After successful completion of the course, students are able to design and conduct a qualitative- research design for a small project in the realm the research in the built environment and to conduct research. . Furthermore, the students gain basic methodological knowledge for working with scientific text and are able to present reflect and discuss their results.
Inspired by the renewed interest in participative design and user participation, we will explore the themes of flexibility and adaptability as features of the built environment. Based on concepts and assessments of flexibility as proposed by Schneider & Till (2005; 2005; 2007) and Gosling et al. (2013), we will analyse, present and discuss historical and contemporary texts. Historical text for analysis will be include publications by architects and sociologists that were published in the early 1980s in the context of the ‘Wohnen morgen’ (‘Living tomorrow’) program for experimental and participatory housing projects. To capture today's understanding of flexibility and adaptability, we will analyse contemporary texts on planning processes in co-housing projects and publication prefabricated, serial production of housing.
Methods should not just be presented, it is important to try them out in practice.
A simplified version of the qualitative content analysis and iconology will be used to explore to analyse the textual and visual material in the selected publications.
Participants will analyze and present selected documents. Maja Lorbek will carry out an exemplary analysis and put it up for discussion.
The colloquium is based on the principle of peer feedback. The course offers a structured framework for peer-to-peer exchange and group discussions. The participants and the teacher take turns the role of the presenter and the respondent. One of the main goals of the course is to enable both critical and constructive feedback in a group setting.
Methods: Simplified qualitative content analysis and iconology
Literature
Gosling J, Sassi P, Naim M, et al. (2013) Adaptable buildings: A systems approach. Sustainable Cities and Society 7: 44–51. DOI: 10.1016/j.scs.2012.11.002.
Panofsky E (1972) Studies in Iconology: Humanistic Themes in the Art of the Renaissance. Paperback ed. Icon editions. Boulder, Colo: Westview Press.
Schneider T and Till J (2005) Flexible housing: opportunities and limits. Architectural Research Quarterly 9(2): 157–166. DOI: 10.1017/S1359135505000199.
Schneider T and Till J (2007) Flexible Housing. 1st ed. Amsterdam ; Boston: Architectural Press, an imprint of Elsevier.
Schreier M (2012) Qualitative Content Analysis in Practice. Los Angeles: SAGE.
Till J and Schneider T (2005) Flexible housing: the means to the end. arq: Architectural Research Quarterly 9(3–4): 287. DOI: 10.1017/S1359135505000345.
