COURSE DESCRIPTION​​

How can urban development and architecture respond to the intensification of climate disasters, ecological turmoil, and economic stagnation? Specifically, the goal of this studio will be to synthesize the Japanese
practice of heavy state investment in infrastructure, sophisticated engineering practices, pre-occupation with disaster preparedness and rich history with the sea as an opportunity to synergize tradition, urban planning, architectural production, infrastructure and the environment. Coastal cities all over the world are dealing with strains on the environment, rising sea levels, and an increase in the frequency and intensity of destructive natural disasters. This is an opportunity to provide optimistic architectural visions for what might happen in the future. What kind of architectural strategies can we propose for dense urban conditions along the coastlines of the world? What is the role for complex spatial geometries, emergent building technologies and advanced dynamic modeling in the production of a synthetic urban architectural response?