Categoria Atlas: Approaches
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Learning by teaching
Some words, much more than others, allow us to structure reflections that often run the risk of being taken for granted because they are commonly used or belong to everyday life. Learning and teaching seem, nowadays, to be terms that have lost their meaning; contrary to this trend, however, they preserve the core of the…
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The architecture of learning
Two different movements are linked to the concepts of teaching and learning. Often used as synonyms, their etymology tells of two distinct predispositions. In the first case, the action focuses on the person who teaches, instructs, shows and trains (gr. DIDAKTIKÓS instructive, from DIDAKTIKÓS which can be taught, Didaxis lesson, and derives from the same…
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Reconsidering hierarchies and happiness in the project
EB: Jason Hilgefort, founder of L+CC (Land+Civilisation Compositions), since we met at the Shenzhen Biennale in 2019, we have often discussed the value of projects, both in professional practice and in university classrooms, as something that should be broader than architecture itself. In your case, these ideas have also led you to develop local activism…
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Layering Contexts
Luigiemanuele Amabile in conversation with Maria Conen. LA: To begin: could you describe how you typically organize your design studio? Are there particular characteristics of your approach that you consider specific to the ETH context – or to your own architectural vision – when compared to other institutions? MC: I can say that the teaching…
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Teaching from within: architecture as process and practice
Luigiemanuele Amabile in conversation with Thomas Padmanabhan. In a context of multiple crises like the one we are experiencing, architecture has little room to shape public discourse. The contemporary design process – so complex and shaped by countless variables – makes the coexistence of teaching and professional practice one of the few viable ways to explore alternatives…
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Architecture as social-material practice
Luigiemanuele Amabile in conversation with Niall McLaughlin. LA: In your opinion, how should a contemporary architectural design studio be structured in terms of its work over an academic semester and its day-to-day practices? Which tools should it prioritise? In particular, I am curious to know whether physical models, hand-drawn sketches, digital renderings, immersive simulations, data-driven…
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Architecture within uncertainty
Luigiemanuele Amabile in conversation with Christoph Grafe. LA: Which challenges in our built and natural environments should today’s architectural design studios engage with? CG: Reuse and adaptation of buildings – as cultural, aesthetic, and technical questions; the needs and preferences of a culturally diverse society; regional appropriateness; the value of labour in building, and the…
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Questioning typologies, or the hybrid future of architectural design
Luigiemanuele Amabile in conversation with Andreas Lechner. LA: What challenges related to the built and natural environment should an architectural design studio confront today? AL: I consider myself a hybrid practitioner – someone who deliberately navigates and often blurs the boundaries between theory, practice, and pedagogy. Yet no matter how broad the investigative field, the…
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We don’t have all the answers – we explore together
Luigiemanuele Amabile in conversation with Marius Grootveld. LA: How does granting students autonomy over their research trajectories impact motivation, critical engagement, and the coherence of studio discourse, and how should this autonomy be balanced with structured guidance? MG: At the beginning of each studio, I try to instil a sense of responsibility in the students…
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Teaching repetition
Valentina Noce in conversation with Andreas Lechner. VN: The first thing I wanted to talk to you about is my struggle when teaching between two kinds of approaches. The first one is almost like a psychological, psychotherapy approach to students – where you act as a kind of disturbing observer. You let the students do what…