Architectural Composition, Prof. Adalberto Del Bo

The Design studio 2 deals with the forms of settlements or rather with large and complex urban development projects where the overall urban design is the main architectural theme in which the forms and the construction of the single elements gain sense and give it to the whole.

The interest for these issues, purely architectural and constructive, moves:
1. by the investigation of the cities and territories problems characterized by a high degree of disorder and uncertainty in which the architectural research has to find and develop convincing alternatives;
2. from the educational aims set by the European Directive on Architecture on the figure of a general architect with design skills also in the fields of planning, landscape and preservation and prepared to deal with further research sector after the Master degree.
The themes chosen by the Design Studio 2 are characterized by the presence of urban design issues in relationship to the new city’s construction and to the existing city, identifying these as the main theoretical and practical issues with which architecture must (and will for a long time) deal in the future.
The wide urbanization phenomena that characterize our age in many parts of the world and the hard effects of climate change and of energy issues, impose architecture to direct the research and teaching efforts towards these fronts.
The Studio intends to give particular consideration also to the issues related to energy efficiency and constructive process’s rationalization, knowing that today specific attention is needed to forms and techniques that, in continuity with the historical experience, are able to ensure low energy consumption and low costs.
Indeed it appears increasingly evident the size of the changes posed by the new millennium to the destiny of the planet and the need to be responsible and historically conscious in front of them, in order to introduce elements of rationalization and refinement, according to the terms of a new way, able to contain substantially the use of resources used.

ORGANIZATION
On all the issues listed the Studio will work as an operating research group in the belief that organized activities on the topics mentioned and on issues related to them can produce improvements in the disciplines for which the architecture designs stands as final and concise result. The presence of integrations of structural and technical skills is aimed at tackling unitarily the different aspects of the design process.
The work will focus on studies and project issues related to Milano and other international experiences of great interest, as the cities of the Sub-Saharan areas.

The lectures, discussions and critiques of the Studio will cover mainly issues related to the relationships between city and architecture and will be conducted by analysis of contemporary works, examples of Modern Movement and among the works of the past.

Architectural Design, prof. Maria Vittoria Cardinale
The awareness of the essential relationship between the Architecture and the City represents the basis of the Architectural Design. Starting from this point of view we will deal with the comprehension of the strict relations between the architectural design and the technical disciplines, with particular attention to energy issues, always being part of the Architecture, whose formal outcomes coincide with the compositional choices connected in a unity of method and principles.

Technological Systems for Buildings, prof. Claudio Sangiorgi
The course is aimed to give students a full understanding of the deep and intimate coherence in a building project among the choices concerning the architectural idea and its constructive development and enhancement; since the first sketches until the definition of the executive technological details.
It consists on theoretical lessons (about specific topics concerning technical subjects and technological systems – see below) and revisions of students’ projects, as drawn in the Design Studio.
The final exam is the one of the Design Studio, in which students will have to show a good understanding of the main discussed subjects expressed in their own drawings.

Theory and Design of Costructions and Structures, prof. Tommaso Zambetti
The course is conceived to develop the main themes related to the structural design of building, according to their architectural concept and definition.
Particular attention will be paid to the most current issues related to structural design, such as resistance to seismic actions and the economy of the solution.
The course is based on a first part of theoretical lessons, and a second part of project development with revisions of students’ project.
During the final exam, students will have to demonstrate the acknowledgments of the main themes of the course and to have applied them in their project.

The final exam will concern the presentation and discussion of the final state of the design project and the knowledge of the main themes of the courses.

The exam will concerne also the knowledge of the lessons’ contents and the bibliography provided.

The intermediate evaluations of the integrated contributions will be part of the final evaluation of the Studio.