The theme of this studio revolved around the notion of the Fragment inspired by the impact of the dramatic Beirut Port explosion on the surrounding neighborhoods and the emergence of new fragmented landscapes across the city. Students were invited to explore and analyze different fragments in the city and re-assemble them as a mean to contribute to the reconstruction of personal and collective identities that have been shattered as a result of the explosion. The structure of the studio consists of 2 projects:
Unfinished is a theoretical exploration focused on the notion of the Fragment and a quick application of formal and spatial principles on a small-scale architecture. Through collage as a means of representation finds itself very much aligned with the situation present in the comprehension of the Fragment and its relationship to other Fragments. Students learned to observe the transformations and develop a poetic interpretation of the spaces generated through Assemblages.
Prosthesis is a longer exploration through which students developed a coherent and generative design process. This exercise aimed at dealing with damaged historical buildings as bodies that are not about measures and proportions only but also about sensations. The historical damaged building then became an act of responding to a stimulus; fields of forces press toward the body which in return presses outward, trying to pass and dissolve through these fields. While identifying spatial moments within and around the damaged building, students explored a spatial apparatus.