LFU:online

Development of an Independent project in the training and enhancement of the analytical, planning and creative abilities; learning skills for the presentation and documentation of a Bachelor’s Thesis.

ZOMBIE URBANSIM

Within the contemporary City, or better within today’s urbanization, a new kind of architectural object emerges. An object, which looks like a building, has all the features needed to function as abuilding, it belongs to our city or even produces it, but is totally empty or hardly occupied.  The city produces a new kind of architectural object, a zombie building, which in the first time of our history of human settlement defines a post-human urbanism an urbanism not for people but only for architecture.

According  to the data’s described by Matthew Soules, the capital of the world populations has more then doubled within the last 10 years. Due to a new wealth for the world population after the fall of the wall and the wave of capitalism that swept over countries like China, India, Russia and many more especially former communist countries, the capital of the world wealth produced form the 18^th century until 2004 has doubled within on decade. This tremendous increase of money has let to an architecture whereby the money was stored in building without expecting these buildings to make any benefit by any tenant, but just allowing the money to grow by the pure increase of value of the building within the natural growth of real estate. The main city effect by that phenomena are large metropolitan areas.

One of the cities is New York. The design studio in the coming year will focus on the city of new york. The aim will be to design either on the scale of various lands (E2) or the scale of the block (E4) or on multiple blocks , a zombie architectural mass.

Methodology

The method applied to the studio will go along the thesis of an object oriented approach to urban design. This design method will apply the idea to produce architectural formations of real object with losing their autonomy of form as well as their signifier. The intention is to apply what Graham Harman called vicarious causation, a theory of two or more object meet and always produce a third.

The techniques applied to achieve these design method will focus around the idea of a fake physic. Fake physics is based on the notion not represent physical forces but reverse them and simulate physical forces of the real to produce means of architectural represenations.

The studio will be organized as a vertical studio, where by Students from E2, E4, M1 will share lectures, seminars and critics together, while at the same time develop their own design project.

Continuous assessment (based on regular written and/or oral contribution by participants).

Course examination according to § 7, statute section on "study-law regulations"

Alphabet City (Steven Holl)
Woolworth building ( Cass Gilbert)
Singer Tower (Ernest Flagg)
Chrysler Building (Willem Van Alen)
Empire State Building (Shreve, Lamb and Harmon)
Rockefeller Center (Hood)
McGraw-Hill Building (Hood)
Lever House (Bunshaft)
Nine West 57th Street (Bunshaft)
Pepsi Cola (Park Ave. Bunshaft)
Seagram Building ( Mies v. Rohe)
Citicorp Center (Hugh Stubbins)
Downtown Athletic Club
Austrian Culture Institute (Abraham)
Marriott Hotel (Portman)
Ford Foundation (Roche)
750 7th street (Roche)
Lipstick Building (John Burgee, Philip Johnson)
Hearst Tower (Foster)
8 Spruce Street (Gehry)
Chicago Tribune Tower (Hilberseimer)