40 685 Architecture and the Wild: To reside in a dynamic landscape (Spring 2027)

Students must have passed founda3on level courses (BA-level) at

AHO or equivalent, 180 ECTS

Architecture and the Wild

The task for the spring semester is to develop residencies in Iceland

that consciously promotes coexistence among humans and other living

and non-living entities and that critically discusses the relation of

common ground and private space in terms of ownership – an

assemblage of the natural landscape, the cultivated landscape, and the

responding architectural spaces and constructions in conscious

correlation.

The current situation in the world today is ushering in a re-evaluation

of human sovereignty. How can we, humans, co-exist with other living

plants, creatures and things on the earth in the future? Who owns the

land and who has the right to appropriate land ?

What are the relations between wild nature and land occupied by

farms, dwellings for humans and animals, and free-spaces for humans

and animals (common ground)? How can we, based on a conscious

position towards these questions, bring these reflections firstly into a

spatial discussion, and secondly, a new architectural awareness

considering space, material and construction?

With the task we aim to challenge the outermost limit of the human

habitat in the face of natural forces where architecture marks the

interface – and thus acts as a mediator – between humans and the

climatic and geographical environment

Upon completion of this course the student will be able to:

Have some knowledge about:

• Contemporary discourses in philosophy, ethics, politics and

architecture that are relevant to the course program.

• How to identify and design architectural qualities/value

• How to communicate architectural qualities/value

• How to place the work in a larger context/ongoing discourses

in philosophy, sociology, ecology

Skills:

• Analyse aspects of a particular landscape or built environment

through experimental use of material, physical spatial

structures, textual and visual tools.

• develop an architectural project that explore architectures

capacity to mediate human life with other humans and nonhuman life.

• Implement experimental research methods to investigate and

develop an architectural project.

• Review works by co-students

• Describe spatial, material, and structural principles in

architecture

• Reflect on the effects of using textual, visual and material tools

experimentally in you study

• Conduct an experimental process: experimental, process based

mixed media investigations towards an architectural proposal

for inhabiting the world.

• Challenges the tools of architecture, look for alternative and

unconventional possibilities of architecture by critical use of

tools: develop and communicate architectural proposals

through hand sketching, investigative drawings and mapping,

experimental spatial, physical models, photo, film, as well as

technical architectural drawings and scaled models.

• Critical analyse site conditions and contextual factors as a basis

for design development

• Present and argue for design decisions in visual and verbal

formats

General competence:

• Integrate knowledge from multiple disciplines into the design

process

• Work independently and collaboratively

Save as word-file, not PDF.

• Assess sustainability and ethical implications in architectural

practice

The course is divided into four thematic phases, starting with

formulating an architectural concept, which is to be investigated in

materials, structural and spatial experimental studies.

The investigations conducted in the four phases is brought together in

an architectural proposal. Each phase consists of hands-on

assignments, accompanied by relevant readings that will be discussed

in class, lectures and seminars.

Teaching two days a week plus a half-day every other week.

Each phase contains following activities:

• Readings

• Workshop, the students will use respectively textual, visual and

material tools to explore their study of a given task and

environment – to be developed and reflected upon as potential

material, structural and spatial interventions.

• Each phase will conclude with evaluation of the conducted

exercises and tools engaged.

The key teaching and learning activities involve:

• Lectures on relevant topics

• Experimental workshops

• Studio sessions, table talks

• Film

• Seminars/peer reviews and review with external guests

Study trip to Iceland to visit the site for the semester task and

participate in the BIP Erasmus + international workshop, Dynamic

Landscapes

Physical aJendance at lectures, reviews, supervision sessions,

discussions, and other educa3onal ac3vi3es is expected and

necessary in order to achieve the learning outcomes

Assessment method: Project

Grouping: Individual

Grading scale: Pass/fail

n order to be assessed in this course, the student must have

completed the following ac3vi3es and assignments:

The final evaluation is graded individually based on the final project,

according to the criteria of the given assignment, including works

related to all four phases of the course (sketches, experimental studies,

texts, photos, film, technical drawings and scaled models)

Participated in workshops (Note: The study trip to Iceland is not

mandatory)