Duration
128h Pr
Number of credits
| Master in architecture (120 ECTS) | 10 crédits |
Lecturer
Coordinator
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the first semester, review in January
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
This "experiential" workshop is part of the "Habitat / Habiter" Master's workshops, which address habitability in the broad and complex sense of the term. It focuses on the interfaces of inhabitation, i.e. the intermediate spaces that articulate the public, the collective and the private, with particular attention to the mediations between the spatial devices and the diversified investments that are made by the inhabitants. It addresses:
(1) Urban housing spaces, but also all the places and facilities that make up the living environment beyond the place of residence.
(2) Spaces in their physical form, but also - and above all - the complex and dynamic relationships that residents have with these spaces.
Placing the lived space at the centre, the exercise is established through the intersection of three inseparable and simultaneous devices: ethnographic fieldwork using the 'lived-in survey', architectural design and scientific literature. This hybrid approach aims to consider the mediations between spatial and social devices, and to question the architect's posture in this respect. In this way, careful observations of the way in which space is invested constitute a resource in their own right for the project. Conversely, the project serves as a means of putting to the test the reflections arising from the ethnographic investigations, and the knowledge and thoughts that emerge from them. This hybrid approach aims to raise awareness of the mediations between spatial and social devices, and to question the architect's position in this respect.
Depending on the field of observation and the projects developed, the student will have the opportunity to address, in a reflexive and personal mode, the transversal axes of the master's program sustainability (impact of human inhabitation on its daily (mi)place of life, place of nature in the city...); art (poetic and sensitive dimension of the occupation of both public and collective and private space, creativity of the inhabitants, spatial interventions in space...); digital (use of digital to observe and make project); society (occupation, privatization, segregation, appropriation... of public, collective and private spaces).
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
The objectives of the workshop and the main learning outcomes that result from it are multiple:
- You will have the opportunity to acquire, to deepen, to implement and to experiment in a practical way ethnographic tools and scientific knowledge as supports to architectural design;
- You will be able to synthesize all the data collected in the field and mobilize them to develop hypotheses for architectural interventions;
- You will improve your skills in housing design;
- You will develop a reasoning on the complexity and nuances of the interfaces between public, collective and private spaces.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
The workshop requires mastery of the skills acquired in the Bachelor's degree architecture studio courses.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
The exercise is established through the intersection of three inseparable and simultaneous devices: ethnographic fieldwork, architectural project and theoretical support.
The ethnographic field study is based on an 'inhabited survey' combining drawing, photographic report, observation and semi-directive interviews. The aim is to highlight what poses problems and what is important to the users of the space, paying attention to the traces of appropriation, use, spatial and material qualities, their shortcomings, the tensions between inside and outside, etc. Compulsory practice sessions will be held before the fieldwork (in groups of 2 students, in the field).
The architectural project involves developing one or more architectural hypotheses that reflect a process of exploration and reinterpretation of the public/collective/private interfaces. It will involve :
- Developing reflections and explorations on an objective basis: Developing data based on the survey work, the space actually experienced and the scientific literature in relation to the problem, and then mobilising and testing this data in the architectural project.
- Demonstrate creativity: Go beyond the generally functional approach of windows, corridors, staircases, entrance doors, airlocks, boundaries between interior and exterior spaces, etc. Question, rethink and explore, through the project, what the interfaces of living in the city can be, what these spaces imply and can imply in terms of living together, the quality of living in the city, levels of intimacy, pathways, etc.
- Developing an effective project: Not deploying disproportionate or unnecessary resources, but proposing the 'right' architectural response to resolve problematic situations and reveal the potential - what matters to people - highlighted by the observation work.
- Go into the details of the project with care: take into consideration the issues of safety, accessibility, maintenance, ergonomics, views, materials, etc., taking into account the observations made in the field and the uses of the space designed.
(Individual, in studio)
Theoretical and methodological contributions will be used to support the ethnographic approach and the development of the project: internal presentations, collective reading of scientific articles related to the field, participation in conferences, etc. (Collective)
The workshop is a place of exchange and work where students are required to be present throughout the day. Without carefully prepared and printed documents, no exchange/dialogue is possible.
Students are expected to be active in their learning throughout the day: listening to other students' presentations, interacting with their peers and teachers, working in workshops, etc.
The first two sessions are devoted to practising the survey tools. The presence of the students is essential for the exercise to run smoothly.
Several parts of the sessions are dedicated to the survey work in the field. Access to the field will not be possible outside the dedicated time slots.
Fieldwork requires the utmost respect for the ethical rules governing scientific research. These will be explained to the students, who will be required to comply with them.
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Face-to-face course
Additional information:
Teaching takes place face-to-face at the workshop and in the project field.
Recommended or required readings
Common reference texts are made available to students via the eCampus platform. Some of these readings will be compulsory. Where appropriate, students will be notified one week in advance.
Where necessary, more specific texts are provided to the students or groups concerned.
More generally, students are encouraged to engage in their own research and to contribute to their own reflections (library, lectures) in order to develop their own critical judgement and architectural culture.
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- In-person
oral exam
Written work / report
Out-of-session test(s)
Additional information:
Attendance and participation in all activities organised within the workshop and in the field are compulsory. A student's unjustified absence from one or more workshop sessions may be grounds for refusal to submit a final report.
Work, whether personal or collective, is monitored and commented on on a weekly basis. Students are therefore expected to present their progress at each session using the appropriate presentation device.
The work will be graded at two presentations:
- An intermediate submission (see provisional timetable) - for 25% of the overall mark, assessed by a jury made up of the teaching team, other teachers from the faculty and, possibly, external experts.
- A final presentation - for 75% of the overall mark by a jury made up of the teaching team, other teachers from the faculty and, possibly, external experts.
- The ethnographic survey will be assessed on the basis of the student's ability to mobilise the tools, the finesse of the observation work, the quality of the interpretation of the data, the cross-referencing of field data and theoretical data.
- The project will be assessed on the basis of the student's ability to question and explore the interfaces of living through the project, its effectiveness (a fair architectural response using proportionate means), the quality and finesse of the details (materiality, management of safety, accessibility, maintenance, ergonomics, etc.) and the quality of the documents submitted.
- Their articulation will be assessed in terms of the student's ability to develop and synthesise reflections, explorations and positions in the project based on the observation work and theoretical supports.
- Verbal communication and graphic documents will be assessed according to their relevance, effectiveness and quality.
It is compulsory to submit the inhabited survey files and the graphic supports for the final submission via the channels indicated by the teachers, failing which the final assessment will be penalised.
Work placement(s)
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
In the event of absence, students must :
- inform the course coordinator by email
- check with their peers to make sure they are up to date for the next workshop and consult the information provided by the teachers via the official course channels (e-mail, e-campus, etc.).
The materials needed for the course to run smoothly are posted on the course's e-campus page.
Contacts
Julie Neuwels : Julie.Neuwels@uliege.be
Pierre de Wit : pdewit@uliege.be