BScAED_Y3

Synthetic Vernacular Architectures The Studio is conceived as a research by design laboratory where all the year 3 modules also contrib- ute to feed the different theoretical, technological and professional aspects of the students Final Thesis projects towards a climate sensitive architecture. This year the Studio was exploring innovative and evolutionary ways of learning from vernacular ar- chitecture with the aim to generate new architectural ecological typologies able to respond to extreme climatic conditions. Such main axis of investigation was also supported by the CC3 module where the individual researches of the students were informing the Thesis design brief. The students investigations were also fed by the interdisciplinary seminars series on “Decolonising Performative Architecture”. After many years of post-colonial studies in architecture and design the Studio has investigated on Af- rican sub-Saharan architectural taxonomies, from the traditional and rural configurations to the more recent informal solutions of urban areas, as possible paradigm of sustainability to analyse and evolve. An analytical understanding of such taxonomies was developed to respond to the need of affordable solutions for housing, health and community-oriented architectures both for the African context as well as for similar climatic scenarios. For this reason, the students were analysing the Cameroon context as a possible paradigm that could cover 3 different climatic and cultural scenarios. Therefore, the initial group analysis (3 different neighbourhood of 3 different cities) has informed collective the urban design strategies according to the different site-specific conditions. These strategical masterplans were the common ground where the students have negotiated and developed their individual architectural proposals. In collaboration with the TES3 module and Arup, the students have developed the environmental site analysis as well as the parametric form finding and the performative testing of their buildings. At the same time each individual project, thanks to the support of the DS3B module, has developed a per- formative prototype of a building component able to improve environmental performances towards a self-sufficient architecture. This with the aim to develop customised solutions within a circular economy approach bridging traditional techniques and digital manufacturing technologies. Image by: Anne-Flore Smits Intercultural communal living as a catalyst for refugee integration Cover Image by: Christopher Garkov, Valentin Hristov, Carlos Neto, Viktorija Silkina Africa: Density of Vegitation