40 578 Transformation in Practice: Inside Out (Autumn 2026)

Course responsible: Amandine Kastler

The Transformation in Practice studio explores critical, design-oriented approaches to working with existing buildings, with a primary focus on the metamorphosis of ordinary structures. Research and propositional thinking are treated as inseparable, and architecture emerges from a sustained engagement with material culture, where ideas of provenance create resonance between existing and new. Projects engage with the architectural language of transformation, connection, extension, and autonomous additions within an expanded understanding of context.

This semester the studio focuses on the relationship between different layers of an existing building - between the outside and the inside. Described by Stewart Brand as “shearing layers,” site, structure, skin, space plan, services, and stuff operate with different lifespans and vulnerabilities, enabling buildings to adapt over time. Within the hybrid condition of reuse, buildings emerge through the assembly of inherited structures and new architectural fragments, often producing layered and sometimes contradictory spatial conditions. The domestic interior is approached as a site of comfort, expression, and experimentation, oscillating between established everyday traditions and emerging technological demands of contemporary life.

The studio works with a selection of empty buildings owned by the Oslo Municipality. The selected sites will vary in typology but remain modest in scale. Through precise, targeted interventions, students develop interior-led renovation strategies in which elements such as the wall, column, hearth, and stair act as catalysts for spatial, technical, and environmental transformation. The final output is a renovation proposal accompanied by a transferable kit of architectural elements supporting future building transformation.

At the conclusion of the course the student should be able to:

• analyse the architectural, typological, material, and historical conditions of existing buildings, with particular emphasis on the domestic interior as a driver of architectural transformation
• interpret and translate survey material, observation, documentation, archival research, and relevant case studies into propositional architectural strategies for renovation and reuse
• develop strategies for transformation through precise architectural interventions using interior and domestic elements as catalysts for new uses and future adaptation
• design and materialize architectural elements and interior components demonstrating understanding of craft, material reuse, and the contemporary application of traditional building methods
• integrate localized interior interventions into a coherent architectural renovation proposal that operates across building layers and spatial, technical, and architectural scales
• evaluate ethical, environmental, and sustainability implications of renovation and reuse strategies, including material sourcing, reuse practices, and integration of technical infrastructure within existing fabric
• communicate architectural intentions clearly through drawings, models, material prototypes, digital tools, and oral presentations, and contribute responsibly and independently within collaborative design processes

Students work in pairs and meet twice weekly for lectures, seminars, fieldwork, and studio tutorials. Research through reading, surveying, and making informs design development throughout the semester. The studio progresses through four phases: case study, survey, artefact, and proposal. Students begin by constructing a catalogue of interior elements through the study of archival material and historic interiors from museum collections. This is followed by an on-site survey of an empty building in Oslo using hand drawings, digital drawings, and material documentation. A large-scale material artefact is then developed as a catalyst for transformation and as part of a transferable kit of architectural elements. The semester culminates in a renovation proposal integrating architectural, technical, ethical, and sustainability strategies. The studio includes peer-to-peer learning sessions, one interim review, and a super-tutorial with an invited critic. A voluntary study trip to a European city may be organised.

Physical attendance at lectures, reviews, supervision sessions, discussions, and other educational activities is expected and necessary in order to achieve the learning outcomes

Form of assessment: Portfolio

Grading scale: Pass/fail

In order to be assessed in this course, the student must have completed the following activities and assignments:

Portfolio submission:

The portfolio consists of group work from the four semester assignments, as well as an individual reflection report. The portfolio will be presented in a public review to the Sensor and other invited critics.