Universität Liechtenstein > Graduate School > Masterstudiengänge > Architecture > Curriculum > Sustainable Urban Design

Active Urban Architecture

What is the future of architecture?

In search for this answer our studio navigates between three levels of design: building, city and region. We will try to find an architecture that is active and urban ‐ an architecture that supports community life, understands cities biologically, and sets connected cultural signals with purpose. Active Urban Architecture is an authentic element in a world of essential resources: biodiversity, energy, water, food, community and culture. In this quest we structure the semester into a sequence of four stages.

1. We begin the semester by discovering our great river valley as a fascinating and changing region.
2. Working to understand the current settlement dynamic allows us to project vital futures. 
3. By mid‐term we will program and locate active urban architectural interventions in positions that are critical to positive change.
4. The final outcome will be an active urban building design that responds to regional challenges, and speaks about the very future of architecture.

Learning objectives and outcomes
The studio will help you to:
> develop critical yet practical perspectives on sustainable urban development
> use a range of responsive design steps, controls, mapping tools and implementation techniques
> gain a thorough understanding of the role of form and type in the making of sustainable communities
> understand development potentials, envisioning future design strategies for cities
> advance collaborative planning and design skills, and the ability to communicate in various graphic media

Supportive activities
The lecture classes Renewable City 2, Responsible Property Development 2 and Urban Quality Assessment and Design 2 are companion subjects to the class.

Course requirements
Students must attend all studio sessions, and successfully complete their studio exercises and final projects. Physical attendance is to be accompanied with lively participation and a collaborative class attitude.

Methods of assessment/grades
Grades will range from 3‐6 based on:
> Attendance and timeliness 15%
> Class exercises and participation 15%
> Project development during semester 20%
> Quality, originality and verbal and graphic presentation of the final project 50%

Schedule
Times: 0830‐1200, 1300‐1630 Wednesdays and 0900‐1200 Thursdays

Professor
Prof. DI MAAS Peter Droege

Joint teacher
Anis Radzi BArch MUrbDes

Inspirational support
Hans‐Peter Schmidt, research director, Delinat Institute
Georg Sele, Hans‐Martin Neumann, traffic experts
Stefan Sprenger, Author