Studio 02

Studio brief

Locations: London and Vienna

Regeneration in urban locations is a provocative debate, and one which can divide communities. Time frames, economics, land pressures, social and spatial organisation are all factors that offer a frame of reference to consider new buildings and infrastructures.

In studio, you will develop your own techniques in making, capturing the qualities of a particular location. Through modelling, sketching, montage and writing you will begin to be propositional. We encourage you to be more deliberate and conscious in this creative act, drawing out architectural interventions that offer something special to the locations you have been recording. With ideas and ways of working gathered from investigations in London and Vienna, you will develop strategies of conglomeration and projects that allow for spaces to deliberately conflict and converge; propositions that have the capacity to absorb additions, creating a social architecture with the potential for activities to take place within and around a building. We promote an idea of intensity of activity and mixture of use, heightening an urban experience rather than a singular, specific programme. These uses are likely to change over time and therefore tolerance should be designed into the architecture. Also, you are encouraged to consider timber prefabrication as a method of construction early in the design process. Offering many benefits, this type of construction provides the opportunity to work directly and collaboratively with skilled professional makers, as well introducing phasing and time to building processes and the transformation of the city.

In November, the studio will travel to Austria to meet colleagues from TU Wien. We will observe and study the architectural heritage of the city and see how generous and careful additions can result in a rich and inclusive urban environment.

Studio 2 will also continue its collaboration with Berlin-based research organisation, The Leibniz Institute for Research on Space and Society. We will also continue to build on our relationship with Unit H at the University of East London (UEL), with the two studios working closely and collaboratively.

Image: 'Adjustments & Additions' by Joe Douglas