60 619 Systems: Hydropolis (Spring 2027)

Part of the Oslo Hydropolis studio sequence, the course explores landscape-based, water-sensitive urbanism within the Oslo Metropolitan Region. Facing climate change and continuing urbanisation pressure, it proposes a complementary approach to compact-city development, bringing the infrastructural back-end of urbanism – the storage and distribution of data, goods and water – to the fore and exploring its spatial and social potential. The studio merges the scales of planning and design, oscillating between bird's-eye and eye-level views, and moves continuously between digital and analogue tools.

The studio designs a cross-scalar landscape framework for a site currently "out of debate", proposing a counter-proposal to an existing or planned expansion of commercial areas in the Oslo region. New, somewhat heterotopic landscapes are created through the construction of backstage logistics parks; the studio studies these as evolving cultural landscapes and asks whether their layout, plot division and edges can support long-term environmental processes such as groundwater replenishment, flood mitigation, surface water storage and soil building. Accepting these sites as an inherent element of landscape development, students explore ecological, aesthetic and social approaches that harness the momentum of property development to build a living infrastructure lasting beyond the short-lived boxes. Framing the sites as places of work and leisure asserts user pressure toward this environmental task.

Individual and group work (2–3 students) is organised in four phases: Foundation (portrait of a landscape), Framework at structural scale, Framework at detail scale, and Communication. Each phase combines introductions, input lectures and workshops, and concludes with a shared presentation.

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

• Explain the concepts of watershed-scale water management and cultural landscape as a layered spatial product of geological, climatic, cultural and economic forces.
• Analyse landscape as a productive, performative infrastructure, applying landscape-ecological and environmental-psychological concepts to spatial form and structure.
• Conduct multi-scalar territorial and site analysis through GIS-based mapping, morphological analysis and field work.
• Develop regenerative design strategies for a sub-watershed, addressing water storage and sucession for a concrete case area.
• Design a detailed landscape framework, including grading, planting and construction detail, through an iterative process of drawings, models and texts.
• Communicate design proposals through compelling physical models, plans, sections, and a well-argued visual and verbal narrative.
• Critically reflect on urban and environmental challenges in their social and disciplinary context, working both individually and in groups.

Teaching combines introductions, input lectures and workshops that open each of the studio's four phases, with weekly desk-crits (in studio or additionally via Zoom) where students present and discuss ongoing research and design work. Work is organised in individual and group formats (groups of 2–3 students), supporting both independent design development and collaborative research and strategy-building, with a particular focus on physical model building as a design and testing tool throughout the phases. Each phase concludes with a presentation to the full studio. The course includes a voluntary study excursion within Europe to examine «praticed places»; travel, accommodation and food are at students' own expense. Students who cannot or do not wish to join the excursion complete an alternative assignment analysing the visited projects through drawing.

Physical attendance for introductions, input lectures, workshops and presentations are expected and necessary to achieve the learning outcomes.

Assessment method: Portfolio

Grouping: Individual

Grading scale: Pass/fail

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

Portfolio components: submissions at the end of all 4 phases; excursion note; final presentation.