Course detail

Studio – Town and Place

FA-AT3-AEAcad. year: 2023/2024

Working in a design studio is the main method of teaching architecture which comprehensively works with other methods of teaching process. It is based on the method „learning by doing“, i.e. gaining  knowledge and skills when applying them in practice. It is a dialogue of pedagogues and students about the urban design projects. The integral part of teaching are architecture critiques.
In Town and Place studio students develop an urban design for a part of a town, a complex of buildings. A typical assignment is to design an urbanistic conception of development for the area of 10 to 20 ha in a main drawing at the scale 1:1000 (alternatively 1:2000) including the arrangement of residential (or mixed-use) buildings, public amenities and the relevant designated spaces and grounds, as well as a conception of public spaces. A different focus of the studio assignment (e.g. conception of village development) must be consulted with the course guarantor or course coordinator due to the interconnections with the following courses.
The work on the studio assignment is supported by the courses USM-KE Designing Towns and URK-TE Urban Design Composition.
The resulting urban design is further developed in the following seminar on regulatory planning in the course USO-KE Cities and Settlements.

Language of instruction

English

Number of ECTS credits

12

Mode of study

Not applicable.

Guarantor

doc. Ing. arch. Maxmilian Wittmann, Ph.D.

Department

Department of Urban Design (UU)

Entry knowledge

Not applicable.

Rules for evaluation and completion of the course

The project is assigned and evaluated by the project supervisor. The project is specified by the supervisor in the “list of studio topics” and optionally in “project assignment”. This information is published in the Intranet FA before the students register.
It is compulsory to submit the project in the form of architectural study and to include (if the supervisor does not require otherwise):
  • analysis of existing state, plotting of existing buildings if applicable
  • mapping of public space
  • broader relations/connections of the design and the conditions for its realization
  • definition of the design principles - clear architectural, spatial, economic and social concept of the design
  • operation schemas
  • concept schemas
  • design script
  • location plan
  • floor plans, sections, and elevations
  • visualisation of interiors comparable to existing state
  • physical model at a suitable (including its photographs).
The project is submitted in printed and electronic form in accordance with the FA internal standard “Study rules”.
The required annexes can be further specified by the project supervisor in the “project assignment”.
The following components of the design are evaluated:
  • place, interpretation, analysis, synthesis, idea
  • processes, operation
  • massing, form, arrangement
  • presentation, adjustation, defence
  • student´s approach to the project elaboration.
The weight of individual components is defined by the supervisor.
The grading scale is given in Article 14 of the Study and Examination Rules of BUT. The recommended grading scale is the following:
  • A: excellent project showing personal contribution, all aspects and components of the project are excellent
  • B: very good project, or excellent project with partial deficiencies
  • C: good project, skillfully designed and technically correct
  • D: skillfully designed and technically correct project with partial deficiencies
  • E: sufficiently developed project, with all assigned tasks completed, and complies with the legal requirements (standards)
The works which do not meet the minimal requirements (specified as E) are graded failed (grade F).
Students must attend one consultation a week at the times specified by their supervisor, two interim design critiques, and the final public presentation. Students must submit a design project that meets the requirements specified in the Course Assignment, and meet the conditions specified in the internal guideline (Study Rules).
The particular time schedule of the above mentioned compulsory lessons, or further compulsory participation, might be further specified by the project supervisor in the Course Assignment. The Course Assignment must be published in the Intranet FA simultaneously with the announcement of the topic descriptions (before the registration of students).
In the case of a student's apology and with approval of the supervisor, personal participation may be substituted with online participation in the studio.

Aims

The course aims to teach students how to develop an architectural and urban design for a complex of buildings or a part of town.
  • Students will acquire the ability to create an architectural and urban design for a complex of buildings, part of settlement or public space.
  • Students will be able to analyse the urban, social and economic relations and apply them in the design.
  • Students will be able to apply the basic standard requirements for urban designs.
  • Students will acquire the ability to produce documentation for the architectural and urban study.
  • Students will be able to understand the context of the place and to reflect it in their design.

Study aids

Not applicable.

Prerequisites and corequisites

Basic literature

NORBERG-SCHULZ, Christian. Genius loci - Towards a Phenomenology of Architecture, 1979. ISBN: 978-0847802876. (EN)
GEHL, J. Cities for People. Island Press, 2010. ISBN: 9781597265737. (EN)
LYNCH, K. The Image of The City. MIT Press, 1960. ISBN: 9780262620017. (EN)
SITTE, Camillo. The Art of Building Cities: City Building According to Its Artistic Fundamentals. Martino Fine Books, 2013. ISBN: 9781614275244. (EN)
WHYTE, William Hollingsworth. The social life of small urban spaces. Santa Monica, Calif.: [2007]: Direct Cinema [distributor], 2007, 1 DVD-video (59 min., 17 s.) : zvuk., barev. ; 12 cm. ISBN 1-55974-687-4. (EN)
OSWALT, Philipp. Shrinking cities. New York: Distributed by D.A.P./Distributed Art Publishers, 2006. ISBN ISBN978-3-7757-1682-6. (EN)
BRUEGMAN, Robert. Sprawl: A Compact History, 2008. ISBN 978-0226076911. (EN)

Recommended reading

NEUFERT, Ernst. Architects' Data. John Wiley & Sons, 2019. ISBN: 9781119284352. (EN)

Classification of course in study plans

  • Programme BX_A+U Bachelor's

    branch ARCH , 1. year of study, summer semester, elective

  • Programme BE_A+U Bachelor's, 2. year of study, summer semester, compulsory

Type of course unit

 

Studio work

104 hours, optionally

Teacher / Lecturer

M.Sc. Servie Boetzkes
Ing. arch. Kateřina Dokoupilová Pazderková, Ph.D.
doc. Ing. Michal Palaščak
M.Sc. Gabriel Raúl Pena
mgr inź. arch Szymon Rozwalka
Ing. arch. Kristýna Smržová
Ing. arch. Radek Suchánek, Ph.D.
doc. Ing. arch. Maxmilian Wittmann, Ph.D.

Syllabus

Semester block schedule:
  1. Analyses and their conclusions/results (week 1–4):
    • current state – number of inhabitants, catchment areas, state of public property
    • natural setting of the settlement
    • broader context and the relations to the surrounding settlements
    • historic spatial development of the municipality (graphically)
    • analysis of the causes and consequences of the previous development or degradation (formation of brownfields, satelites, sport centres, parking lots, reasons for transport etc.)
    • analysis of spatial context – terrain and nature conditions, cadastre and the relief of the municipality
    • analysis of local inhabitants, their preferences, origin, engagement in the municipality life
    • evaluation of the state of municipality property
    • analysis of transportation infrastructure of the municipality
    • SWOT analysis and summary of development potential based on the previous analyses.
  2. Design (week 5–8):
    • script of municipality development – response to the SWOT analysis
    • spatial framework of development – development, transformation, development and protected/conservation areas in the municipality cadastre
    • future role of the municipality in the wider context
    • plan for the social cohesion of the municipality, building the relationship to the place
    • development plan for the public infrastructure
    • development plan for the municipality property
    • development plan for the public spaces
    • development plan for the private construction
    • development plan for the sport and recreation areas
    • development plan or conservation of the agricultural and natural landscape
    • plan for the municipality transportation solution (service and transit, public, individual, cyclists, pedestrians, persons with limited capability of movement and orientation, recreation)
    • massing design for the developmental areas in variants – exploring the consequences of potential regulation and local planning documents
    • specifying the most favourable regulations and incentives, formulation of the strategic plan of the municipality development and specifying the course to the realization
    • comprehensive vision of municipality development for the 50 years based on the analytical and design part.
  3. Design (week 9–13):
    • analysis of existing state, plotting of existing buildings if applicable, mapping of public space
    • broader relations of the design and the conditions for its realization
    • defining the design principles – clear architectural, spatial, economic and social concept of the design
    • operation schemas
    • concept schemas
    • design script
    • location plan
    • floor plans, sections, and elevations
    • visualisation of interiors comparable to existing state
    • physical model at a suitable.