LFU:online

Die Studierenden sind in der Lage, integrative Entwurfs- und Planungsaufgaben zu bewältigen. Sie können selbstständig und in reflektierter Weise ein architektonisches Konzept formulieren, mit dem Diskurs in Verbindung setzen und in unterschiedlichen Maßstäben umsetzen. Sie verfügen über spezifisches Methodenwissen und Fertigkeiten zur Integration von ästhetischen, funktionellen, programmatischen, urbanen, typologischen, technischen und ökologischen Aspekten.

Urban Densification as Opportunity for Human-Ecological Re-Integration

Storyline:

1
- In the last centuries, especially the last 150 years, humans have had an incredible impact on the world ecosystem
- Climate is now rapidly changing, biodiversity is crashing
- We are now facing or actually within the sixth extinction wave
- After the fifth being the one where the Dinosaurs got wiped away
- We must reconsider our options
- But there is also hope. Chaos offers the opportunity and drive for radical change
- Re-integration as humans into the world eco-system seems the only truly sustainable way to go
- From EGO to ECO
- As we are notoriously ignorant and reluctant to change, we need to identify chances for this transiston and catch on to them when we can
2
- Going from EGO to ECO means we need to restore or rebuild a strong ecosystem
- An ecosystem is basically a network of interrelations, through which energy and material flows. Powered by the sun, and driving on the basic resources of the world.
- This seminar addresses different developments as means to help making this change happen
- To restore and rebuild an integral ecosystem, to make up for earlier habitat destruction, and find our place in that new ecosystem
- Urban development could be a dynamic to use
- Human populations are still growing, (climate-)migration is increasing, and within each population demographic changes are taking place
- Urban development is therefore ever ongoing, and should be seen as an opportunity to make integration happen
3
- ‘Double densification’ is a challenging statement to research in this course
- In Holland climate change leads to densification of human life. Clustering as a way of effective flood risk management, ‘City-polders’ as realis@c long term solutions with a rising sea level.
- It brings back the high density urbanization as a potential positive strategy
- What options appear when we try to combine this radical densification with just as radical reintegration with other organisms?
- Can we find mutual benefits of robust ecological investments, for instance integration of true forest habitat, of water systems, etc.
- What if we let go of minimalism and strive for optimal integration?
- To what extent can ‘rewilding the city’ be imaginable?
4
- Parallel with migration and the tendency of densification, the urban microclimate gets more and more difficult to live in.
- Heat-islands, drought periods, extreme sunshine, air pollu@on, dust, oxygen depletion, noise, but also storms and rainwater flash floods.
- The integration with other organisms, mostly plants, in diverse ecosystems, shows to be able to temper this microclimate in many ways.
- Integration of parts of the ecosystem, like soil and plants, in a building can therefore improve the quality of life a lot
- but how can it be combined with tall buildings and big volumes?
- how can water and light as essen@al sources, and soil substrate as a medium and link in the circle, be available even within the big volumes?

5
- the natural environment determines the presence and potentials of different organisms
- the theory: ‘everything is everywhere, but the environment selects’ (Beijerink-Baas Becking)
may count for bacteria, but for higher organisms existing populations and networks
determine the distribution on earth.
- The ‘island theory’ (McArthur and Wilson) is a better base for ecological dispersion and colonization, and therefore also for the potential inhabitants of a combined urban
ecosystem.
- Additionally the third dimension, height, is very relevant for the potentials for organisms in urban environments.
- As we consider cities as ‘urban mountains’ which, although artificial, have similar physical characteristics as natural ones, it is appealing to refer to Alexander von Humboldt and his theories on elevational ecosystems in mountains.
- Would not this be may be a good entrance to understand, and therefore plan and design, in such a way that new urban habitats function in an optimal way?

Design scope
The students are taken along with the story line above, leading to an awareness of the position of humans in the worlds ecosystems, and to a better understanding of the opportunity, and responsibility, the creative sector has, to lead the changes the world now needs.
It will get concrete on three levels of questions:
- How to use densification for radical re-integration of humans and the ecosystem
- How to use the ecosystems elements to temper the extremes and improve life quality
- How to design for the predicted organisms based of geographic position, networks and elevation

In the course the location and volumes proposed by Olaf Gipser are used to answer these three questions.

The product would be a theoretically built line of thought, resulting in a proposal for an ecologyinclusive design brief, specific design instruments and possibly design components (to be integrated in the overall architectural project) in which the three questions are dealt with.

Lehrveranstaltungsprüfung gemäß § 6 Satzungsteil, Studienrechtliche Bestimmungen.

Wird im Rahmen der ersten Lehrveranstaltung besprochen.

Anmeldung nicht notwendig, erfolgt automatisch mit dem dazugehörigen Entwerfen.

Time table

week 41, October: 1x double seminar live Innsbruck
week 42, October: 1x seminar online from Amsterdam
week 45, November: 1x seminar/coaching live in Innsbruck
week 49, December: 1x seminar/coaching online from Amsterdam
week 2, January: 1x coaching online from Amsterdam
week 5, February: 1x live final discussion and review of results in Innsbruck with Olaf Gipser