This module offers an overview of the interplay and dependencies of settlement, resource use, resilience, sufficiency, climate change and architecture, urban design and the formation of man-made landscapes. Additionally, it demonstrates the potential of an integrated approach to design sustainable, regenerative environments. Investigating and assessing recently designed and realized projects (considering topics as habitation, commercial, mixed-use, infrastructure, mobility, renewable energy production and supply, agriculture, forestry, biodiversity, carbon sequestration, water resource management, etc.), students will understand to what extent their future practice as architects and urban designers can contribute to more sustainable and regenerative environments.

Lecture and seminar: case studies, discourse, writing

Professional competence
Grasp essential parameters shaping sustainable, regenerative environments and translate this knowledge into own work
Show confidence in analysing case studies and the ability to infer principles and motivations
Explain competently, discuss and critique own work through oral presentations, writing or visual ¿communication
Develop a holistic approach on urban planning and design
Identify basic principles of various spatially significant fields
Evaluate regenerative potentials of urban design projects
Distinguish the limits and potentials of own role in urban development
Apply regenerative design strategies on urban territories

Methodological competence
Identify key elements of problems and choose appropriate methods for their resolution in a considered manner
Apply regenerative design strategies in complex organisational and community settings
Create formal presentations to informed audiences

Social competence
Discuss and articulate ideas and information fluently
Demonstrate the ability to work with other students for assignments, exercises, experiments, ¿presentations etc
Explain competently, discuss and critique own work through oral presentations, writing or visual communication

Personal competence
Assess own work and put it into a historical, theoretical, cultural and social context

Portfolio, exercises, minimum 75% mandatory presence

Today, major urban areas in developed regions are, without doubt, economic giants. Only 600 urban centers generate about 60 percent of global GDP. The urban world is shifting. Scholarly journals have published thousands of articles about urban economies. Among the questions we frequently find: Why do some cities grow faster than others? Why do some generate more wealth? Why do some decline? How do cities generate wealth, how do they apportion their wealth to further social and environmental goals?
Cities are first and foremost places—agglomerations of people—rather than economic and political units. Also, cities’ power to make economic policy is limited. While cities aren’t like nations, which can leap from rags to riches within a generation, they do have the policy apparatus to influence their economic destiny. A city’s initial size and location will largely determine which classes of economic activity are likely to succeed there and which are likely to fail.

The course will introduce you to the world of the economy of the built environment, urban and city economies, the role of private and public property, infrastructure and the build environment. The main focus is to understand the micro- and macro -economics and to endow your architectural and urban design skills with knowledge about the dynamics and responsibilities of building assets and their political, social and historical aspects. The financing, marketing and management of cities and our build environment is driven by the larger economy and related political issues: these are core drivers for most architectural design commissions and outcomes. Within this you will begin to understand the built environment as value structure, of real property interests and dynamics that determine design briefs and, together with public policy directions and planning objectives, set the stage for the design and planning profession to unfold and excel within. Familiarity with the conceptual frameworks, practical tools and language of the world of the 'built economy' and the appurtenant property market is an important asset, since, when inadequately understood and applied, development frameworks can constrain creativity and design quality - and lead to practices that can be regarded as socially, environmentally and economically unsuccessful.

The subject hence has a twin objective: to not only bestow an understanding of economy, but to do so in a manner that is applied in a political and social development framework. You will encounter the growing domain of economy in the build environment that seeks to influence our architectural excellence and the objective to interact with the drivers and champions of urban change and the involved social groups and solicit participation: taking into account that often the projects have multiple decision makers, accomplishers and reference social groups in addition to the community considered overall.

Lecture and seminar: case studies, discourse, writing

The outcome is to assist in developing both a sense of ethical understanding and practical vision in achieving knowledge about economical feasibility and resilient urban understanding that respond to the environmental, social and political demands of today. It is to help developing a working knowledge of processes in the property world, such as principles of corporate social responsibility and community investment; concepts of 'design dividends'; tools of gauging urban quality; incentives and other mechanisms for quality guidance and market innovation; and partnerships and other effective means of implementation. Ultimately, it is to motivate and prepare tomorrow’s architects and urban planners (so as relevant partners) for the complex world of real estate, by providing the basic knowledge of the industry and applying it into a real world experience.

Professional competence
Understand abstract concepts and their impact on your work
Explain competently, discuss and critique own work through oral presentations, writing or visual communication

Methodological competence
Identify key elements of problems and choose appropriate methods for their resolution in a considered manner

Social competence
Discuss and articulate ideas and information fluently

Personal competence
Assess own work and put it into a historical, theoretical and philosophical context

Presentation

"Sustainable Construction Processes" identifies key parameters and factors to be considered to guarantee a sustainable construction process. Resources, sourcing, manufacturing, logistics, assembly and materiality are among the themes to be explored and to be put into relation to one another.

Lecture and seminar: case studies, discourse, writing

Professional competence

• Differentiate between individual parameters of sustainable construction processes
• Understand their interdependence and sequencing
• Show confidence in analysing case studies and the ability to infer principles and motivations
• Explain competently, discuss and critique own work through oral presentations, writing or visual communication

Methodological competence

• Identify key elements of problems and choose appropriate methods for their resolution in a considered manner
• Apply given tools/ methods accurately and carefully to a well-defined problem

Social competence

• Discuss and articulate ideas and information fluently
• Demonstrate the ability to work with other students for assignments, exercises, experiments, presentations etc

Portfolio, exercises, minimum 75% mandatory

Paper

31.03.15: Excursion: 9:00, Dietmar Eberle, Lustenau, Austria
14.04.15: Excursion: 9:00, Martin Rauch, Schlins, Austria
29.04.15: Excursion: 9:00, ETH Zürich, Switzerland
19.05.15: Excursion: 12:30, ev. Berardo Bader / Renate Breuss, Austria

The master's thesis consists of an analysis that investigates the context within which a project is set, identifying its challenges, the formulation of one or more working hypotheses and research questions which form the basis for the design proposal and the written thesis. A developed hypothesis is verified (or falsified) within the context of a given or freely chosen project, developing it into a designed architectural proposal and/ or into an in-depth theoretical or historical-theoretical investigation.

design studio, exercises, experiment, research, writing, visualising, modelling, presenting, case study, peer feedback

Professional competence

• Execute complex defined and self-defined projects of research, development or investigation and identify and implement relevant outcomes.
• Develop an architectural idea into a sustainable proposal, carefully taking into consideration the project's historical, theoretical, cultural, economic and social context.
• Communicate and articulate ideas and information fluently in English language and work comprehensively in visual, oral and written forms.
• Make formal presentations about specialist topics to informed audiences.
• Exercise autonomy and initiative in carrying out set project briefs and self-directed programme of study.
• Demonstrate ability to manage time and physical resources in relation to set project briefs and self-directed programmes of study as an individual and a group member.
• Deal with complex ethical and professional issues.
• Show competence in analysing case studies and the ability to infer principles and motivations.

Methodological competence

• Apply a variety of design- and research methods and visualization techniques
• Have knowledge of scientific or artistic methods within an interdisciplinary context

Social competence

• Explain competently, discuss and critique own work through oral presentations, writing or visual communication
• Understand how to work with confidence in the complex organisational and community settings within which the applied methods and design processes are typically deployed.
• Demonstrate the ability to work with other students for assignments, exercises, experiments, presentations etc

Personal competence

• Assess own work and put it into a historical, theoretical and social context.
• Gain confidence in own role and the persuasive and accountable manner in which it is expected to be performed.

Successfully passed module "Thesis Preparation"

mid-term and final presentation and defence, book

This module allows students to compose an exposé for their Master's thesis to be undertaken in the fourth semester. The exposé contains a research question that forms the basis for an in-depth investigation and analysis of a particular issue or problem identified within the given context of the design studio topic. A literature review and a schedule of production are further essential elements to be included.

Lecture: researching, writing

Professional competence

• Independently identify a research topic and develop it coherently into a research proposal for the Master's thesis
• With minimal guidance can manage own learning using full range of resources for the discipline

Methodological competence

• Analyse new and/ or abstract data and situations without guidance, using a range of techniques and methods appropriate to the subject
• Critically evaluate evidence to support hypotheses, reviewing its reliability, validity and significance

Personal competence

• Take responsibility for own work and are able to criticise it

Paper (Disposition)

During an intensive weekly workshop it enables students to further deepen their knowledge of an issue addressed in the project studios and/ or conduct excursions to places and sites addressed in their design project.

Intensive seminar week: excursion, exercises, experiment, research, writing, visualising, modelling, presenting, case study, peer feedback

Professional competence

• Execute complex defined and self-defined projects of research, development or investigation and identify and implement relevant outcomes.
• Communicate and articulate ideas and information fluently in English language and work comprehensively in visual, oral and written forms.
• Make formal presentations about specialist topics to informed audiences.
• Exercise autonomy and initiative in carrying out set project briefs and self-directed programmes of study.
• Demonstrate ability to manage time and physical resources in relation to set project briefs and self-directed programmes of study as an individual and a group member.
• Show confidence in analysing case studies and the ability to infer principles and motivations.

Methodological competence

• Apply a variety of design- and research methods and visualization and production techniques
• Have knowledge of scientific or artistic methods within an interdisciplinary context

Social competence

• Explain competently, discuss and critique own work through oral presentations, writing or visual communication
• Lead a team and assume responsibility
• Demonstrate the ability to work with other students for assignments, exercises, experiments, presentations etc

Personal competence

• Gain confidence in own role, and the persuasive and accountable manner in which it is expected to be performed.

Presentation, portfolio, participation, minimum 75% mandatory presence

The design studio engages students with architecture as a responsible practice on a variety of scales applying a multitude of design- and research methods, preparing them for the demands of the broad field of architecture and planning. Architectural and urban design is practiced in the context of projects of varying complexity, ranging from constructive building details and structures, to devising groups of structures and entire settlements and habitats. Design projects are represented in drawings, models, images, and by using all other available media. Teamwork is conducted with particular attention to the internal organization and workings of the teams.

design studio, exercises, experiment, research, writing, visualising, modelling, presenting, case study, peer feedback

Professional competence

• Execute complex defined and self-defined projects of research, development or investigation and identify and implement relevant outcomes.
• Develop an architectural idea into a sustainable proposal, carefully taking into consideration the project's historical, theoretical, environmental (ecological), cultural, economic and social context.
• Communicate and articulate ideas and information fluently in English language and work comprehensively in visual, oral and written forms.
• Make formal presentations about specialist topics to informed and general/ community audiences.
• Exercise autonomy and initiative in carrying out set project briefs and self-directed programmes of study.
• Demonstrate ability to manage time and physical resources in relation to set project briefs and self-directed programmes of study as an individual and a group member.
• Deal with complex ethical and professional issues.
• Show confidence in analysing case studies and the ability to infer principles and motivations.

Methodological competence

• Apply a variety of design- and research methods and visualisation techniques
• Have knowledge of scientific or artistic methods within an interdisciplinary context

Social competence

• Explain competently, discuss and critique own work through oral presentations, writing or visual communication
• Understand how to work with confidence in the complex organisational and community settings within which the applied methods and design processes are typically deployed.
• Demonstrate the ability to work with other students for assignments, exercises, experiments, presentations etc

Personal competence

• Assess own work and put it into a historical, theoretical and social context.
• Gain confidence in own role and the persuasive and accountable manner in which it is expected to be performed.

mid-term and final reviews, participation, minimum 75% mandatory presence

The course will illustrate to what extend climate change is man-made and how far we are able to measure/define it. We will discuss its causes, progressions and outlook, its systemic relationships and mutual effects with other natural processes and cycles, as well as its consequences for the planet’s and human health.

The course will then investigate the main sources of GHG and other culprits from the built environment, locating the building functions, materials, items, technologies & processes that are mostly related to climate change. Current stage of research (quantitative & qualitative) will be explored as well as current BMPs (Best Management Practices) and solutions. Case studies and lectures will introduce state-of-the-art and emerging approaches in academia and practice. Global agreements, government policies and design & construction sustainability standards will be assessed in regard to their suitability, adaptability and effectiveness.

One key aspect will be the exploration of lessons from nature (biomimicry). We will investigate the application of natural life-strategies (evolved over millennia and proven sustainable) to the conception of artefacts, processes and systems in the built environment.

The later focus of the course will shift to rendering the students’ current studio project climate neutral. Appropriate traditional and new approaches, methodologies and technologies will be studied, developed and integrated into design, in order to reduce negative project impacts (mitigate) and boost positive impacts (regenerate) on the environment. Effort shall be made to create a place-specific, locally sustainable project. At the same time, students shall devise practices through which their project will be able to tolerate changes of climate, resist disasters and adapt to future changes.

Lecture and seminar: case studies, discourse, writing

Professional competence

• Being aware of and understand anthropogenic impact on the planet’s biosphere and its extend & progression, in order to correct it
• Recognize and examine the factor that built environment plays on the longevity of our planet
• Identify and characterize functions, materials, items, technologies & processes of the built environment that relate to climate change
• Be competent to assess a building’s opportunities and constraints, weaknesses and strengths toward climate neutrality in order to conceive innovative and future-oriented architecture
• Conceive and design advanced human environment in order to mitigate or invert anthropogenic impact on climate

Methodological competence

• Select appropriate methods in the conception of built environments for the resolution of anthropogenic atmospheric problems
• Assess emerging practices/ approaches toward their effectiveness for climate neutrality
• Recognize place-specific circumstances and adapt building features and technologies to environmental and social context
• Analyze new and/or scientific climate data and characteristics without guidance, using a range of tools, techniques and methods appropriate to the subject
• Critically evaluate evidence to support a hypotheses, reviewing its reliability, validity and significance

Social competence

• Discuss and articulate issues and approaches of climate change fluently with clients, consultants and collaborators
• Being able to explain and illustrate the implications of climate change convincingly and comprehensively.
• Being competent to constructively collaborate on climate change issues related to build environment across disciplines

Personal competence

• Assess own work and put it into a historical, local and global context of climate impact
• Being aware of and able to gauge one’s impact on society; rate one’s own professional value
• Being able to determine whether one is “part of the problem or part of the solution”

Portfolio, exercises, minimum 75% mandatory presence

This seminar investigates the relationship between territory and settlement, providing an overview of how and where humankind settles. It also demonstrates how uninhabitable environments have been made accessible and habitable through necessary infrastructure and what impact this had on the landscape. Further, the course elaborates on natural and artificial boundaries within a geographical and political context. … Beginning with the continuous rise of human impact on the planet, the tight relationships between human land use, settlement, productivity and social development will be explored throughout the course. An overview of the history of urbanization will be traced, and processes of centralisation and decentralisation investigated. Decentralisation as one of the greatest contemporary forces shaping our environment is going to be discussed using a selection of fundamental positions in academic urban design thinking. The opportunities and risks of the global process of decentralisation, transformation and possible courses of action for the future design of the territory will be debated.

Lecture and seminar: case studies, discourse, writing

Professional competence

• Have comprehensive understanding of process of settlement in relation to territory
• Understand the impact of geographical and political boundaries on settlements and communities
• Explain competently, discuss and critique own work through oral presentations,

writing or visual communication

• Distinguish historic and contemporary models of urbanism and landscape
• Identify different settlement patterns and recognize functional connections on various scales

Methodological competence

• Identify key elements of problems and choose appropriate methods for their resolution in a considered manner
• Summarize, analyze and interpret academic literature properly

Social competence

• Discuss and articulate ideas and information fluently

Personal competence

• Assess own work and put it into a historical, theoretical and philosophical context
• Express informed own view on academic literature about settlement development

and contemporary forms of urbanization

Paper, exercises, minimum 75% mandatory presence

“Theory of the Built Environment” introduces and discusses contemporary architectural theory and critical thinking, providing students with essential knowledge to place their own actions and designs into a historical, theoretical, cultural and social context. Through case studies of anthologies of key theoretical and critical texts on architecture, the course is set and developed in a historical, political and philosophical context. These lectures are devoted to the understanding of theories and critical interpretations as a design tool, encouraging students to be able to think across tendencies, trends and events and position themselves as conscious architects in today’s society. The different themes presented through several texts are understood as tools in the hands of architects. The architectural theories are not pure abstractions, they move between absolute positions and relative relations.

Lecture: discourse, writing

Professional competence

• Translate contemporary architectural theory into personal context and work
• Explain competently, discuss and critique own work through oral and written presentations

Methodological competence

• Identify key elements of problems and choose appropriate methods for their resolution in a considered manner
• Be able to analyse different architectural decisions in terms of their ultimate intentions

Social competence

• Discuss and articulate ideas and information fluently
• Demonstrate the ability to work with other students for assignments and readings
• Communicate and share complex ideas and intentions

Personal competence

• Assess own work and put it into a historical, theoretical and philosophical context
• Understand how own work relates to general architectural debate
• Analyse, compare and relate each project as final result of a complex and rich process
• Recognize the continuities and discontinuities between Ideas and their constructions
• Acquire the ability to discuss architectural decisions aside from personal taste and in relation to the relevant issues those decisions ultimately address

Paper