Ivrea

Monday 16 – Friday 27 July 2012

Adriano Olivetti believed that the factory could be the focus for a new ideal community that could counteract the atomisation of modern society. In the 1950s, the Olivetti complex in Ivrea became a world industrial capital and a pioneering embodiment of his vision of ‘Comunità’ – a direct application of architecture to improve the living standards of the workers. 

The Olivetti productive facilities at Ivrea are now defunct and are being transformed into call centres and generic workplaces for the knowledge economy. Workshop participants will be asked to investigate their adaptive reuse as part of a long-term project exploring the relations between architecture and contemporary conditions of production promoted by the AA and the Adriano Olivetti Foundation. This year’s brief will focus on the design of a prototypical live/work environment.

The experimental design workshop will introduce industrial methodologies and manufacturing processes with the aim of familiarising students with the use of PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) technologies to conceive, design and manufacture an architectural product. 

In phase one, the research will begin from the generic unit understood as a live/work environment using a customwritten application of Digital Project led by Gehry Technologies. This will result in a prototype, which will be developed in line with emerging industrial standards and techniques including DMU (Digital Mock Ups) and RP modules. 

The second phase will test the ability of these prototypes to cluster into a civic ensemble and propose experimental reuses of the Olivetti facilities. Software sessions will be focused on advanced parametric design and Dessault Systems’ industrial platforms such as Simulia and Delmia for structural testing and assembly simulation.

A final product based on the graphic qualities of Olivetti advertising campaigns will result in posters exploring the architectural possibilities developed through the process. 

The two-week course will be supported by a series of interdisciplinary seminars which will be collected into a publication and also exhibited in London, Ivrea and Rome.

Applications

The deadline for applications is 2 July 2012. All participants travelling from abroad are responsible for securing any visa required. After payment of fees, the AA can provide a letter confirming participation in the workshop. A portfolio or CV is not required, only the online application form and payment.

Fees

The AA Visiting School requires a fee of £695 per participant, which includes a £50 Visiting Membership. If you are already a member, the total fee will be reduced automatically by £50 by the online payment system. Fees are non refundable. A limited number of scholarships will be offered on an interview-based system. Fees do not include flights. Accommodation during the workshop is not provided, but advice accommodation options can be advised.

Students need to bring their own laptops, digital equipment and model making tools. Please ensure this equipment is covered by your own insurance as the AA takes no responsibility for items lost or stolen at the workshop.

Eligibility
The workshop is open to architecture and design students and professionals worldwide.