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.

LANDSCAPE URBANISM / GROUNDLAB IN NAVARRA

AALU/Groundlab exhibitions is open at the School of Architecture in the Universidad de Navarra. The show will open from 12.05.2006 to 29/05.2008 and features the research based work of Ma Course Landscape Urbanism altogether with the professional approach to city design by Groudlab collective. Landscape Urbanism exhibition shows a selection of the student production during the years 04-05 (based in Mexico City), 05-06 (based in Sri Lanka) and 06-07 (based in Dubai-Oman), as well as several competitions form Groundlab including the winning entry for Longgang city masterplan.A lecture will be closing the event on the 29 of may at the Aula magna ETSAUN.

LECTURE RESCHEDULED

LANDSCAPE URBANISM LECTURE SERIES

Architecture today is obsessed with icons. To be iconic or not to be, that is the question for more and more architects. But as we get accustomed of seeing our weekly starchitect masterpiece announced for Astana, Dubai or Taipeh, we wonder whether the contemporary architectural spectacle has a mission that goes beyond celebrating the egos of the client and the architect – what about program, place, politics? If it is true that the icon building is an inevitable condition for the possibility of architecture today – because it is seen as architecture’s unique selling proposition in our neoliberal economy – couldn’t architecture define a more active stance toward the icon, appropriating it rather than succumbing to it? While the icon so far mainly serves as a propaganda tool to affirm the self-image of power-hungry corporations and political dictatorships, it could in fact be cast as generator of social space – a performative environment of a democratic society, rather than a dubious monument of control. For this, however, it will be necessary for architects to apply the iconic no longer to the object, but to space. Public space, for a change.

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