‘The Constructive Idea’ was inspired by the work of French Architect and designer Jean Prouve as a basis for a collaborative studio. Prouve worked with a team of makers and designers on material prototypes, somewhere between a studio and a workshop where thinking through drawing and making were equally valorised.
A Vertical Studio of second and third year architecture students, led by Marcin Wojcik, Kevin Donovan and Ailbhe Cunningham, ‘The Constructive Idea’ worked with full scale physical prototypes and structural models to look firstly at the material and construction-related ambitions for the work of architecture, using site and brief as secondary vehicles for the design project rather than its primary motivator.
Students in the ‘The Constructive Idea’ Vertical Studio designed and experimented principally with timber in its various forms. The material was chosen for its sustainability and versatility, students were encouraged to experiment and innovate to find new and environmentally responsible methods of construction. Students made 1:1 timber junctions in the workshops, developing their own shop drawings and testing their design prototypes for prefabrication and disassembly. They then took these detailed studies as the basis of larger scale structural systems to design a recycling centre. Students were encouraged to think about the full life-cycle of their designs, their assembly, life-time use and reuse.
The overall project was the central focus of the studio which was carefully structured to support students in working collaboratively on projects with colleagues. Projects, not individuals, were reviewed, with every group-member’s contribution to the project taken into consideration. The students were reviewed and assessed on group contributions, emphasising the importance of true collaboration as an ambitious pedagogical approach.
