Academic research developed at DIA
Directed by Karim Soliman
“We tend to view architecture as permanent, as aspiring to the status of monument. And that kind of architecture has its place. But so does architecture of a different sort” Allison Arieff, The New York Times; article name: it is time to rethink ‘temporary’
Pop-up studio will concentrate on a topic of small scale but of high complexity; to design a temporary structure. Such a task has been always an interesting challenge for architects, to explore new possibilities, to domesticate different sciences and technologies, and to shape the future of our physical and virtual environment. Material vs structure, digital fabrication methods vs. cost and creating new tectonics that serve our needs of tomorrow; these are some of the challenges we face today.
Temporary structures are usually created for a specific event. They can vary in size, function and life span. In this semester, we will be focusing on events like World Expo Dubai 2020, Venice Biennale, Serpentine Pavilion, international Automotive fairs (IAA Frankfurt, Paris..etc), Milan Design week, Fashion Houses, Music Festival and Themed Festivals ( Burning Man).
Students will start to select remarkable temporary buildings and analyze their anatomy. Later they will be asked to choose a client to represent in one of these events. After an extensive research about both the client and the theme of the event, students will have to define a program and concept for the pavilion. This will be followed by successive experiments to investigate materials and digital fabrication techniques in order to deliver their original designs.