Course Description

This urban design studio is the third in a series on the subject of composite architectures; physical space under the increasing influence of data networks and ubiquitous computing. Previous studios worked on the physically and temporally small scale of inflatable installations and podcasting (On The Air); and then on the more substantial scale of a cultural institution and its pioneering use of the web (Re-Exploratorium). This course takes on the city itself, using our own San Francisco as both a particular case and as a prototype.

Sudden City investigates “suddenness” as a method of modeling and operating on an existing city, using discreet, spontaneous and minor “microurbanistic” interventions that can have a big impact on the city and renew its vitality. These rely on a keen sense of time and the shifting ways that the city’s physical life is influenced by technologies that may be invisible and have no materiality. In other words, our subject with “suddenness” is neither the breathless rate of city building to be found now in China, nor the instant village created annually at Black Rock City. Instead, we’ll seek abrupt changes in the existing city.

Towards this end, the studio will build a massive model of San Francisco; map it as an urban landscape of ubiquitous computing; give it a networked life by putting its data online; and then imagine architectural interventions to promote its evolution in the future. The studio will teach and make use of video and video editing techniques, as Ill as the design of individual Ibsites. All of this will be mounted online here at suddencity.net, a centralized archive of the class’ work.

Semester Schedule

The following is a list of landmark dates for class events and deadlines, as well as outside lectures and events that are considered essential to the content of this course. Your attendance is expected to all of these, and content of outside events may be brought into our studio work.

These are subject to change, so refer to class website for updates.

Phase 1: Building the City (4 weeks)

September 7: Convocation, Studio Intro, Distribute 1st reading, Project 1: Paul Virilio, The Overexposed City
September 12: Prelinger Library – Class Visit - Meet 3:15 sharp 301 8th Street (corner of Folsom Street), Room 215
September 15: 2nd reading: Alison Sant, Redefining the Basemap
September 17: Project 1 Model & Map Pin-Up
September 19: Dreamweaver Workshop (JG)
September 22: Bay Model, Sausalito – Class Visit? TBC
September 24: Lecture: FoxLin Inc. (JG introducing), 7pm in Timken
September 26: Mid-Review, Project 1
October 4: Lecture: Keller Easterling, 7pm in Timken
October 5: Project 1 Review, Distribute Project 2 and 3rd reading

Phase 2: Planning Suddenness (4 weeks)

October 10: iMovie / AfterEffects intro
October 12: Continuous Bodies Symposium at UC Berkeley BAM Theater, 9:30am-5:30pm
October 17: Eric Paulos, Intel Berkeley Labs – Class Visit (Confirmed)
October 24: Movie screening, TBC
October 26: Marc Armengaud, AWP Paris – Class Visit, guest assignment via iChat
November 2: Project 2 Review, Distribute Project 3 and 4th reading

Phase 3: Architectural Proposals (5 weeks)

November 5: Lecture: Douglas Gauthier, System Architects, 7pm in Timken
November 14: Movie screening, TBC
November 21: Anet Redmer, Living Tomorrow, Amsterdam – Class Visit (TBC)
November 23: Thanksgiving
December 8: Final Review
December 10: Individual Meetings and collection of studio documentation