Studio course (24 credits)

The built environment constitutes an extensive amount of embedded knowledge. With regards to historical buildings this knowledge is often not documented in such a way that it can simply be obtained from literature study. Whenever written documentation is available it focuses generally on a historical analysis of era and style, and rarely on questions of construction, let alone performance. AHO has therefore embarked on a three-year research project to analyse 30 pre-industrial case studies with focus on questions of building performance.

Specific emphasis will be placed on structural and environmental performance on the one hand, and the knowledge, skills, resources and tools that delimited or facilitated building solutions on the other hand. Participants in the course will be able to participate in this research and learn what motivates such research with regards to design and sustainability of the built environment, as well as a number of critical approaches and skills towards the analysis of building performance. The course will highlight how integral passive strategies can lead to a different take on questions of design and sustainability.

The learning outcomes of the course comprise of:

• the ability to formulate and plan an analysis of building performance with particular attention to pre-industrial buildings;
• acquiring relevant skills to pursue documentation and analysis of specific aspects of building performance;
• the ability and skills to participate in a collective research undertaking of significant status;

The course will commence with a series of seminars introducing the themes, concepts, methods and skills that are central to the topic.

Part of the course will take place on the specific sites of the buildings to be analysed. It will be ensured that transport is not a problem.

The selected building(s) for analysis will be measured, digitally and physically modelled and subjected to various forms of analysis. In the final stage of the course a report will be prepared by the students, either individually or in teams of 2 students.

In most parts the course will be taught in a hands-on manner, accompanied by seminars and software workshops.

A guided visit to the Oslo Open Air museum and a related seminar will be essential part of the course.

Deliveries are the final building analysis documentation.

The documentation is to be delivered at the end of the themes course week in order not to conflict with studio production and deadlines.

The evaluation is pass/not pass.

Students are required to attend 90% of all presentations, workshops, seminars and tutorials to pass the course.  Some reading is mandatory.

Mandatory reading:

The mandatory reading will be supplied by the course leader as a set of color / B&W Xerox copies.

• Hensel, M. (2010). ‘Performance-oriented Design from a Material Perspective – Domains of Agency and the Spatial Material Organisation Complex’. Performalism.  London: Routledge.
• Hensel, M. (2010). ‘Performance-oriented Architecture – Towards a Biological paradigm for Architecture and the Built Environment’. FORMakademisk.  Online Journal.
• Hensel, M. and Sunguroglu Hensel. (2010). 'Extended Thresholds I: Nomadism, Settlements and the Defiance of Figure-Ground’. Turkey : At the Threshold . London: AD Wiley. 14-19.
• Hensel, M. and Sunguroglu Hensel. (2010). 'Extended Thresholds II: The Articulated Threshold’. Turkey : At the Threshold . London: AD Wiley. 20-25.
• Hensel, M. and Sunguroglu Hensel. (2010). 'Extended Thresholds III: Auxiliary Architectures’. Turkey : At the Threshold . London: AD Wiley. 76-83.
• Hensel, M. (2008). 'Performance-oriented Design: Precursors and Potentials'. Versatility and Vicissitude – Performance in Morpho-Ecological Design . London: AD Wiley. 48-53.
• Laureano, P. (1999). ‘The System of Traditional Knowledge in the Mediterranean and its Classification with Reference to Different Social Groupings’. Report for the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification – Committee on Science and Technology, Recife 1999. 

Recommended reading:

The specific recommended reading will depend on the buildings selected for analysis. An extensive list of recommended reading will be supplied by the course leader at the beginning of the course.