UNiversité Tunis Carthage Year THree
Studio Exercise one: Urban HOusing in the French Colonial Grid
8 weeks 2018
This semesters studio exercise will explore urban housing and propose solutions to remake and improve the urban experience; to accommodate automobiles but not give them primacy; and to create convenient, healthy, entertaining and aesthetically desirable urban conditions where walking is the preferred mode of travel. The challenge is to design an urban environment for a mix of residential, commercial, recreational and work activities that are well integrated and supportive of each other. This semester, the studio will explore such initiatives within the historic French Urban Colonial Grid of streets, representative of the still vital areas of Tunis laid out over 100 years ago.
The challenge will be to explore and propose new forms of building habitation in the imported French colonial urban grid of streets that will be more appropriate to the particular changing cultural, ecological and climatic conditions found in the Tunisian urban context.
Objectives
To explore the complex, critical relationships between dwelling unit design and the resulting urban fabric.
To design efficient, livable dwelling units of varying sizes and overall dimensions.
To explore the relationship between served and services spaces within the dwelling unit.
To design vertical ‘stacked’ structures containing differing multi-level programmatic uses requiring vertical spatial and dimensional coordination of access and egress, structural elements and mechanical systems.
To explore the interior-exterior relationships related to natural light, solar orientation, natural ventilation, fresh air and recreational activities.
To develop appropriate public, quasi-public and private spaces fostering a sense of neighborhood and community at one scale and privacy at another scale.
To understand the design challenges related to satisfying the conflicting needs of the automobile and pedestrian in designing the public realm of the urban street.
And to better understand how all of these conditions can be addressed within the French Colonial Urban Grid System imported to Tunisia over 100 years ago.
UNiversité Tunis Carthage Year THree
Studio Exercise two: Archeological Research center at Dougaa
5 weeks 2016
The world famous Archeological Site at Dougga considered by UNESCO to be one of the finest examples of Roman Towns in North Africa has few support facilities for either the serious researcher or the interested visitor. Located only a few hours drive from the Tunis, this extraordinary example of Roman architecture has many additional acres (hectares) to be in the future carefully excavated, documented, archived and even exhibited. This exercise proposed the design of a support facility programmed to both support such ongoing activities by archeologists and serious researchers as well as provide informative exhibits and programs for visitors interested in knowing more about early Roman settlements in Tunisia. Housing for researchers ‘fellows’ as well as short time visitors will also be included. We assume that a benevolent benefactor interested in archeology is supporting the funds required for the construction of the facility and that a prominent European or American Institution such as Columbia University, Arizona State or Cornell in the United States will partner with their Tunisian Counterpart to support the continuing archeological dig and exhibition programs.
Le site archéologique de Dougga, connu à l’échelle mondial est reconnu par l’UNESCO comme l’un des meilleurs exemples de villes romaines en Afrique du nord. Pourtant le site manque de structure d’accueil pour les chercheurs et les visiteurs. Situé à moins de 3 heures de route de la capitale, ce site immense recèle encore quelques hectares de ruines attendant d’être excavés. Cet exercice propose la conception d’une structure qui, à la fois, accueillera les chercheurs et les archéologues pour y mener leurs recherches mais aussi les visiteurs autour d’expositions et de programmes de visites. Le programme inclura le logement des chercheurs mais aussi quelques visiteurs de passage. Nous supposons qu’un généreux donateur passionné en archéologie se propose de financer les excavations et la structure de recherche et d’accueil. Par ailleurs, les institutions américaines et européennes prestigieuses telles que Columbia University, Arizona State or Cornell aux états unis travailleraient en partenariat avec des institutions tunisiennes pour mener les recherches archéologiques et organiser des expositions.
Objectives:
To better understand the cultural history of North Africa.
To document and analyze early roman architecture on archeological sites.
To explore the complex site relationships between supporting contemporary architectural facilities and adjacent archeological ruins
To organize highly complex programmatic spaces into a coherent whole.
To explore the relationship between exhibition and archeological activities.
To explore the unique needs of study and research spaces on sites to be studied.
To explore ways to provide for basic housing for staff and researchers.
To develop strategies for informative exhibitions.
To organize descriptive and analytical studies into a single exhibition involving InDesign and combining analytical and diagrammatic studies descriptive text and imagery.
To work as individuals and as members of teams.
Critics
UNiversité Tunis Carthage Year THree
Studio Exercise three: Automobile showroom and service center
2 week research phase 2 week conceptual phase 2 week team development phase 2016
The automobile showroom has been for years a cultural icon attracting multitudes of visitors interested in purchasing or just simple admiring the latest changes in both technology and style inherent in this slowly but ever-changing mode of personal transportation. With the latest dire news regarding climate change, automobiles are also going through dramatic transformations in the design of the power plant and efficiency of body design. Biodiesel, Compressed Natural Gas, Electric Vehicles, Ethanol or Flexible fuel vehicles, Hydrogen or Liquefied Natural Gas are but some of the Alternative and Hybrid engines powered by alternative fuels. Meanwhile the overall design of automobile incorporating efficient light weight materials and the pursuit of more sculpted body designs reducing wind resistance encourage the efficient use of fuel as well as reducing pollution of the overall environment. The design of an Automobile Repair and Showroom showcasing the most innovative examples of contemporary automobile design, gives the student an opportunity to not only confront a program requiring functional and efficient parameters of operation required for the support and repair of such vehicles but be equally challenged by the sense of excitement and wonder required of the celebratory display and sale of the automobiles in their latest form. In addition, the search for more inventive approaches to the design of the automobile in terms of innovative light weight but high strength materials, engine designs powered by alternative fuels, and body design reducing wind resistance could inspire strategies that will inform the overall form, function, materials and structure of a possible architectural proposal. Thus the very character of the building could exhibit similar searches in efficiency, technological innovation and reduced consumption of energy.
Objectives:
To design a single architectural building requiring a more complex set of programmatic parts
To accommodate the more detailed program and equipment requirements of service and industrial facilities.
To understand the more complex and interdependent flow required of people and vehicles.
To develop a more detailed structural system for both long-span and short-span conditions.
To explore and make use of innovative materials of construction.
To make use of specialized consultants on order to pursue such studies.
To make use of AutoCad or Archicad
To develop more detailed plans, sections and details of assembly
To construct using Laser Cutters and hand tools, physical models of such detailed structural assemblies
Les showrooms automobiles sont depuis des années des icônes culturelles. Les visiteurs, par milliers, viennent admirer les dernières tendances design et technologie. Parallèlement aux changements climatiques de notre ère, le secteur automobile subit lui aussi des transformations drastiques aussi bien du point de vue du design des carrosseries que du point de vue des solutions énergétiques et de la motorisation. De nos jours, la conception des véhicules tend vers des carrosseries sculptées aux matériaux les plus légers afin de réduire la résistance aux vents mais s’intéresse de près à l’environnement en réduisant l’émission de gaz polluants. La conception d’un showroom d’exposition et de réparation automobile mettant en scène les dernières innovations en matière de design vous confrontera à un programme spécifique. Vous aurez l’opportunité de penser un système fonctionnel efficace permettant d’intégrer aussi bien l’exposition que la réparation des véhicules. A la fois vous serez entrainés par les sens artistique que peut engendrer la conception des mises en scènes des véhicules. La recherche dans le domaine de l’automobile concerne les approches innovatrices en termes de design carrosserie, matériaux légers, design motorisation et réduction de la résistance aux vents. Tous ces paramètres peuvent inspirer des stratégies pour la fonctionnalité, l’organisation générale, les matériaux et la structure d’un projet architectural. Par ailleurs, le bâtiment pourra exposer des prototypes avancés en termes de rendement, innovation technologique et consommation d’énergie.
- Construire des maquettes de détails structurels à l’aide de la découpe laser.