This studio took as object of study the passageway in its manifold manifestations and scales, either as urban alleys, hallways, or interior corridors, questioning the nature of those ‘transit lines’ along which other spaces (rooms) are arranged.

Body and space: Instruments
During the first weeks the studio explored a small alley situated in the old city of Batroun. Students were asked to describe its interior qualities, through an analysis of its dimensions, its relative scale, its geometry, its light quality, and materiality, defining its threshold(s) and mapping of the motion of the passersby. The study made use of conventional instruments (tape measure, plummets, bubble levels, photographic cameras…) and encouraged the production of custom-made instruments, that would constitute meaningful interfaces between the body and the space.

Learning from the alley: Iterations
Students tackled the notions of threshold and enclosure, by designing and experimenting with dynamic devices (doors, windows, flaps, platforms…), that acted upon the space through pushing or pulling, stretching, or compressing, raising, or lowering, …

Design Project
The second half of the semester was about reusing long and narrow space, into a proper living place. Through a series of drawings, diagrams and working models, the students were asked to define the general orientation of their proposals, detailing the functional program.