VIRTUAL: Applying Education
Abstract
In architecture education, the constant introduction of new techniques and technologies, combined with frequent “master-pupil” didactic power relations, often result in an escape from complexities to conventional spatial solutions.
Our proposed solution is design “datamaps”, adaptive networks of design data that help navigate fluctuating complexities and encourage the collaborative exploration of the design space. Our method starts with abstract, unbiased spatial details that students share, exchange and compose together into assemblages. They are then assigned different media and formats to further develop the project, with the evolving design variations of each format registered on a shared datamap. The resulting datamap helps trace and compare the design development on different formats, leading to a coherent, complex project. Each project leaves a transformed map behind, which serves as a visual archive of the collaborative process and a trace of the design paths driven by different formats of exploration. Design datamaps offer a tool for navigating complexity in design development, encouraging collaboration and exploration while responding to the challenges of a complex world. Our approach aims to create open dialogues that support the discussion, navigation, and manipulation of design solutions without being limited to a single narrative.
Viktoria Sandor is an architect, currently holding a senior lecturer position at the University of Innsbruck while working as a research engineer in integrated digital urban planning at AIT. She earned her Master’s degree in architecture at the University of Applied Arts, Vienna, in January 2017. Since then, Viki has worked as Geometrist at the Studio Olafur Eliasson and has instructed design studios and workshops with the focus on collaborative computational design. Her recent research focuses on physical space encoding via 3D point clouds for computation design input.
Alexandra Moisi is currently doing her Phd and teaches at the University of Innsbruck. She has studied at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna and at the University of Applied Arts Vienna where she got her Master’s degree in 2018. She presented her work at the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2016 and has since been involved in multiple collaborative projects. She has carried out and exhibited installations with students and taught workshops with the Architectural Association London. She was also a lecturer in the postgraduate course „Designing Future Realities“ by the University of Innsbruck.
Mathias Bank (b. 1987) is an architect and researcher currently holding a PhD position at the University of Innsbruck. His work, research and teaching explores the contemporary and historic qualities of space- and placemaking. He holds a masters degree from the University of Applied Arts, Vienna, and has since 2016 been actively engaged as a teacher and instructor of various design courses and workshops. His work and research has been exhibited Denmark, Austria, France, Kuwait, Australia, The United Kingdom, Norway, Sweden & Italy – and has been awarded several prizes and grants.