Project II: Atelier Olgiati

The students will design a building starting from a given general theme, such as “public space”, “tower”, “timber”, etc., which will become the motto of the design studio for the whole semester. We propose one theme in each semester. The students will develop it individually with one of the two assistants and in public discussions with the teacher. Each motto is designed so as to be a source of shared inspiration for a further project development that will be both purposeful and free. All the parameters of the project, such as the site and the program, form part of the choices that each student will have to cope with individually by developing their own interpretations of the motto.

The chair of Valerio Olgiati has developed his pedagogical approach for over more than 15 years of teaching experience.
Reality asks architects to build buildings on specific sites, with economic constraints and a specific program. However we believe that students at this stage of education should be encouraged to develop a project starting from an idea in order for them to be able to then distinguish it from what is a mere solution.
It is easier to develop an idea starting from topics which are basic typologies. This is why we propose to our students to work with topics which have a general character: to think about fundamental aspects of architecture and formulate their own idea. Where the building sits, how big it is, what function it has or what material it is made of, will be the result of translating a single idea into its right architectural form.

Frequenza, Consegne, Elaborati grafici.

Final Critics