DELIGHT #2: What's in a House?

Professor Tim Shannon

Studio Outline:

Of Vitruvius' three aspirations for Architecture, namely Firmness, Commodity and Delight, Delight persists in being the most elusive. One person's delight is another's aggravation, while one culture's delight is another's puzzle. Civilisation's communities have crafted dwellings in urban settlements for thousands of years. Living in high densities is not new. How can architects today contribute to the needs of our city's dwellings beyond achieving statistical objectives, and offer more than firmness and commodity? The setting for the project is Melbourne's inner city suburb of Richmond, and the design will explore options for housing an extended family in an apartment building, and on allotments of 120m2 and 240m2. The scene will be set by each student clarifying their architectural manifesto, and then preparing aspirational and functional briefs for their client's urban dwellings.

Studio Leaders

TIM SHANNON holds a 1st Class Hons Architecture Degree from the University of Adelaide, a Masters Degree of Architecture from the University of Toronto, and is an Honorary Professorial Fellow of the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning at Melbourne University. He worked for John Andrews in his early career, and was a Partner and Managing Partner of Hassell during a period of 32 years. He has tutored architectural design at Adelaide, Toronto and Melbourne Universites. In semester 1, 2016, he led the design studio Delight #1 Dream House, based on his series of 10 architectural essays on Delight. Leading Melbourne architects joining Tim in this Studio will be Sean Godsell, Graeme Gunn, Tim Jackson, Rob McBride, Rob McGauran, and Rachael Nolan.

Learning Outcomes:

The learning objectives are to further students' understanding of the creative design act, and to further their ability to produce designs which reflect clear aspirations. The research objective is to study the House as an architectural type in a diversity of cultural settings, which builds on the work of Studio Delight #1: Dream House. In the first half of the semester, students will visit the Boyd House and the Fooks House to observe and learn, and six leading Melbourne architects (Sean Godsell, Graeme Gunn, Tim Jackson,Rob McBride, Rob McGauran, and Rachael Nolan) will participate in studio discussions on "design as a creative act" and "what's in a house ?" They will also participate in the mid and end - semester design reviews. There will be two weeks to write the manifesto, aspirational brief, and functional brief. Four weeks to develop concept designs for the three houses, and six weeks to develop the three houses to sketch design stage.

Reading and Reference:

On Delight: Philip Fisher ; Wonder, the Rainbow, and the Aesthetics of Rare Experiences, Harvard University, 2003. Juhani Pallasmaa ; The Eyes of the Skin, Wiley, 2012. Edward Hollis ; The Memory Palace, Portobello Books, 2013. Tim Shannon ; Essay #10, Firmness Commodity and Delight (from Delight : 10 Essays on Architecture, 2015). On Design: Juhani Pallasmaa ; The Thinking Hand, Wiley, 2009. Howard Gardner ; Creating Minds, Basic Books, 1993. Robert Harbison ; Eccentric Spaces, MIT Press, 2000. Tim Shannon ; Essay #9 Bliss (from Delight : 10 Essays on Architecture ,2015). On Architectural Manifestos : FT Marinetti ; The Futurist Manifesto, 1909. LeCorbusier ; Towards a New Architecture, London Architectural Press, 1927. Jacques Herzog ; Pritkzer Prize acceptance speech, 2001. On the House : Bill Bryson ; At Home, a short history of private life. Joseph Rykwert ; On Adam's House in Paradise, The Museum of Modern Art, 1972. June Sprigg and David Larkin ; Shaker Life, Work, and Art, Smithmark, 2000. Tim Shannon ; Essay #5 , Houses (from Delight : 10 Essays on Architecture 2015).

Field Trip

DATE: Week 2
COST: TBC

ST1/03 Monday 9am - 12pm, MSD Room 142
ST2/03 Thursday 9am - 12pm, MSD Room 138