Intentional Sameness, Non-Choice Placements and Non-Creative Design.

with Büro Bietenhader Moroder with Letizia Guido
#intentionalsameness #noncreativedesign #noncreativity #nonchoices #dumbplacements #redvienna

Image Credits: WStLA, Die Wohnhausanlagen der Gemeinde Wien im XXI. Bezirk : I. Wagramerstraße, Steigenteschgasse, Lenkgasse ; II. Meissnergasse, Andreas Hugergasse, Wien : Thalia, [ca. 1926],

Ad hoc subversions and disruptions, endless differentiations, tricks and hacks are the traits of the architecture of “end of history”-optimism that accompanied the phase of laissez-faire economics since 1989. Although self-contradictory, out of the box thinking, and all the other labels of creativity and smartness have become absolutely mainstream in architecture.

In the current time, these mini subversions of the optimistic approach seem inappropriate to deal with issues, that demand for serious planning and commitment. The architecture of optimism has run its course. Being creative has become a bit sad. Finding tricks and twists is frustrating and meaningless. These acts of mini-rebellion hold no joy. How can you happily pervert the current order after deregulations and the simultaneous introduction of complex legal incentives and exceptions have made the current order itself a depository of tricks and twists?

To get out of the obligation of creativity and the painful search for the last exceptions Büro Bietenhader Moroder has developed a rigorous methodology for designing emancipatory architecture that is so directly un-creative, so happily non-smart, clear and basic that it is dumb. Hereby a totally overlooked formal quality of architecture was discovered: Maximalist intentional sameness. Maximalist intentional sameness relies on formal qualities that enhance the sameness of floorplans, facades, building volumes or masterplans far beyond mere industrial or functionalist seriality. Here we find specific non-creative formal compositions and aesthetics as well as non-choice placements of an intrinsically public architecture that gives shape to a collective life that is affordable and emancipatory.

In the workshop basic questions of intentional sameness and non-choice placements will be developed through a series of exercises in clay modelling. An inner court between public housing blocks with several social infrastructures as well as a large shared flat, both in the scale of 1:100, will be modelled in order to introduce the emancipatory quality of an architecture that is blatantly public, without seeking the legitimacy of elegance, good proportions, dynamics etc.

www.buerobietenhadermoroder.com

Sebastian Bietenhader studied architecture at the ETH Zurich (BSc.) and at the Harvard GSD, as well as history and philosophy of knowledge, also at the ETH Zurich (MA.), where he did a thesis on the development of the computer modelling space, which will be essential for BIM. He headed the student discussion group ‘Ambitus.’ He is a regular guest critic at the ETH Zurich and has been teaching architecture at various institutions.

Matthias Moroder studied architecture (AA Dipl.) at the Architectural Association in London, art history (BA) and philosophy (BA) at the University of Vienna and history and theory of architecture (MAS) at the ETH Zurich. Besides the work as Büro Bietenhader Moroder, since 2018 he is co-leading MAGAZIN, an independent exhibition space for architecture in Vienna. He is currently a PhD candidate at the department of art history of the University of Vienna and has been teaching architecture and architectural history and theory at various institutions.

Maria Letizia Guido graduated at Politecnico di Milano, pursuing a double degree at Paris Val de Seine, she is actually living and working in Brussels. She has experiences in working in architecture and landscape offices. Her works intersect architecture, landscape, visual arts, theatrical and performative practices, self-construction and participatory actions in close contact with local communities. She is an active member of EASA.

︎︎︎ MEDIA Clay Model Making

︎︎︎LOCATION Main location

︎︎︎TEACHING LANGUAGE  English

︎︎︎WHAT TO BRING No specific requirements

︎︎︎REQUIREMENTS  No specific requirements

︎︎︎MAXIMUM NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS 5

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