TRANSITION WORKSHOP 2023: ECOLOGICAL DENSITIES
THEORY MASTERCLASS

 

The Transition Workshop 1_ Theory Masterclass is the first theoretical part of a complete interdisciplinary and intensive training on the pathways for decarbonizing and resilient cities and regions, entitled Transition Workshop. The second, practical part, is entitled Transition Workshop 2_ Design Studio. The complete course aims to offer the necessary knowledge and know-how to address the complex problems of the ecological transition for buildings, cities and regions. The target is to boost a new form of engagement reinforced by up-to-date interdisciplinary expertise on all scales of the design process. It aims to deepen the knowledge on the built environment and its sustainable development, develop and transmit design tools and methods for decarbonizing and resilient cities, and train a new generation of experts, scholars, and professionals to face the climate emergency.

 

EDAR PhD Students can either attend the first theoretical part (EDAR course "Transition Workshop 2023: Theory Masterclass"), or to attend the full programme (see the EDAR Course "Transition Workshop 2023").

 

THEORY MASTERCLASS

 

The aim of the Theory Masterclass is to propose a concise and rigorous overview to the issues and dimensions of the ecological transition in the spatial organization and transformation of the built environment, with a cross-disciplinary overview of data and tools for the analysis of the climate emergencies and the ways we need to invent to face them.
The Theory Masterclass is based on 28 lectures delivered by renowned experts in a variety of fields that are indispensable for the understanding of the ecological transition: climate change, biodiversity, resources, energy, water management, food systems, psychology, sociology, economics, demographics, architecture, urbanism, regional planning, landscape. The courses offer a concise introduction to the challenges, the latest theoretical advancements and the most recent data on the environmental crisis.

 

The aim of the Theory Masterclass is to propose a concise and rigorous overview to the issues and dimensions of the ecological transition in the spatial organization and transformation of the built environment, with a cross-disciplinary overview of data and tools for the analysis of the climate emergencies and the ways we need to invent to face them.

The Theory Masterclass is based on 28 lectures delivered by renowned experts in a variety of fields that are indispensable for the understanding of the ecological transition: climate change, biodiversity, resources, energy, water management, food systems, psychology, sociology, economics, demographics, architecture, urbanism, regional planning, landscape. The courses offer a concise introduction to the challenges, the latest theoretical advancements and the most recent data on the environmental crisis.

Organization

 

The lectures are organized in the following four 2.5 day modules, and presented by an array of international experts:

 

1. The Challenge of the Ecological Transition / Climate change, water resources, food systems, and the ecological footprint.
March 2nd- March 4th.

 

2. Parameters and Dimensions / Energy, resources, biodiversity, economy and history.
March 30th - April 1st.

 

3. The Human Factor / Psychology, innovation, mobility, entrepreneurship, and activism.
May 4th - May 6th

 

4. The Building Factor / Buildings, cities, landscapes and regions.

Parallel to the courses, participants are handed with a Comprehensive Reader composed of scientific articles of the lecturers.

 

Evaluation
Following the course, PhD students will be asked to provide a final paper based on the scientific matter presented live and in the Comprehensive Reader. The paper is invited address the student's particular interests and scopes regarding the Transition by Design.

 

The workshop is being held on site (or online, for exceptional reasons only) in the exceptional historical headquarters of the Foundation, in Central Geneva.

Invited lecturers: Duncan Baker-Brown, Dominique Bourg, Tobias Brosch, Carmen de Jong, Peter Droege, François Gemenne, Gregory Giuliani, Susanna Hecht, Andrea Gritti, Alexandre Hedjazi, Pierre Hollmuller, Sonia Lavandinho, Anthony Lehmann, Winy Maas, Yupar Myint, Robert Sadleir, Marlyne Sahakian, Martin Schlaepfer, Werner Sobek, Paola Viganò, Marjolein Visser, Mathis Wackernagel