AA Intermediate Unit 13 (2009-2010) Miraj Ahmed / Martin Jameson HETEROTOPIA Contemplating programme and the city Inter unit 13 is interested in architecture as layers of meaning from the cultural and the sociopolitical to the physical and phenomenological aspects of place. Programme - spaces that respond to human need and expression – culture and place are intricately related to architectural space and the city as a whole. Dense urban fabric will be our area of investigation and intervention. Diversity and heterogeneity go hand in hand with the growth of cities, through processes of both contingency and planning. Contemporary architecture’s response to diversity in London is with the homogenous and bland. The ubiquity of corporate culture, the shopping mall, safe gentrification and universal master planning has become the norm. Difference in form and shape does not alleviate homogeneity without an understanding of programme and context - local grain, fabric and patterns of occupation. Foucault's lecture, ‘Other Spaces’ – Heterotopia, points to the idea that societies and cultures have systems of order that identify certain spaces that are removed from the ordinary. There is an underlying political subtext that suggests that spaces of society are created from relationships and systems that determine certain kinds of programme and behavior. Heterotopias are in essence spaces of representation, where society can perform aspects culture be they sacred or profane. These spaces are connected to the ‘everyday’ but are ‘other’ and simultaneously reflect and transcend the ordinary. Michel Foucault saw that heterogeneity and heterotopia are conditions that already exist within culture and cities thus providing us with analytical tools to explore issues our perceptions of space.

We will explore what constitutes the ‘other’ in architectural space. The notion of otherness is easily understood with regard to human relations – the body (gender and ethnicity) as well as culture and politics where there are similarities but a simultaneous difference. It can also be related to the uncanny, where something is familiar but foreign – the basis of both Dada and Surrealism. One can also look to the pathological definition of heterotopia for clues – with its descriptions of displacement of tissue. Foucault's heterotopia have a range of characteristics such as event-spaces of transgression (like the festival or the carnival), or spaces for the perfection of social control and order (e.g. the prison and asylum, new colonies or museums and libraries) or sites of alternative ordering - established by their incongruous condition. That incongruity emerges through a relationship of difference with other sites of the city, such that their presence either provides an unsettling of spatial relations or an alternative representation of spatial relations.

We will explore parts of the city and extract and distill its atmospheres through a process of documentation that will include drawing, text, film and installation. Members of Unit 13 are expected to be literate and articulate both in terms of background theory as well as an ability to read, analyse and translate into visual material conditions and atmospheres of the city. Precision in analysis and representation will be paramount. The process of deciphering the prevailing conditions of a site / series of sites will be used to construct a strategic architectural narrative. This will lead to programmatic propositions for new heterotopias – spaces explored and tested through structure and material and represented through a range of techniques from 2d drawings, images to 3d constructions and 4d time based representations.

Road To Heterotopia - The Journey The unit invites students to first explore the mechanisms of parts of London and discover spaces that are embedded but allude to notions of ‘other’ in terms of programme and atmosphere. This research will lead to analysis programmatic typologies through precedent study – both historic and contemporary. Knowledge of both place and programme will become the basis of strategic design proposals for buildings that are embedded within the city fabric, connect with the ordinary and respond to notions of 'other' - that are heterotopic within the sites that they occupy. The buildings will provide programme and space that both mirror and transcend their locale. Term 1 ; Locating the Other Seminars on cultural theory and cities will form the back drop for the term. We start with 'site' analysis (micro sites and macro sites) and move on to an analysis of program and type, and end with a small scale intervention at the scale of a room. The exercises and discussions are designed to hone observational, critical and representational tools that lead to the generation of architectural strategies in the following term. Term 2 ; Heterotopic Space Starts with the generation of a series of large collage images of 'other-worldly' spaces. These photo-shopped images should include some form of subversion and contingency, and will inform the basis of the architectural solution. Further explorations of program, function, contextual relations will be translated into 2d and 3d architectural propositions for the selected sites. Studies of spatial, material and environmental qualities of the heterotopic space will lead to a physical model of a building fragment. This model should include a technical aspect sufficient to meet the requirements of the TS submission. Term 3 ; Heterotopia Manifest Dedicated to the preparation of large drawings and models of the proposition and ends with speculative collages of the proposition in other sites and cities. Each term is divided into three phases of work. At the end of the first two phases of each term there will be a pin up and discussion. At the end of each term there will be a jury with invited critics. History and Theory It is essential that students attend and keep abreast of the History

and Theory Lectures and submissions. There will also be unit seminars and discussions exploring particular concepts. Students joining Unit 13 should have an interest and articulacy in cultural theory.

Technical Studies Structure, environment and material construction are essential and

integral to the design process. Attendance and submissions of TS is vital. Technical research should be documented and collated as an ongoing process in order to support concepts and build a viable technical study. The technical report will be a body of research that explores a

Design Diary Students are expected to collate all design material of the year into

A3 volumes. This should be an on going process of collation in order to exhibit the volumes at the end of the year.

Unit Blog A Unit blog will be set up to create lines of communication both Internally and externally allowing a wide discussion to be generated.

TERM 1: LOCATING THE 'OTHER' Term Overview

The first term is divided into three phases. The first phase involves group work and focuses on the understanding a particular site. Four sites have been identified for research. These sites have a history of organic growth and heterogeneity but have varying degrees corporate encroachment. The onus is on identifying a particular programmatic intervention that can potentially form a heterotopic space. On the one hand this work is analytical but on the other hand we expect a phenomenological approach that includes photography and impressionistic work. The second phase of work is an architectural study of precedent. This will involve an analysis of certain programmatic spaces and buildings. Comparative studies of historic and contemporary references will provide a resource for later design proposals.

Phase 1: Locating the Other: Site Analysis Weeks 2 to 4, October 5 to 23

Objective To develop a detailed understanding of 'site' (micro and macro) in relation to a small part of London with special reference to its culture, architectural composition and spatial qualities. This work to form the basis of a choice of architectural programme in part 2.

Process

1. Choose one of the four sites in London: The City Square Mile ; Euston/Kings Cross ; Southwark ; Paddington Basin

2. You will explore in groups of 3 and meet with other group members to set a schedule and to divide data collection and analysis tasks

3. Source CAD map of your site. 4. Analyse your site covering the following issues: landuse,

organisation, programme, massing, open spaces, planned development, demographics, mobility, atmosphere.

5. Develop hypotheses as to the presence of the Other in your site. References Order of Things – Michel Foucault Poetics of Space – Gaston Bachelard

Heterotopia and the City - Public Space in Post Civil Society - Michiel Dehaene, Lieven De Cauter, Third Space - Edward Soja Architectural Uncanny - Anthony Vidler Architecture, Abbatoir, Museum ; George Bataille Dada Situationists International Richard Wentworth Laura Oldfield Ford - photo essays London - Patrick Keiller

Deliverable Set of annotated and labelled drawings at A2 scale or larger.

Drawings to document findings and hypotheses. Photographs, video, hand-drawings are all permissable. The emphasis is on findings rather than data. This stage of work should finish with selection of a programme as a potential heterotopic space. Pin-up at end of week 4.

Seminars and workshops Nina Power - Contemplating the City and Foucault's position Peter Carl - City, Site , Culture Utopian Architecture Types of analysis and representation Film screenings and gallery visits

Phase 2: Understanding Heterotopia: Programme and Precedent Weeks 5 to 7, October 26 to November 13 (week 6 – Open Week)

Objective To develop a detailed understanding of the programmatic challenges and opportunities of the building type you have selected. This work should form the basis of the architectural strategy in part 3.

Process

1. Based on the findings in part 1 select a particular architectural programme that you believe could form the basis of a heterotopic space. You should select from one of the types suggested by Foucault: ‘heterotopias of deviation’ such as psychiatric hospitals and prisons; transitory heterotopias, for example the festival space and theatre; heterotopias of accumulated time including the library and museum; and heterotopias of illusion and perfection, for example the colony.

2. Source three precedents for this programmatic type: one should be

a standard or classic type; and the other two should be contemporary re-workings of this type by a critically acclaimed architect

3. Compare and contrast the three examples you have selected

along the following dimensions: circulation, organisation, symmetry and balance, geometry, structure, natural light etc.

References Collage City - Colin Rowe, Fred Koetter

Against Architecture – Denis Hollier Species of Spaces – George Perec The Architectural Uncanny - Anthony Vidler Complexity and Contradiction In Architecture - Robert Venturi Bunker Archaeology - Paul Virilio Claude Parent Utopia – Thomas Moore, Dystopia – Blade Runner Utopias and Architecture - Nathan Coleman New Babylon - Constant Fun Palace Cedric Price Delerious new york - Rem Koolhaas SMLXL – Rem Koolhaas

Deliverable Set of annotated and labelled drawings at A2 scale or larger.

Drawings to document findings and hypotheses. Drawings should be laid out consistently and clearly. Pin up at end of week 7.

Seminars and workshops Talk on typologies and spaces / Heterotopia ; David Kohn The Other and the uncanny – Nina Power Politics of Space - Teresa Hoskyns Artist Talk – Alison Turnbull Analytical representation

Phase 3: Outlining a Strategy:Heteropia in London Weeks 8 to 11, November 16 to December 11

Objective To draw together the findings and conclusions from the site and precedent analysis to propose an architectural strategy. This strategy

must specify the qualities of the heteropic space proposed and the architectural features to be used to create that space. As a prelude to the design work of term 2, this phase of work will involve the design of small intervention at the scale of a room.

Process

1. Measure and draw room. Record and document atmospheres. Explore and propose alternative relationship of micro -site (selected room interior) and external space

2. Explore and propose types of gathering and their spatial

performance within the space. 3. Design proposal to transform room into heterotopic space. 4. Apply principles of micro site to macro site (selected city site).

5. Represent through drawings - plans sections, diagrams, collage. References Collage City - Colin Rowe, Fred Koetter

Against Architecture – Denis Hollier Species of Spaces – George Perec The Architectural Uncanny - Anthony Vidler Complexity and Contradiction In Architecture - Robert Venturi Bunker Archaeology - Paul Virilio Notions of Utopia, Dystopia Utopias and Architecture - Nathan Coleman Delerious new york - Rem Koolhaas SMLXL – Rem Koolhaas Relational Aesthetics - Nicolas Bourriaud

Deliverable Drawings that explain the architectural strategy for the creation of a

heterotopic space. Drawings (site plan, room plans, sections) of the proposed room-scale intervention. Physical models of the proposed design. Jury at end of week 11.

Seminars and workshops Nina Power - Relational Aesthetics Nicolas Bourriaud.

TERM 2: HETEROTOPIC SPACE Unit Trip The unit trip to Portugal will take place in the last week of the Christmas Vacation. We will focus our time on the architecture of Souto de Moura (eg., Iglesia de Misericordia and the Braganca Centre for Contemporary Art) and Alvaro Siza (eg., Biblioteca Municipal en Viano do Castelo); and other critically-lauded contemporary architecture (eg., Casa Musica by OMA).

Term Overview

The second term is intended to lead to an architectural proposition for a heterotopic space. The first phase will be deliberately experimental in nature. The aim will be to create atmospheric images that capture the other-worldliness of your heterotopic space. This will take the form of photoshopped images that bring together images of the site with chopped, grafted and inserted images of the relevant program. This speculative and experimental work will inform the development of the proposition which will be worked up in the second phase. This phase will involve drawing and sketch modeling to determine the architectural elements of the heterotopic space. The final phase will lead to the preparation of physical models of a fragment of the proposal. Here the emphasis is on the internal spatial qualities of the proposition. The model must demonstrate the material, structural and environmental potentials of the proposition and its relationships with programme and context.

Phase 1: Theheterotopic image

Weeks 1 to 2, January 11 to 22 Object To develop a series of advanced photo-shopped images that capture

the essence of the proposed heterotopic space. These images should show both internal spaces and other key architectural elements, e.g, entrances and other openings.

Process

1. Select images of the site (take additional photographs as required); and images of occupational function (program).

2. Work with this images through collage ; grafting, cutting, pasting, splicing, para-site, subverting etc etc..

References Ledoux, Boullee, De Chirico, Massimo Scolari, Superstudio,

Archizoom, OMA Paul Hollingworth, Beate Gutschow, Filipe Du Jardin Deliverable Set of images (at least three) that explores the transformation of

aspects of chosen city site - and proposes an 'other' life through the representation of architectural form that both mirrors its surroundings but also challenges and suggests an alternative.

Pin up at end of week 2 Seminars and workshops Paul Hollingsworth - Advanced Photoshop techniques Representation through drawing and Painting Kelly Chorpening - working with drawing and space

Phase 2: Developing the design in 2D Weeks 3 to 7, Jan 25 to Feb 26

Objective Build on and develop the strategy and proposal for the Hetorotopic building with the selected site. This will require gathering together and absorbing / digesting , critiquing all previous work and information in order to identify and consolidate brief.

Process 1. Construct critical manifesto / statement of intent based on all

previous analysis. State aims, criteria that sets out an agenda dealing with socio - political conditions of the site.

2. Formulate and construct a detailed brief outlining site, heterotopic

program, brief / room schedules and area requirements through drawing image and text.

3. Drawing and test models to explore strategic spatial, structural

and environmental organisation. 4. Material investigations (structural and constructional types - that

reinforce the representational and narrative aspects of the proposal).

References Formless ; A Users Manual - Rosalind Krauss and Yves Allain Bois References to building types , Structural and Environmental literature. Deliverable Set of annotated and labelled drawings and images at A2 scale or

larger. Drawings to document findings and hypotheses. Pin up end of week 7 - TS jury option 1 Seminars and workshops Visit to brickworks. London building visits (eg Laban). Structural and materials seminars

Phase 3: Making a physical model Weeks 8 to 10, March 1 to 19

Objective The final phase of the second term is intended aimed at making a physical model of a fragment of the proposition. This fragment must examine and test a particular technical aspect of the design which may be material, performative or structural. The model must emphasise interior qualities of the space and communicate the other-worldliness of the proposed space.

Process

1. Decide the technical aspect of the design the fragment model will test and demonstrate

2. Determine the scale of the physical model and the level of detail required

3. Agree a modeling approach and material approach, eg., laser cut card, hand cut paper, cnc-ed wood etc

4. Complete 3D modelling in Rhino, as required 5. Complete physical model with sufficient time to prepare full set of

associated drawings and photographs.

References Formless ; A Users Manual - Rosalind Krauss and Yves Allain Bois References to building types , Structural and Environmental literature. Deliverable Physical model with sufficient technical detail and interest to support a

TS submission in the third term. Week 9 TS option 1 hand-in. Jury end of week 10.

Seminars and workshops Structures Seminars Environment and services seminar.

TERM 3: HETEROTOPIA MANIFEST Term Overview

The third term is for completion of the final propostion. Third years require time to prepare their TS submissions. They will be required to make use of their precedent analysis, early propositions and in particular their fragment models. In phase 1, all students will prepare detailed site drawings that show the proposition in its context with emphasis on the juxtaposition with existing program. These drawings will inform phase 2, the preparation of a final physical model. This model will endeavour to represent the proposition in its context and so will involve a certain amount of site modeling. The final phase of work will speculate on the broader application of the ideas developed in the project and put forward ideas and applications of the concepts within the city - of London in particular, but possibly other locations.

Phase 1: Site Plans and Sections Weeks 1 to 2, April 19 to 30

Object To develop a set of detailed drawings that show the proposition in its street context. The drawings should draw upon the site mapping work of the first term and should detail the relationship between the existing fabric and the new insertion. A variety of drawing approaches can be used.

Process

1. Determine the correct scale, size the type of views you need (plan, section, axo) of your drawing. Where possible A1 drawings are preferable.

2. Decide on the type of drawing (CAD, use of overlays, colour etc) 3. Ensure drawing includes appropriate detail to show intended use

etc References Paintings and drawings exploring architectural space. Deliverable Annotated and labelled drawings at A1 scale or larger. Mon week 1 HTS / TS hand in. Week 2 – Inter Previews 3rd yr Part 1 Seminars and workshops Drawing and painting workshop - Theo Lorenz

Phase 2: Heterotopic Model Weeks 3 to 7, May 3 - June 4

Object Based on the phase 1 site drawings work the final proposal model should show the proposition in its city setting. This model therefore has to convey two things: first, in what the proposition creates a heterotopic space; and second how the proposition is inserted or grafted into its context

Process

1. Determine the scale of the physical model and the level of detail required; determine section cuts, removable elements etc required to show internal space

3. Agree a modeling approach and material approach, eg., laser cut card, hand cut paper, cnc-ed wood etc

4. Complete 3D modelling in Rhino, as required 5. Complete physical model with sufficient time to prepare full set of

associated drawings and photographs. References James Casebere, Thomas Demand, Tom Sachs Deliverable Large physical model showing context and internal space. Week 4 – TS Interim Jury. Week 5 Final Jury. Week 6 - TS final

submission. Week 7 – TS referrals. Seminars and workshops Visit from professional modelmaker

Phase 3: Heterotopia in the City Weeks 8 to 10, June 7 - 22

Objective Preparation of images that show the application of the heterotopic concept in other city contexts. This work is speculative and provides an opportunity for fun.

Process

1. Select one or more alternative city contexts. This may be in London or in some other easily recognisable city location

3. Decide on collage approach. It may be appropriate to photograph parts of the final model and to collage into different context; otherwise a simple model rendering may be more suitable

References Anything and everything! Deliverable Large A2 or larger collage of the proposal. This can be done in the

form of drawing, painting, photo-montage. Particular attention will be given to drawing / image as artifact.

Week 8 – 2nd yr review tables, high pass juries.. Week 9 – Final Inter Checks. Week 10 – RIBA Part 1

Seminars and workshops Alternative forms of representation. Film, drawing, performance art,

model, mixed media.