LEARNING LANDSCAPES
André Kempe | Oliver Thill
Simon Beckmann | Amelie Bimberg | Peter Haslinger | Christian Kaczmarek | Anna Schulze
The ongoing process of modernisation - that began in western countries 200 years ago - has had an enormous impact on architecture. Due to a multitude of complex circumstances, architecture is currently in an unconscious process of radical objectification and democratisation. This dynamic process of radical reduction of architecture - also caused by the continuous transformation of society - architecture has now been reduced to its absolute core: the typology.
Our age, dominated by pragmatism, offers the great potential to imagine architecture as a collective tool, intelligent and serving the community in the best sense of the word. In a direct reaction to these circumstances, architecture must understand and use the radical conditions of our time as a positive and inspiring basis. The radical idea of typology (per se) - de facto the objectification of architecture - is seen as a possible way to be able to operate architecture in the actual sense in the future. Perhaps this itself has the potential to produce an independent and contemporary architectural style that reflects the hidden logic of our times. How do these changes impact the built structures - the new as well the existing ones? What should buildings be able to and which spaces are needed? Can buildings react on these processes and how can they maybe even stimulate and support these ongoing changes? What and whom do these buildings represent? And: What is the impact of all this on organisation of buildings and typologies?
Derived from these overarching questions we will formulate an annual theme every year that forms the basis of the entire teaching and research program. Our aim is to use the knowledge gained from our research to create and analyse an architectural typology collection of a specific type of buildings and to create a catalog of building-types that compares and reflects the vitality of typological forms in a new way.
In the first academic years we deal with the radically changing conditions in the educational landscape. Teaching and research in higher education are currently subject to profound social and educational change. Globalisation, digital work, rapid development of new technologies, international competitive pressure between universities and the qualities of university locations are just a few aspects that play a decisive role in this.
On basis of the overriding questions we ask ourselves: Is there a “typological optimum” for aspects such as building organisation, internal logistics, spatial backbone, flexible structure, compactness and energy performance? What influence do factors such as the particular ideal of social education, the context and location or the spatial and typological organisation of the objects have on their success or failure? For this, we are currently analysing reference projects using the three main approaches ‚graphic analysis‘, ‚volumetric analysis‘ and ‚the design in historical and social context‘.