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Spring 2020 ︎
Los Angeles
Spring 2020 ︎
Los Angeles
Instructor
Linda Taalman
Linda Taalman

Work by M.Arch student Maneh Tahmasian
The 2020 Comprehensive design studio takes on several specific challenges facing us now, the greatest being climate change and the impact that buildings have on their environment and the housing crisis and the ability for architects to provide solutions for the 100% not the 1%. Within this context, the comprehensive studio places particular emphasis on how to design and integrate technology and building systems within our building envelope, with the goal of creating spaces that are highly tuned to their climate, context and social needs. We will question the idea of home and domestic space and redefine how our individual spaces can make a positive impact on our shared communities.


Work by M.Arch student Mahzad Changalvaie
2020 is the year that California implements the first net zero energy code requirement at the residential scale, with the plan that by 2030 all buildings in California will be net zero. What this means is that our living spaces, many of which are planned piece by piece by the individual inhabitant, will lead the way towards a sustainable architecture that integrates energy performance with envelope efficiency at the highest level. Dwelling spaces have always played a critical role in the history of architecture, and particularly in California, with architects pioneering new technologies, materials and systems through the most essential space of the home. We will question both the idea of home and the role technology can play in defining how we live and how we build our spaces.

Work by M.Arch student Maneh Tahmasian
2020 is also a time of crisis for housing globally, and locally within the context of California which is facing a staggering number of homeless and a total lack of affordable housing at the rural, suburban and urban scale. We need fresh solutions. How can architects be a part of the future solutions for our residential spaces at all scales? We will rethink the idea of the house from the inhabitants needs as a 21st century citizen, what is the purpose of our home today? What is the definition of family, neighborhood, community? How do we want to live in the future?





Work by M.Arch student Xavier Chavez
Micro-housing
We will use the micro unit as a catalyst for big change. Starting with a single unit and the scale of the inhabitant the studio will innovate solutions for living, energy usage and generation, and material and resource management. The unit will then be tested at a variety of scales- the rural, the suburban and the urban- and combinations- the single unit, the double and the multi.






Work by M.Arch student Cody Carpenter
Material Research & Prefabrication/Construction
Materials and methods of construction will be questioned as we strive to present new environmentally responsible and economical solutions for making space. One of the biggest inhibitors to housing is cost, and this studio strives to provide detailed solutions that are mindful of their environmental and economic feasibility. The studio will research methods of prefabrication, off site fabrication, and construction as a part of this questioning.
The studio explores the potential for architects to innovate within a highly defined building envelope. Students will develop designs for micro housing within the context of the Los Angeles region. The studio encourages architecture that retains its own identity while integrating and filtering its environment. There will be an integral focus on passive design and the interface between construction systems developed and environmental systems required for the functionality of the program and achieving net zero energy.
Catalog Description
Students are challenged to synthesize architectural considerations, from the conceptual to the tangible, in the comprehensive design of a building. The studio project grows from a strong theoretical base into a response to the complexities of program and site. Accessibility, environmental performance, and life safety are addressed. Emphasis is placed on the integration of building systems with envelope and structure. Material selection is guided by both climate and context and is sensitive to resource conservation.
Students are challenged to synthesize architectural considerations, from the conceptual to the tangible, in the comprehensive design of a building. The studio project grows from a strong theoretical base into a response to the complexities of program and site. Accessibility, environmental performance, and life safety are addressed. Emphasis is placed on the integration of building systems with envelope and structure. Material selection is guided by both climate and context and is sensitive to resource conservation.