Winter 2013/14
WESER WASSER Form-making in a dynamic landscape
Course description
The profession of Landscape Architecture has long sought to expand beyond its traditional competencies in order to tackle complex projects dealing with dynamic ecological and social systems and issues. In recent years, publicly available and open-source data have given the designer an increasingly vast and at times overwhelming set of information to work from. How does one work with such complexity while at the same time infusing the design with artistry exuding a contemporary aesthetic? These are some of the questions this studio will address through exercises and experiments with digital and analog form-finding techniques as applied to a site in the southernmost city of Niedersachsen, Hannoversh Münden. It is here that the two rivers Werra and Fulda, after passing through a series of rapids, weirs, ship-locks and sluices, flow together to create the Weser. Drawing inspiration from the complex cycles of the three rivers and the geographical complexity of the surrounding area, students will present a proposal for a contemporary park enveloping a historic city.
Course structure
The Master Project is offered to students in the Master of Landscape Architecture program with an interest in contemporary form-making and a willingness to incorporate mathematical concepts into the design process.
The first third of the semester will involve a number of abstract experiments and brief exercises with analog and digital design derived from dynamic patterns and processes. Students will be expected to experiment with digital form-making in the Rhino/Grasshopper 3D environment (available in CIP-Pool or purchase for €195). While prior knowlege of Rhino/Grasshopper is not required, experience with 3D modelling in general will be helpful.
All course participants will be given Studio places in the architecture building at Herrenhäuser Straße 8, where we will meet each Monday from 14.00-18.00. The primary language of instruction and presentations will be English, with computer support and instruction given in the German language. The course will be limited to approximately 8-10 participants.
Betreuung: MLA, MArch Joseph Claghorn
Beginn: 21.Oktober 2013, 14.00 Uhr, Raum B61, HH-Str.8
