4.285
re-PRODUCTION OF PLACE(s)
Water, Architecture & Community
Instructor: Shun Kanda
e-mail: kanda@mit.edu
Units: 3-0-6
Level: H
Prerequisites: Permission of instructor.
Time & Location: Mondays 2:00-5:00 Room 10-485 Seminar Room
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Description:
By tracing the passage(s) of water – rainfall, stream & rivers - this seminar will
study how human settlements , be it agricultural villages, man-made channels,
city or domestic infrastructure, have shaped, altered, managed its natural course
of flow over time in diverse contexts, needs and scale.
This course will survey the range of site design, architectural interventions, and
engineered manipulations where water has played a significant role in the
production of places for living/work/recreation/pleasure. As well, we will
appraise where we find these conditions today in the face of climate change,
negative impacts on the natural environment, emerging technological
applications, managing micro-climate, adjustments in
lifestyle/inhabitation/domestic comfort, just to name a few. Living with water, are
we now to engage in a re-production of place(s) in our environment?
The first phase of the term will consist of initial discussions and topical definition
to be followed by precedent research & info-gathering by the entire class. The
latter half of the term will require each student (a) to conduct an in-depth
understanding of a selected precedent/case-study; and (b) to formulate a
graphic/visualizable synthesis (ref: Envisioning Information, Edward R. Tufte) and
presentation of the subject matter.
The seminar will develop a cumulative bibliography, required reference sources,
and attendance at guest speaker sessions. The course will not require a written
paper nor exam. Instead, we will have pin-ups and final presentations in a
format leading to a report and publication.
This course has been spawned in part by the Advanced Japan Design Workshop
& Japan Design Workshop 2009 in Tane/Shiga-ken. There are overlaps to the
activities of both, currently underway and possibly to their next stages of
research and design.
The seminar is scheduled for Mondays, 2PM – 5PM in 10-485 Seminar Room.
MArch 2 & 3, SMArchS, DUSP students are encouraged to sign up.
• The first meeting will be held on Wednesday Sept.9th at 1PM-2PM
in CDD Seminar Room 10-485 .
• The first class will convene Monday Sept.14 at 2PM, 10-485 Seminar Room
