Journey to the Floating World

Material Departures

This year we will embark upon a journey from material exploration towards large-scale tectonic fabrication. Using latent material properties as a catalyst, each individual will develop unique form and space making tools via iterative surface and volumetric explorations. The unit will develop a comprehensive catalogue of material operations and their associated patterns, effects and potentialities for collective use.

Ukiyo-e: Images of the Floating World

Ukiyo-e prints and books depicted social and cultural transformations in Japan with changing habitats and the transient effects of life on the move. The floating world was (and still is) a world of impermanence. Our ambition is to capture a sequence of spaces that encompass the fleeting condition of daily life, at the intersection of real and fictional worlds.

Alone in Kyoto



The unit will travel to Kyoto and embark upon specific journeys through the city, interacting with historic and culturally significant artefacts. Focus will be given to the recording of atmospheric conditions within each trajectory, through shifts in topography, scale, light and the effects of material transformation.

Journey Planner



Mapping techniques will be developed in order to navigate each route taken in a given context and the spaces and conditions encountered. Two and three-dimensional approaches will be developed to unravel inherently complex territories and topologies, to reframe specific site conditions for appraisal and future intervention.

Resting Place

Propositions will be developed for a hotel located along a specific path through the city of London. Reflecting upon existing typologies and situations, individual briefs will be formulated. The objective will be to create spatial conditions along the armature of the route, shifting and transforming in scale, condition and hierarchy. Large-scale sectional fabrications and detailed digital models and drawings will be constructed. Each will explore tailored spatial connections, bifurcations, adjacencies.