Situations Spring

Studio Theme

In this studio we apply an expanded view of what architecture can do. We learn from socially engaged architectural practices, civil society and situated perspectives among engaged residents in large-scale post-war housing areas. In contemporary Sweden these environments are inhabited by diverse populations and many times marked by stigma. But they are also often characterized by a strong civil engagement and local organizing. The studio draws on feminist theory and provides an opportunity to develop situated critiques of dominant urban discourses on ‘social sustainability’.

Methods The studio is given in collaboration with the Sustainable Urban Planning and Design program at KTH and provides an interdisciplinary and international learning environment. The studio is research based and we work with mappings and ethnographic research methods, including participant observation and interviews, alongside artistic, design-led research practices and different modes of visual representation. Teaching formats include lectures, seminars, workshops, peerreviews and study visits. In P3 explorative work will be carried out mainly in groups. In P4 you will individually develop a design project proposing a ‘care-full’ architectural intervention.