AALU STUDENT WORK PRESENTATION


LANDSCAPING URBANISM

Given the multidisciplinary nature of Landscape Urbanism, this series correspondingly ranges across urbanism, landscape architecture, planning, geography, philosophy, cybernetics and social theory. It aims to explore the role of these disciplines in relation to the development, theorisation and practice of Landscape Urbanism. Specifically, this course will introduce and elaborate the paradigm under which Landscape Urbanism understands and employs the ‘Landscape’ component of its title. As opposed to presenting the discipline as a simple conjunction of its two terms therefore, the aim, particularly within the first term, is to elaborate the ways in which Landscape offers a processual, scalar and temporal medium through which the particular conditions of contemporary urbanism might be processed.

Structurally the course aims toward a synergy with the programme of the design studio, since, in its first term, it addresses the models and methods employed by Landscape Urbanism alongside an historically and socially contextualised account of the conditions through which these have developed. In the second term contemporary urban conditions are addressed as the focus of the programme whilst the conditions and possibilities these pose for the practice of Landscape Urbanism are critically explored. Whilst the programme of term one is principally concerned with an introduction to the discipline and its methods, then, the second term has a more contemporary and geographically specific orientation intended to respond to the specific sites addressed within the design core and the development of each student’s own critical agenda.

Students will be expected to work in groups for the seminar portion of the course.In the first term, the sessions will be largely given to lecture with minor input from student groups. In the second term, a greater role will be handed over to student group presentations.

Douglas Spencer gained a BA Hons in History of Art Design and Film Studies from Sheffield City Polytechnic, a Master’s Degree in Cultural Studies from Sheffield City Polytechnic, and is currently undertaking a PhD in Architectural Theory at Westminster University. He has published research in a number of journals and books on the subjects of Urbanism, Landscape Urbanism, Utopian Design and critical theory

DEEP GROUND PROJECT MOVES FORWARD

Deep Ground project designed by Groundlab Collective has moved forward to the next design stage. The main principles regarding architectural detail and strategic definition of the spatial qualities of the masterplan have been outlined so that they can be implemented in detail design stages.
The project features Landscape Urbanism design methodology principles and is characterised by a bottom up approach dealing with local characteristics of urban villages in the existing fabric of Longgang, both in morphological and programmatic terms, as well as usage of landscape as a structuring force of the whole development. Details of these principles can be found in the original posts initially featured in the this blog:

AALU WORK IN BELGIUM

Angeliki Koliomichou (AA LU 2006/07) will present her project MA project 'Augmented Waterways' at the international conference on Water and Urban Development Paradigms in Leuven, Belgium.
This international conference intends to bridge the gap between the disciplines of water management, ecology and the approaches of engineering, urban design and spatial planning. Sessions will develop a series of themes, discussing the historical relationship between water systems and human settlements, and related management problems regarding urban floods, water use and water sanitation. In each session, presentations are invited on problem definition, technical and design-based solutions, but also on boundary conditions of exogenous, political or economical nature. It is hoped that this interdisciplinary information exchange and communication will lead to discussion and will contribute to a better integration of approaches currently considered in the separate disciplines of water management, water engineering, spatial urban planning and design and aquatic ecology. Also aspects of meteorological, demographic, political, economical, and educational and life-style related nature will be considered in the analysis of solutions to current and emerging urban water problems. This on the longer term might lead to new paradigms in managing water in the urban environment.

LU at 5th Landscape Biennale, Barcelona

The work of Landscape Urbansim and Groundlab wuill be featured as part of the collective exhibition in the 5th Landscape Biennale in Barcelona.

AALU IN PROJECTS REVIEW

The work in progress of AALU students 0607 will be shown in the Architectural Association Projects Review exhibition until 28th of June.

AALU REPRESENTATIVE IN RIO


Angeliki Koliomichou (AA LU 2006/07) presented MA project 'Augmented Waterways' at 3rd Seminario de Paisagismo Sul- Americano conference, National Museum of Fine Arts,Rio De Janeiro, 28 May 2008.http://acd.ufrj.br/historiadopaisagismo/seminario/inicial.htm

The research aims to raise consideration regarding the prevalent water politics in Oman and the implications that they have to the context and furthermore to the layout of the urban fabric.The research concerns the study of the existing water management and administrative issues and also the analysis of the local techniques in traditional irrigation systems in Oman. After a thoroughly investigation and comparing with other irrigation systems in deserted territories such as the iranian network of wells, a design proposal has been materialized. By responding to Sultan Qaboos’ s vision for producing a tourist spot in Oman capable of competing in the global economy the design perspective is twofold. Primarily it seeks to generate integrated systems that provide balanced water management provisions and simultaneously to suggest a diversification of activities which encompass luxurious villas associated with farm units as an alternative scenario for agri- tourism destination.

AALU SUMMER PRESENTATION

On Tuesday 24th June, Landscape Urbanism students presented their work to a review panel as part of their summer presentation. The panel included the following guests:
Douglas Spencer (University of Wesminster)
Alejandra Bosch (Groundlab)
Ivan Valdez (Zaha Hadid Architects)
Jeff Turko (Nekton architects)
Alejandra Bosch (Groundlab)
Larry Barth (ALLU)
Pedro Alonso (Arup Urban Design)
Shajay Bhooshan (Zaha Hadid Architects)
Daewah Kang (Zaha Hadid Architects)
Arturo Layon (Zaha Hadid Architects)

Images from Hossein Kachabi (above) and Katya Larina (below), AALU 0708

AALU GOES TO GREECE

Eduardo Rico has given recently two talks on Landscape Urbanism in Greece. The events took place in the Architecture Faculty of the University of Crete, as well as the NTUA in Athens. The lecture ioncluded theoretical aspects about the disciplinary approach of LU as a discipline, as well as case studies of students work and the work developed by Groundlab for the Longgang development.

1ST PRIZE IN COMPETITION FOR AALU GRADUATES

Jen-Hwang Ho and Fang Chun-Chieh, both 06/07 AALU graduates currently working at Zaha Hadid Architects, have recently won the 1st prize in an international landscape design competition in Taiwan. The project aims to re-arranging the landscape around the funeral parlous area, located in a block in Taichung city, mid of Taiwan.The adjacent Concert hall, Civil park and leisure areas with sport facilities such as swimming pool and tennis court make this block a very intense place but without a clear connection among them. The project proposes to coordinate these varied functions, with a continuous surface that generates an unified urban landscape. With series of different slopes and crest lines, the landscape is shaped to act as either the guilders of circulation or the veils of incompatible activities.The surface of tangency embodying a systematic geometry upon plurality of natural and landscape elements highlights the influx of surrounding gestures of the ground. Meanwhile, the releasing of the existing boundaries creates the seamless environment of urban moving style, fulfilling the awareness of citizenship.

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