The Design Studio 2 - module 2 combines intense design work and lectures. It supports the development of the students' skills regarding critical analysis and theoretical synthesis. Moreover, it guides the definition of consistent architectural-knowledge fundamentals and the development of project scenarios towards clear, coherent, conscious, and autonomous results.
Students have to develop: critical reading on the material/cultural context within which their interventions take place, in both local and general terms; in-depth analysis of the thematic declination of the assigned topic (similar cases/projects' analysis, even reasoning in terms of typologies); constant review of the project's choices and characteristics, within the groups and collectively (an autonomous improvement process should help mature discussions with teachers and experts); technical drawings, along with other representations and models, useful for understanding the design solutions.
Critically analyzing thoughts, choices, and project proposals – from own and others – is a complex and nonlinear process. It represents a fundamental skill while elaborating on new project scenarios. In this sense, the Design Studio 2 aims also to train the ability to communicate the essential reasons underlying the project synthetically, and also the rhetorical-dialectical ability to respond to criticisms.
Design Studio 2 - module 2 establishes design work and lectures.
Laboratory-type activities will prevail. Theoretical, historical, and methodological contents will be conveyed primarily through reviews and discussions at the drawing board. Classroom work is combined with individual and group reviews to continuously monitor and assess progresses.
At the same time, lectures or seminars will be held, related and relevant to the course's topic and objectives, mainly to clarify the theoretical aspects of the discipline and provide case studies for critical analysis.
Usually, the design exercise is faced in groups of two or three students, due to the complexity of the task; however, it is allowed to work alone. Some preliminary activities or assessments can be carried out individually. Group work and discussions are essential for developing critical and judgment skills. So, they are encouraged.
The Design Studio 2 - module 2 deals with the "architectural project" as an integrating device of cultures and technical knowledge. It realizes this approach and verifies its effectiveness by developing a design exercise, according to a program that – as its multifunctionality – is not hinged around a single thematic/typological term.
The Design Studio 2 focuses initially on situating the design exercise in its specific and general reality. Then, moving from social implications, it employs the shared tools of composition to develop – through the languages of the written/spoken words and the representation of forms – formal, functional, and constructive syntheses of the humanistic and technical-scientific disciplines that contribute to architecture.
The exercise is set to design a small building/pavilion that serves as the gateway to the Villa Croce public park (placed in Carignano, Genoa). This new building/pavilion's use/functional-program will be chosen by students from a series of possible uses, which includes: operational support for the park's maintenance (both the gardens and playground areas); facility management activities related to public spaces; support for the present Villa Croce Museum of Contemporary Art; conservation and access regarding the library collection held at Villa Croce; research activities related to the Villa Croce Museum of Contemporary Art; study and artist-in-residence activities related to the Villa Croce Museum of Contemporary Art; public/shared study spaces; work spaces (professionals, managers, and so on), based on the coworking model.
The exercise's place is the area of the existing building near the park's gate on Via Jacopo Ruffini, originally used as the gatehouse for the Croce's 19th-century villa. The exercise site is 375 square meters approximately; the current building has a total floors' area of 340 square meters, and a volume no greater than 1,200 cubic meters.
The assigned design exercise cannot exceed the current quantities. Compared to the status quo, for our purposes the current building is assumed to no longer exist, with one notable exception: the façade on Via Ruffini will be retained – just in the term of the wall frame with merely openings (without windows, doors, and other finishings). The students, however, are free to choose the wall finish, with the option of preserving the current decorative elements or considering a new solution, including the possibility of revealing the masonry texture.
Considering the main steps, the program is planned as follows. First of all, an in-depth presentation of the methodology, topic, and syllabus. Then: student group organization; collective site inspection (exploring the exercise's place in the public park of Villa Croce); classroom design work with reviews (individual, groups, and collective) and theoretical/historical/methodological insights; theoretical and methodological lectures; intermediate and final assessments, with external guests.
As per calendar.
Attendance is mandatory to take the exam.
The final exam involves the delivery and public presentation of the project scenario developed by the student or the group of students. Main required panels: maps, technical drawings (plans, sections, elevations) at the proper scale; axonometric cross-sections/exploded views; diagrams; views.
External guests will attend the public presentation. The examination commission comprises professors from the Department of Architecture and Design of the University of Genoa.
The design scenario's evaluation considers the project's characters and the panels' quality, to be judged in terms of clarity and coherence – showing the maturity reached regarding analysis and synthesis skills. Likewise, the student's behavior during the course is considered, including the commitment and the correctness demonstrated in the intermediate stages.
The oral discussion, both intermediate and final, also contributes to the evaluation.
