Overview
Los Angeles’s unique climate and native ecologies offer a curious case study in how cities meet nature. As a whole, California is a globally renowned biodiversity hotspot, with the most species of plants and animals in the nation. The state’s varied geography (containing both the highest and lowest points in the continental U.S.) and proximity to the ocean and mountains enable an unusual density of nature, a microcosm of environs found around the world. It is this exceptional variety of life and landscape that will form the basis of our research in imagining alternate futures.
In traditional urban planning, high density is typically achieved at the expense of the profound human desire to be in harmony with nature. Yet as urban populations grow, it is imperative that architects address the changing needs of both citizens and local ecologies. In particular, Los Angeles would benefit from higher density, given the problems of urban sprawl and social isolation often associated with the city. Our studio aims to synthesize the seemingly opposing forces of density and nature into innovative urban proposals for Los Angeles.
Traversing the city from east to west, the Metro D Line Subway Extension Project (also known as the ‘Purple Line’) follows the Wilshire Boulevard corridor that links diverse neighborhoods together - from the UCLA campus in Westwood to the museum-filled Miracle Mile to the rapidly revitalizing Koreatown. By examining this major artery, students will be able to propose site specific design ideas and articulate a critical position that envisions new forms of densified living through design.
Students will be expected to thoughtfully conceptualize the formats through which these ideas and narratives are expressed, which could include but are not limited to drawings, physical models, renders, animations or film. The semester will culminate in a final presentation and exhibition, which will be adapted for the general exhibition at the 2025 Venice Biennale.
Background
With the theme of Intelligens, the 2025 Architecture Biennale in Venice aims to “…search for a path forward, proposing that intelligent solutions to pressing problems can take many forms. It will present a collection of design proposals and many other experiments, exploring a definition of ‘intelligence’ as an ability to adapt to the environment with limited resources, knowledge, or power.”(1) Corollary to this curatorial statement, our studio also looks towards the visionary architectural movements of the ‘60s, such as Superstudio, Archigram and the Metabolists. While this legacy is not without its complexities, our research embraces the impulse to critically examine contemporary issues to forward new collective narratives.
This studio aims to recenter the role of nature and landscape in urban visioning, operating at a range of scales, from masterplan to individual experience. In this context, the goal is to leverage the role of Nature and aesthetics in urban storytelling. Together with rigorous environmental and historical research, as well as immersive explorations of local ecology, students will formulate proposals that extend beyond problem-solving to question current rhetorics and prompt the actions necessary to realize an alternate future. As the proposals will derive directly from research conducted by students, it is expected that the final project could take on a wide variety of forms: parks, towers, housing, community centers, facades, building technologies, video games, films, single-family homes, bridges, infrastructures, furniture…the list goes on.
Approach
Individual students will have the autonomy to select their own research topic and methodology within the overarching theme, in order to ensure that each student’s distinct voice and perspective are clearly articulated. The studio will emphasize a research-based design approach to develop a deeper understanding of nature and our relationship to it, incorporating multidisciplinary insights from fields as diverse as botany, geology, hydrology and city planning.
From this initial research phase, students will develop design proposals within the urban area of Los Angeles. Several sites along the ongoing ‘Purple Line’ subway extension will be available, based on their relevance to the urban fabric and potential for redevelopment. Constraints, such as building program or typology, are at the discretion of each project, dependent on the research and site selection. Proposals should be innovative and bold, unconstrained by current technologies and open to future advancements, reflecting the student’s vision for the future.
The final deliverable, intended for exhibition at the Venice Biennale, should be of the highest quality, including both a written narrative and visual elements. Visuals may comprise a physical model, animation, renderings, or drawings, and must include a hero image that encapsulates the concept in a single image.
Travel
During travel week, students will visit Los Angeles to see their project site and develop a deeper understanding of the city. Students will visit key projects from MAD and other relevant precedent projects.
(1) “Introduction - La Biennale di Venezia - Architettura 2025,” Carlo Ratti