The studio approach is based on typology as the science of specific orders, classifications, uses and forms of building types. It understands typology not as a given, but as a process. While for a long time the thesis of the slow evolution of types was considered important, today building substance and ideas of use collide. The process of type formation is therefore less comparable to an evolutionary optimisation process than to a reinterpretation of the existing.

Technical developments have increasingly influenced architecture, especially since the industrial revolution. Currently, we are facing a transformation through rapid changes in physical and virtual mobility. They drastically determine the appearance and functioning of buildings and cities. Both trends allow building types to become obsolete or challenge us to look for new architectural solutions.

It is clear that today neither the flâneur of Baudelaire nor the motorists of the urban planning models of Le Corbusier, Tony Garnier, Ernst May or Ludwig Hilbersheimer determine the cityscape. The 20-minute city, in which all daily needs from work to shopping to leisure are quickly and easily accessible through mobility, also seems utopian.

How does mobility in the post-oil age influence architecture? How do we continue to use building typologies such as petrol stations? How do we rethink building typologies such as car parks, motorway service stations, bus stops and train stations?

Takle the Type will not only speculate on types, but also pay special attention to the reuse and reinterpretation of existing structures, as these contribute in particular to the sustainable goals of any city. The studio will explore different actors such as the digital nomad as inhabitants of the new city and whether buildings can be built more "mobile", enriching or connecting with other uses. We are convinced that the issue of mobility and the definition and nature of the connection between people and places can lead to new adaptable and relevant architectural solutions.

Learning outcomes

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

collecting data on a territory

analyse its context and the given existing data

research and apply different adequate typologies.

develop independently a consistent architectural project.

explain a design concept and its theoretical framework.

generate and integrate new functions;

compare, research and apply different adequate typologies.

create spatial and tactile atmospheres.

explain a design concept and its theoretical framework.

present a project in an adequate and clear manner using various means of presentation

summaries an article or an technical report