Beschreibung
des Entwurfs-programmes |
The idea that humans are the main geological agent on Earth has been around for some time now, especially since in 2000 the atmospheric chemist Paul Crutzen coined the term Anthropocene to refer to the influence of human behavior on Earth's lithosphere in recent centuries.
The Salt Flats of Añana, in Northern Spain, were naturally formed in the Triassic Period as a result of a process known as diapiro, a type of geologic intrusion in which a more mobile and deformable material is forced into overlying rocks, allowing the salty water of the sea to emerge in this inland valley of the Basque Country. Romans are believed to have operated this landscape industrially, though the first documented use dates back to 822, when Añana was started to be used with economic purposes. The landscape commenced then to be transformed in order to maximize the surface area exposed to the sun, turning the valley into a territory of platforms, subtlety supported underneath by an architecture of timber-frame structures. At the time of maximum splendor, there were in the valley more than five thousand platforms for evaporation, occupying an area of 95.233m². Adjacent to the exploitation, the village of Añana was progressively built as a satellite rather than as a center, turning the salt flats into the very civic space of the valley.
'Built Territories Añana' explores the complementary relationship between territory and urban context, prompting students to create efficient structures for visitors and residents of Añana, but more importantly to engage in an ongoing discussion on how the construction of architecture informs cultural, social and physical landscapes. Due to the economic development of the region over the last decades, the population of Añana has diminished. However, the role of this territory as the definer of the collective memory of the site and its society remains untouched. Far from a nostalgic vision, the salt flats behave as an elastic territory that can shrink or expand at demand.
Research Work: The Seminar Week features visits to Añana + 6 built territories in Spain. In the first three weeks of the semester each student will research and compare Añana + 1 built territory, focusing on the way the encounters between city and territory, nature and artifice, topography and construction are addressed in different scales and contexts. This will help students undertand the transformation of these territories, their construction and geometry as technical and economical rather than stylistic phenomena, irrespective of the particular time frame of each site.
Thematic and methodic focus:
- Design architectural landscapes taking into account a wide range of urban, socio-cultural, economic and historical issues that are inherently connected with architectural practices.
- Recognize environmental and landscape issues that are relevant to contemporary architectural agendas.
- Consider and negotiate structural, material, functional, interior and exterior space aspects as well
as all urban issues that concern the project simultaneously.
- Represent idea(s) appropriately using effective means of presentation, including digital tools.
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Thematische und methodische Schwerpunkte |
Entwurf, Konstruktion, Landschaftsarchitektur, Modellbau, Visualisierungen |
