Studio BA3 (Taillieu)

AR-201(m) / 10 credits

Teacher: Taillieu Jo François

Language: English

Remark: Inscription faite par la section

Summary

A house is the simple topic of this studio. A matter of simple complexity. Learning about a house is learning about architecture. The first part of the year is about learning about a house. The second part is about making your house.

Content

LEARNING ABOUT A HOUSE

MAKING YOUR OWN HOUSE

Studio jo taillieu - LIF composes with the idea of the reference, your personal frame of reference, but also its place within architectural practice. The studio teaches a methodology of composition and construction detail. Constructing architecture starts from the small scale, the detail, towards the bigger scale, the whole. It allows one to understand how a detail can give qualities to a space as much as a whole constructive system for a whole building. Observation and contemplation are key, rather than analyzing. Imagination, rather than concept. These attitudes are part of the studio methodology. This studio believes strongly in the variety of media: from handmade drawing and crafted modeling to digital and analog drawings. Mediums are not only a result but rather an ongoing method to think, compose, and conceive your architectural intervention. Your hand is a tool, an instrument on the table to conceive your vision.

 


studio jo taillieu - LIF 2025-2026 Program of the year

 

MOVEMENT I, first semester, Exercise in duos

 


Collapsing House

 


The first part of the year is about learning about a house. You will choose a house among a list of references to work on. But then, disaster strikes. A portion of the house collapses. What will you do? You are the master of collapsing. Working in pairs, you will reconstruct your own fragment, rebuilding within and among the ruins left by the catastrophe.

 


The result project will be a FRAGMENT of the collapsed reference house built by a composition of constructive elements.

 


Assignments

 


A. 1:200 Wooden block model of your reference : light wood for existing, different wood for the collapsed part (small model you make on light wood full model, then cut out and paint differently the part you choose to destroy)

B. 1:20 Fragment model of your project (project: free media and material) with only connection with existing house shown in model representation (existing only in white paper/painted white material)

 

C. 1:50 Analog drawing

 

- Type: Simple plan of the existing structure with no representation of the collapsed part of the house + your fragment project in 45° isometric axonometry

 


- Drawing technique: mediums are free to experiment

 

- Format: A1 landscape or portrait, multiple A1 if needed

 


Characteristics

 


The first semester's exercise is about construction, structure, composition of elements, and certainly about atmosphere. How details make spaces and how construction makes composition are central focuses of our teaching.

 

 

 

MOVEMENT II - 2nd semester - Exercise in duos

Second part is about making your house. Find opportunities where there is no evidence. Where you normally don't built, there you will make your own house. You will have to choose among 8 locations at first (one location per 4 people, per 2 duos). Then, you will start building your house (one house per duo) in this location taken into account all of what you learned in terms of construction, structure and composition in the previous semester to apply it to the bigger scale : A HOUSE.

 

Assignments :

A. 1:50 site model of 1m2 painted white/white paper (made by 2 duos)
B. 1:50 project model of your house (one per duo) is free medium/material/techniques of representation to put inside the 1:50 site model
C. 1:50 Analog drawing (one per duo)
-Type: Unfolded plans technique (projection de Monge, plan in the center and developing of sections from the main plans).
-Drawing technique: classic technical drawing made with fixpencil with hierarchy of lines.
-Format: A1 landscape or portrait, multiple A1 if needed

 

Characteristic

 

It is about living. About construction, structure, about making.

The question of dealing in an existing context will be tackled and how as an architect can we implement our intervention in it, here, one compact house. The goal will be to define a relationship between the site and the house, formulate it by the design choices. Analyzing the existing context and its qualities and then composes and position yourself in it. One house for two students in pairs.

 


Ongoing output

 

A sketchbook must be filled and completed as a daily, ongoing research. It will be your communication tool with us and your thinking tool for yourself for the project. A way of thinking by drawing.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, the student must be able to:

  • Integrate how detail makes space, how space makes detail or one cannot be without the other one.
  • Develop the reference and finding the personal opinion on architecture.
  • Construct by drawing and model to arrive to a logical and functional project
  • Design a simple program such as dwelling

Transversal skills

  • Demonstrate the capacity for critical thinking
  • Manage priorities.
  • Use a work methodology appropriate to the task.

Teaching methods

Cost

The amount may vary to lower as the students are free to use cheaper materials and are strongly encouraged to recycle and up-cycle material to produce easy-to-assemble, cheap working models. The LIF Studio Taillieu does not impose upon students a certain material but focuses on the thinking of the student through its pencil, notebook, and paper. Simple tools, complex thinking.

 

Overall cost estimation of the field trip for the fall semester: 250 CHF maximum

 

Field trip fall semester: Venice, 25.10.25 to 27.10.25 : 250CHF

 

Field trip spring semester: Belgium, 14.02.26 to 16.02.26 : 250CHF - 60CHF subvention = 190CHF

 

Overall cost estimation for model making, drawing, and production: approx. 150 CHF (depending on student choice of material, size of project, etc.)

 

Expected student activities

Logistic and organisation of the course

The course is structure around outputs listed in the calendar given on moodle. The rest of the days of course is ongoing work without mandatory outputs for students. A model is not needed every week. The goal is for the student to define their own media and form of communication (between drawing and model making) to explain their ideas and to have constructive discussion with the teaching team. Sketchbook and tracing paper drawings are always a good way to explain to the teaching team your ongoing work. Models can be test model to express ideas if needed for your working process.

 

Discussions / Tutorat

- Mondays : Project 9:15-12:00 / 13:15-18:00

Two teaching team are walking around for tutorat and discussions at the desk around your project to help you in progressing. A paper is produce by your assistant team with key words for following each student the best way possible within the teaching team and to communicate effectively. The goal of those discussions is guidance and answering your questions the best way possible for you to enjoy and succeed the course.

- Tuesdays : Project 9:15-12:00

Teaching team is present for answering remaining questions and understanding details.

 

Assessment methods

  • Semester I: 30% - 14 weeks
  1. Mid-term jury will take place on the 10.11.2025 - 15% or the final grade
  2. Final jury will take place on the 17.12.2025 - 15% or the final grade
  • Semester II : 50% - 14 weeks
  1. Mid-term jury will take place on the 30.03.2025 - 20% or the final grade
  2. Final jury will take place on the 27.05.2025 - 30% or the final grade
  • General progress of the student : 20%; through curiosity and research, development of an opinion for architecture, readings, general attitude, involvement, progress, etc.

 

Criterias of evaluation :

Quality of the drawing, readability, cleanliness of the models, coherent use of materials in the representation, development of a detail with understanding of the structural and constructive system, understanding and consistency of the structural system used in the project, quality of the rendering in cohesion with demand of the exercice, development of a personal imagination via the project, decision-making capacity and independence, coherent application of the exercise data, oral presentation.

Supervision

Office hours Yes
Assistants Yes
Others Teaching Assistants : Céline Carrière, Benoit Perrier, Eline Faché.

Resources

Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI)

No

Ressources en bibliothèque

Websites

Moodle Link

In the programs

  • Semester: Fall
  • Exam form: During the semester (summer session)
  • Subject examined: Studio BA3, BA4 (Taillieu)
  • Courses: 2 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Project: 4 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Type: mandatory

Reference week

Monday, 8h - 12h: Project, labs, other

Monday, 14h - 16h: Project, labs, other

Monday, 16h - 18h: Lecture CE12

Tuesday, 8h - 12h: Project, labs, other

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