Global Networking GSAPP Summer Workshop

This summer workshop will be structured as a speculative research and design project that explores the convergence of technology and nature in the outskirts of cities, seeking to define new ways of life and culture that might emerge from this convergence. The exploration will be carried out by researching the natural resources, proliferation of wild life and organic growth, as well as the existing minimum impact vernacular structures in the seashore of Axios' river delta adjacent to Thessaloniki's harbor.

The area contiguous to Thessaloniki's main port spanning to Palaioxori is tentatively entitled terra incognita; it is an ecologically affluent region, unique in its geomorphologic formation and vernacular construction physiognomy in close proximity to the urban center. However, under the assumption that an area of such natural wealth should be preserved "as is," the territory is largely abandoned and forgotten. The main premise of the workshop is to project new ecological ways of accommodating habitats for wild life, to design infrastructure that optimizes the management of natural resources as well as to integrate human life and culture in a symbiotic relationship with the natural territory by inventing sustainable structures of minimum impact, closely linked in terms of construction logic to the existing structures.

Methodologically, we will work in different scales by zooming in and out of the territory developing proposals as organizational strategies in a larger scale, zooming in to architectural proposals in specific locations and zooming even more to the identifications of materials and low-cost fabrication strategies for specific installations. Similarly to working in three different scales of development, we will also develop in the proposals in different stages in time. In other words, there will be a set of proposals that can potentially be developed in a first stage in two years, five years and ten years.

For the opening of the workshop are scheduled lectures (Wednesday, 29 June,  8:00 μ.μ. - 11:00 μ.μ.) at the Amphitheatre Andronicus, of Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki by Professor Mark Wigley of the Columbia University, and Professor Beatriz Colomina, of Princeton University.



Place : Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Dates: July 6- July 26, 2011
Info : Here , Lydia Kallipoliti