Recent demonstrations in public spaces of our cities are confirming a profound crisis of political institutions worldwide. While citizens are claiming a change in national political agendas to ask for more focus on their own everyday life concerns and less on global finances, public squares are emerging as places of political discussion. Moved by this contemporary interest, Intermediate Unit 8 have worked on redefining what constitutes a public space today, which is the role of the architect and the agency of people, and how innovation on fabrication methods might serve as fundamental tools for constructing a city of the commons.

This year the work of the unit has been located in the city of Mexico, a metropolis developed under neoliberal rules for the last two decades. The particular site for the unit work has been the massive modernist housing complex of Tlatelolco, and more specifically, the Plaza de las Tres Culturas. This urban square is well known not only for the mixed presence of Aztec, Spanish Colonial and Modernist constructions, but also for its past political life including the students’ massacre before 1968 Olympic Games. Based on a confrontation with the everyday life in the city, students have researched on the most “mundane” contemporary issues, including insecurity, informal economy, drug cartels, social segregation or cultural repression. These issues are the ones employed as alternative micro-agendas to inform the public space of today. After intense research and reflection on the realities of the city, students have proposed different material and programmatic tactics, reflecting on how traditional construction methods can be used to generate new fabrication techniques in which citizens have a more active role. Therefore, social participation and public action are considered a fundamental part in the definition of new political spaces as an endless process of contestation, negotiation and transformation.

16.12.11

End of the First Term Jury Pics


Fragkiskos
Andreas & Anand (from India-skype)


 

Hao Wen




Andrew


Erez

Carlotta & Camille







Elliot , Frederique & Eleni

Thanks to crits, students & guests.  

10.12.11

End of the First Term Jury

The End of the Term Jury will be on Thursday 15th of December from 10am to 6pm in 32 Second Floor Back. The guests are Samantha Hardigham (Inter 5), Monica Bartolome Beltran (Zaha Hadid and Amanda Levete), Peter Karl (Diploma 3), Arturo Revilla (Zaha Hadid, AAPhD), Jerry Tate (Jerry Tate architects), Denis Lacej (Will Allsop), Manja van der Worp (Arup-AATS tutor), Elif Erdine (AAdLab, PhD, Zaha Hadid),Dejan Mrdja & Boris Zerjav (School of Missing Studies).

9.12.11

W12 - Tutorials

Before the End of the Term Jury we will have a tutorial on Monday and Tuesday 12th-13th of December. We will review in half an hour the new work done and the presentation for Friday. The tutorials will be as follows,

Monday
10.30 Erez
11.00 Fragkiskos
11.30 Anand
12.00 Enrique
12.30 Andrew
13.00 Eleni
Tuesday
10.30 Hao Wen
11.00 Frederique
11.30 Carlotta
12.00 Andreas
12.30 Elliot
13.00 Camille

You should bring all your pages in order: Issue, Research, Site analysis, Strategy, Case studies or precedents for the Frame, Frame implemented on site (plan , sections, axonometric), model of the proposal for the Frame, Action sketches and model.

8.12.11

W12-SOCIO-SPATIAL CONSTRUCTION OF POLITICAL SPACE.

After questioning the role of the Plaza de las Tres Culturas, schematic proposals and urban strategies should be prepared on the site. These projects should be based on previous analysis of socio-cultural, spatial and material investigations. Plans, Sections, Elevations and sketch models are expected for the END OF THE TERM

After the end of the term Jury there would be an assessment of the work done. Parts of the design not developed during the Term should be completed in the Christmas break.

Suggested Readings
Edward Soja: Thirdspace, Oxford: Blackwell, 1989.
Henri Lefebvre: The Production of Space, Oxford England and Cambridge Mass.: Basil Blackwell, 1991.
Magda Anglés (ed.): Ten Years of European Prize for Urban Public Space, Actar, 2007
Paolo Virno, A Grammar of the Multitude: For an Analysis of Contemporary Forms of Life, Nueva York: Semiotext[e], 2005

BUILDING A POLITICAL ARGUMENT

After intensively working throughout the term on understanding the relationship between politics of space as defined by architecture students will be asked to define their own design proposals. They should combine previous socio-cultural, spatial and material investigations and analysis.
                                                   Political Argument in Little Havana, Miami

5.12.11

W11-Tutorials II

Next Thursday 7th of December we will have our tutorials as follows,

10.00 Frederique
10.30 Hao Wen
11.00 Lecture by Wolfgang Frese (TS) on TS submission
12.00 Andreas
12.30 Carlotta

14.00 Lecture on Light Mobile structures (37 First Floor Front) for all the Inter 8 students
15.30 Presentation of 3rd years work (10 min each)
Andrew
Anand
Eleni
Enrique
Fragkiskos
Erez

18.00 Elliot
18.30 Camille
19.00 Review of all students' models in Inter Unit 8 space

4.12.11

Lecture on Temporary Structures-postponed

Thursday 8th of December Neil Thomas (Atelier One) and Manja van de Worp (TS) will give us a lecture about Kinetic Structures that will includen moveable and transformable structural examples useful for your final TS submission. The lecture will be in AA No.37 First Floor Front at 2pm.

Emilio Pérez Piñero

Neil Thomas: Engineering between Art and Rock and Roll

Founding Partner and Director of Atelier One, Neil Thomas, will talk about his experiences in conceiving and collaborating as a structural engineer on some of the very special projects in the art and entertainment world. Over the years he has worked with Mark Fisher and contemporary artists on projects that often involved temporary, movable or even travelling structures of varying scales and programmes.

Manja van de Worp: structures in motion

Manja is an architect and engineer from Holland who works at Arup’s special structures group after collaborating with Cecil Balmont’s advanced geometry unit for years. She also teaches Technical studies at the AA Intermediate school and has lectured at universities in Holland and throughout Europe.

Followed by an open discussion and presentation of student work/ideas from Intermediate 08


2.12.11

W11- Tutorials

Tutorials on the Action will be held next week Monday 5th of December from 10 to 6pm in Inter Unit 8 space. You will need to bring your drawings and models. If you need to review your frame this will be the best moment to do it before the Final Jury. Come as follows,
10.30 Eleni
11.00 Hao wen
11.30 Camille
12.00 Elliot
12.30 Andrew
2.00 Frederique
2.30 Enrique
3.00 Anand
3.30 Erez
4.00 Fragkiskos
4.30 Carlotta
5.00 Andreas