The Dessau Institute for Architecture (DIA), a division of the Anhalt University of Applied Sciences, is located in the historic Bauhaus complex. The DIA program is a 2-year Master of Architecture course and is designed for students from all over the world: teaching is therefore conducted in English.
We publish projects of first-year students studying at the Nomadic Form studio - "Nomadic Form", which focuses on the practice of computational design.
Head of the studio, professor Alexander Kalachev:
“Nomadic Form has been around since 2013, it studies the issues of the mobile social device and its manifestations in architecture and personal space design. She also focuses on CAD research and the application of computer simulation and forecasting in architectural practice, urban planning and design. During their studies, students engaged in research beyond the standard curriculum, creating their own logic elements and unique software platforms to optimize the design process."
Ahmed Rihan, Joanna Ciobanu
An emerging habitat. Artificial master plan for Kiribati
The Republic of Kiribati in the Pacific Ocean is one of the most vulnerable to the effects of global warming. The rise in the level of the World Ocean may in the near future lead to the flooding of the atolls and coral islands that make up the territory of this state. The situation is aggravated by a rapidly growing population and a shortage of fresh water. The President of the Republic called on the advanced countries, as the culprits of climate change, to open their borders to residents fleeing from Kiribati - victims of their unrestrained development and consumption. In the meantime, more and more residents are moving to the country's capital - South Tarawa on the Tarawa Atoll - where they are forced to live in the slums.
The authors of the project propose, simulating the natural growth of corals, to 3D print for “eco-refugees” - residents of Kiribati - dwellings located in shallow water, blocks with agricultural land and blocks for collecting fresh water. It is suggested to use sand and foam as materials, and the result should be a permeable structure similar to corals. Printing is proposed under water, using submarines.
Arthur Kupreychuk and Henry McKenzie
Antarctic Research Station
The station is a typical modular unit operating autonomously and in conjunction with similar modules.
The climatic conditions in Antarctica are among the most extreme on Earth. In winter, the temperature there drops to –70 ° C, and the peak speeds of katabatic winds reach 83 m / s. Therefore, the emphasis in the development of the project was placed on ensuring the longest possible stay of people inside the modules.
The project borrows the nature of movement and grouping of penguins, which are tightly pressed against each other to keep warm and to reduce the harmful effects of wind. The same dense grouping of modules provides easy access from module to module and allows energy resources to be distributed.
The geometry of the module is based on three main factors: modularity, streamlining, stability.
Each module is designed for two researchers and can operate in three phases: movement phase, working phase, sleep phase. During the movement phase, the module is closed and brought to the maximum streamlined state. During the working phase, the central space is expanded to accommodate more than two researchers. During the sleep phase, the pneumatic "living units" open up.
Eslam Zaki Sabi, Advitya Dimas Satria
Smart module for architecture students
The authors of the project reflected on the increasingly international nature of higher education. According to UNESCO, in 2010 3.6 million students studied outside their home country, and in 2020 their number will reach 7 million. In 2012, there were 103 110 foreign students in German universities, and 70% of them were citizens of Turkey, Russia and China. All of them need affordable, conveniently located and comfortable housing, but the demand here exceeds the supply. Architect students are in a particularly difficult situation: they are required to study a lot and sometimes even have to spend the night at the university, they need a lot of space for study (work with drawings, layouts, etc.), they have to move a lot (internship, study tours, etc.).
As an option for solving the “housing problem” of students-architects, the authors of the project proposed a “smart” module that can be used both separately and in a group with others like it, and its “intelligence” is based on the principle of swarming or herding: this is how individuals gather together, but always keep their distance from each other. The large module with living space, bathroom and kitchen also has a “sleeping unit” that can be used separately. She is an electric car in which you can go on a multi-day excursion, etc. The module itself is not only mobile, but also transformable: the configuration of its ribs can be changed using a hydraulic piston. The walls are made of fabric of varying degrees of transparency and density.
