• Course title: MARCH Design Studio semester I
• Number of ECTS: 8
• Course code: F3_ARCHIT-1
• Module(s): Design Studio semester I
• Language: EN
• Mandatory: Yes

The design studio helps students to achieve the following goals:(1)To position themselves in contemporary debates in architecture;(2)To develop critical analytical tools to read and understand urban development;(3)To acquire proficiency of the spatial requirements of various functions and uses; (4)To acquire the necessary skills for the presentation of projects;(5)To develop the capacities to design complex urban and architectural projects;(6)To mature in quantification and communication strategies of urban and architectural projects.(7)To develop a sensitivity for structures and sustainable construction methods. 

MIX-Uecht. In Luxembourg, as in many other European regions, people (policy makers and architects, dentists and shopkeepers, students and clergymen, midwives and farmers) tend to believe a story of urbanisation that is as clear as it is simple. A story of urbanisation that leads towards a rather predictable plot, namely to build more, higher, denser, faster through the development of large projects.  The logic behind this story is direct and clear. It aims to provide tangible answers to real and urgent questions in society: the need for more sustainable and affordable housing; the need to renew some of the outdated housing stock; the need for better infrastructure; etc.The logic behind this story of urbanisation is so direct and so clear that it has become the dominant mode of thought on how to ‘move forward’ with so-called vacant or ‘under-used’ lots of land, which do not meet up to the expectations. And by moving forward in such manner, driven by abstract goals and universal ideals, projects do not necessarily cater for the local needs on the ground, in the neighbourhood, in the community that inhabits a specific territory. In general, one could say the “most innovative” take on local spatial planning in Luxembourg is to develop brownfields before taking landscape. In the design studio we select a very particular kind of ‘new’ brownfield, namely a terrain full of garage boxes in the centre of Esch. On this site, we aim to ‘park the plot’ of the story where the image of the future simply provides more of the same, i.c. denser, higher, faster. The design studio parks the plot to develop a parking lot in Esch (Uecht), full of garage boxes, into another dense housing neighbourhood, following the traditional forms and processes of urban development. The goal of the design studio is rather to open up the gaze and to diversify. Thereby we assess the complexity of the site — which prevented the site of being developed over the last decades in a ‘business as usual’ approach — as a huge quality. This complexity is defined by the limited accessibility of the site, the scattered ownership structure, the proximity of existing housing projects on the edges of the urban block, and the general density of uses which has to be considered in the equation. In the design studio we consider the planning label which the zone received —MIX.U— as an open invitation to embrace the complexity of a truly mixed use of urban space. A ‘mixed use’ in the most literal sense of the word(s), characterised by the collaboration between different actors, stakeholders, users, owners, development models. All but the mixed use that is a mere mix of functions, as we find it in the portfolio of many real estate developers. The design studio aims at a mixed use that benefits the citizens of Esch, and not simply the owners of the property that will be developed.

50% participation in the studio during the semester 50% final jury, taking into account the qualities of the narrative, the design and the used skills to develop and communicate the project.

Bibliography:

A list of reference projects, study reports and literature will be provided at the beginning of the semester. 

• Course title: MARCH Design Studio semester I INDIV WORK
• Number of ECTS: 0
• Course code: F3_ARCHIT-59
• Module(s): Design Studio semester I
• Language: FR
• Mandatory: Yes

• Course title: MARCH Rhino Workshop
• Number of ECTS: 0
• Course code: F3_ARCHIT-22
• Module(s): Design Studio semester I
• Language: EN
• Mandatory: Yes

The workshop offers an introduction to the Rhino 3D, with emphasis on workflows for three-dimensional (3D) modelling using Rhino commands. The course will cover basic 2d drawing, tracing and drafting techniques and their application to creating 3d form and surfacing. Additionally,  students will be introduced

 to Rhino grasshopper and parametric design.

Workshop content: Introduction to the interface and navigation of Rhino 3D Drawing, creating and editing geometry using curves, arcs and using 2D Rhino commands Methods of generating 3D geometry and editing tools Rhino grasshopper and parametric design 

• Course title: MARCH GIS Workshop
• Number of ECTS: 0
• Course code: F3_ARCHIT-9
• Module(s): Design Studio semester I
• Language: EN
• Mandatory: Yes

Students will be introduced to the use of Geographic Information Systems and (GIS) and their application to urban and territorial analysis and design. The main objective is to learn different techniques for representing and analyzing spatial data, as well as for modelling and simulate future scenarios.More specifically, students will learn:How to look for spatial (georeferenced) data, and how to clean and process data.How to deal with projections and Coordinate SystemsHow to work with GIS common files and datasetsHow to represent and edit layersThe basic use of vector and raster GIS toolsHow to create density and interpolation mapsHow to represent topography, Digital Elevation Models and perform surface analysisHow to represent economic or socio-demographic dataHow to perform Multicriteria AnalysesThe course has several components: lectures, technical tutorials and practice.The course takes place on two intensive days: Wednesday 20 Sept (08.45- 17.30) and Thursday 21 Sept ( 13.15-19.15). Please check your GE for room nr.Obligatory:  Yes

n.a.

• Course title: MARCH Laser Cutter & 3D Printer Workshop
• Number of ECTS: 0
• Course code: F3_ARCHIT-41
• Module(s): Design Studio semester I
• Language: EN
• Mandatory: Yes

• Course title: MARCH Research Methods in Architecture
• Number of ECTS: 3
• Course code: F3_ARCHIT-18
• Module(s): Architecture I
• Language: EN
• Mandatory: Yes

 “Performing research” will be the topic of this semesters course in Research Methods in Architecture. While researching, theorizing, and practicing architecture are sometimes considered distinct activities, we will work from the idea that they are always related as praxis and even can be considered “intra-active” practices. We will explore how research is embodied and collective, and consider the ethical, epistemological and ontological dimensions of “producing knowledge” about (the) world(s). In the course we will cover how to; find and consult relevant literature on your research subject (building a bibliography and literature review); develop research question(s) and objectives; position ourselves as researchers using relevant theory; and select/create and perform appropriate methods for data collection/creation, data analysis, and data dissemination.Without being exhaustive the course prepares you to conduct transdisciplinary research by introducing a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods and giving specific attention to creative research methods and researching with/as design and artistic practices. The course will combine lectures, workshops, short writing assignments and a final experimental research dissemination project.

 

50 % participation in the seminar and 50 % final research project.

Research dissemination project based upon research performed in the framework of this course and its lectures and workshop sessions: Dissemination format chosen in consultation with lecturer + accompanying essay of ca. 1000 words, written according to scientific standards (including footnotes and references).

Submission deadline of the research dissemination projects: Monday 22 January 2024 ( 6pm)

**Attendance mandatory**

 

Recommended reading:

(Introduction) Linda Groat & David Wang (2002), Architectural Research Methods . New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Available online on www.a-z.lu

(Introduction) Bathla, Nitin, ed. Researching Otherwise: Pluriversal Methodologies for Landscape and Urban Studies. Zurich: gta Verlag, 2024 Available as Open Access pdf here: https://verlag.gta.arch.ethz.ch/en/gta:book_aa2eac2a-c37a-4219-b6d4-5ee46dac78bd

Further list of readings will be communicated during the semester!

• Course title: MARCH Seminar on Representation
• Number of ECTS: 3
• Course code: F3_ARCHIT-35
• Module(s): Architecture I
• Language: EN
• Mandatory: Yes

Expected learning outcomes of this seminar can be divided along the following lines:

Development of an integrative approach to architectural design based on contemporary practices and theories related to walking

In-situ knowledge of Luxembourg’s urban landscape

Critical reflection on the tools, techniques, and methods of architectural production

The seminar introduces students to the practice of “aesthetic walking” (Careri 2005) or “strolling” (Burckhardt 2022) as a form of project-making in architectural and urban design. Rather than a passive act of information gathering, walking is understood as a fully embodied, embedded, and situated act of experiencing and producing one’s urban surroundings contextually. It emphasizes the role of the “lived body” — the moving and perceiving body — as the primary means of experiencing cities from a first-person perspective (Merleau-Ponty 2012). In this seminar, students will engage in a series of walks or strolls through Luxembourg’s cities, mapping their urban experiences cartographically, before translating them into models, performances, installations, platforms, videos, etc. The goal of these individual and collective interventions is to explore the potentials and limitations of traditional architectural and urban representation methods – such as maps, plans, or sections – to convey a first-person experience of navigating an urban landscape. The seminar also encourages speculation on alternative modes of architectural “expression,” ones which more poetically reflect the phenomenological experience of city life than dots or lines on a map. Additionally, the seminar provides a space to reflect on the role of interpreters, that is, users who contribute their own bodily, social, and emotional experiences to the creation of meaning in a project.Alongside the walks and studio work, the seminar includes participant-led discussions on assigned readings related to phenomenological and enactivist approaches in architecture, critical theory, as well as urban and artistic-architectural case studies, drawing from movements such as the Situationist International, Stalker Collective, Land Art Artists, and others.Works cited in this text:Promenadologie: Se promener pour mieux voir, Document (Paris: Flammarion, 2022);Francesco Careri, Walkscapes: El Andar Como Práctica Estética = Walking as an Aesthetic Practice (Barcelona: G. Gili, 2005);Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Phenomenology of Perception, trans. Donald A. Landes (Abingdon: Routledge, 2012).

A comprehensive bibliography will be distributed at the beginning of the course, scheduled for October 4, 2024.

• Course title: 18-12 Cities, Masterplanning and Urban Governance
• Number of ECTS: 4
• Course code: MAGEO-22
• Module(s): European Urbanisation I
• Language:
• Mandatory: Yes

On completion of the course, a student should be able to

–       orientate in the general discussion of the rationale, justification and trajectories of urban planning,

–       make an informed judgement on the gap between contents and procedures of planning on the one hand and its effective outcomes on the other hand,

–       identify the various elements of i) physical planning and ii) the political process, i.e. activities addressed as forms of governance.

The aim of this course is to make students familiar with central concepts and approaches of urban planning, policy and governance, with a particular emphasis placed on the origins, rationale and elements of physical planning. Physical planning is key to the urban process, by determining land use, providing infrastructure and circulation, and by situating facilities in a way that it might support an efficient overall development of places. For this purpose, particular planning instruments have been developed and applied in much of the industrialized world, such as general land-use plans, particular building plans or more comprehensive, strategic framework plans. Also, informal instruments and procedures such as participative planning became quite popular recently.However, the rationale of planning to steer development (and the related belief in planning to be able to do so) has been challenged by a variety of events, both originating from changes within the planning system and, even more so, of the outside world. A fragmented socio-economic development, processes of individualization, and most notably globalization have been putting a rising pressure on urban and regional places to adapt. Particularly market forces in planning and development and also the increased competitive dynamics among spatial units such as nations, regions and cities turned out to determine planning ambitions. As a consequence, these processes have been shaping the agenda of regulating processes, plans and institutions quite significantly.Against this background, the course explores urban planning theories, practices and discourses in certain detail. The first part of the course is devoted to giving an overview of the more recent historical development of planning. The respective time span starts by and large at the peak of industrialization (late 19th and early 20th century), leading to recovery planning after World War II and then emphasizing the competing ideal-types of planning since the 1950s/60s: modernist vs. traditional planning, compact vs. dispersed development. Today’s master planning of urban expansion, large-scale infrastructure projects or eco-city communities will give most recent insight into the world of planning, yet will also be critically interrogated.On this basis, in the second part of the course participants will have the opportunity to work on selected plans – being these designed for developing a building, a ‘project’, an urban district, selected parts of infrastructure or concerning the future of entire territories. The aim of this exercise is to reconstruct the plans’ contents, justification and implementation, leading to a critical assessment of the plans’ outcomes and thus of urban planning at all. The course finally discusses more recent approaches to re-assert steering processes in the context of ‘governance’, that is, the multi-level and cross-sectoral interaction of various public and private agents set in place to achieve political goals. – A short history of urban and regional planning- Comprehensive planning and the challenge to integration- From urban dynamics to evaluating plans, programmes and practices- Essentials of planning, policy and urban governance- Case study work on selected plans

25 % guided reading and course presentation; 75 % paper report

Selected references

Allmendinger, P., Houghton, G. (2009): Commentary: Critical reflections on spatial planning. Environment and Planning A 41, 2544-2549

Faludi, A. (1970): The planning environment and the meaning of “planning”. Regional Studies 4(1), 1-9

Salet, W. (2014): The Authenticity of Spatial Planning Knowledge. European Planning Studies 22 (2), 293–305

Scott, A. J. (2013): Emerging cities of the third wave. City 15 (3-4), 289-321 (with images and captions by Elvin Wyly)

• Course title: MARCH Architecture of Real Estate
• Number of ECTS: 4
• Course code: F3_ARCHIT-50
• Module(s): Globalisation
• Language: EN
• Mandatory: Yes

The seminar will aim at providing critical and analytical tools for a better understanding of the economic processes that shape (un)built environment. 

Commodified, architecture moves around as real estate. And while, as a built, material form, architecture does “make real estate real” (Martin, et al: 2016), in the context of neoliberal economy, real estate governs architecture as a social and political project. Still, these financial mechanisms that give form to our built environment, remain at the peripheries of architectural discussions. This seminar will look into the architecture of real estate, focusing particularly on the industries—financing, construction, insurance, speculation/rent—that enable and perpetuate commodification of land and housing. We will ask: how could we, as architects and planners, learn to critically access the complex economic materialities of the built world? Each seminar session will involve a collective discussion of one or more selected readings, as well as inputs by invited experts and individual/group tasks (to be defined at the beginning of the course). Students engagement includes: (1) individual preparations for collective discussions of selected readings, (2) small group work (2-3 students) on one of the selected topics, (3) collective work on assembling selected topics into a collaborative seminar report. 

40% participation in weekly discussions (1) 40% small group work on a selected topic (2)20% collective work (3)

Bibliography:

A full list of bibliography and readings will be provided at the beginning of the semester. Some of the selected readings will include fragments from the following references: 

Hertweck, Florian. Architecture on Common Ground. The Question of Land: Positions and Models. Zurich: Lars Müller Publishers, 2020.Lloyd Thomas, Katie, Tilo Amhoff, and Nick Beech, eds. Industries of Architecture. Abingdon and New York: Routledge, 2016.

Martin, Reinhold, Jacob Moore, and Susanne Schindler, eds. The Art of Inequality: Architecture, Housing, and Real Estate. A Provisional Report. New York: The Temple Hoyne Buell Center for the Study of American Architecture, Columbia University, 2015.

• Course title: MARCH The Politics of Architecture
• Number of ECTS: 4
• Course code: F3_ARCHIT-49
• Module(s): Globalisation
• Language: EN
• Mandatory: Yes

The seminar will enable students to identify specific ways in which politics operates in shaping the urban environment and a range of strategies of intervention through critical spatial practices. 

Architecture is no longer a discipline merely serving the interests of economic forces nor a guardian of formal or stylistic purity. In recent years, a series of practices have emerged questioning the agency of architecture and its capacity to trigger changes in society not only in the formal dimension, but rather dealing with the social, political, and economical inequalities originated by capitalism. The goal of this seminar is to provide the students an action-oriented overview of the possible ways of political commitment in architecture and generate discussion on contemporary urban and social issues in which architecture and urbanism acquires a political dimension. The course encourages debate and empathy to help the students to develop and expose arguments to confront the rhetoric of conventional politics that keep citizens away from constructive debate and from the design and construction of the city.  

50% – assistance to the Seminar, reading assigned texts, and participation in the discussions50% – Assignment: One-day public symposium.Students will organise a one-day public symposium. In round table discussion format they will discuss a chosen topic from the ones addressed during the Seminar. They will identify urban challenges and conflicts, confront different positions, and outline strategies of intervention. The debate will be hosted at Cultures of Assembly space in 24 Rue du Brill in Esch-sur-Alzette.

Bibliography:

Students will be provided with a reader containing mandatory readings for the class discussions and complementary bibliography. Readings include texts from the following sources: 

Chantal Mouffe. Feminism, Citizenship and Radical Democratic Politics. The Return of the Political. Verso Books, 2020Florian Hertweck, Nikos Katsikis eds. Positions on Emancipation. Architecture between Aesthetics and Politics. Lars Müller Publishers, 2018Keller Easterling. Medium Design. Knowing How to Work on the World. Verso, 2020Leah Meisterlin. The City is not a Lab. How (not) to experiment in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world. ARPA Journal 01, 2014Markus Bader, Katja Aßmann, Rosario Talevi. Explorations in Urban Practice. Urban School Ruhr Series. dpr-barcelona 2017Markus Miessen. Crossbenching. Toward Participation as Critical Spatial Practice. Sternberg Press, 2016.Merve Bedir. Vocabulary of hospitality. Volume. Architecture of Peace Reloaded. Archis Publishers, 2014Pelin Tan. The Unconditional Experience of Space. The Monument Upside Down. Dutch Art Institute/ArtEZ, 2011.Pascale Lapalud, Chris Blache. Gender & Urban Furniture: A Bench Is A Bench Is A Bench?. The Funambulist. Object Politics, 2016Shannon Mattern. A City Is Not a Computer: Other Urban Intelligences. Princeton University Press, 2021Urban Commons Research Collective. Urban Commons Handbook. dpr-barcelona, 2022Zaida Muxí Martínez. Beyond the Threshold. Women, houses, and cities. dpr-barcelona 2021

• Course title: 04-73 Global Environmental Change in the Anthropocene
• Number of ECTS: 4
• Course code: MAGEO-4
• Module(s): Elective courses
• Language: EN
• Mandatory: No

 On completion of the module a student should be expected to be able to:Understand the relation between human activities and natural processes determining the quality of the environment (incl. the political and management dimension).Apply concepts of risk, vulnerability, adaptation, mitigation and resilience in analysing policies relating to global environmental change.Apply the concept of ecosystem services for taking environmental change into account in spatial planning policies.Understand merits and limitations, and potential abuse of scientific observation and assessment and associated uncertainties.Make judgments on the quality of science underlying evidence-based policies.Evaluate EU and Luxembourg spatial planning and environmental policy recommendations.

Global change in the anthropocene” is an optional course in two programmes: the Master in Geography and Spatial Planning and in the Certificate in Sustainable Development and Social Innovation. It is part of the common Introductory module “European Territorial Trends and Policies” in the Master of Geography and Spatial Planning and it counts as auxiliary course towards the Certificate in Sustainable Development and Social Innovation.  This course provides an overview on global environmental change and current accounts of the role of human activities in this.  The nine sessions start with an introduction on sustainability science on current scientific descriptions of the functioning of the earth system and the role of the biosphere in stabilizing environmental conditions on earth. Subsequent sessions address sea level-rise, risks of flooding and land-use change with a focus on agriculture. Cross cutting themes that are also addressed in dedicated sessions include citizen science, challenges in the characterisation of complex dynamic social-ecological systems and interpretation and communication of scientific uncertainty. Recurring themes are the merits and pitfalls of current approaches to developing evidence-based policy and working with indicators for planning purposes, and the concluding session compares diverse approaches to anticipating future change, and provide a platform for critical discussion of the most relevant overarching EU and Luxembourg policies.

10% participation*30% assignments60% final report

• Course title: Français général A1.1 (Belval)
• Number of ECTS: 4
• Course code: LC_CAT-257
• Module(s): Elective courses
• Language: FR
• Mandatory: No

Communicative skills in French:- introduce oneself, get in touch with someone and introduce someone (name, age, nationality, profession, spelling);- talk about one’s daily environment (address, e-mail, telephone number, talk about one’s family, hobbies);- ask and give news about someone;- know how to find your way: directions/give instructions;- know how to ask for information (orally and in writing);- ask for the time;- write a simple, short message or fill in simple registrations forms with your personal details

After completing this course, you will be able to use familiar everyday expressions and basic phrases. You can introduce yourself and ask and answer questions about personal details. You can interact in a simple way, provided that the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.

This is a general French course, where written and oral comprehension, vocabulary, grammar and spelling are worked on, as well as written and oral expression in French. This course is designed for students with no prior knowledge of French.From the beginning of this course, you will start communicating in French. The covered topics include: greeting, introducing yourself, talking about yourself and your family, describing a city and a neighbourhood, talking about your hobbies and interests. The necessary grammar is explained and ample attention is paid to vocabulary. All skills are covered: speaking, writing, reading and listening. Attention is also paid to the cultural context of Luxembourg.

Continuous assessmentYour final grade will be divided into:•attendance (compulsory) + participation in class: 20%,•2 tests based on oral and written comprehension: 30% •Final test: 50%

BibliographyBonjour et bienvenue A1.1 – tout en français – Livre-cahier + didierfle.appISBN 978-2278110803100% FLE – Grammaire essentielle du français A1 – livre + didierfle.appISBN978-2278109234

• Course title: Key concepts in human geography
• Number of ECTS: 4
• Course code: MAGEO-1
• Module(s): Elective courses
• Language: EN
• Mandatory: Yes

• Course title: Français général A2.1 (Belval)
• Number of ECTS: 4
• Course code: LC_CAT-126
• Module(s): Elective courses
• Language: FR
• Mandatory: No

Cours en présentiel – campus BelvalCe cours a pour but de renforcer vos connaissances et vos pratiques en langue française, principalement écrite, afin d’enrichir vos productions d’écrits, non seulement dans le cadre de vos études ou de votre métier mais aussi dans les situations de communication avec d’autres personnes.

A l’issue de ce cours vous serez capable de :• Demander et donner des informations sur des habitudes quotidiennes, un emploi du temps• Parler de vos goûts, de vos projets• Faire des suggestions et réagir à des propositions (acquiescer, accepter, s’excuser)• Donner une raison ; expliquer vos choix• Demander et donner des conseils• Parler de votre expérience professionnelle, de votre environnement de travail• Raconter des événements passés, un souvenir, une anecdote, une expérience.

Dans une première partie, nous évaluerons vos besoins et ferons quelques révisions de grammaire telles que :Utilisation du présent, du présent progressif, du passé récent et du futur procheL’interrogation : qui, quoi, comment, est-ce que, quand, combien, …Conjugaison des verbes essentiels : faire, pouvoir, devoir, vouloir, savoir, connaître …Expression du temps : dans, depuis, il y aUtilisation des adjectifs possessifsLes lieux importants de la vie quotidiennela descriptionles directionsles professionsPuis nous approfondirons ces acquis et les enrichirons en travaillant principalement sur des documents authentiques issus de la vie quotidienne

L’évaluation seferaainsi: Deux devoirs à la maison à rendre en semaine 4 et semaine 8 (coefficient 1)Un devoir en classe lors du dernier cours (coefficient 2)Lesdevoirscomprendrontdesexercicesdegrammaire, de vocabulaire et larédactiond’uncourttextepersonnel.La présence aux cours est obligatoire afin de valider les crédits ECTS attribués au cours de français général A2. Au-delà de trois absences, l’étudiant/étudiante ne peut plus valider le cours. 

BibliographieAlter Ego+, Niveau A1-A2, Editions Hachette Objectif Express 1 et 2, Editions HachetteGrammaire essentielle du français A2, 100% FLE, DidierFle

• Course title: International Development, Sustainability and Policy Coherence
• Number of ECTS: 4
• Course code: GOVEUROP-44
• Module(s): Elective courses
• Language: EN
• Mandatory: No

·     To introduce students to predominant theories of development·     To introduce students to development strategies in the context of globalization through discussions with development actors·     To provide an understanding of the social and environmental impacts of development strategies

The field of international development is generally analyzed in terms of policy effectiveness or moral issues related to the imbalance of wealth in the global arena. Such approaches have often limited development debates to material questions focusing on issues such as: the commitment of advanced industrial states to development through public investment; the efficiency with which funds are distributed in development strategies; the moral/political objectives that often are associated with development aid, microfinancing, etc.This course aims to build on this approach to international development by examining cooperation within the context of social cohesion. The premise on which this course is based contends that development is not simply an economic issue because it relates to various relationships between different actors in global affairs, such as: international organizations, states, civil society, individual citizens and economic organizations and companies. Thus, the course asks: “What impact do European actors (including Luxembourg) have on international relationships within the framework of international development?” The course proposes a series of debates, each one focusing on a specific topic related to social cohesion and international cooperation. Following a general introduction by the course instructors, the course will be centered on discussions with practitioners and experts in the field of international development.

Final Grade: Students must submit a 15-20 page (double spaced) research paper on a topic of their choice that is related to sustainability or development by 19 January 2024. The paper should include the following elements:                      IntroductionIncluding Research Question to which the paper responds                   Literature Review                 Conceptual Approach or Hypotheses                Methods                  Empirical Research                Conclusion 

Bibliographie  Amartya Sen. Development as Freedom. Anchor, 2000. Jeffrey Sachs. The End of Poverty. Penguin, 2006. J. Timmons Roberts and Amy Bellone Hite. The Globalization and Development Reader: Perspectives on Development and Global Change. Wiley Blackwell 2007. (optional) Harlan Koff. Social Cohesion in Europe and the Americas. PIE-Peter Lang, 2009.

• Course title: MARCH Design with Integrated Disciplines II
• Number of ECTS: 12
• Course code: F3_ARCHIT-12
• Module(s): MARCH Design with Integrated Disciplines II
• Language: EN
• Mandatory: Yes

Exploring urban repair as a paradigm facing climate change and resource scarcity.

Mapping phenomena related to urban repair and analysing socially, functionally, morphologically and typologically an urban fragment.

Developing architectural and urban strategies for an alternative production of space to the classic extensive building processes.   

Representing and presenting architectural and urban strategies and concepts.

     

Differdange is the third largest municipality in Luxembourg, located in the south-western border area with France and thus in the transnational rust belt with mines in the surrounding area and a significant steel factory which is still active today and still characterises the urban territory. However, the steel industry no longer has the same relationship with the city than in the industrial age: the mines have long since been closed and are now used for tourism, while the factory workers hardly live in Differdange anymore and do not shape life anymore in the city. The population of Differdange is now more diverse in terms of employment, with many people now working in Luxembourg City or at the university in Belval. However, the Portuguese community, which works mainly in the construction sector, is still significant with a share of more than 40 percent of the overall population.Although the municipality, unlike other former steelmaking locations across the border, has a significant annual budget and benefits in principle from Luxembourg’s prosperity, it is finding it extremely difficult to cope with structural change and the socio-ecological transition of its urban development. Today, the city has hardly any high-quality public spaces. The vacancy rate in the old town is very high, even though there are still many pubs. Like many other municipalities, Differdange has made urban life difficult for itself by bringing a shopping mall into the city that the local retail trade cannot compete with. The area around the shopping mall, with two new high-rise buildings, schools and many new apartment buildings, resembles a not very attractive generic suburb, even if the large red neon writing is supposed to suggest local identity. Like many other border towns, Differdange is characterised by massive transit traffic of cross-border commuters, which cuts through the city and causes poor air quality and high carbon emissions. Traffic congestion during rush hours has now reached unbearable levels for the inhabitants. The topography of the area and the extremely narrow morphology of the city add to the tunnel effect of the road traffic. So far, city politics has not come up with any better ideas than to shield schoolchildren and other pedestrians from traffic with railings.These are anything but trivial starting points for guiding the development of the city to a good end. The city’s aspiration to become climate-neutral by 2030 as part of the European Union’s Horizon Project is an opportunity to give spatial form and urban quality to the concept of transition, beyond techno-fix solutions. In addition to the didactic component, the studio sees itself as contributing to socio-ecological transition of a town in Luxembourg where the aim is to show politicians and city administrators that climate neutrality is not just about photovoltaic energy, electric mobility and waste separation.The Design Studio starts with the hypothesis of a very simple restructuring of car traffic and, in a first step, looks at how this might change the street space. What new qualities arise from a banal diversion and reduction of traffic? The question of how the quasi-dystopian space through which traffic passes can be transformed into a series of pleasant and lively squares with attractive facilities, but also how the section of the main road could be redesigned, will be investigated. In a second step, six locations will be specified for the design of the public space and of hybrid buildings able to change over time. These buildings will engage with the automobile, they will rethink parking and at the same time offer complementary uses. Their structure will enable them to change and adapt to other uses. They are intended to symbolise the transition from a transitory car city to a city where people and their needs come first.

50% participation in the studio, 50% midterm and final project presentation.

BIBLIOGRAPHY :

Florian Hertweck, “ Berlin – From Castle in the Air to Creative Metropolis”, in: A + U, no 11/2002, 84-93.Florian Hertweck, Markus Miessen, “Less is more – zur Strategie der Suffizienz für eine nachhaltige Stadt-Land-Entwicklung“, in: ARCH+, no 250/2022, 60-67.Arno Brandlhuber, Florian Hertweck, Thomas Mayfried, Dialogioc City. Berlin wird Berlin , Walther König Verlag, Cologne, 2015.Markus Miessen, Kenny Cupers, Spaces of Uncertainty Berlin Revisited, Birkhäuser, Basel 2018.Oswald Mathias Ungers, Rem Koolhaas, with Peter Riemann, Hans Kollhoff, Arthur Ovaska, The city in the city. Berlin: a Green Archipelago, critical edition by Florian Hertweck and Sébastien Marot, Lars Müller Publishers, Zurich 2013.  

• Course title: Workshop – Laser Cutter
• Number of ECTS: 0
• Course code: F3_ARCHIT-53
• Module(s): MARCH Design with Integrated Disciplines II
• Language: EN
• Mandatory: Yes

• Course title: MARCH Design Studio II Individual work
• Number of ECTS: 0
• Course code: F3_ARCHIT-30
• Module(s): MARCH Design with Integrated Disciplines II
• Language: EN
• Mandatory: Yes

this is your individual work to be performed during all semester at the Design studio ( it is indicated Tuesdays evening just to make it visible on your GE but of course in reality it is during the week, whenever you don t have other courses).

• Course title: Histories of Urbanism, Gender & Urbanization
• Number of ECTS: 5
• Course code: F3_ARCHIT-13
• Module(s): MARCH Architecture II
• Language: EN
• Mandatory: Yes

 

The history of contemporary urbanism is deeply linked to the history of capitalism. In The Origin of Town Planning, Leonardo Benevolo locates the origins of urbanism in the reform movements of the 19th century. But we can also trace this connection to the Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions that marked an exponential growth in the dynamics of urbanisation, with the massive migration of population from rural to urban areas. Often framed as neutral, objective, and rational, the history of urban planning has predominantly been narrated from a patriarchal point of view. As is also the case with capitalism, this narrative hides a gender bias disguised under an apparent universality. Urban planning theories of the 20th century were mainly centred on an understanding and organisation of society in which economic efficiency and productivity dominated. As a result, the reproductive and care activities mainly carried out by women – who provided and nurtured the labour necessary for industry and cities to flourish – were often absent in these narratives.With the advance of capitalism during the 20th century, the division of labour and class also accentuated a gender division. If the Second World War created the conditions for the development and spread of international architecture throughout the Western world, the techniques and materials developed by the war industry also catalysed the development of household appliances marketed for women, to efficiently manage housework. This way, the idea of domestic happiness was born.  But these developments did not call into question the seclusion of women to the domestic sphere and the denial of interaction in circles beyond those related to childcare and housework.This seminar builds on the work of women scholars who are developing an alternative reading of urbanism and spatial planning from the critical perspectives of gender and feminism, thereby challenging canonical urban histories. Such established, normative histories have been championed by and are often dominated by middle-aged white men; their conception of gender roles is usually rooted in patriarchal and hierarchical structures that ensure their reproduction throughout generations. The seminar will enable students to mobilise history as a tool to help them critically read the construction of the city and urbanisation. It will do this by dismantling the apparently innocuous barrier of gender roles that have relegated women to the domestic sphere and reproductive labour. The seminar will be developed through a presentation of histories in which women’s contributions have been fundamental in the spatial construction and social advancement of the city. It will show a history of women writing about the city, women advocating for social rights and women planning homes, neighbourhoods, and cities. The seminar follows a chronological order, to contrast women’s contributions with some established milestones of the normative history of urbanism.

Assessment is divided into attendance and active participation in all classes (50%), and a final assignment (50%). The final assignment will be done in groups of three students, who will develop a critical analysis of related subjects, cases, or texts discussed in the Seminar assisted by AI (Chat GPT or similar). The results will be presented in a public symposium format at COA (Cultures of Assembly) in Esch.Delivery date: Wednesday June 5th 2024

–  ARCH+. Contemporary Feminist Spatial Practices, 2023.– Benevolo, Leonardo. The Origins of Modern Town Planning. Cambridge: The MIT Press, 1971.– Colomina, Beatriz. Domesticity at War. Cambridge: The MIT Press, 2007.– Darling, Elizabeth; Walker, Lynne. AA Women in Architecture 1917-2017. London: AA publications, 2017.– Frichot, Hélène: Gabrielsson, Catharina; Runting Helen. Architecture and feminisms: Ecologies, economies, technologies. New York: Routledge, 2018.– hooks, bell. Teaching New Worlds/New Words (1994). Teaching to Transgress. Education as the Practice of Freedom. London: Routledge, pp. 167-175.– Hayden, Dolores. The Grand Domestic Revolution. A History of Feminist Designs For American Homes, Neighborhoods, and Cities. Cambridge Ma: MIT Press, 1982.– Jacobs, Jane. The Death and Life of Great American Cities. New York: Random House, 1961.– Kern, Leslie. Feminist City. Claiming Space in a Man-made World. London: Verso, 2021.– Matrix. Making Space. Women and the Man Made Environment. London: Verso, 2022.– Muxi Martinez, Zaida (2020) Beyond the Threshold. Women, houses, and cities. Barcelona: dpr-barcelona, 2020

• Course title: TOPIC Urban Ecology
• Number of ECTS: 4
• Course code: F3_ARCHIT-39
• Module(s): MARCH Architecture II
• Language: EN
• Mandatory: Yes

Scientific ecology is the study of the relationships of living organisms (human and non-human) witheach other and their physical ‘milieu’ (environment). Urban ecology concerns the adaptivedevelopment and use of its methods and tools in the urban realm and the city landscape.The first part of the course will introduce the students to the relevant themes and issues of urbanecology.In a second part, acknowledging some of the hidden practices and the environmentally threateningimplications of current architectural and urban planning, we will analyse disciplinary approachespossibly more robust and in accordance with assumptions and findings of urban ecology (research oncase studies).This year’s seminar will focus on the subject of Energy.Energy seen both as the physical ‘life principle of our universe’ and the defining subject, directly orindirectly, of all political, economical issues and negotiations worldwide.Energy in an effort to establish modes of climate change mitigation in all human activities in order tostabilise/reduce CO2 emissions i.e. the co-related devastating effects of global warming on all lifesystems on earth.Energy in the tensionfield between the hypothesis of a historic co-evolution of all global energysystems versus one of energy transition.Energy beyond the slogan of ‘energetic efficiency of buildings’ in a hypothetic ‘decarbonisedsustainable future’.We will ask ourselves: how can we, as architects / urbanists, in a perspective of ecologicalconsciousness, conceive Energy as a constitutive element in our design approaches? The studentswill explore ways of planning and project methodologies highlighting the following themes: Energy and climate- Micro-climate balances in architecture: towards a narrative of thermal integration- Energy landscapes and urban planning- Urban climate governance

Home assignment/Exam/Final presentation: Individually or in groups students will work on themain themes presented during the seminar. Every seminar session will be a lecture, group workingand presentation session.Evaluation: 50 % participation during the course, 50 % final presentation/study

Literature references and resource material will be posted on Moodle.

• Course title: Housing Against Property
• Number of ECTS: 4
• Course code: F3_ARCHIT-58
• Module(s): MARCH European Urbanisation II
• Language: EN
• Mandatory: No

“Simply put, real estate governs. (…) but governing is an art. It derives from techniques, not agents. Inequality is one such technique. It is designed, built into the system. To say what we already know as plainly as possible: Inequality in housing system is an intentional consequence of the real estate system, rather than a historical accident.” Subsumed by the speculative logic of real estate markets, housing today has entered a state of ‘hyper-commodification,’ or as David Madden and Peter Marcuse framed it, a condition in which “all of the material and legal structures of housing—buildings, land, labour, property rights—are turned into commodities.”  Grounded in the logic of private ownership, profit and growth, real estate markets appear as governing devices, able to produce and reproduce different forms of social, racial, gender inequalities. This context, coupled with the pressure of climate change and its political, environmental, and social consequences, positions housing as a central field of struggle and a tool for rethinking social and spatial justice.As a political strategy initiated either through state subsidies or imposed through real estate markets, home-ownership has showed its limits in addressing housing crises, often ending up as a tool for housing speculation and exclusion. However, overcoming of private ownership of housing does not appear as a sufficient step in housing de-commodification. Instead, developing forms of governance that would sustain housing insulation from the logic of real estate market, over continuous periods of time, including maintenance and repair of housing stock as well as flexibility to adapt to the change of structures and needs of different housing communities, appear as necessary for effective challenging of the ownership society. In this context—working with what is already there, with the existing housing stock and its surrounding infrastructure becomes the first necessary step in the project of radical repair of both our built environment, as well as the conditions of social inequality it produces. And while architectural discussions are usually organised around new construction or refurbishing and re-appropriating vacant spaces, a third condition in which architecture exists—that of the abandoned construction site—often falls out of the scope of debate. In the first quarter of 2024 Luxembourg experienced a record 71 bankruptcies (since 2011) in the construction sector alone: a number that marks a rise of 18% from the same period in 2023.  This seminar will start from this condition, tracing, mapping, and thinking the possible futures of housing bankruptcies on the territory of Luxembourg. We will ask: what happens when the development of the city falls into the hands of private developers? Who takes the risk when the financial planning of the project fails? What is a life of a construction site in the landscape of the city, and what happens when the process of construction turns into a permanent condition? Could abandoned construction sites serve as a fragment of a messy reality of real estate markets, that could help us better understand and navigate the co-existence of different forms of occupation and ownership? Could projects like this open up space for rethinking of the ways we live together as well as reconsideration of the roles and responsibilities of different stakeholders involved in the project-making: developers, banks, municipalities, home-owners, city inhabitants, and the public? The seminar will aim at critically accessing the condition of bankrupt housing developments, seeing their unfinished state as a starting point to imagine other kinds of housing futures.

Session 1 — 19 February 2025, 10:00–12:45Session 2 — 26 February 2025, 10:00–12:45Session 3 — 5 March 2025, 10:00–12:45Session 4 — 12 March 2025, 10:00–12:45Session 5 — 19 March 2025, 10:00–12:45Session 6 — 2 April 2025, 10:00–12:45

• Course title: MARCH OUTSIDE: an Introduction to thinking and practicing Landscape Architecture
• Number of ECTS: 5
• Course code: F3_ARCHIT-15
• Module(s): MARCH European Urbanisation II
• Language: EN
• Mandatory: Yes

Get introduction to landscape architecture thinking and practice

Understand how landscapes contribute to liveable urban environments 

Discover the tools of landscape architecture

Design an urban landscape

Present the design

 OUTSIDE is a module that is taught to give architecture students a better understanding of the environment they work in and provide them with basic skills to work with it. The aim is to allow master architecture students to integrate the thinking about landscape into their urban design and architectural thinking. They will view other aspects of the built environment and how it works in relationship with the core architectural work they are familiar with. To make it easy for students to get involved there will be an introductory session on landscape architectural practice before delving into the project work. The micro-studio builds on the architecture studios ‘Infrastructuring Assemblies’ and ‘Climate Reacts, React to Climate’ respectively. A site from the project will be chosen by the student and a landscape project needs to be developed.   The questions can be manifold, here is a selection of subjects that might be interesting for the given studios: Define a landscape design strategy based on an analysis of the existing natural or man-made environment (or a mixture of both)Enhance the integration of the urban design on the site with regards to topography, existing vegetation or geology 

DeliverablesA project presentation – Any chosen form of presentation is acceptable – free hand, digital 2D or 3D drawings, model-making

GRADING:

30% Presence and participation in sessions

30% Development of ideas and process of project development in the form of sketches, writing, collages (to be presented as part of the)

30% final project presentation

• Course title: Transport Systems Analysis
• Number of ECTS: 4
• Course code: MPDD-34
• Module(s): Elective courses
• Language: EN
• Mandatory: Yes

This course provides the fundamentals of traffic and transport systems theory: it aims at understanding and managing the relationship between demand for mobility and the various transportation systems and explains how these lead to economic and societal problems such as congestion, pollution, etc.The goal is to provide a broad view of transportation systems analysis covering both private and public transport systems, and to complement this overview with a discussion of aspects like congestion analysis and management, intelligent transportation systems, traffic data collection methods, and new sustainable options (travel sharing, multi-modality, e-cars, etc.).

1.     Provide the student the student with a basic knowledge of transportation systems and to get in touch with the most relevant issues addressed by transportation systems theory. 

2.     Introduce the student to theoretical and practical tools to analyse traffic and transport systems, to solve traffic management and infrastructure planning and design problems.

1.     Introduction to transport systems analysis and transport planning and management;2.     Supply systems and traffic flow theory: Urban and motorway systems, definition of capacity, Macroscopic models (fundamental diagram approach);3.     Demand and Travel behavior: Basics of random utility theory, decision making processes, choice set generation; 4-stage modelling, OD estimation from traffic data4.     Traffic assignment and equilibrium: Traffic assignment processes; equilibrium principles;5.     Planning and scheduling of Public Transport: Timetabling, railway capacity, safety systems, real-time rescheduling and management; PT planning and design, sustainable mobility, multimodal networks6.     Infrastructure planning and design: Basics of transport economics, pricing problems, road maintenance strategies, design and planning of new infrastructures####################################Theme:1. The complexity of modelling transportation networks is elaborated in detail, from the analysis of the demand to the arising of congestion problems and how to mitigate them.2. Different management solutions are described in the second part of the course to learn how to reduce transportation costs, and seek sustainable mobility targets.

1) Written Examination (end-of-course assessment): 

Objectives: 

Solve numerical exercises and

answer questions on theory

Assessment rules:

5 questions (2 theory, 3 numerical) – 4 points each

Assessment criteria:

At least 2 theory and one exercise must be completed to pass

Weight for final grade: 50 % – MDD

100 %  – MSCE

2)

Be able to collect and analyse data and create a demand model

Assessment rules: 

Follow the 4step model to generate an OD matrix 

Assessment criteria: 

Write a report (3000 words)

Weight for final grade: 50 % – (MDD/MARCH only)

 

Course handouts, course notes.Cascetta E. Transport Systems Analysis. Springer (complementary reading)Ortuzar J. and Willumsen P. Transport Modelling. Wiley (complementary reading)

• Course title: TOPIC Urban Policies and Metropolitan Dynamics in Europe
• Number of ECTS: 4
• Course code: MAGEO-11
• Module(s): Elective courses
• Language: EN
• Mandatory: No

 Upon completion of the course, students should be able to:-        – Describe the current trends and challenges that affect European cities and metropolitan areas.-        – Identify the main concepts and theories related to European urban policy and metropolisation and discuss their contribution and relevance.-        – Critically assess the ways in which these socio-economic trends are captured and treated in empirical studies. 

The main objective of this MA course is to give students an overview of the current urban and territorial developments in Europe as well as of the resulting urban policy responses with regard to the growing urbanisation and globalisation trends. A specific feature of this course is that it analyses these trends and their associated challenges and policy responses from three different perspectives, namely from an urban policy, a conceptual and an applied perspective. The aim of the first part of the course is to critically assess which concepts and theories are able to make sense of the trends and changes that can be witnessed in contemporary Europe. It starts at the European and regional level, with a focus on processes such as globalization, metropolisation and cross-border regionalisation. In response to the emergence of the city as unit of analysis, the attention turns to socio-economic developments at the urban scale, including suburbanization, gentrification and urban regeneration.The objective of the second part of this course is to complement these conceptual considerations with empirical evidence based on case studies and comparative analyses. To achieve this, a great variety of research and studies will be mobilized. The empirical examination of the trends and challenges of urbanization and metropolisation processes in Europe will notably rely on works conducted by ESPON, national planning agencies and European scholars.The third part of this course explores the rationalities behind European urban policies as well as their context, development paths, operating principles and effects from a critical perspective. Conceptualizing urban policy as being dynamic and malleable urges us to reconsider traditional understandings of and approaches to the role of European urban policies in economic and social development as well as the processes by which these policies develop and define themselves in practice.

20% continuous assessment on all parts of the course.80% written exam on all parts of the course.

• Course title: MARCH Design Studio semester III
• Number of ECTS: 9
• Course code: F3_ARCHIT-17
• Module(s): Design Studio Semester III
• Language: EN
• Mandatory: Yes

Students will challenge the very concept of a masterplan and will introduce uncertainty, incremental/decremental change, and diversity of social dynamics in planning and urban regeneration processes.

With the masterplan as the paramount dream of order, urbanism and architecture have been attempting to organise the city setting spatial, administrative, and financial boundaries. This predictive approach is regulated through policies seeking to promote and manage the continuous growth of the city and the prevision of infrastructure and services for its inhabitants. Environmental conditions, geopolitical realities, and migration flows constitute a challenge to planning as have put in evidence that in reality cities are authentic open systems characterised by their unpredictability, emergent changes, diversity, and ever incomplete form. It’s in the spaces between the physical and relational layers where the city pulse as an open system.Following the approach of the previous semester, along the Semester 3, the students will deal with the challenges faced by the city of Esch and how its urban fabric will react with two foreseen projects, towards Belval to the West and Esch-Schifflange to the East, that will determine cities expansion or implosion. The establishment of the University of Luxembourg at the western edge of the municipal territory next to the steel industry remains detached from the city’s historic – and organically grown – urban body. It also poses challenges in mobility and housing solutions for the growing student population. While the Metzeschmelz project attempt to transform a former industrial site into a mixed-use district.Students critically explore the historical masterplans of the city of Esch and their interaction with the ones corresponding to Belval and Esch-Schifflange and will foresee the implementation of protocols and innovative policies that anticipates uncertainty, changes, and celebrate diversity taking in consideration the interaction of social dynamics and reproductive activities in the process or urban regeneration of Luxembourg’s second-most populous commune.

Students will work in (research) groups critically applying the questions and topics that structure the course and the references studied along the semester. The resulting project strategy will be set up as a collaborative team in which Research Groups will have a specific and complementary role. At the end of the semester, the Research Groups will present their work as a unified and unique plan of interventions.Language: EnglishEvaluation criteria50% – Full attendance, work-group performance, commitment in project development.50% – Mid and final reviews. 

Bibliography:

Students will be provided with a reader containing mandatory readings for the class discussions and complementary bibliography. Readings include texts from the following sources: Aristide Antonas. Archipelago of Protocols. dpr-barcelona, 2016Christian Pagh, Thomas Cook eds. Mission Neighbourhood – (Re)forming Communities. Danish Architectural Press, 2023.Eleni Katrini. Creating the Everyday Commons: Spatial Patterns of Sharing Culture. PhD Thesis. Carneige Mellon University, 2019.Keller Easterling. Medium Design. Knowing How to Work on the World. Verso, 2020Leah Meisterlin. The City is not a Lab. How (not) to experiment in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world. ARPA Journal 01, 2014Markus Bader, Katja Aßmann, Rosario Talevi. Explorations in Urban Practice. Urban School Ruhr Series. dpr-barcelona 2017Richard Sennett. The Open City. Routledge, 2017Shannon Mattern. A City Is Not a Computer: Other Urban Intelligences. Princeton University Press, 2021

• Course title: MARCH Master Thesis Preparation Seminar
• Number of ECTS: 3
• Course code: F3_ARCHIT-36
• Module(s): Design Studio Semester III
• Language: EN
• Mandatory: Yes

  Students will be introduced to the core principles of how to work on a solid piece of research. In the context of the individual students’ master thesis projects, the instructors will assist on the production of a narrative thread, research trajectory, how to find and utilize relevant references and precedents, and introduce outstanding previous work by students from different international universities.The instructors will furthermore lay out various paths of conducting meaningful and interesting research, how to develop one’s own working method, how to find and mobilize bibliography(ies) and reading, as well as how to use the tool of drawing as a form of visual research.The seminar will offer a wide-ranging perspective and overview concerning research in the context of an academic environment as well as the intricacies of discursive architectural and critical spatial production.The individual sessions will be designed as needed, i.e. sometimes organized as a group meeting, at other times set up as 1:1 intensive respondent sessions. 

A written and illustrated folder and oral presentation

50 % contribution to the course, 50 % final presentation and folder

• Course title: MARCH Seminar on Communicating Architecture
• Number of ECTS: 3
• Course code: F3_ARCHIT-45
• Module(s): Architecture III
• Language: EN
• Mandatory: Yes

This seminar serves as collective research platform investigating various paths, tools and strategies, old and new for communicating architecture, and making architecture through communication.

In an era dominated by fast-paced media, conveying the essence and complexity of architecture poses unique challenges. Architectural communication requires depth, nuance, and context, often conflicting with the brevity and immediacy demanded by platforms like social media.Navigating these challenges requires architects, communicators, and media platforms to collaborate creatively. It involves leveraging technology for deeper engagement, preserving authenticity amidst rapid trends, and advocating for the enduring value of thoughtful architectural dialogue in an increasingly fast-paced media landscape.Despite the challenges posed by fast-paced media, there are several novel opportunities for architects to communicate their work more broadly and effectively.This seminar serves as collective research platform investigating various paths, tools and strategies, old and new.

Course presence, participation, and contribution. Practical exercises: editorial to graphic applications. 

 

 

 

Bibliography:

The Medium is the Massage: An Inventory of Effects, Marshall McLuhan and graphic designer Quentin Fiore, 1967The Society of the Spectacle, Guy Debord, 1967No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies, Naomi Klein, 1999The Communication Book, Mikael Krogerus, Roman Tschäppeler, 2018Life Style, Bruce Mau, 2005Seeing with Fresh Eyes: Meaning, Space, Data, Truth, Edward R. Tufte, 2020CAPS LOCK: How Capitalism Took Hold of Graphic Design, and How to Escape from It Ruben Pater, 2021

• Course title: MARCH Visual and Cultural Studies
• Number of ECTS: 3
• Course code: F3_ARCHIT-19
• Module(s): Architecture III
• Language: EN
• Mandatory: Yes

This course gives an introduction to main topics in contemporary art and provides an insight on the role of modern and contemporary art museums in western societies: it aims

at understanding the relationship between the development of art, architecture and representation, while exploring the societal, political and urban aspects implied by the construction of such a museum.

-Provides the student with a knowledge of some aspects of recent art history and its iconography

–

Introduce the student to theoretical and practical tools to analyse needs and functionality of art museums.

1.      Introduction to main issues of modern and contemporary art 2.      Iconography and representation of utopia: how to read an artistic / architectural image ? 3.      Case studies of contemporary art practices and museums

25 % participation during the course, 75 % home assignment (essay)

• Course title: MARCH Building in a Circular Economy
• Number of ECTS: 5
• Course code: F3_ARCHIT-52
• Module(s): Architecture III
• Language: EN
• Mandatory: Yes

•Students will learn the concepts of circular and recyclable constructions and find out the strategies that can be applied.•Identify and evaluate buildings that already have this concept or in development.

In response to a linear economy, a circular economy aims to dissociate growth from the consumption of finite resources creating the conditions for regeneration by design. A circular construction includes a built environment that is healthy, shared and flexible, improve the life quality of the residences, and minimize virgin material use. This course aims to introduce the principles and practices of circular economy in the context of the built environment. Therefore  the course explore how circular economy can help reduce the environmental impacts of buildings and infrastructure, while creating value for society and the economy. 

 30 % participation during the course, 70 % final work of a case study 

Bibliography:- Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist.  Kate Raworth- The Circular Economy: A Wealth of Flows. by Ken Webster (Author), Dame Ellen MacArthur (Foreword), Walter Stahel (Contributor)- Smart cities: théorie et critique d’un idéal auto-réalisateur. Antoine Picon. 2015- Recyclable by Werner Sobek. Frank Heinlein. 2019 – Manual of recycling: buildings as sources of materials. Annette Hillebrandt, Petra Riegler-Floors, Anja Rosen, Johanna-Katharina Seggewies. 2019- Cities in the circular economy. Ellen Macarthur Foundation. 2017- The third industrial revolution: how lateral power is transforming energy, the economy, and the world. Jeremy Rifkin. 2013- The architecture of the well-tempered environment. Reyner Banham. 1984- Sustainable Construction: Green Building Design and Delivery. Kibert, Charles J., John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2016. – Reduce Reuse Recycle. Petzet, Muck; Heilmeyer, Florian. Hatje Cantz. 2012. ISBN: 978-3-7757-3425-7.- Circular architecture: models and strategies to reuse and recycle buildings. Marielle Ferreira Silva. Doctoral thesis. http://hdl.handle.net/10993/52782 – Corentin Fivet, Jan Brütting. Nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything is reused – Structural design for a circular economy. The Structural Engineer, vol. 98(1), 2020. – Economics of natural resources and the environment. David W. Pearce and R. Kerry Turner. 1997

• Course title: MARCH Comparative Analysis: Laws, Regulations, Norms
• Number of ECTS: 3
• Course code: F3_ARCHIT-20
• Module(s): European Urbanisation III
• Language: EN
• Mandatory: Yes

Students are introduced to the logic and structure of major laws and regulations related to the build environment at the building, urban and regional scale.

Students familiarise themselves with local, regional and European regulatory frameworks.

Students learn how to integrate regulatory constraints onto their design projects.

Regulatory frameworks and regimes constitute a crucial element shaping the building environment at multiple scales: from the national and transnational, through national and European spatial development plans; to urban and regional, through masterplans and urban and regional plans; to the building scale through building codes and regulations. This course aims to introduce students to the logic and structure of major regulatory frameworks, focusing on the broader region of Luxembourg, but also on the European scale. Moreover, it aims to help students integrate regularity conditions into the design process. Course Structure: Overview of major regularly frameworks, actors, regimes and scales, both historical and contemporary and their impact on the build environment. Focus on regional and European regulatory frameworks and local building codes and regulations.   Integration of regularity conditions into the design process.  

50 % participation in the seminar, 50% final project.

• Course title: MARCH Seminar on Project Management
• Number of ECTS: 4
• Course code: F3_ARCHIT-21
• Module(s): Seminars III
• Language: EN
• Mandatory: Yes

The student has to be aware of the life cycle of a building and the different consecutives phases. A focus is set on the “conception phase” to guaranty a user needs adaptable building as main condition for a sustainable construction. The understanding of an infrastructure as support for the core business of an economic, public or private entity and as important part for the social and cultural development of an urban area will help to define the targets of any construction.She / he will learn about the differences between role and function in a project team and get informed about the link between legal requirements (construction laws in D/F/L context) and technical and process orientated constrains. As construction is the consequence of filling in contracts between partners who are linked by mutual performance bonds, the legal basics for contracting and tendering will be mentioned in the D/F/L context.The student will be able to set up a project structure and get competences to lead a team and manage the tools in a more and more digital supported design process by using BIM tools.In a more practical part of the lecture and by using examples of actual design problems, she/he will be trained to interpret the user needs to set up a space program for a building.

The student understands the planning of a construction as a multi project management process and can take over the lead of a multi-disciplinary design team. She/he knows the advantages of the object orientated design process (BIM-methods) and can apply this in different roles of the project management team.

1-Introduction:“Building activity” as added value chain process: project management task – design task – building task – exploitation task. Difference between “planning the design” & “planning the production” Future requirements for real estate development. (carbon & space footprint, digitalisation..) 2-Project management task for building activity:• Real estate lifecycle • Phases in a construction process (timeline / technical sequence)• Participants (role & function)• Targets – tools – requirements • Cost- quality- & risk-management for construction projects • key elements for sustainable buildings 3-Design management: Basic principles for object-orientated design• Work-flow and communication in a data base network structure• Definition of the role of the “users needs”• Definition of object – qualities • “Design team” for collaborative working  (roles – requirements communication – lead)4. Workshop: Concept definition for real estate.

40 % participation in seminar 60 % project work (group) & individual interview

 

 

Bibliography:

Harris, McCaffer; Modern Construction Management; Wiley 2013

Sommer, Hans; Project Management for Building Construction; Verlag Springer 2009

Sommer, Hans; Projektmanagement im Hochbau; Verlag Springer 2016

Borrmann André; König Markus et al; Building Information Modeling – Technology foundations and Industry Practice; Verlag Springer 2018

Diethelm, Gerd; Projektmanagement Band I und II; Verlag Neue Wirtschaftsbriefe 2000

Kochendörfer, Bernd; Bau-Projekt-Management, Verlag Teubner 2004

Viering, Markus G; Managementleistungen im Lebenszyklus von Immobilien; Verlag Teubner 2006

• Course title: MARCH Design Studio – Final Master Thesis
• Number of ECTS: 30
• Course code: F3_ARCHIT-34
• Module(s): MARCH Design Studio – Master Thesis
• Language: EN
• Mandatory: Yes

The Master Thesis is the final project of the 2-year study-cycle leading to the Master in Architecture degree. Within this project, students have to successfully demonstrate their skills in research & analysis, synthesis, methodological rigour, and – finally – design. The chosen interpretation of design regarding scale and application is open to – and has to be critically and rigorously argued by – the student.Students are free to choose to work either individually or in pairs, developing a self-initiated project that will establish the basis of a mature and articulated work, representing a successful and challenging example of their future practice and, hence, an understanding of and positioning within the discipline-at-large. 

The evaluation of the work is based on framing of the research question, the process of content formation with the project, the development of appropriate forms of application, and the design of adequate physical and non-physical responses that deliver a form of critical spatial production. Important criteria in this regard constitute the abilities to develop a relevant and critical methodology, to articulate research and design, to synthesize, and to draw or otherwise visualize the resulting proposal.

• Course title: MARCH Introduction workshop to the profession
• Number of ECTS: 0
• Course code: F3_ARCHIT-54
• Module(s): MARCH Design Studio – Master Thesis
• Language: EN
• Mandatory: Yes