Project II: Atelier Holtrop

The work we are going to make this semester centres around the relationship between matter and space under the influence of changing environmental conditions, such as climate and geology.
We will start with a travel to a site, where we will explore the site from a geological and climate perspective. The projects that will be developed in this atelier will be based on this research and exploration. We will ask to work with the materials and the volcanic processes that are present, and use or transform them to design a space located there – a space that is born from the site in its material consistence and that is constructed on that site, in relation to the previous gestures that have formed the geology of the place.

Site Matter Gesture

In presence

The atelier is organised as a laboratory for material research, in which we try to familiarise ourselves with certain gestures, matters, sites, climate and performance. The process of acquiring a deeper understanding of a material can also bring about new ideas for new usages. In this research and way of working, we involve all kind of experts from engineers to geologists and artists, to craftsmen and specialised producers. 

Students will be evaluated based on the final exhibition and the learning process. Projects will be evaluated, including external guests during the mid-term and final critiques. Models are a key element in the way we work, not with the traditional purpose of representing the architecture but as a working tool that explores the different possibilities in the making of matter and space.