AA Athens | AA Istanbul Visiting Schools 2012 ISTANBUL

ISTANBUL Istanbul Technical University Faculty Of Architecture Connected Tower, 24-30 March 2012 The second edition of AA Istanbul Visiting School 2012, “Connected Tower”, in collaboration with Istanbul Technical University (ITU), will act as a continuation and augmentation of its first version, “Crafted Tower”. The school will amplify the concept of verticality in a city which is continuously being populated by towers, altering its skyline and urban fabric. “Connected Tower” will tackle the challenge of radically decomposing the tower in order to liberate it from its current fixed typology dominated by the repetition and segmentation. Istanbul presents itself as a crucial model in this challenge, due to the increasing high-rise construction during recent years in specific parts of the city. Therefore, taking the existing architectural characteristics of the high-rise buildings and their urban implications in Istanbul, “Connected Tower” aims to set the tower free from its existing binary axioms - building and city, circulation and habitation, structure and skin. The tower here becomes an extreme testing ground where it can evolve from being a solitary type to a novel vertical system described with the qualities of adaptation, integration, and fluidity. The design process highlights learning from the integrated nature of biological systems in order to infuse vertical systems with adaptive, multi-functional qualities. The generation of differentiated verticality is carried out by algorithmic design processes in various computation platforms. The creations in the digital world are tested and realized with digital fabrication processes involving various CNC methods, leading to the production of physical prototypes of various scales. In relation with the agenda, a series of lectures by leading academics and professionals will be organized as part of the public events of the School. The extreme spatial dimension of verticality will be put to the test through an online platform linking the workshop with another AA Visiting School, AA Athens, which is taking horizontality as its agenda. Participants are encouraged to join both workshops in order to experience the transition between the two architectural limits. The workshop is open to architecture and design students and professionals worldwide. Fee discounts will be offered including early applications, group applications, and for those interested in taking part in the Visiting Schools in both Athens and Istanbul. The deadline for applications is 10 March 2012. All participants traveling from abroad are responsible for securing any visa required. After payment of fees, the AA can provide a letter confirming participation in the workshop. A portfolio or CV is not required, only the online application form and payment. A 40% discount is available to anyone who takes part in both the Athens and the Istanbul Visiting Schools. See the APPLY section for each Visiting School for more information on offered discounts. Further information: http://ai.aaschool.ac.uk/ http://www.aaschool.ac.uk/STUDY/VISITING/istanbul Applications can be submitted to: [email protected]