How can we design adaptable architecture and collective spaces for diverse futures?
This studio uses the Arsenal — a 12-hectare former railway brownfield site in Ghent — as a case study to explore robust and flexible design solutions.
In teams, you will develop urban and architectural strategies to transform the Arsenal into a sustainable “urban village” capable of evolving to meet unpredictable future needs.
In the first phase, subgroups of three will address systemic challenges such as mobility, heritage, water management, biodiversity, circular material reuse, soil decontamination, energy, microclimate, and food production. The goal is to develop a flexible spatial strategy that supports incremental site development.
Next, you will individually design an architectural prototype (indoor and/or outdoor) that accommodates diverse and changing functions. Projects should propose regenerative interventions, allowing buildings and open spaces to adapt and evolve into “intelligent ruins.”
The studio is interdisciplinary, guided by professors with diverse expertise, and operates as an interactive lab. A “growing model” will place the various design interventions in dialogue.
By combining a creative and critical design approach, this studio will help you uncover the essential spatial, technical, and structural qualities of architectural projects, beyond programmatic and stylistic concerns.
(image: Jardin des Fonderies, Nantes (Fr), Marc Lacoste, wikimedia commons)
