[call for participants]
Urban­Buddy (http://www.urbanbuddy.com) and Live Archi­tec­ture Net­work (http://www.livearchitecture.net) are col­lab­o­rat­ing to orga­nize a series of cost-effective design exchange work­shops for stu­dents and other inter­ested par­ties to be held in mul­ti­ple loca­tions each year.  Par­tic­i­pants will simul­ta­ne­ously explore Barcelona, Chicago and New York City; three incred­i­ble urban cen­ters. urban­FAB [work­shop] will reveal global con­cepts while fully explor­ing local phe­nom­ena that are dis­tinctly Span­ish and American.

[overview]

urban­FAB [work­shop] will engage in a close-up exam­i­na­tion of the exist­ing urban fac­tors that drive new mod­els of dig­i­tal design and fab­ri­ca­tion.  These fac­tors include phys­i­cal, social and cli­matic influ­ences (among oth­ers), but most impor­tantly you’ll be observ­ing what makes your city unique in global sys­tem­atic design, both nat­ural and human pro­duced.  The urban­FAB [work­shop] is a unique look at the inter­face between the built form infra­struc­tures and the phys­i­cal & social sys­tems of our urban environment.

[process]

To uncover mul­ti­ple lay­ers of mean­ings, iden­ti­ties and design processes par­tic­i­pants will col­lab­o­rate with the other urban­FAB [work­shop] cities: Barcelona, Chicago and New York City. The dynamism of these urban cen­ters is best expe­ri­enced on the ground with full expo­sure to the com­plex jux­ta­po­si­tion and over­lay of move­ment and activities.

The plat­form of the work­shop will be based on obser­va­tional research where par­tic­i­pants will take part in field stud­ies, aca­d­e­mic and pro­fes­sional lec­tures, office vis­its, city tours and more. Through dig­i­tal forums, inter­na­tional con­fer­enc­ing and on the ground Urban­Buddy net­work­ing, par­tic­i­pants will help each other com­pare and con­trast cross-cultural lenses to deci­pher and respond to com­plex urban sys­tems. As an inte­gral part of the work­shop, par­tic­i­pants will enjoy their city’s sum­mer fes­ti­vals, taste its fla­vor, and live its unique cul­ture hosted by UrbanBuddy.

The find­ings to the obser­va­tional research will be pack­aged and dis­sem­i­nated through a live blog, col­lab­o­ra­tive pub­li­ca­tion and exhibition.

[about UrbanBuddy]

Urban­Buddy con­nects stu­dents and trav­el­ers to cities around the globe.

Urban­Buddy was founded in 2007 from the expe­ri­ence of 4 stu­dents on their jour­ney through Europe and a semes­ter abroad in Barcelona, Spain. An Urban­Buddy describes a new type of city concierge. We are on-site experts avail­able 24 hours a day for aca­d­e­mic, social and cul­tural sup­port. Urban­Buddy has evolved into an inter­na­tional net­work of peo­ple, places and ser­vices to sup­port the stu­dent and trav­eler. We are col­lab­o­rat­ing with the Live Archi­tec­ture Net­work (LaN) to facil­i­tate the urban­FAB [work­shop] this sum­mer in Bar­cleona, Chicago and New York City.

[about LaN]

LaN DIRECTS GLOBAL WORKSHOPS ON DIGITAL DESIGN + FABRICATION IN ARCHITECTURE FOR ACADEMIC + CLIENT BASED PROJECTS.

LaN approaches archi­tec­tural devel­op­ment through inter­dis­ci­pli­nary col­lab­o­ra­tions enabled by DIGITAL DESIGN + FABRICATION. LaN rec­og­nizes the power of dig­i­tal fab­ri­ca­tion, not merely as a toolset of a high tech­ni­cal cal­iber, but as the dri­ver of par­tic­u­lar group­ings of resources–an orga­ni­za­tion of human, eco­nomic, and mate­r­ial assets–varying widely based on project cir­cum­stances. LaN’s mode of oper­a­tion is PARAMETRIC in nature, and seeks to re-associate archi­tec­ture with a flex­i­ble, col­lab­o­ra­tive, & data-rich prac­tice of SPATIAL DESIGN.

[travel, research, and culture]

Par­tic­i­pants will par­take in a series of city, cul­tural and his­toric tours; urban obser­va­tion exer­cises, guest lec­tures and pre­sen­ta­tions, and inter­ac­tions with the local pro­fes­sion­als and cit­i­zens. The travel expe­ri­ence and research dur­ing the urban­FAB [work­shop] will be facil­i­tated by Urban­Buddy and hosted by local uni­ver­si­ties and design studios.

The real poten­tial of this project lies in the power of col­lab­o­ra­tion. With the involve­ment of many peo­ple from dif­fer­ent back­grounds, simul­ta­ne­ous research in three cities and by lay­er­ing diverse ideas we can col­lec­tively exam­ine and in turn inform our cities.

[workshop dates] June 28 — July 17
[deadline for application] May 1, 2010

Registration:
http://www.urbanbuddy.com/index.php/workshops/
http://www.livearchitecture.net/archives/5273