Studio 03

All Work, No Play

Peter Stasios, Raymond Mah, Jesse Linardi, and Koos de Keijzer

This studio is available to students enrolled in ABPL90142 Studio C, ABPL90143 Studio D, and ABPL90115 Studio E.

Studio Description

The mantra of “Be Better” echoes through the corridor of the contemporary co-working space, as your friend Sandra tells you Jane is teaching a yoga class before lunch and you should join.

Historically the office has been a combination of technology, social darwinism and idealism, resulting in spaces that resemble the cold logic of production. The current workplace however is not just a place to produce work and meet your Thursday deadline, but also a space to facilitate your physical, mental and spiritual growth. All Work, No Play will attempt to unpack the possibilities and concerns of the increasing collisions between work, leisure and culture.

Considerable change has occurred with our expectations of the workplace. The studio will chronicle the evolution of the workplace and look to establish connections between our socio-cultural values and the desk. Should a connection exist between our socio-cultural values and the workplace, then our current work environment is all about transparency, collaboration and “making you the best possible version of yourself”.

Just one small positive thought in the morning can change your whole day.

All Work, No Play will pair the above provocation with distinctly architectural problems, as students are expected to develop a conceptual position on work as well as an accompanying architecture.

Studio Outcome

All Work, No Play’s ambition is to develop a new set of values, both architecturally and culturally, and see how they can manifest themselves through built form and design of a 14-storey co-working space.

The first 5 weeks of the semester are influenced by the idea that architecture should absorb into its “body the intelligence of the world” beyond it and that architecture culture is defined by different kinds of knowledge. Through a series of weekly design exercises and investigations we cast a wide net, as we pivot between history, critical theory and specific architectural problems as they relate to the workplace and the city.

Through these weekly exercises and a rich supply of resources, which are to be produced individually and as a class, your conceptual position will start to take shape as you begin to define a new version of work as well as new spatial, programmatic and formal relationships.

The remaining portion of the semester will be developing your personal project. There is an expectation that your final co-working propositions will curate and sculpt a series of spaces that align with your conceptual and architectural intent, whilst not neglecting issues of urbanism, form and the city.

Studio Leaders

Peter Stasios along with Raymond Mah, Jesse Linardi & Koos de Keijzer share expertise in urban design, architecture, research and teaching. The foundation of the semester is knowledge acquired through various iterations of this studio that have been taught previously at MSD, as well as the work produced at the award winning office of DKO, in which Raymond, Jesse and Koos are directors.

Readings & References

• Henri Lefebvre - Critique of Everyday Life
• David Graeber - Bullshit Jobs
• Timothy Hyde - Ugliness and Judgement
• Reinier de Graaf - Four Walls and a Roof
• Georges Perec - On the Difficulty of Imagining an Ideal City

Schedule Thursdays 12:00-15:00 and Thursdays 15:15-18:15 in MSD Room 142

Contact Handbook Key Dates