MITJointGroupinCityDesignandDevelopment DepartmentofUrbanStudiesandPlanningandDepartmentofArchitecture Spring2013 UrbanDesignIdealsandAction 11.337j/4.247j207unitsand 11.S9556units(IAPcourse) SpecialSpring2013Topic:ParametricUrbanism:SingaporeWorkshop Instructor:BrentD.Ryan bdr@mit.edu Seminarmeetings:Mondays,1to3PM,Room10401 Workshopsessions:alternateWednesdays,6to8PM,RoomTBA Courseintroductionandpurpose TheSpring201311.337j/4.247jexaminesurbandesignthroughthelensoftheparameter.Broadly definedasavariablewithinasystemwhosechangeaffectsotheraspectsofthesystem,parameters,or parametricism,isanincreasinglypopularmeansofgeneratingarchitecturalform.cityform,too,is composedofparametersatmanyscales,rangingfromindividualbuildingfeaturestoelementslike infrastructureandsettlementpatterns.onecanimagineurbandesignaslessthegenerationofcity districtsdenovoandmorethemodificationofexistingurbanelementsinapurposefulmanner. Parametricism,then,hasmuchtocontributetourbandesign,andurbandesignthereforehasthe potentialtoredefineparametricism. Thisyear s11.337j/4.247jisovertlytheoreticalaswellaspractical.understandingurbandesignandthe cityasacombinationofinterrelatedelementshaslongbeenathreadofthearchitecturalliterature, animatedbythetacittemptationofgeneratingaunifyingtheoryoftheidealcity,andthereforeof urbandesign.yetthisparametricroadhasalsobeenadifficultone;foreverytheorythatseekstocodify design,thereisadesignerwhoresistscodification.thedebateoverparametricismisperhapsan existentialone,yettheveryfactofthistensionindicatesthatthisaspectofurbandesignmayalsobe essential. Theseminar sunderstandingofparametricurbanismwillbedevelopedthroughaseriesofreadings publishedbeginninginthe1960sthroughthepresentday.thisliterature,whichreachedapeakinthe 1970sbutwhichseemsagaintobegainingmomentum,oscillatesbetweenmanifestoandquasi scientificstudy.almostalloftheauthorsarearchitects,whichisperhapsironicgiventhattheplanning fieldisthemoreovertlyparametric,giventheprofession scenturylonguseofzoning.yetplanninghas rarelyattemptedtogeneratetheoriesforshapingthecitythatareovertlylinkedtoformalprinciples; rationalandsocialconsiderationshaveusuallyheldtheday. 1
The2013seminarispairedwithaworkshopthatisorganizedandsponsoredinpartnershipwith ProfessorAndresSevtsukoftheSingaporeUniversityofTechnologyandDesign.Workshopparticipants visitedsingaporeinjanuary2013andgeneratedshortproposalsbasedonparametricvariablesfortwo Singaporeneighborhoods,BugisandPunggol.Singaporeisaparticularlyefficientanddesignoriented nation,anditisthereforeanappropriatesiteforparametricinvestigations.singaporewillberevisitedas asiteforparametricdesignoverthecourseofthesemester. Coursestructure Participantsareresponsibleforattendingbothseminarandworkshopsessionsandparticipatinginclass discussions. Therearetwoprimarycourserequirements: amidtermpaper(3,000to4,000wordsorapproximately101.5spacedpages,notincluding illustrationsandreferences)ononeorbothparametrictheoriespreviouslypresented,due April1.PaperdetailswillbecirculatedonFebruary25. afinalpresentationexaminingtheapplicationofparametrictheoryinthecitystateof Singaporeintheformofanurbandesignproject.Projectdevelopmentwilloccurin workshopsessionsoverthecourseofthesemester.presentationswilloccuronmay13and 15. Theseminarstructurewillbebasedonstudentpresentationsofcoursereadings.Inseminarmeetings throughapril1,twostudentswillpresenttworeadingseach.readingscanbefromthecourse bibliographyormaybesuggestedbythestudentwithinstructorapproval.becauseeachstudentwillbe requiredtoreadtwobooksortheequivalent,studentswillnotberequiredtoreadmaterialotherthan thematerialthattheyarepresenting. Althoughalmostallofthecoursereadingsmaybeonreserve,insomecasesstudentswillberesponsible forobtainingreadingsfromthemitorharvardlibrary.inthecaseofextremelylengthyworks(e.g. Schumacher),studentsshouldreadaselectionoftheworkaslongasthatselectionisbetween100and 200pages.Additionaldetailsonreadingpresentationsareprovidedlaterinthissyllabus. Coursegradeswillbebasedonpresentationofcoursereadings(25%);midtermpaperbasedonreadings (25%);urbandesignprojectpresentation(40%)andgeneralclassparticipationandengagement(10%). 2
CourseScheduleandCalendar SeminarsessionswillmeetonMondays,1to3PMin10401andworkshopsessionswillmeeton alternatewednesdays,6to8pmintba. Week Month Date Time Session Details 1 Feb5 Tuesday FirstDayofClasses(UDIdoesnotmeetthisweek) 2 11Mon 1 3PM seminar1 IntroductionandSingaporecafécritdebriefing 3 19Tues MondayclassesmeetTuesb/cofholidaybut Noclassthisweek:BDRoutoftown 4 25Mon 1 3PM seminar2 Presentations:ReadingsOneandTwoanddiscussion Handouturbandesignidealspaper 5 Mar4 1 3PM seminar Presentations:ReadingsThreeandFouranddiscussion Mon 6Wed 6 8PM workshop1 Meetings:Singaporeprojects 6 11 1 3PM seminar3 Presentations:ReadingsFiveandSixanddiscussion Mon 7 18Mon 1 3PM seminar4 Presentations:ReadingsSevenandEightanddiscussion 20Wed 6 8PM workshop2 Meetings:Singaporeprojects 8 2529 NoClassesthisweekSpringBreak 9 Apr1 1 3PM seminar5 Presentations:ReadingsNineandTenanddiscussion Mon 3Wed 6 8PM workshop3 Urbandesignidealspaperdue Meetings:Singaporeprojects 10 8Mon 1 3PM seminar6 Presentations:ReadingElevenanddiscussion 11 15Mon NoclasstodayPatriots Day 12 22Mon 24Wed 1 3PM 6 8PM seminar workshop4 Readings:ParametricismandSingapore Meetings:Singaporeprojects 13 29 1 3PM seminar Mon 14 15 May6 Mon 8Wed 13Mon 15Wed 1 3PM 1 3PM 6 8PM Seminar workshop5 seminar workshop6 Readings:Parametricismandplanning Meetings:Singaporeprojects PresentationsPartOne:Singaporeprojects PresentationsPartTwo:Singaporeprojects 3
CourseBibliography Alexander,Christopher.APatternLanguage.OxfordUniversityPress,1977ISBN0195019199 Alexander,C.NotesontheSynthesisofForm.HarvardUniversityPress,1964.IBSN0674627512. Alexander,C.ANewTheoryofUrbanDesign.OxfordUniversityPress,1987.9780195037531. Aylward,M.G. TowardaTheoryforDescribingandDesigningAdaptabilityintheBuiltEnvironment. TransactionsoftheBartlettSociety,Vol.7,pp.129147. Habraken,John.TheStructureoftheOrdinary:FormandControlintheBuiltEnvironment.MITPress, 2000.ISBN9780262581950 Habraken,John.TheGrunsfeldVariations:areportonthethematicdevelopmentofanurbantissue.MIT DepartmentofArchitecture,1981.NoISBN. Hillier,Bill.SpaceistheMachine.Pp.149272.CambridgeUniversityPress,1996.ISBN052156039. Hillier,BillandJulietteHanson.TheSocialLogicofSpace.CambridgeUniversityPress,1984. Koolhaas,Rem.DeliriousNewYork.OxfordUniversityPress,1977.ISBN1885254008. Lehnerer,Alex.GrandUrbanRules.010Publishers,2009.ISBN9789064506666. Lynch,Kevin.GoodCityForm.Pp.111235.MITPress,1981. Martin,Leslie. TheGridasGenerator. InUrbanSpaceandStructures,editedbyLeslieMartinand LionelMarch.CambridgeUniversityPress,1972.ISBN0521084148.AND March,Lionel,andSteadman,Philip.TheGeometryofEnvironment:Anintroductiontospatial organizationindesign.mitpress,1974.isbn0262630559. Moudon,AnneVernez.BuiltforChange:NeighborhoodArchitectureinSanFrancisco.MITPress,1986. ISBN0262631202. Pont,MetaBerghauser,andPerHaupt.Spacematrix:Space,Density,andUrbanForm.NAiPublishers, 2010.ISBN9789056627423. Schumacher,Patrik.TheAutopoesisofArchitecture:Anewagendaforarchitecture,Volume2.Pp.617 709andappendices(optional).Wiley,2012.ISBN9780470666166. Steadman,Philip.ArchitecturalMorphology:Anintroductiontothegeometryofbuildingplans.Pion, 1983.ISBNunknown. Weeks,J. PlanningforGrowthandChange. TheArchitect sjournal,july1960.and Weeks,J. IndeterminateArchitecture. TransactionsoftheBartlettSociety,Vol.2.,1963,pp.85106. Panerai,Philippe,et.al.UrbanForms:Thedeathandlifeoftheurbanblock.(originallyFormesUrbaines del Ilotalabarre,1997).ArchitecturalPress,2004.ISBN0750656077. Maas,Winy,andMVRDV.Spacefighter:Theevolutionarycity(game:).Actar,2007.ISBN8496540731. SolaMorales,Manuel.TenLessonsonBarcelona/DiezLeccionesSobreBarcelona.ISBN0:849684224X. 4
OnThePresentationofReadings(Guidelinesforpresentingcoursereadings) Duringweeksfourthroughten,theseminarwillbeorganizedaroundpresentationsofcourseliterature. Presentationsshouldfollowthefollowingformats. Yourpresentationmaybeupto25minuteslong,butnolonger.Yourpresentationshouldcontain between40and50slides,veryapproximately.moreslideswilltaketoolongtopresent. Foryourpresentation,youshouldreadandassesstwooftheworksintheabovebibliography.Unless otherwisenoted,readaworkinitsentirety.donotunderestimatetheamountoftimeitwilltaketo readabook:twoorthreefulldaysisnotunusual.however,youwillhavebetweentwoandsixweeksto read.youarefreetoreadtwobooksbythesameauthorifyouwish.inthecaseofanarticle,two articlesistheequivalentofonebook.inotherwords,youcouldpresenttwoarticlesandonebook. Youarefreetosuggestanadditionalbookforreadingifyouwish.PleasedosobythebelowFeb.14 deadline. AllofthebooksintheabovebibliographyhavebeenplacedonreserveasofFebruary11.Reservestatus placesrestrictionsonuse(thebookmaynotberemovedfromthelibraryduringtheday),butitalso obviatesthepossibilityofbooksbeingrecalled,adistinctadvantage.reservestatuswasdeemedthe mostappropriatewayofguaranteeingabook savailabilitythroughoutthesemester. Yourassessmentshouldcenternotaroundasummaryofthebook sargument,butarounditsrelevance tothiscourse stopicofparametricurbanism.pleaseaddressthefollowingissuesinyourpresentation: Provideageneralassessmentoftheauthor sunderstandingofdesign.doestheauthor expressabroadphilosophyofdesigninthework?ifso,whatisit? Explaintheauthor stranslationofdesignintomeasurable,distinctparametricvariables. Whataresomeofthesekeyparameters,eitherexplicitorimplicit? Dotheauthor scollectedparametersgenerateacoherenttheoryofcityform?whatkindof city,inyourinterpretation,istheauthoraimingtogeneratethroughtheirparameters? Parametersareoftencloselytiedtomethodsofgeneratingthemandofgeneratingform accordingtothem.discussbrieflytheauthor smethodsofgeneratingboththeparameters andtheresultanturbanform. Telluswhatyouthinkoftheseparameters.Istheauthor smethodandconceptagoodway ofunderstandingandofdesigningacity?what,briefly,aresomeshortfallsor improvementsthatyoucanimagine? Presentationsshouldincludeappropriategraphicsfromthebooksandshouldnotcontainan overabundanceoftext.youwillbeaskedtosubmityourpresentationstostellarasapdf,sopleasebe preparedtodoso.yourmidtermshortpaperwillprovideyouanadditionalopportunitytodiscussthese pointsinwriting. PleaseselectyourtopfourbooksforreadingandsubmittotheinstructorviaemailbyThursday, February14at5PM.Bookswillbeallottedatthattimeaccordingtostudentpreferences. 5