This subject aims to initiate new and multiple searching ways in this complex career of permanent search, which is the architecture.

In the last term of the degree, the subject “Architectural Design Experimental Lab” aims to get deeper into the architectural design via new paths and the research. New methods to face and think the architectural project design. Architect´s profession is based on acquiring a theoretical knowledge to develop it´s work.

In the case of architectural design, students learn how to manage some useful tools for design development: study of the program and the site, building development, drawing, etc.

In this course the research will be done from other systems, from different perspectives, seeking “other things”; facing the architectural project by other ways, from other languages (written, visual, photographic or cinematographic), considering the project from the words, the concepts or the ideas.

In this subject it’s essential to develop what we call the “creative process”: the searching of the primary concepts or intuitions to be later developed in the project.

It´s also a matter of this subject the work with the intangible part of the project process; with the abstract thinking and the diversity of construction materials, such as light.

Searching in a “different manner”, in other places, the foundations-ideas of the architectural design, as Pasqual Quingard’s quote explains: “I stop in confusions, in the unfortunate images and in the short-circuits, more than in the complete thoughts liked by a premeditated system that holds them up.”

COMPETENCES

Ability to analyse human resources related to innovation.

Ability to innovate and value innovation.

Ability to manage and disseminate innovation.



SCORES OF SUBJECT LEARNING

To qualify the student to face the architectural design in new ways, work with different languages -apart from architectural language- and give to the student new tools to research and to innovate into architectural design; such as new projecting methods, creative process workshop and new creation tools.

Concepts of the method’s discourse for new methodologies in architectural design.

The phases of the creative process.

Grammar of the phantasy: techniques for the production of ideas.

Other languages: the word, the image, the photography and the cinema.

New maps and architectural cartographies.



EXERCISES

There are proposed several exercises, very immediate, intuitive and short in time first. Latest exercises will have a longer development and will be more complex. It’s also proposed the overlaying of exercises and works.

− WORDS: work and study the relation words_concepts_images

− DRIFT by a place to be decided, with directions to be formulated, data collection and conclusions via a new cartography.

− VIDEO & PHOTO COLLECTION: on an architectural topic to be decided.

− REINTERPRETATION OF A PROJECT: study, re-drawing and new interpretation and view of a selected well known project.

− DEVELOPEMENT OF A CONCEPTUAL ARCHITECTURAL PROJECT/DESIGN: such a place/plot/building/room to meditate, to read, to stay, etc.

− WORK WITH LIGHT: development and execution of big scale models (1/10), experimental data collection and conclusions.



THEORY

− Thinking on architecture

− Creative process

− Photography & cinema I, II

− Light & architecture I, II

− Project & review

− Talks: Taught at the beginning of each exercise or inserted during its development, they provide the essential theoretical foundations necessary to address the development of the exercises.

− Debate and explaining sessions: they are focused to explain the exercises (explanation of the own work in different steps of elaboration), to analyze the work, to debate, etc.

− Practical academic sessions: they are workshop classes, which means personal (or in a reduced group) review & assessment. This workshop time means the monitoring of the development of the exercises from the very first sketches to the final delivery.

− Visits and excursions: when it seems interesting for the right understanding of the site, a visit will be done, guided by the lecturers.

- there will be laboratory practices

- It is necessary for students to attend class, be active in class and develop all the work requested, in groups or individually, in order to pass the course without problems.

• Final Assessment System
• Tools and qualification percentages:
  • Individual works (%): 70
  • Team projects (problem solving, project design)) (%): 15
  • Exhibition of works, readings ... (%): 15

It’s required to attend school and to progress, work individually and in team, and to participate in reviews, presentations and deliveries.

A continuous evaluation of the student will be done, which means:

− The result of the exercises; the personal (or in group) progress will be assessed.

− The result of personal review (or small groups); weekly progress will be assessed.

− The presentation and public explanation of the exercises, and active work and involvement.

The trajectory of the student himself will also be assessed during development, assessing the set of acquired skills. Such evaluation system, which assesses both the outcome of an exercise like the development process requires that the presentiality and participation is maximum. The assessment of the exercise itself provides 85% of its overall rating, consisting of 70% for the individual development and 15% of group work. The remaining 15% is contributed by the score on defense sessions, presentation and discussion.

The final mark will be reached not necessarily by means of the average of all the exercises done during the term, because the significance of the exercises will be different; even though deliver all the exercises is compulsory to be qualified and assessing the progress, attitude, etc.

A “minimum” will be required for each exercise; the directions for the material delivered (number and kind of plans, perspectives, models, scale, definition, etc.) will be fixed for each exercise.

An exercise will be marked incomplete when the required minimum for the exercise is not reached or the exercise is not delivered.

This exercise will not be qualified or reviewed, even though the student can complete the work at the end of the term and be eventually qualifed.

The student unable to attend and be involved on the term, because of justified reasons, can be evaluated at the end of the term via the final evaluation, delivering all the completed exercises, supplemented by a final test.

The student, in case of not passing the term, will have the opportunity to pass in the extraordinary summons, that, will be the improvement or completion of the deficient exercises, or, just in case, doing a new exercise.

Basic bibliography

Francis Bacon. De la Sabiduría Egoísta. Madrid, Great ideas, Taurus. Santillana Editores, 2012

José Baltanás. Le Corbusier. Promenades. Barcelona, GG, 2005

Joseph Campbell. La imagen del mito. Girona, Ed. Atalanta, 2012.

Pedro Ceinos. Manual de escritura de carácteres chinos. Madrid, Miranguano ediciones, 1998.

Leonardo Da Vinci. Alegorías, Pensamientos, Profecías Pensamientos. Deseo insaciable de conocer. Madrid, Gadir Editorial S.L, 2014.

Umberto Eco. Historia de la belleza. Barcelona, Lumen, 2004.

Antonio Gamoneda. Canción Errónea. Barcelona, Tusquets, Nuevos textos sagrados, 2012.

Robert Graves. Los mitos Griegos. Madrid, Alianza Editorial, 1986.

Johan Huizinga. Homo Ludens. Buenos Aires/Madrid, Alianza Editorial/Emecé Editores. 2000.

Edmond Jabés. El libro de las preguntas. Libros del tiempo. Madrid, Siruela, 2006.

Charles Jenks. Le Corbusier and the Tragic View of Architecture. Massachusetts, Harvard University Pres, 1973.

Louis Kahn. Essential Texts. Edited by Robert Twonly. New York, Ed. W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 500 Fifth Avenue.

Manjit Kumar. Quántum. Einstein, Bohr y el debate sobre la naturaleza de la realidad. Barcelona, Kairós, 2011.

Zi Lao. Tao Te King. Libro del curso y de la virtud. Madrid, Siruela, 1998.

Le Corbusier: Mensaje a los estudiantes de Arquitectura. Buenos Aires, Infinito, 2008.

Le Corbusier: Textos y Dibujos para Ronchamp. Suiza: edición Jean Petit. Association ouvre de N.D. du Haut, Ronchamp, 1965.

Le Corbusier. La casa del Hombre. Barcelona, Poseidón, 1999.

Le Corbusier. Précisions sur un état présent de l´architecture et de l´urbanisme. Paris, Éditions Crès, Collection de "L'Esprit Nouveau", 1930.

Alan Le May. Centauros del Desierto. (The Serchers). Madrid, Valdemar, 2013.

Jeremy Lewinson. Henry Moore. Köln, Taschen, 2007.

Janis Mink. Duchamp. Colonia, Taschen, 2004.

Pascal Quingard. Las escaleras de Chambord. Barcelona, Círculo de Lectores, 2013

Miguel Ángel Sabadell. Grandes Idas de la Ciencia. Barcelona, RBA, 2012.

Marcel Schwob. El Terror y la piedad. Buenos Aires, Libros del Zorzal, 2006.

Michel Serres. Atlas. Madrid, Cátedra, 1995.

George Steiner. Gramáticas de la creación. Madrid, Siruela, 2001.

Victor I. Stotchita. Breve historia de la sombra. Madrid, Siruela, 1999.

Junichiro Tanizaki. El elogio de la sombra. Madrid, Siruela, 1994

Eliot Weinberger. Las cataratas. Barcelona, Duomo Ediciones, 2012.

Maria Zambrano. Claros de Bosque. Madrid, Catedra. Letras hispánicas, 2011.