URBAN INTEL
6-14 July 2018
2018年 7月6日—7月14日
Programme Head: Tom Verebes
Within the context of China’s unprecedented pace and extent of urbanisation, AAVS Shanghai’s 12th consecutive summer school programme continues to probe the consequences for urbanism of today’s accelerated technological development occurring within the current transition in industrial paradigm towards information-based intelligence.
The particular post-industrial context of Shanghai within the Yangtze River Delta (pop.90m), serves as the AAVS programme’s urban laboratory to explore, comprehend and shape our approach to the 21st century city. Students will be introduced to concepts, skills and instruments with which to harness the complexities of industrial, technological and urban change. Speculations regarding an Intelligent Urbanism will be led by a haptic approach to discovering the (mis-) uses of a diverse array of technological apparatus, including data sensing, capture, simulation and analysis, the Internet of Things, automation, AI, AR, VR, and production hardware targeting materialsation by the use of 3D printing, CNC milling, and Kuka robotics, all available in the programme’s host’s workshops in Shanghai. Given the aim to discover the cultural, social and spatial repercussions of today’s quickly advancing technologies upon the city, AAVS Shanghai will introduce students to skills and concepts with which to harness the complexities of quickly changing Chinese cities.
TEACHING & FORMAT
The course will be taught by a team of tutors from the AA School and other visitors, with expertise, skills and experience in computation and fabrication in teaching, research and practice. The programme is structured in two subsequent phases. Over the first three days of the workshop, a series of intensive ‘tooling-up’ sessions will serve as the basis for investigating associative design and fabrication concepts and methodologies. In a second stage of the workshop, students will develop design proposals responding to studio briefs focusing on developing intelligent models, interfaces and prototypes of urbanism.
EXPERTISE
Students will be introduced to expertise in generative, algorithmic and parametric design approaches and their immediate materialisation as urban prototypes. The main computational tools are Rhinoceros and a series of plug-ins and add-ons, Maya, Processing, and others. Students will gain expertise in fabrication technologies, including robotics, 3D printing, cnc milling and virtual reality, as a basis to applied these emerging technologies towards innovative ontologies of cities in the twenty-first century.
EVENTS & ACTIVITIES
Alongside studio-based design tutorials and seminars, a series of lectures will be scheduled. Each year of the programme, AAVS Shanghai hosts a public symposium, with a large group of invited guest speakers and panelists, addressing contemporary topics related to the theme of the workshop, Urban Intel. As part of the schedule of events, AAVS Shanghai will also tour students to noteworthy buildings and cultural sites in Shanghai. The 9-day programme is hosted at the new China 3D Printing Museum in Boashan, Shanghai.
