran, S. (2011). Cellophane house. KieranTimberlake

• Sustainable built environment

• Nishat Awan, Tatjana Schneider, Jeremy Till (2013). Spatial agency: other ways of doing architecture. Routledge

• Hiltrud Pötz, Pierre Bleuzé (2016). Green-blue grids. Manual for resilient cities. Atelier GROENBLAUW

• Anders Lendager & Ditte Lysgaard Vind (2018). A changemaker’s guide to the future. Lendager Group

• Ezio Manzini, Francois Jegou (2003). Sustainable Everyday. Scenarios of urban life. Edizioni Ambiente

• Stewart Brand (1997). How buildings learn: what happens after they’re built. New York: Viking; 1994

Circular Economy in Urban level

• Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2017. What is the circular economy? Available at: https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-economy/concept

• Ellen MacArthur Foundation, The Future of Cities. Available at: https://www. ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/assets/downloads/future-of-cities.pdf

• Ellen MacArthur Foundation & Arup, 2019. Circular economy in cities. Available at: https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/our-work/activities/circular-economyin-cities

• Arup, 2016. The Circular Economy in the Built Environment. Available at: https:// www.arup.com/perspectives/publications

Circular Economy in Building level

• Cheshire, D. 2016. Building Revolutions: Applying the Circular Economy to the Built Environment. RIBA Publishing (available in the Cardiff University Library)

• GXN, 2018. Building a circular future. Available at: https://gxn.3xn.com/wp-content/ uploads/sites/4/2018/09/Building-a-Circular-Future_3rd-Edition_Compressed_ V2-1.pdf

• NL DGBC, Metabolic, SGS Search & Circle Economy, 2018. A framework for circular buildings. Available at: https://www.metabolic.nl/publications/a-frameworkfor-circular-buildings-breeam/

• UK Green Building Council, 2019. Circular economy guidance for construction clients. Available at: https://www.ukgbc.org/ukgbc-work/circular-economy/

• UK Green Building Council, 2019. Circular Economy Implementation Packs for Reuse and Products as a Service. Available at: https://www.ukgbc.org/ukgbc-work/ circular-economy/

• Arup, 2017. The urban bio-loop. Available at: https://www.arup.com/perspectives/ publications/research/section/the-urban-bio-loop

• Arup, 2018. The Industrial Resolution. Available at: https://www.arup.com/ perspectives/publications/books/section/the-industrial-resolution

• Arup, 2016. The circular building. Available at: https://www.arup.com/perspectives/ the-circular-building

• GXN, 2018 Circle house. Denmark’s first circular housing project. Available at: http://grafisk.3xn.dk/files/permanent/CircleHouseBookENG.pdf

• Product level

• IDEO & Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2018. The Circular Design Guide. Available at: https://www.circulardesignguide.com/

• Ellen MacArthur Foundation & Arup, 2019. Urban products system. Available at: https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/assets/downloads/Products_All_Mar19. pdf

Unit C. Learning Environments - Design Research Laboratory

II

LE-DR Lab II (2022-2023)

Dr. Hiral Patel

Future of the library - a conceptual challenge

The intellectual landscape: Academic libraries are the heart of universities. There is a tendency in the sector to centralise library operations instead of having departmental libraries. The case for having a centralised or departmental approach to libraries depends on the institution’s spatial and historical contexts. Despite such differences in the organisational approach to academic libraries, the libraries are non-disciplinary spaces where books, objects and readers/users from different academic disciplines coalesce. Since the 1990s, the role of physical library buildings has been questioned as written materials have become increasingly accessible through an electronic medium, evoking “a paperless library” (Thomas, 2000). Another tension in library design has been around the increasing development of collaborative study spaces at the expense of quiet study spaces, while the latter remains in high demand (HEDQF, 2019). While a range of library refurbishments have focused on the needs of undergraduate students, the role of the library in enabling and supporting research and the creation of new knowledge is also critical. Looking beyond the institution, the university library could be the gateway to the university and build university and city connections (cf. Quinn, 2022). Thus, the library building has been continually subjected to the identity politics of ‘what is a library?’ (Mol, 1998).

Socio-material interactions – a theoretical perspective The theoretical lens of socio-material practices offers one avenue to explore the question of ‘what is a library?’ (Patel and Tutt, 2018). By conceiving the ontology (what is something?) of a library as not situated only in bricks and mortar but in the

interactions between social and material. Moreover, such an ontological shift could highlight different versions of a library that co-exist and the politics of leveraging some versions over the other. The unit will conceptually test the ideas of architecture, particularly through the lens of socio-material practices and explore/challenge/extend the theoretical boundaries of socio-materiality through investigating experience.

Nature of the design propositions: The LE-DR Lab aims to investigate the spatial, digital and organisational strategies to address the challenges presented above. The spatial challenges relate to the design of the form and function at different physical scales ranging from “chair to the city”. The digital challenges relate to how technological interactions could be enhanced and altered through the design proposition. This strand could also explore how the physical and virtual environments interact and complement each other. The organisational challenges relate to how the library services could be designed to achieve its strategic aims alongside the architectural design. This could be explored by taking a service design approach to integrating architectural design with how users could better access library facilities and services. All three dimensions must be jointly addressed when devising architectural propositions.

Future of the library - a contextual challenge

The LE-DR Lab II will analyse existing library provisions on Cardiff University’s Cathays Campus and develop propositions for a future library for the campus. The design propositions will be formed by adopting a design-research approach and connecting with existing literature and precedents to make

a novel contribution to our knowledge of library spaces. The design propositions could focus on one of the following typologies while also considering interconnections between them to create hybrid typologies:

• Knowledge spaces: 1. Library as a place for social learning 2. Library as a place for knowledge creation

• Collection spaces: 1.The library of objects 2. Digital scholarship hub

• Community spaces: 1. University library as a cultural institution 2. Library as an enabler of the university’s civic mission

Developing your own design-research method: The design-research approach will engender a continuous iterative dialogue between the conceptual and contextual challenges. LE-DR Lab will collectively progress the knowledge base for the university campus as a whole through design-research and conduct a focused exploration of specific typologies individually. Hence, students will develop their unique design-research methodology based on their research aims and questions. In developing their design-research approach, the students can draw on various design research methods.

User research: It will be essential for each student to identify key user groups for their typology and devise and implement user research. In creating the user research plan, the emphasis would be given to physical models and tools (games, cultural probes, Lego, sketching, model making, photographs, journey maps) to engage users, and a complimentary virtual engagement might be carried out as well.

Campus as a living laboratory: LE-DR Lab is based on mobilising Cardiff University campus as a Living Lab, where students can learn first-hand about

the challenges and develop design responses based on their individual and collective learning experiences. The unit will work collaboratively with the student community and library staff in shaping the project briefs and testing ideas. Living lab programmes have been claimed to enhance the sustainability of university campuses. Moreover, libraries are particularly suited as living labs as they are interdisciplinary spaces where students from all subjects can interact. By transforming libraries into living labs, the library spaces can act as a pedagogical tool for students to gain awareness of several challenges facing higher education and the built environment sectors. Developing your design proposition: The design research process involves iterations between questioning, proposing and reflecting. The ongoing testing of emerging solutions allows personal designresearch practice development based on a student’s values, priorities and strengths. The critical lesson to learn is choosing the suitable method or tool to answer the design research question being explored and continuously reflecting on their practice through the reflective diary.

Reading List

• HEDQF (2019) ‘Social learning environments: student views of their university’, [Online]. Available at https://www.hedqf.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/HEDQF_ Social-Learning-Spaces_Final.pdf.

• Mol, A. (1998) ‘Ontological Politics. A Word and Some Questions’, The Sociological Review, vol. 46, pp. 74–89 [Online]. DOI: 10.1111/1467-954X.46.s.5.

• Patel, H. and Tutt, D. (2018) ‘“This building is never complete”: Studying adaptations of a library building over time’, in Sage, D. and Vitry, C. (eds), Societies under Construction, Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 51–85.

• Quinn, K. (2022) ‘The University Library as Bellwether: Examining the Public Role of Higher Education through Listening to the Library’, Civic Sociology, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 1–12 [Online]. DOI: 10.1525/cs.2022.32635.

• Thomas, M. A. (2000) ‘Redefining library space: Managing the co-existence of books, computers, and readers’, Journal of Academic Librarianship, vol. 26, no. 6, pp. 408–415 [Online]. DOI: 10.1016/S0099-1333(00)00161-0.

Unit D. URBAN WATERS, BODIES, (dis-)CONNECTIONS (2022-2023)

Dr. Davide di Martino & Dina Mneimneh

OUR CHALLENGE: FROM THE PAST TO THE FUTURE

Water was always an integral resource to urban settlements and a primary link between city knowledge and society building. Across contexts, different typologies of water infrastructures were created by communities as ways to use, channel and control this precious natural resource. Around this, cultural and social practices have emerged, underpinning how people connect to the built environment and its resources. At the same time, throughout history, we have witnessed an accelerated loss of the connection between the city and water. Certain urban waterscapes have become forgotten, by-passed, abused or left to decay and pollution. Yet, they remain an integral asset of cultural heritage and a precious ecological resource today. Linking the past to the present and future, heritage is understood through its tangible assets, such as buildings, sites and environments, in addition to intangible assets such as “practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, skills” that are fundamental to the life of people and cities (UNESCO 2021).

OUR PROCESS: LEARNING BY RESEARCH, DESIGN AND IMAGINATION

We strongly believe in the transformative potential of both water and heritage “to connect sites of living heritage with each other; water-related heritage’s capacity to connect past, present, and future; and water’s role as heritage in spatial developments, landscape design, and urban planning remain underestimated and underexplored.” (Hein 2020). We propose creative investigations of the multidimensional forms of connections and disruptions in different contexts. We look for what has been lost or forgotten. We also look at how

urban actors creatively build, repair and maintain the relations between water, people and urban space (Willems and Van Schaik 2015). We explore the opportunity to reimagine these links at different scales and from different perspectives. We will then consider how, why, and when the city’s development has impacted them on the spatial, social and cultural levels.

We will finally test the agency of design to question, repair and upscale these links and imagine the scenarios where people, water bodies, and the city evolve in synergy. We will be testing the following three-fold framework to unpack how the design project can lead our research by design method and produce knowledge (Viganò 2016).

a. The conceptual: This is our space to identify the problems and shape our research by design questions, a space of investigation and abstraction where designers learn how to deal with complex situations through drawings and diagrams.

b. The descriptive: This is our space to identify the agency of the design project and our role as designers: when, if at all, do we intervene and how? What is working, and what needs repairing?

c. The imaginative: This is our space to imagine future spatial conditions, an iterative process of doing, undoing and redoing. Scenarios are a form of scientific investigation into a possible future.

OUR TOOLS: CRITICAL AND CREATIVE MULTIMEDIA We employ various creative and analytical tools to understand and analyse urban environments parallel to developing architectural reflections and proposals. These include but are not limited to: Urban mapping, 2D and 3D representations in multimedia forms, including hand-sketching, digital

drawings, model making, diagrams and illustrations group discussion of critical readings and creative writing, site visits, photography and urban sketching comparative analysis and analysis of precedents.

OUR PROGRESS: ITERATIVE AND COMPARATIVE

Phase I. We will investigate the Royal Docks, London, to produce a broad knowledge of the site, identify the challenges surrounding urban waters at the intersection with cultural heritage and formulate coherent and compelling research by design questions. In parallel, we will create a series of scenarios that illustrate, describe and tackle the current social and ecological challenges. The scenarios will form the backdrop to future architectural experimentations.

Phase II. This phase is divided into two stages.

Stage 1- We will develop the research questions and scenarios to reflect upon them in different contexts worldwide by undertaking a comparative analysis of relevant case studies. These comparative case studies will be as follows: Beirut waterfront, Lebannon: fighting for the right to the sea

Napoli Est, Italy: the connection between deindustrialisation, rising water table and pollution in a large brownfield site in Naples, Italy. Cardiff Glamorganshire canal, Wales, UK: effects of the tides and traces of industrial past.

Stage 2 - Within these urban scenarios, we will explore the guiding role of architectural design. We will focus on a cluster of sites in the Royal Docks of London. Individual design projects must demonstrate coherence with the research by design questions and scenarios elaborated in Phases I and II.

The term ends with the presentation of design-

research investigations and spatial interventions through a coherent portfolio and a reflective diary.

Reading list

On water, city and design

• AA.VV., “Green Metaphor”, Lotus n. 135/2008. “Landscape Infrastructures”, Lotus n. 139/2009

• Allen, S. 1999, Infrastructural urbanism, in: Allen, S., Points + Lines: Diagrams and projects for the city, New York: Princeton Architectural Press.

• Barsley, E., 2020, Retrofitting for Urban Resilience, RIBA Publishing

• Bélanger, P. 2009, “Landscape as Infrastructure”, Landscape Journal 28.

• Bell, S. Ed., 2022, Urban Blue Spaces, Routledge

• Clément, G. 2004, Manifeste fu Tiers Paysage, Paris: sujet/objet

• Dreisetl, H, 2009, Recent Waterscapes, Birkhauser

• Gandy M. 2003, Concrete and clay, reworking nature in the contemporary city, Boston: MIT Press.

• McHarg, I. 2006, The essential Ian McHarg. Writings on design and nature, Washington, DC: Island Press.

• Mostafavi, M., Doherty G., (editor) 2010, Ecological Urbanism, Baden: Lars Muller Publishers

• Palazzo,D., Steiner, F., 2012, Urban Ecological Design, Springer

• Shannon, K. 2011, “Return to Landscape Urbanism”, in: Ferrario, V., Sampieri,

• Turner, T. 1996, City as Landscape, Taylor Francis

• Viganò, P. 2016, Territories of Urbanism: The Project as Knowledge Producer, Lausanne: EPFL Press.

• Secchi, B. 2013, The city of the rich and the city of the poor, Laterza

• Wittfogel, K. 1956, ‘The Hydraulic Civilizations,’ in W.L. Thomas (ed.) Man’s Role in Changing the Face of the Earth. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

On critical heritage

• Ahmad, Y., 2006. The scope and definitions of heritage: from tangible to intangible. International journal of heritage studies, 12(3), pp.292-300.

• Harrison, R., 2012. Heritage: critical approaches. Routledge.

• Hein, C., 2020. Adaptive strategies for water heritage: Past, present and future (p. 435). Springer Nature.

• Lynch K. 1972, What time is this place, Boston: the MIT Press.

• Smith, L., 2006. Uses of heritage. Routledge.

• Willems, W.J. and Van Schaik, H., 2015. Water and Heritage: Material, conceptual and spiritual connections (p. 434). Sidestone Press.

On the Royal Docks

• Royal Docks’ website by Mayor of London and Newham Council: https:// www.royaldocks.london/opportunity

• Previous research and projects done at UCL: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ bartlett/development/programmes/msc-building-and-urban-designdevelopment/budd-uk-practice-engagement

• Royal Wharf: Royal Wharf London’s website: https://www.royalwharf.com

2.2 MA AD reading List

Design Research References

• Blythe, R., Stamm, M. 2017. Doctoral Training for Practitioners: ADAPT-r (Architecture, Design and Art Practice Research) A European Commission Marie Curie Initial Training Network’, In Vaughan L. (ed.) Practice Based Design Research, London: Bloomsbury, 53-63.

• Coyne, R. 2006. Creative practice and design-led research, Class Notes 28 November 2006.

• Ehn, P. and Ullmark, P. 2017. Educating the Reflective Design Researcher. Practice-based Design Research.London: Bloomsbury, 77-86.

• Fraser, M. 2013. Design Research in Architecture: an overview. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.

• RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects), Research in Practice Guide Research Through Design (RTD) Conference series

• Schaik, L. V. 2009. Design Practice Research, the Method. In Verbeke, J. (ed.) Reflections, Brussels: Sint Lucas. University of Leuven.

• Till, J. 2007. Three Myths and One Model in Collected Writing

Ways of seeing, thinking and doing architecture

• Chard, N. and Kulper, P., eds. 2013. Contingent Practices. London: Ashgate.

• Deplazes, A. 2013. Constructing Architecture: Materials, Processes, Structures. Basel: Birkhauser Verlag, 3rd Edition.

• Dovey, K. 2010. Becoming Places: Urbanism / Architecture / Identity / Power.

• Fainstein, S. 2011. The just city. Journal of Housing and the Built Environment 27(1), pp. 107-109.

• Frampton, K. 1995. Studies in Tectonic Culture: The Poetics of Construction in Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Architecture, MIT Press.

• Hawkes, D. 1996. The environmental tradition: studies in the architecture of environment. London: Spon.

• Hernandez, F. 2010. Bhabha for Architects: Thinkers for Architects, London: Routledge.

• Hertzberger, H. 2016, Lessons for students in architecture, Rotterdam : nai010 publishers.

• Jacobs, J. 1992. The death and life of great American cities. 1961. New York: Vintage.

• Lynch, K. 1960. The Image of the City, London: M.I.T. Press.

• Rem, K. 1994. Delirious New York : a retroactive manifesto for Manhattan. 2, p. 498.

• Reed, C., Lister, N., eds. 2015. Projective Ecologies. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard Graduate School of Design and ACTAR.

• Rykwert, J., 2000. Seduction of place: The city in the twenty-first century. Pantheon.

• Richard, S. 2009. The Craftsman. London and New York: Penguin.

• Sharr, A. ed. 2012. Reading architecture and culture: researching buildings, spaces, and documents. Routledge.

• Jeremy, T. Awan, N and Schneider, T. 2011. Spatial Agency: Other Ways of Doing Architecture. London: Routledge.

• Tonkiss, F. 2014. Cities by Design. Oxford: Polity Press Malden, MA: Polity.

• Unwin, S. 2014. Analysing architecture. Fourth edition,. London ; New York : Routledge.

• Unwin, S. 2015. Twenty Five Buildings every Architect Should Understand, London ; New York : Routledge

• Vidler, A. 1992. The Architectural Uncanny: Essays in the Modern Unhomely. Cambridge, Mass, The MIT press.

Student Name:Siyan Tao

Unit A: EMUVE Unit Lewisham 2021: Inter-Cultural Nodes

Project: Tidemill Community: A Co-managed Learning Space

In today’s highly intercultural society, the study of how to promote interaction between people from different backgrounds is a topic of great significance. Redesigning in community spaces (in-between space) to create engaging (montage) intercultural (multilingual) learning spaces (programmes) that help to activate historic buildings, showcase the rich history of the Deptford and reclaim the memory of the site. By turning the ‘optional’ diversity into a ‘necessary’ feature of the intervention site. The designed community public space becomes a bridge of inclusion, allowing intercultural exchange and diversity into the everyday life of people living together.

Student Name: Kai Huang

Unit B: Synergetic Landscapes

Project: DIVERSIFIED

SYMBIOSIS- The Systemic Design Via Blockchain

This includes four different types of services:

1. Support -- including oxygen production, nutrient cycling and soil formation.

2. Regulation - including climate regulation, flood control and water purification.

3. Supply - Provides us with food, fuel, fibre and water.

4. Cultural Services - We enjoy wildlife and countryside, education, recreation, inspiration and natural beauty.

Student Name: Yijia Chen

Unit C: Questioning the Ambivalence of Urban Commons Project: Design for street 93, Phnom Phem

Design Proposal for Street 93, Phnom Phem

Urban Acupuncture, a way of planning that pinpoints vulnerable sectors of a city and re-energizes them through design intervention (Quirk 2012). So the design intervention is to select the most critical location, intervene slightly, and give the appropriate functions to carry out public activities to activate the entire block.

Student Name: Yanfang Zuo

Unit D: EMUVE Unit

Lewisham

2021: Inter-Cultural Nodes

Project: Design of MOSAF Inter-cultural Nodes

Node- heritage building

Public space

Inner space

Inner space

node Node- heritage building Public space

Path- Urban promenade

Path- Urban promenade

Path- potential Urban promenade

Path- potential Urban promenade Urban environment Potential node

Path- promenade of public space (inner & outer)

Path- promenade of public space (inner & outer)

Path- promenade of architecture

Path- promenade of architecture

Interculturality has become the common goal of diversity in European cities, where different cultural groups lack interaction today. With the degradation of urban environments, the Inter-Cultural Nodes (ICN) act as catalysts by activating heritage building as intercultural space for all groups, shaping appropriate citizenship. Montage theory is chosen as a tool from finding literature reviews and case studies for curating spaces in urban scale, intermediate scale and architectural scale. A montage path curated in Convoys Wharf of Deptford links to formal space. It acts as an in-between and informal space where social events and activities are present for all, e.g., the locals, migrants, refugees and tourists, to engage and encounter. By experiencing the curated space through multiple narratives, visitors can understand the hidden history and form collective memory, which all contribute to fostering democratic citizenship, thus shaping a more socially just and equal futures.

Figure 1: Diagram of idea of montage

Figure 2: Diagram of MoSaF

Section

3:

MA AD support

3.1 Other Optional Components

The students will choose 30 credits worth of optional modules, chosen from the list of subjects based on the research interests of the staff in the school described above in p.5 of this Handbook. The students can select any combination of 10 and 20 credit modules for their option. Optional modules available for 2022-2023 are the following:

AR3003 Issues in Contemporary Architecture (10Cr.)

This course is an introduction to critical thinking in architectural theory. The scope covers ‘contemporary’ issues that are currently under debate in architectural theory, research, and practice.

ART802 Computational Form Finding (20Cr.)

The aim of this module is to introduce the students to the use of physical and digital prototyping methods of form-finding for creative design enquiry. It extends the concepts and techniques of design investigations to include principles of computational design. This module will allow the investigation of several design concepts and workflows and create form-finding solutions and workflows that address them.

ART028 Passive Design (10Cr.)

Passive Design is an approach to environmental Design in which emphasis is given to the building envelope and other parts of the building fabric in modifying the climate, using ambient energy to get as close to comfort as possible without using mechanical building services.

ART035 Low Carbon Buildings (10Cr.)

The module aims to introduce the ways buildings use energy, methods of matching building energy

demands through renewables and low energy systems, and introduce techniques for assessing the energy footprint and sustainable performance of the building using benchmarking.

ART041 Climate, Comfort and Energy (20Cr.)

This module aims to provide knowledge and understanding of the physical mechanisms through which the built environment uses energy in order to attain human comfort.

ART702 Architectural Technology 3A (10Cr.)

The module is intended to familiarise students with principles and information on various aspects of technology relevant to buildings of moderate complexity: Construction & Materiality, Structural Strategies, Building Physics and Science and Building Services.

ART501 The Conservator’s Role (20Cr.)

The module sets out to establish and question an understanding of the role of the built heritage sector at a global and a local level. It introduces both economic and ethical dilemmas that present constant challenges to the theory and practice of building conservation. As an introductory module, it frames the broadest theoretical influences behind current legislation and thinking and anticipates that these may be used to colour judgments made later in the course when addressing case studies. It follows an induction covering research, writing and technical drawing skills.

ART502 Tools of Interpretation (20Cr.)

The module addresses methods for both desk-based research and on-site surveys into and of historic

buildings. It further encourages the development of interpretive skills using both methods to form reasoned conclusions about historic buildings’ nature, stability, and date. The presentation of specific and general phenomena by example are used to assist in identifying patterns and exemplars of decay and survival, as well as anomalies. Techniques of surveying will be explained and tested. The Cadw and Historic England (Governmental bodies for statutory protection of the historic environment in Wales and England) levels of the survey will be explained. Common causes of damage and decay will be identified in order to assert real-life exemplars of technical dilemmas.

ART505 Design Tools: Methods of Repair (20Cr.)

A core set of tools understood through an approach to materials will be applied to the repair and conservation of a sequence of building typologies which will rotate annually, providing variety to people taking the module as part of a RIBA, IHBC or RICS CPD programme. Varied approaches to repairing building types will address different building elements and construction methods viewed under varying constraints. The teaching method will be iterative and studio-based to encourage discourse and experimentation.

3.2 Studio Culture and Conduct

The school promotes a convivial and collaborative studio culture. The majority of MA AD students choose to work in the studio, benefiting from shared learning amongst peers. Design studios are a location where students within a thematic studio can meet, where experiences can be shared across studios and where informal tutorials take place.

At the MA AD level, students are expected to develop an autonomous and responsible attitude to their learning and plan their time. Weekly tutorials, seminars, and consultancies should be considered a valuable resource, and students should aim to maximise the benefits they get from these. This is best achieved when students adopt a professional attitude towards their conduct in the school.

This might include:

• Attending all tutorials and consultancies at the allotted time. If a tutorial slot is missed, it may be difficult to reschedule a student to another time.

• Bringing all necessary drawings and models: discussion around a students work can be difficult if key items are missing.

• Ensuring that drawings are presented in a professional manner, using, where necessary, appropriate drawing conventions.

• In group tutorials, listening and contributing towards the discussions on the work of other students.

The school’s design studios should be an inviting, pleasant, clean, and organised space open to all architecture students in the school. MA AD students have 8am - 9pm access access to the studios, but this should be considered a privilege that will be lost if due care and consideration are not given to the school’s property and relevant health and safety obligations. Studios should be kept clean and tidy, and students should ensure that appropriate facilities for cutting, spraying and model making are always used.

Studio culture is significant to the MA AD course, Which is not just the thematic unit but also the physical space of the studio. Everyone is encouraged to work in the school, benefit from contact with each other and staff, and ready access to other facilities. We promote a lively studio environment.

Aims and vision

The School is highly regarded and top-ranked both nationally and internationally. However, no organisation can remain static. It has to change if only to respond to changes in the outside world. Rather than be reactive, it is usually better to be part of the change process to lead the change. That is what we are trying to do within the School. Our goals are:

1 To create “critical mass” in key areas. Expand the number of academic staff to develop research profiles and deliver education programmes in critical areas.

2 To broaden and diversify the educational and

research offering the school makes to society so that we are not wholly reliant on a handful of specialisms. The context for both the built environment and architectural education is increasingly diverse, dynamic and uncertain. We aim to flourish, not just cope.

3 To produce graduates with design skills who can operate across the broad spectrum of activity related to the sustainability of the built environment and who can solve the ‘wicked’ problems that involve working with contemporary issues of ambiguity, unpredictability and uncertainty.

In short, we want to spread the WSA experience more widely by building on our success so that others can benefit from what we have to offer. It differs from conventional built environment schools by placing design at the centre. At the heart of this is the knowledge that design can make a positive difference to people’s lives and that our graduates, who already make the world a better place by designing buildings, might be joined by others from the WSA who can bring design thinking and skills to a whole range of problems that face the world. Typically, these problems require interdisciplinary approaches, which architecture thrives on. The school plans an expanded suite of master’s programmes and delivery methods to implement this.

Plan of PGT-MA AD Studio&Lecture Theater

3.3 Supporting facilities

Library

The Architecture Library is located within the Welsh School of Architecture in Bute Building and is one of eighteen Cardif University site libraries. Its location is exceptional amongst British schools of architecture in that its collection of books, journals, reference and technical literature and audio-visual material is directly accessible to students and staff of the School. In addition to these resources, it holds a rare books collection and provides access to a wide range of online and CD-ROM databases, internet resources and electronic journals.

Physical Modelling Workshop

The workshop is equipped with several benchmounted electrical tools, including two belt sanders, two disc sanders, two bandsaws, a scroll saw and a pillar drill. A number of portable electric tools include three drills, a belt sander, orbital sander, planer and router. Students may use all these items of equipment after induction by the workshop craftsman and a short period of training, which includes specific training in health and safety. There is also a professional combination woodworking machine for use by the workshop craftspersons only, for some of the more heavy-duty project work students require. Across the corridor is a ventilated spray booth. Access usually is available, but graduates are expected to liaise with our craftspersons.

Environmental Laboratory

The environmental laboratory underpins many of the activities of the Architecture Science Group and supports those of the Design Research Unit. The facility offers physical scale modelling, numerical or computational modelling, laboratorybased measurement, field monitoring. The major components of the laboratory are the: SkyDome, computer modelling facilities and the Meteorological Station.

Media Lab

Currently, numerous PCs are located around the design studios, together with A4 scanners and lightboxes. The School supports the use of laptops, and wireless networking is provided. Students have access to a media lab containing ten high specification computers and A1 Plotters, A3 Colour printing, an A4 Black and White Printer, and A3 and A4 Scanners. PGT Design Studio also has a plotter room with two plotters and a printer/photocopier.

The School has has several drones, a video camera, laptops and digital projectors for anyone to use for presentations. In addition to the facilities provided by the School, ‘open-access’ computing facilities are available in the Bute Library and at other locations around the University. Some of these can be blockbooked for teaching purposes.

The School aims to provide students with a wide array of software for computer-aided design and digital presentation, including 3D/CAD (AutoCAD, Sketchup, 3DStudio, Rhino); Digital Media (Adobe Creative Suite); Environmental Design (Ecotect). These are available on the network and are therefore anywhere on campus.

Fab-Lab

The Fad-Lab includes laser cutting facilities, 3D printers, the CNC router and a robotic arm. Access to all facilities should be arranged through the School’s Facilities Manager, who coordinates and manages the demand for resources.

3.4 Unit Leaders and Module Leaders

Dr. Federico Wulff Barreiro (Chair of MA AD)

Unit A: H>D_ Lahore 2024 Contemporary Architecture and Heritage for Socio-Economic Development.

Dr Federico Wulff is a Senior Lecturer of Architecture and Urban Design and Director of the Masters of Architecture Design (MA AD) at the WSA. He conceives Architectural Design Research at the core of his combined profile as a researcher, educator, and contemporary award-winning architectural designer. European Union Europa Nostra Grand Prix 2019 Award for the preservation of a 14thC. mosque in UNESCO World Heritage Site of The Alhambra (Granada, Spain), the most prestigious heritage award at the European Level. Rome Prize in Architecture of the Royal Spanish Academy of Rome. European PhD written in Spanish, French and Italian at the ETSAM-Madrid (Spain), Roma Tre (Italy) and Paris-Belleville (France) Universities. His research project Euro-Mediterranean Urban Voids Ecology funded by the European Union, explores alternative design strategies for re-activating urban contexts in crisis, from the 2008 Great Recession to the current migration crisis.

His practice W+G Architects has been awarded 10 first prizes in International Architecture competitions. His projects have ranged from public spaces (Eras, Forum), and contemporary design interventions in heritage contexts (Spain, Morocco, Chile) to cooperation projects in developing countries (Ethiopia, Morocco). He has published 28 articles in international architectural journals and 18 international exhibitions in the UK, Spain, Italy, Brazil and Chile, including the Venice Biennale.

International expert member of the Advisory Board for the regeneration of the University of Santiago de Chile-USACH campus, Chile. Guest speaker and design workshop leader invited by the Institute of Architects of Pakistan and the University of Engineering and Technology of Lahore (Pakistan).

Aisha Ali (External Contributor)

Unit A: H>D_ Lahore 2024 Contemporary Architecture and Heritage for Socio-Economic Development.

Aisha is a committed planning practitioner and educator whose work is underpinned by clear values and an approach to ethical practice that seeks to create with people. Her work is place-based, with communities, and organisations across both public and private sectors for the last two decades. Examples of recent policy work include contributing to Welsh Government’s Race Equality Action Plan, including on housing and accommodation policy. Aisha approaches Placemaking from an Equality, Inclusion and Diversity lens with Codesign with stakeholders at the heart of her work.

Aisha is passionate about progressive placemaking, promoting good in design and its positive impact on supporting the growth of inclusive, happy, and thriving neighbourhoods. With experience of three large local authorities (Birmingham, Westminster and Cardiff) and as an independent consultant, she has extensive experience in master planning, placemaking, project management, planning policy, regeneration, and stakeholder engagement. Her current focus is on integrating these skills with an open approach to community engagement to deliver meaningful changes to reduce inequalities.

Named by the Planner Magazine as one of the fifty most influential women in Planning 2022. The award was given to women working in and around planning who have influenced national policy and made a significant difference through their in the built environment.

Dr Marianna Marchesi

Unit B: EcoLoci (2022-2023)

I am a Lecturer in Architectural Design at the Welsh School of Architecture at Cardiff University (UK), a researcher and practitioner. I graduated in Architecture from the University of Ferrara (Italy); then I completed a postgraduate degree in Sustainable Building Design and later a PhD in Sustainable Energy and Technologies at the University of Bozen-Bolzano (Italy) in collaboration with MIT (USA) where I spent a year of study and research. My multidisciplinary background is combined with a decennial experience as a registered architect, academic researcher and teacher in Italy and abroad (US and UK).

In 2018, I was awarded the competitive European Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship, and I joined the Wesh School of Architecture for implementing the research project called CircuBED as a principal investigator. The project focused on exploring how citizens can contribute to the transition to a circular economy in their cities, and specifically it explored social innovation for a circular economy as a change agent.

My research and teaching interests focus on design and innovation for the sustainable development of cities to tackle current challenges. My research is about sociotechnical innovations for sustainability and a circular economy alignment of changes at different levels of the built environment for a circular economy development.

I am particularly interested in supporting upcoming systemic changes for sustainability through developing social, organisational and technological innovations.

Dr. Hiral Patel

Unit C: Learning Environments (2022-2023)

My current research and teaching aim to better understand clients and users of the built environments. I am interested in themes of learning, socio-material practices, holistic building performance and adaptation of buildings.

My PhD research theorises the practices of adapting academic library buildings. Based on this research, my consultancy for Higher Education Design Quality Forum (HEDQF) identified research themes for future learning environments in the higher education sector. Building on this, I am co-creating a research agenda for future learning environments to develop new ways of designing and managing higher education spaces. I also provide consultancy for businesses to develop research-based design approaches, which aligns with my design-research teaching activities.

Through a range of funded projects, I have developed the ‘Learning-Space Aligner’ framework to better align learning and space, which I am piloting with university partners and in workplaces. My research on workplaces involved curating the DEGW archive and exploring the linkages between organisational practices and the built environment to help understand the changing nature of ‘work’. Based on this, I am currently co-authoring the third edition of ‘Integrative Briefing for Better Design’.

Since August 2022, I have taken on the role of Director of Engagement at the Welsh School of Architecture.

Dr. Davide di Martino

Unit D: Urban Waters (2022-2023)

I am an architect, urban designer, and educator with a passion for complexity, ecology, and social processes. I graduated in architecture from IUAV University in Venice, Italy, after a year of studies at ETSAB – the School of Architecture in Barcelona, Spain. I have studied to obtain a postgraduate Master’s Degree in Design Within Historical Contexts and a PhD in Ecological Planning and Urban Design from the University Federico II of Naples, Italy. I have been visiting PhD at the University of Copenhagen (KU Life department) and The Parsons New School in New York.

After moving to the UK in 2013, I joined Ian Ritchie Architects, working on several residential schemes and competitions. In 2018, I founded Unagru, a practice that aims to expand the agency of ecological thinking and concepts at every scale. The office’s main focus has been on the private residential scale, small collective and research on public spaces.

My research interests revolve around the intersection between humans and nature. I am particularly interested in water as a scarce resource and an incredibly powerful vehicle for urban structuring and reclamation. I am also interested in critical architecture, architectural practice, flows of materials and energy, and urban economy.

Dina Mneimneh

Unit D: Urban Waters(2022-2023)

Dina Mneimneh is an urban designer, architect and researcher. She is currently a place shaping officer at Westminster City Council, London and a Public Practice Associate (2022-2023 cohort). Through her practice, research and urban-based activism, Dina advocates for multiple forms of connectedness between people, history, culture and the built-environment. Her contributions to design are multidisciplinary with projects across different scales and contexts.

Previously, her practice spanned from concept design to project management and delivered the awardwinning 3,700 sq. Abey municipal school in Lebanon (Almimariya, 2019). Her research contributions include international projects such as the rehabilitation of Beirut’s historic neighbourhoods after the 2020 port explosion, the publication of her co-authored book chapter on heritage during the post-war reconstruction of Beirut’s downtown (Routledge, 2021), and most recently the publication of spatial mapping and archives of violence in Beirut, part of Imagining Futures (University of Exeter, UK, 2022).