Barcelona ceramics, Rebecca Crabtree, 2009/10

The Technical Studies programme stands as a complete and coherent technical education over five years, but also constructs a creative collaboration with the material demands of individual unit agendas. The programme continues to evolve from detailed discussions with lecturers, all of whom are drawn from leading engineering practices and research institutions embracing a wide range of disciplines and current projects. It is founded on the provision of a substantial knowledge base, developed through critical case studies of contemporary fabrication processes, constructed artefacts and buildings. These studies include critical reflection and experimentation with the ideas and techniques taught. Knowledge acquired in this way generates a 'means', a set of precepts capable of negotiating the technical requirements of construction in unforeseen futures and unpredictable contexts.

Lecture courses form a portion of each year's requirements, particularly during the First, Second and Fourth years of study. In these years students concentrate on critical case studies, analysis and material experiments.

In the First year, in addition to the lecture courses, Technical Studies Design tutors will join the First Year tutor masters in the studio and contribute with tutorials and consultations.

In the Third Year, lecture coursework, workshop experiments and technical ambitions are synthesised in a detailed Technical Design Project (TS3). Students conduct design research and experiments to explore and resolve the technical issues of the main project of their unit portfolio, with the guidance of Technical Studies tutors.

In the Fifth Year, students undertake a Technical Design Thesis (TS5), a substantial individual work that is developed under the guidance of Technical Studies. The thesis is contextualised as part of a broader dialogue which synthesises the technical and the architectural agendas arising within the units. Its critical development is pursued through case studies, material experiments and extensive research and consultation.

Structure

Two timeline options are offered to all Intermediate and Diploma units:
Option 1: Interim Jury in Week 6 of Term 2 (13 – 17 February 2012)
Option 1: Final Document Submission: Monday 5 March 2012
Option 2: Interim Jury in Week 9 of Term 2 (5 – 9 March 2012)
Option 2: Final Document Submission: Monday 23 April 2012
The Prospectus contains a brief summary of the TS programme and the courses offered. Full details and a statement of the course regulations will be found in the HTS/TS/Media Studies Handbook, which will be available at the beginning of the academic year.

First Year

Workshop Introduction

Making is an important part of the programme for the year, and students spend a significant portion of their time in the workshop. The induction sessions are run by the workshop staff and cover the use of tools, machines and facilities, including correct safety procedures.

Case Study (First Year Compulsory Course – Term 1)

This course aims to equip students with the skills to critically engage with existing buildings and works of architecture through the examination of structure. The year will be divided into groups, with each group being assigned a case study building in London. As such, London will be our principal teaching resource. Students will be encouraged to get under the skin of their case study buildings, to see them 'in the flesh', to draw them, to conduct research into them, to produce physical models and, above all, to ask questions. What is that element of the building for? What loads is it subject to? Why this particular geometry? Why was this material chosen? How was it constructed?
Weekly lectures given by the course tutors aim to provide students with a sound qualitative understanding and appreciation of fundamental structural principles: forces and loads; form and geometry; and mechanics of materials. The course will conclude with each group of students presenting their case study to their peers along with the submission of a brief written report.

First Applications (First Year Compulsory Course – Term 2)

The purpose of this course is to offer students a more direct hands-on experimental approach that will allow a greater integration of Technical Studies with the First Year design portfolio. Technical Studies tutors (experts on structures, materials and environmental issues) will join First Year studio tutors. Seven separate briefs will cover three areas – structure, materials and environment. The submission for the course will be made as part of the TS workshop during Week 11 of Term 2 and will be assessed by the TS tutors in the presence of the First Year studio tutors.
Second Year students take Structures and one of two other courses offered. Third Year students, in addition to the Structures course, undertake a Technical Design study as part of their main project, which synthesises their individual architectural ambitions with an account of the material production of the proposal.

Intermediate School

Second Year students take Structures and one of two other courses offered. Third Year students, in addition to the Structures course, undertake a Technical Design study as part of their main project, which synthesises their individual architectural ambitions with an account of the material production of the proposal.

Structures (Second Year Compulsory Course)

This course aims to develop a feel for forces in structures through a series of lectures and student presentations that investigate how the structural elements of a building carry a load. We will analyse well-known buildings to show how strength and safety can be predicted by calculation. In addition to making physical models and load-testing them to illustrate deformation and failure, we will find idealised conceptual models to demonstrate structural behaviour, focusing on the stability of the whole building structure. We will also examine how forces create stresses and deformations in architectural structures, taking into account material properties.

Material and Technologies (Second Year Option Course)

This course will investigate a range of materials used in contemporary structures including concrete, timber, brick and blocks, glass, fabrics and composites. Material properties, methods of manufacture, durability, cost and appearance are significant factors that will be reviewed, leading to an understanding of how different materials can be used in a variety of applications.

Environmental Design in Practice (Second Year Option Course)

'We all know environmental design is important – but we just can't see how it is relevant to our studio work.' This course aims to challenge this sentiment by s howing how every design decision that architects make has an immediate and quantifiable impact in terms of environmental performance. The course provides students with an intuitive grasp of the underlying principles of environmental design and the creative opportunities these present in terms of architectural form, materiality and expression. Above all, the course aims to eliminate the temptation of 'greenwash' from studio design work by providing students with analytical techniques to test and validate their environmental hypotheses.

Structures (Third Year Compulsory Course)

This course introduces structural model analysis, inviting students to make and test scale models to predict the static and dynamic behaviour of structures under load. The theory and practice of the effects of scale will become obvious from the model testing, promoting better intuition for predicting the behaviour of real, full-size structures. Analytical skills will be applied to make predictions. The observed behaviour of physical models under load will be used to establish the parameters of a detailed digital model that a computer can analyse.

Third Year Design Project

With Giles Bruce, Christina Doumpioti, Clive Fussell, Fernando Perez and Juan Subercaseaux Third Year students undertake a comprehensive design study that explores and resolves the central technical issues of their projects in collaboration with individual unit agendas. The study records the strategic technical decisions made as the design is developed, integrating knowledge of the environmental context, use of materials, structural forms and processes of assembly. It also documents the research carried out in the process of developing the design project. The individual projects are developed with support from technical teaching staff within the unit and from tutorials with Wolfgang Frese and the Intermediate TS Staff.
Seminars on specific relevant subjects will be organised by the technical teaching staff and guest speakers further support the research.

Diploma School

Fourth Year Seminar Courses Fourth Year students choose two courses from the selection on offer and may attend others according to their interests:

Form and Matter

How does matter form under different forces and design objectives? How can architecture be informed by material textures, attributes and constraints? Through the investigation of natural systems, form-finding techniques, smart materials and novel digital fabrication technologies, this course will introduce a new method of design influenced by the embedded intelligence of materials. Case studies will examine the use of traditional materials in both past and contemporary contexts, analysing techniques of assemblage and fabrication while developing an understanding of how common materials can be applied in innovative ways. Using physical form-finding models as well as computational tools to simulate material behaviour, we will approach structures as complex systems emerging from the strong relationship between force, energy and material organisation, resulting in the desired performative and spatial effects. Guest speakers from research and practice will contribute by providing expertise through different scales of material implementation.

Environmental Engineering of Tall Buildings

There is a continuing fascination with the tall and super-tall buildings that define the evolving skylines of the world's major cities. But can they contribute to a more sustainable future, and what role does environmental engineering play in the design of these towering structures? The course aims to address these questions whilst imparting the fundamental knowledge needed to design tall. We will consider tall buildings in an urban context, the strategic considerations defining form, the impact of climate, the environmental drivers affecting form and fabric, servicing strategies and various approaches to lowenergy and sustainable design. Students will have the chance to apply the principles learned from the course by developing a concept for their own tall building.

Process in the Making

This course aims to highlight and explain the complex forces underlying the transformation of architectural designs into built form, joining the processes that link the design of architecture with the 'art of building'. We will focus on interdisciplinary collaboration since the architect, as lead consultant, has to constantly adjust and evaluate his designs to address these often contradictory forces. Guest speakers from other consultancies will discuss their own perspective on the importance of collaboration within a project team.

Small in Large – the Interrelation of Component and System

For reasons of rationalisation, prefabrication, flexibility and maintenance, the use of components in architecture has become very common. This course aims to give the designing architect an insight into the theory and practice of component-based structures, covering their organisation, assembly, performance and current research. We will critically review existing component-based systems and investigate how advanced technology in the design and fabrication process can be used for redefinition and contemporary interpretation. We will get to know systems in which the individual component is adaptable, thus turning the whole system into a responsive structure. Invited researchers from different European and American research institutes will present their latest experiments in theory and practice.

Studies in Advanced Structural Design

Structures are complex systems providing strength, stiffness and stability to buildings. This course starts with a brief history of the most common types of constructions before going on to detailed studies of structural principles and forms that describe the potential of the various systems. The investigation includes the comparison of construction details, buildability issues and other non-structural design challenges. Advanced methods used in structural engineering are introduced and discussed throughout the course. Coursework focuses on the analysis of an existing building, looking at drawings and photographs to gain understanding of its structural behaviour and to develop alternative concepts or alterations of the existing structure. The objective is to make students more aware of structural options and thus more comfortable during the development of their unit project designs and in their future professional endeavours.

Technology Transfers or Technomimetics

This course hinges on the simple observation that the world around us, from artefacts to living things, is bursting with structural engineering ready to be applied to buildings. We will start by exploring the use of materials in the context of structures where weight is a primary concern, and will then explore the relationship of some familiar everyday objects and living organisms to buildings. After this, we will investigate some of the production, transformation and assembly processes used in other industries and their possible cross-pollination with construction processes, before looking at the spectrum of technologies currently employed on a building site. The course will conclude by examining the way design is supported by information technology and communicated through production, fabrication and assembly.

Environmental Modelling & Simulation

This hands-on technical course is on the use of environmental design software for the generation and assessment of climate data and the simulation of solar, thermal and lighting processes in and around real or virtual buildings. An introduction to fundamental environmental design parameters is followed by a study of adaptive comfort mechanisms relating to the different climatic, programmatic and operational conditions characterising unit projects. This becomes input for modelling and simulation studies using software aimed at achieving thermal and visual comfort with minimum use of non-renewable energy sources.

Form, Energy and Environment

The course explores design territories where architecture and engineering meet. Its aim is to help students create holistic buildings with strong sustainability credentials and attributes that delight their occupants as well as the general public. The course explores the links between building form, energy and the micro/ macro environments and reviews the development of the building skin. It explores the use of passive energy design techniques and the exploitation of renewable energy sources on real projects. We will analyse how specific buildings have benefited from the use of computational modelling tools, placing emphasis on human comfort and energy use. Students will complete a two-part design assignment. The first part includes researching case studies of buildings in different climatic zones. The second involves conceiving a futuristic building that is capable of pushing the normal design and social boundaries within the built environment.

Fifth Year Technical Thesis

With Giles Bruce, Christina Doumpioti, Kenneth Fraser, Mehran Gharleghi, Martin Hagemann, David Illingworth and John Noel The Technical Design Thesis is a substantial individual work developed under the guidance of Javier Castañón and the Diploma TS Staff. Tutorial support and guidance is also provided within the unit. The central interests and concerns may emerge from current or past design work, or from one of the many lecture and seminar courses the student has attended in previous years. The thesis is contextualised as part of a broader dialogue in which the technical and the architectural agendas that arise within the unit are synthesised, and its critical development is pursued through case studies, material experiments and extensive research and consultation.

Technical Studies Tutors

Head of Technical Studies / Diploma Master

Javier Castañ̃ón is in private practice as director of Castañ̃ón Associates (London) and Castañ̃ón Asociados (Madrid).

Intermediate Master

Wolfgang Frese studied at Stuttgart and the Bartlett. He is an associate at Alsop Architects working on many international projects.

Programme Staff

Giles Bruce is a chartered architect specialising in environmental performance. He is a graduate of the AA SED programme (Distinction 2007). In addition to directing a_zero environmental architects, he teaches environmental design at the AA and the University of Nottingham.

Philip Cooper is technical director of Cameron Taylor Bedford, Consulting Engineers, located in Cambridge. He has taught at Cambridge University, Leeds University and the AA.

Christina Doumpioti is an architect and received her Masters of Architecture (Dist) from the AA and has worked at Arup Associates. She was Studio Master in the EmTech graduate programme at the AA and co-director of the Biodynamic Structures AA Visiting School. She is currently pursuing a PhD at the Royal College of Art.

Ian Duncombe is a Director of BDSP Partnership, which he co-founded in 1995. The practice has worked on projects including the Zayed National Museum in Abu Dhabi and 30 St Mary Axe. Current work includes Central Market in Abu Dhabi. He graduated from the University of Bath in 1987.

Kenneth Fraser has taught at the AA since 2007 and is a director of Kirkland Fraser Moor Architects (k-f-m.com). He served as an advisor to the Department of the Environment Construction Research and Innovation Strategy Panel.

Clive Fussell is a Chartered structural engineer who has worked on projects in the Middle East, the USA and the UK. and at Buro Happold Engineers. In 2010 he became a founding director of Engenuiti. He studied Engineering Science at Oxford University and in 2001 graduated from the Interdisciplinary Design for the Built Environment (IDBE) Masters Degree at the University of Cambridge.

Ben Godber is a structural engineer with a background in architecture. He is the founding Director of Godber & Co. He studied architecture at the Bartlett and civil engineering at Imperial College. He teaches at the Bartlett and is currently Associate Lecturer in structures at the University of Kent.

Martin Hagemann is an architect at Grimshaw's, where he is a member of the computational design and biomimicry research groups.

David Illingworth is a chartered structural engineer working in Buro Happold. He studied civil and structural engineering at the University of Sheffield and was awarded a Happold Scholarship. He has also tutored at the Welsh School of Architecture and lectured at Imperial College. Anderson Inge studied architecture at the AA and at the University of Texas at Austin before completing additional academic training in structural engineering (at MIT) and sculpture (at St Martins).

John Noel studied civil engineering at Imperial College, London and the RWTH Aachen, Germany. He worked with Buro Happold in London until 2010. He is a senior engineer at T/E/S/S Atelier d'Ingénierie, in Paris.

Manja Van de Worp is a graduate of the AA's Emergent Technologies & Design programme.

Fernando Perez Fraile studied architecture in Spain and worked at Frank O Gehry and Associates. He joined IDOM in 1993 and in 2001 he set up IDOM UK. He has taught at the University of Navarre and collaborated with the TS Department at the AA since 2002.

Consultants

Carolina Bartram
Ian Duncombe
Ben Godber
Martin Hagemann
Emanuele Marfisi
Simos Yannas
Mohsen Zikri