A42F2B Free Architectural Studio 4:2 12.0 credits

Project 2 Beyond Utopia: “Program for the Contemporary City”
The question will be raised what would the Program for the Contemporary City be like today in the context of the 21st cen-tury Sweden. The students would investigate urban paradigms of today consisted of new programs, infrastructures, new typologies, the nature of contemporary public space. The students would learn to better understand the socio-political, economic, technological and infrastructural impact on cities and test theoretical, strategic and programmatic tools for the development of urban and architectural proposals.

The scenario of massive urban migration to the cities will be applied to the context of the beginning of the 21st century
to specific sites in Sweden. The question will be raised what would the Program for the Millions be like today if we were to face similar challenges of the post WWII period in the contemporary conditions of today. The students will study urban models and case studies of “The Program for the Millions” projects, extract data, analyse different typologies,
their urban qualities, ideological influences and identify how has the change of times affected the use of the urban space. The new urban models will be proposed in relation to the challenges of the contemporary life. Such as the environmental issues, changing family structures, greater diversity of population, new technologies, political and economic forces, and various aspects of globalization. The focus would be on testing the limits of the flexible planning in the attempt to anticipate and absorb changes that could affect future urban development and the test of time. Global urban challenges of today would thus be tested on the cases of urban development in Sweden.The new possibilities for planning new urbanities will be explored from aspects of contemporary principles. The students
would invent new urban paradigms consisted of new programs, infrastructures, urban frameworks and typologies,
new forms of public space. The students would learn to better understand the socio-political, economic, technological
and infrastructural impact on cities and test theoretical, strategic and programmatic tools for the development of concrete urban and architectural proposals with high degree of complexity. The collaboration with an Office of City Planning in Sollentuna Commune, a suburb of Stockholm is in the planning.

Beyond Utopia: “Program for the Contemporary City

Overall goals
The project is part of the Urban Studio.
Studio Description: This studio discusses sustainable urban development in terms of globalization, climate changes, mega cities and urban strategies - transformed into new typologies and innovative urban design.
2. The course/project goal is to increase the student's knowledge in this area/field and skills/knowledge in the field of architecture in general. The students will enter the project with varying degrees of knowledge/skills and will subsequently end up at different levels at the end of the course/project.
 3. The individual student must show an increase in the particular skills/knowledge offered in the studio and in the field of architecture in general.

Course goals
The course will further build upon the practical and theoretical tools and methods from project 1.The period after the WWII in Sweden was a time of massive economic growth. The demographic and cultural change in Sweden resulted in the resettlement of large rural populations to cities. A program for the development of 1.4 million apartment units was conducted to accommodate new urban population. The project was called “miljonprogramet” (The Program for the Millions) Evidence of this type of city development is present throughout the Swedish urban landscape.In the book recently published by The London School of Economics, “The Endless City”, Deyan Sudjic claims that a large number of cities in a world today are growing at the rapid speed, greater than ever in human history. As a result the majority of the world population now for the first time lives in cities. The majority of the city authorities and planners are still not effectively prepared to act proactively, instead they have been attempting to cope with the consequences of rapid urban expansion and it’s effects on the environment and resources.

Bachelor’s Degree, or an equivalent level, within the field of Architecture.

Required:
The Endless City: The Urban Age Project by the London School of Economics and Deuthsche Banks’s Alfred Herrhausen
Society. Phaidon Press. Edited by Ricky Burdett and Deyan Sudjic
Visionary Power, Producing the Contemporary CitySasskia Sassen, Nai Publ. 2007
Sociopolis Project for the City of the FutureVicente Guallart.
Suggested:
Brussels - A Manifesto Towards the Capital of EuropeA Berlage Institute Project. NAi Publishers, Rotterdam
Supports: An Alternative to Mass Housing.Habraken, N.J. Second English Edition. Urban International Press, London, 1999.
Triumph of Realization. Köln: Taschen.Koolhaas, Rem (Ed.). 2004.

If the course is discontinued, students may request to be examined during the following two academic years.

• PRO1 - Project part 1, 9.0 credits, grading scale: P, F
• PRO2 - Project part 2, 3.0 credits, grading scale: P, F

Based on recommendation from KTH’s coordinator for disabilities, the examiner will decide how to adapt an examination for students with documented disability.

The examiner may apply another examination format when re-examining individual students.

The course consists of two parts; a fulfilled and delivered project work (9 credits) and a passed final assessment (3 credits). There is at least one intermediate assessment during the course.

a) Presentation requirements
Individual work to be presented on min. 3 - A1 format sheets.
Include edited relevant work from previous presentations.
(More detailed requirements to be issued two weeks before final presentation). Minimum requirements:
• Analytical diagrams, mapping studies of the site in plans and sections, scale: 1:400 -1:1000 or as required by the project scale
• Urban scale drawing of the proposal 1 plan and 1 section: 1:400 -1:1000 or as required by the project scale
• Plans of the typologies at 1:200 scale
• 2 sections and 2 elevations at 1:200 scale
• Developed 3D visualizations of the proposal at the urban scale(3d digital models, collage)
• 3D renderings of the propsal at the scale od the observer (perspective or axonometric)
• Images, samples, diagrams, and or details depicting ideas for material and construction methods.
• A physical model of the site and the conceptual model of the proposal at urban scale (1:400 to 1:1000) The presentation format for the final presentation will include a power point presentation of all individual work and printed material. All relevant video and photographic material dealing with analysis and the proposal is to be presented.

b) Examination
80% attendance. Active participation in lectures, tutorials, and seminars etc. Passed intermediate and final assessments. Compulsory attendance during the assessment reviews.
Completion: The project work shall be delivered and, if necessary, reworked within the set time limit.  See general directions.
(Overall principle: Autumn term projects must be approved during the following Spring term: Spring term projects must be approved before the start of the following Autumn term. The reworked projects must be delivered at least one week before the time limit.)
The project work is to be documented in a portfolio, including drawings, analysis and models. The work process shall be legible.

Per Fransson

• All members of a group are responsible for the group's work.
• In any assessment, every student shall honestly disclose any help received and sources used.
• In an oral assessment, every student shall be able to present and answer questions about the entire assignment and solution.