15 ECTS credits
450 h study time
Offer 1 with catalog number 4023863ENR for all students in the 1st and 2nd semester at a (E) Master - advanced level.
The main goal of the Design Studio is to make students familiar with tools for reading, interpreting, representing and designing space on multiple scales, getting acquainted with methods used in urban and landscape design. The studio aims at offering a wide spectrum of possibilities in analytical and design terms, taking advantage of students’ different backgrounds and specific skills. Students will familiarise with different aspects of the design process, ranging from spatial design to socio-political and economical aspects, towards a critical design proposal (masterplan, scenarios, visions, design strategies, design toolbox/guidelines, strategic projects).
The general goal is to acquire the capacity of understanding the complexity of the urban realm through critical design using different methods and representation techniques.
STRUCTURE AND METHODOLOGY
(The structure and methodology of the course will be also explained on the learning platform - Canvas).
Students are invited to work in small groups (2-4) gathering data, documents and information and producing analytical outputs that will influence their design. In parallel, students are asked to personally collect their experiences, impressions, reflections, relevant traces and informations, sketches documenting their personal activity during the studio.
The first part of the Design Studio (1) is mainly analytical as it is dedicated to the “understanding of the site”. A series of exercises will allow to get familiar with its features and scales. Students are asked to develop a critical analysis of the case study(ies) though a study of the social, political, cultural, economical and physical components that constitute the site. The analysis of the topography, geology, vegetation, architecture is combined with the analysis of immaterial features (social, cultural, political), combining quantitative and qualitative analysis - from desktop data and “discourses”, to ethnographic fieldwork and “practices”. Ensuing from their analysis of the site, students should be able to formulate a specific design question at the end of the first part,
The second part of the Design Studio (2) will be dedicated to the development of “design strategies” in a broad sense. Students will be asked to propose a vision, to work with scenarios and/or with strategic projects, design guidelines and proposals at different scales. Starting form the specific design question that every group has to identify, they will work on two levels:
. 1) firstly students will identify the design strategy/tool that can better answer their design question , ranging from the construction of a vision, scenario(s), masterplan, strategic plan etc. for the entire site, to be applied on different scales (from macro to meso scale);
. 2) secondly students will work on the application of the chosen strategy/tool and its translation into a design (oriented) output, which can become both a series of guidelines and/or a design project, to be applied on different scales (from macro to meso scale).
The goal is the understanding and the control of the multiple aspects that specific design strategies might imply. Thus, particular emphasis is given to design as process, highlighting the role that each proposal can have in relation to time, actors and possible future scenarios.
Since students will probably have different backgrounds, special attention will be given to their specific skills in order to take advantage of the disciplinary tools they are more familiar with to be integrated in their work while teaching urban and landscape design methods (that includes design principles and representation methods but not the use of softwares i.e. Achicad, Illustrator etc.).
In order to familiarize with urban planning and design tools, relevant lectures, literature and case study references will be organized and provided. Based on this material, during one studio session, each student will orally present one case study reference.
In this course, students are supported in the elaboration of a design proposal through weekly feedback sessions. Participation to the sessions is therefore mandatory and will be evaluated during the duration of the course.
Goals
The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Other Exam determines 100% of the final mark.
Within the Other Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:
Evaluation by assignments - see canvas for more info
If students do not sufficiently attend feedback sessions this will be taken into account in the final evaluation: from a reduction of the final grade to retake if the attendance will be severely insufficient.
This offer is part of the following study plans:
Master of Urban Studies: Standard track
Master of Urban Design and Spatial Planning: Track 1 (Bachelor via SCH of VRB) (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Urban Design and Spatial Planning: Track 2 (Master indirect) (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Urban Design and Spatial Planning: Track 3 (Bachelor of Master direct) (only offered in Dutch)