Teaching students of architecture an open building way of designing in a studio setting can be fruitful. To be even more fruitful, however, “warming – up” exercises are useful, but take time to do properly and are not an easy fit in the studio setting. This paper offers some examples of both open building studio projects and “warming-up” exercises given in the studio setting. It also offers comments on lessons learned over the years in teaching in such a way in architectural studios and argues for the development of courses specifically focused on “warming-up” design exercises, not only in support of open building but more generally. These may be most helpful if offered outside but supportive of the design studio. But such opportunities are rare, because “design skill” courses do not exist in architectural curricula.
Author: thematicdesign
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Ecology of Production: Mapping Control in Production Chains
This essay is drawn from my PhD dissertation titled “CONTROL OF PARTS: Parts Making in the Building Industry”, completed as part of my doctoral studies at MIT, 1990
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A DESIGN STUDY FOR A RESIDENTIAL FIELD IN LADAKH, INDIA
I want to show a design study for a high density low-rise field based on the geography and related house typology of Ladakh, a province of Northern India sharing boundaries with Tibet, Pakistan, and China.
The design study was done by Solomon Benjamin student at MIT at the time and presently at the faculty of the Humanities and Social Sciences Department of the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, in India. (more…)
AuthorJohn Habraken -
baseform for an interactive stacking play. meters
The SketchUp model connected to this post gives the first heavy form shown in the example of the Interactive Stacking Play shown in the post of that name. You can download the model and add your own light system to it. The model is given in meters and centimeters.
AuthorJohn HabrakenWebsite -
baseform for an interactive stacking play. feet
The SketchUp model connected to this post gives the first heavy form shown in the example of the Interactive Stacking Play shown in the post of that name. You can download the model and add your own light system to it. The model is given in feet and inches.
AuthorJohn HabrakenWebsite -
Design Play–Hong Kong Studio
In this Hong Kong studio in 2012, we are asked to observe changes on Architecture elements in the city of Hong Kong and Harbin. While finish two of seventh thematic design plays in Professor Habraken’s new book “Conversations with Form, a workbook for students of architecture”
AuthorJia Lu -
Transforming and Extending the Warehouse District in South Boston. Part one
This Masters thesis proposes the transformation and extension of the Warehouse District in South Boston as a live / work neighbourhood. (more…)
AuthorJohn R. Dale, SM.arch.s, FAIA -
Transforming and Extending the Warehouse District in South Boston. Part two
This Masters thesis proposes the transformation and extension of the Warehouse District in South Boston as a live / work neighbourhood. (more…)
AuthorJohn R. Dale, SM.arch.s, FAIA -
On Thematic Design
Everyday environments always have been highly thematic. We immediately recognise a Venetian Gothic Palace, an Amsterdam Canal House, A Georgian London Terraced House, or a Pompeiian Courtyard House as members of particular form families, inseparable parts of the urban fabrics that where shaped with them. (more…)
AuthorJohn HabrakenWebsite -
The Grunsfeld Variations
The Grunsfeld Variations
How do you organise a design team for a big project in and efficient manner while using fully the creative ability of the team members? This question led to a demonstration of six weeks in a summer workshop made possible thanks to a donation from the Ernest A. Grunsfeld Memorial Fund.
AuthorJohn HabrakenWebsite