Ecole Speciale d'Architecture
254, Boulevard Raspail, 75014 Paris
tel 33(0)1 40 47 40 47

Fall semester 2008 : The LONDON PROGRAMME

Paris and London are nowadays so close and similar in certain fundamental ways (size and national role) but quite different in attitude and habit. The River Seine has a very different dimension to the Thames and the role played by ‘locality’ is more ambiguous and complex in London. The architectural community in London is more international and the student there tends to respond to a wider set of parameters and design more thoroughly - and this is what we want you to do in our Studio. We hope also that the drawings of Lim and Woods can act as an inspiration.
The medieval London Bridge carried houses on it and in 1996 the Royal Academy held the exhibition ‘Living Bridges’ in which many projects from known architects, including Zaha Hadid and Future Systems, were shown. The subject offers scope for the exploration of dynamics, structures, form and a way of re-thinking the city.

Tuesday 2 September 2008

Fall Semester 2008 CALENDAR

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 1 : INTRODUCTORY PRESENTATION
TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 2 : PETER COOK MORNING SEMINAR ON LONDON

FIRST PROJECT : ALL CANDIDATES FOR THIS STUDIO MUST IMMEDIATELY DESIGN A HOUSE THAT CAN FLOAT ON WATER
IT MUST BE SHOWN IN PLAN AND IN 3-DIMENSIONS
THE PROJECT MUST BE FILED ONLINE BY THE END OF FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 5
STUDENTS WILL BE NOTIFIED OF THEIR ACCEPTANCE TO THE STUDIO OR OTHERWISE BY MONDAY SEPTEMBER 7

FIRST PROJECT DEVELOPED AND FILED ONLINE SEPTEMBER 12: ELABORATION BASED ON ONLINE AND DESKTOP CRITICISM WILL BE GIVEN A JURY AT THE ESA ON THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 18

MAIN PROJECT IS FOR AN INHABITED BRIDGE ACROSS THE RIVER THAMES IN LONDON. THERE WILL BE A CHOICE OF 4 SITES AND STUDENTS WILL BE EXPECTED TO CAREFULLY STUDY AND OBSERVE THE LOCAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE CHOSEN SITE.

FIRST ANALYSIS OF THE PHYSIOGNOMY OF AN INHABITED BRIDGE MUST BE FILED ONLINE ON SEPTEMBER 26.
THE STUDIO WILL VISIT LONDON FROM OCTOBER 2 TO OCTOBER 6 WITH A TUTORIAL SEMINAR, VISIT TO SITES, LECTURE BY C.J LIM ON OCTOBER 2 AND LECTURE BY LEBBEUS WOODS ON OCTOBER 6 AS CORE.

FRIDAYS WILL BE REGULAR ONLINE FILE DAYS : THE MINIMUM ACCEPTABLE FILE WILL BE TWO DRAWINGS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN PRODUCED FOR AN EARLIER SUBMISSION.

WEEKLY PERSONAL TUTORIALS WITH PETER OR CAROLINE (OR BOTH) AT THE ESA WILL BE ON VARYING DAYS AND STUDENTS UNDERTAKING THIS STUDIO MUST BE AVAILABLE ON ANY WEEKDAY.

DURING OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER THERE WILL BE A MAJOR JURY IN PARIS
IN DECEMBERR THE FINAL JURY WILL BE IN LONDON.