Introduction

Course Description and Role within the Sequence

Graduate Studio Eight addresses the inherent complexities of the urban condition, and its bearing on the act of making architecture. Graduate Design Eight requires synthesizing aspects of architectural practice: human behavior, social programs, ecology, resource use, construction methods, project management, appropriate preservation, with theoretical and philosophical areas of inquiry.

In particular, this studio intends to explore the role of architecture in redevelopment of cities, in particular downtown Orlando. As an urban focused studio we have the opportunity to extend our understanding of the affect of design as a generator of activity that is essential to a thriving urban system; urban regeneration. Students must take a position on the relevance of the practice of urban design and architecture in cities present in built form, competitions, theoretical proposals and literature. There are many competing forces that impact the form of a building: social, political, religious, intellectual, technological economic (SPRITE factors). Many of these are present in the ever shifting laws, planning and building codes, financial structures, government programs and historical legacies of a place. These become an ad hoc ideology without a conscience origin that exert a top-down force on design. These forces have become much more significant for the shaping of urban relationships than are spatial forms of urbanism. It is therefore important for students to understand these forces. However, even with periodic updating the timeliness and relevancy of these forces to the city's inhabitants is questionable. Additionally, architecture's relationship to planning has traditionally been reactive or subservient because it comes behind. Therefore, the forum of studio will be dedicated to architecture bound with urbanism that proposes a parallel relationship to planning and is open to other relevance by being tied to other dynamic but synchronous conceptual frameworks that exist at separate scales in the urban condition: social justice, health, poverty, citizenship, and sustainability. These conditions are not currently a subset of the former but exist separately from the “bottom-up”, described by Wouter Vanstiphout of Crimson Architectural Historians as the “facts on the ground”. The dynamics of a city are attributable to the inhabitants, often regardless of the form. Therefore, identifying the inhabitant as a “client” will result in different formality in city architecture. Taken as community led design (communal design), public interest design (collaborative), or community centered design they gain from and focus energy on the retainage and success of existing urban populations. Within the confines of the official forces but grounded in the “facts”a design must be crafted to exert a force of its own to make an upward impact on the city and institutions. These proposals will be considered in the context of current culture and practice of architecture.

The context for this investigation is the Parramore District, a varied fabric of historically African American neighborhoods that have suffered decline and blight. More than a decade ago the city of Orlando put in place a redevelopment plan. Currently this plan is undergoing a major revision.

Objectives + Goals

• To involve students in situations of socially engaged, ethical (reflective) and evolving practice, where conflicting value-systems, cultural priorities, specialized fields of expertise, and economy must be integrated through synthetic design processes;

• To work in multidisciplinary teams;

• To engage students in culturally responsive projects that expand the discourse of architecture through analysis and speculation leading to architectural proposals;

• To challenge current practices through current research, precedents, and direct field studies of related contexts;

• To evaluate philosophically and precedent driven architectural proposals through both scholarly and stakeholder criticism; and

• To challenge students to take leadership positions with regard their professional responsibilities as architects.

• Understand the energy implications of decisions made during the design process, and develop proposals that reduce energy use through passive and bioclimatic design strategies.

Topical Outline

• Developing architectural design proposals responsive to context parameters

• Context research including culture, climate, ecology and economics - archival and field research

• Precedent research related to program and contextual analysis

• Meeting with stakeholder groups from the community

• Presenting projects to community constituents and stakeholders