thematic aspects, by which the major their own block by...

The Grunsfeld Variations report is the result of a six weeks summer workshop with ten participants, funded by the Ernest A. Grunsfeld Memorial Fund. The participant were partly students who had graduated that spring in the Science Masters in Architectural Studies (SMArchS) program, a second Masters program for students who already had a professional degree in Architecture, partly in the last year of that program and partly in the department’s regular Masters program.!!The purpose of the workshop was to demonstrate how a team of designers could design an entire urban field in great detail in a short period of time. The demonstration rested on a efficient distribution of design responsibilities based on a clearly defined set of thematic form principles.!There were two stages of three weeks each . In the first 3-week period various

thematic aspects, by which the major aspects of the urban fabric to be designed were given, were distributed among the participant who were asked to explore their potential, establish rules and agreements for their execution and illustrate them by examples. !On the first day of the workshop participants were given 12 freehand notebook sketch sheets with on each sheet one of the afore mentioned aspects of the urban fabric to be developed. To make sure that everybody could remember these principles team members were asked to spend that first day making free hand copies of these sheets. The next day tasks for the exploration of the thematic principles were distributed among the team members in mutual consultation, and everybody could get to work.!!Distribution of design responsibility in teamwork, if done correctly, can produce a complex and varied field with great design efficiency. There is no need for collective decisions based on lengthy discussion. For the workshop everybody worked in the same studio space so that everyone could see what everyone else was doing and discussion was possible on an informal basis. But each team member was responsible for her/his own contribution.!!In the second week a site plan was given in a larger urban context. It had ten super blocs and team members were asked to take on, in mutual consultation, a single block to work at. Their individual task now was to design

their own block by applying the thematic principles worked out by all in the previous stage.!!At the end of the second three week period all designs were pinned on the wall in the correct relation to one another. A general discussion followed where each team member could explain her/his design. In the end we noted the need for a pedestrian path connecting the blocks and the last day was spent in finalising he individual designs.!! The following pages give a selection from the 125 page report. This may give you an impression of what was done and how it was done. For a full study of the report it will be made available in pdf format, see the habraken.com website.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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!!Overview of the final result of the workshop.!!A copy of the large map that came as a loose fold with the report.!!!!The workshop was not intended to propose a particular kind of field but to demonstrate a way of working that can be applied to any kind of field.!The general concept of the super blocks was given for its density and complexity more than anything else.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Page �2

!The table of contents from the report.!!In the following pages the page number of the selected page in the report is given as well.

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The first sketch of the general Theme Description!!!!!!!!!!!

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Two more of the 12 theme sketches!!In addition to the introduction of the superblocks various types of residential building were given as well. Not shown here

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PHASE 1!EXPLORATIONS!!!In the first phase of the workshop team members explored the given thematic aspect and organised their potential, exploring the range of variants that was implied, suggested sub-types and rules to follow so that in phase two all team members could readily use the information to apply the themes and integrate them in a single design. !!

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Urban structure!!Martha Lampkin!Antony Mallows!!Report page16 !The second page from a study in five pages.!!Note at the bottom of the page the sequence of transformation moves to explore the various sizes of a super block.!!The top image explores deformations of a super block .!!!!!!!

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Urban Spaces!!Kimberly Weller!!Report page 23 !The third page from a study in three pages.!!Explores residential streets with car access to below grade parking, on the street parking and plantings among other streets cape elements.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ! !Page �8

!!Urban Spaces!!Yutaka Takasa!!Report page 25!The second page from a study in four pages !!Explores back yard sizes and their capacity and accessibility!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Page �9

!Supports!!Renee Chow!Report page 29!!The second page from a study in four pages.!!Explores the capacity of a proposed zoning system for the placement of exterior and interior stairwells and of space functions and sizes.!!To the right, variants for private entryways are given.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ! !Page �10

Access Types!! Paula Krugmeier!Report page 37!!The sixth page from a study in nine pages.!!study of two types from a series of six different vertical access types!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ! !Page �11

Non-Residential Buildings!!Toshihito Yokouchi!Report page 44!!The fourth page from a study of four pages.!!Explores how various public functions could be integrated with the scale of the given residential block models!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Page �12

Facades!!José A. Aldrete-Haas!Andrés Mignucci!Tom Hille!Report page 46!!The second page of a three page report on a joint study of the general aspects and rules to be applied to individual facade systems.!!Following pages are taken from their individual facade systems based on the agreed upon thematic rules.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ! !Page �13

Facade system!!José A. Aldrete-Haas!Report page 50!!the fourth page of a five page study.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ! !Page �14

Facade system!!Andrés Mignucci!Report page 55!!the fourth page of a six page study.!!!!page two of this study gives a catalogue of the elements with which these facades are composed.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ! !Page �15

Facade System!!Tom Hille!Report page 62!!This is the fifth page of a five page study!!The first page of the study gives a catalogue of he elements with which these facades are composed.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Page �16

!PHASE 2!VARIATIONS

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Overview of the the to be designed field, with specification of the particular zoning variant for each block.!!!!!!!!!!!!Page �18

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Block 1+ 2!Andrés Mignucci!Rapport pages 70, 71, 72, 73!!

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Block 3!Yutaka Takase!2 pages from 5 pages!Rapport pages 76, 77!

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Block 4!Renee Chow!2 pages from 6 pages!Rapport pages 80 , 82!

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Block 5a!Martha Lampkin!3 pages from 6 pages!Rapport pages 86, 87. 89!

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Block 5b!Paula Krugmeier!3 pages from 6!Rapport pages 92, 93, 95!

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Block 6!Toshihito Yokouchi!2 pages from 6!Rapport pages 98, !

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Block 7!Tom Hille!2 pages from 6!Rapport pages 104, 107!!

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Block 8!Antony Mallows!2 pages from 6!Rapport pages 110, 111!

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Block 9!José Aldrete-Haas!2pages from 6!Rapport pages 116, 119!

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Block 10!Kimberly Weller!2 pages from 6!Rapport pages 122, 123!

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