While perusing other local blogs, namely Re:Speak, I came upon a post by Byron about Architecture NZ. It mentioned an essay within it written by Ross T. Smith called 'Warm Fuzzies' (architecture nz, No2, 2010. p26-28). This essay is about Juhani Pallasmaa's writings, many of us introduced to him in first year by Shenuka with the book 'The Eyes of the Skin.'
The essay looks into Pallasmaa's most recent writings and offers us a critique of architectural education similar to that of the Bauhaus. Ross T. Smith speaks of reintegrating the hand and the mind into architectural design processes, "maintaining the physical, sensual, and material qualities in architectural education through practices such as hand drawing and model making, and preserving connections to the traditions of craft, whilst preserving the indeterminate and dynamic practice of art and the ourpourings of the imagination."
The idea of being taught craft skills I think is an interesting one, and kind of appealing in our current age of non-teaching education, where we're expected to perform without being taught the relevant skills, produce models without any direction in craft, and know without being told. Our education currently comprises of wading through suggested reading lists and the hopefully relevant tangents which branch off.
I am trying to imagine a more craft-based education. For starters, we would need a better tutor : student ratio. We would need people with specialised skills in craft. What would we make? Scale model after scale model? Or details at 1:1? Entire buildings?
There seems to be some pretty cool stuff going on at schools elsewhere in the globe, most recently a project called "Five Fellows Full Scale" where a cheap, dilapidated house has been taken and rehabilitated, but simultaneously used as a testing ground for their design ideas.
Perhaps something like this could be a start. Geoff Thomas got to burn a house down for his PhD, surely we can do something a little more worthwhile than that?
p.s. link to my original 'digital bauhaus' blog here
Yes how cool would it be to build and work at 1:1 scale. While researching for the history assignments I watched a few documentaries on Ian Athfield. In many of his earlier works his firm went on site and helped build the houses. Not to mention his on going experiment with the Athfield house.
ReplyDeleteOne has to wonder how relevent we will be as architects if we've only existed in this theoretical based design world.
Have you heard of BaSic Initiative? http://www.basicinitiative.org/About.htm
It's a university based operation that offers sustainable solutions for communites and the less fortunate. I think my favorite aspect is that students are involved not only with the design aspects, but help in the construction as well. I wish we had something like that.
I hadn't heard of the BaSic initiative. Very cool.
ReplyDeleteWonder how hard it would be to set something similar up over here... instead of forking out $6000 to wander the streets of NYC over summer, we could be doing things like this, closer to home. Say in the islands/SE Asia or somewhere.
I know that a group of students went to Sri Lanka to do some rebuilding after the tsunami. Anyone read Tsunamibox by Gerald Melling? I haven't, but it provides an account of the experience they had over there.
It'd make good holiday reading material.. pretty sure we've got a copy at the library.
Here's the first chapter anyhow:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/29523838/Tsunami-Box-Gerald-Melling-Extract
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ReplyDeleteFinished Tsunami-box in one sit today, great and easy read. Thanks for the recommendation.
ReplyDeleteNice post - Something I really think needs shaking up a lot at our school...
ReplyDeleteThese ideas can get really fruitful when on top of all of the pedagogical benefits for students of design-builds (experiential learning a la pallasma) the community at large gains something from efforts. BaSiC looks pretty great in that respect, also The Rural Studio in Alabama. Their built work is amazing 'aesthetically' but deeper than this the projects socially engage students with their local communities, helping them understand local issues (in their case, poverty). Shouldn't this be a fundamental teaching of our schools of architecture? Isn't architecture is a social art?
These programmes are very common at Schools in the US, I'm pretty sure it's partly because schools at certain Unis are obliged to 'give back' under state funding arrangements, and it turns out design builds are a great way Unis can do this.
Here in NZ, Unitec does well:
http://www.sharearchitecture.co.nz/unitec-kidscan-building-project-p-178.html
Vic should step up I believe!
Just finished a great 4th year theory course - those of you more theoretically inclined (and feeling like jumping the gun) may find the blog that was run throughout the course interesting - http://arci451.blogspot.com/
This critters blog is a really great project - brilliant work. Funny hearing similar concerns raised that we had two years ago in the same courses... Good to see some proactive work to improve things! It'll certainly take more than those course evaluation sheets, that's for sure!
Keep it up.
This project should be school-wide?
Nick Leckie
4th Year VUW
Meant to say, too, Solar Decathlon is a great thing the Uni is doing... engaging in wider issues that interest society at large. Will be great when that house gets exhibited to the public.
ReplyDeleteIn our construction course we built 1:50 houses - not a bad learning exercise. The year before us built 1:1 real details (of hypothetical buildings I believe). Can't help but wish all that construction energy was getting pumped into some sort of useful building for the community though.
It's good your 2nd year construction model project was a part of the wider decathlon project, it's a start.
Would love to hear Guy's thoughts -
- is this actively discussed within teaching circles?
- Is it a matter of 'too hard to organise,' in which case could the school be more supportive?
- Is it a matter of needing the right person to drive these projects at our school?
(Rural Studio was founded by the drive of practically one man, Sam Mockbee. It seems these programmes take a lot of determination to get off the ground).
- If so, are you keen?!
- Are you the next Sam Mockbee?
Nick
Nick, my friend from the plane?
ReplyDeleteThanks for checking us out, and great response. I didn't realise Unitec had a building project. On the link you posted, the head of school Tony van Raat says:
"We find that all construction projects develop social and community skills as well as an appreciation of the act of building".
Which would most certainly be true, but I imagine that students would gain something much more thorough and tangible than simply an 'appreciation' of building.
I like the position you're taking here Nick, and I agree, let's put some pressure on Guy to be the man who makes this happen.
There's even some temptation in here for him, as the article goes on to say :
"The project offers potential for a documentary-type programme (eg Touchdown's "My House Castle") to "follow" the project through all the phases."
Guy, everyone knows how much you love Grand Designs. Enough said.