Between 30 October – 9 November 2015, the AA Greece Visiting School, Thessaloniki: Revelations, will investigate the urban fabric of one of the most historic places in the Balkans, through a series of multi-parameter morphological operations. Aside from its geopolitical position and commercial significance, Thessaloniki has been for many centuries the military and administrative hub of the region, and beyond this the transportation link between Europe and the Levant. A series of design studies will be put forward to rethink the way by which city environment in Thessaloniki have been affecting its’ population according to changing needs and to visualize such urban shifts on a more hyper specific contextualized construction model. Throughout the investigations on the research agenda, current trends on the habits of architectural practice will be re-visited.
Innovative urban interventions informed by bottom-up rules extracted from existing city conditions will formulate the major focus of design proposals. Design teams will be working with simulation tools and digital fabrication methods throughout the design research phase. The design brief will be initially explored through the combinatorial use of different computational design tools. Methods of connecting form‐finding methods with form‐making techniques will be investigated. Various manufacturing techniques enabling a hands‐on experience on the diverse range of digital fabrication systems will formulate the starting point for the physical tests. Finally, the design and fabrication of a one-to-one scale pavilion will unify the goals of the programme.
Prominent features of the programme / skills developed:
– Participants will be part of an active learning environment where the large tutor to student ratio (5:1) allows for personalized tutorials and debates.
– The toolset of AA Thessaloniki includes Autodesk Maya, Rhinoceros, Grasshopper and Arduino.
– Participants will have access to digital fabrication tools such as 3-axis CNC router, laser-cutter, and 3d-printer.
– Design seminars and lecture series will support the key objectives of the programme, disseminating knowledge on new design anatomies including machinic control, computational space, and complexity in architectural systems, and innovative urban design approaches.
The AA Greece Visiting School, generously supported by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, is proud to announce a number of scholarships for the academic programme in Thessaloniki (deadline 7th October 2015). Please contact the AA Visiting School for more details.
