Rehabilitating existing resources owned by the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) into new unemployment centers and places of self-reconstruction.
Facing a constantly transforming world, especially within the hallmark of our modern life – work and the workplace, this studio seeks to re-imagine the oftentimes sad and even depressive spaces associated to the ubiquitous condition of work loss: unemployment centers and vacation homes for the unemployed. Centered around the idea of rebirth, the studio challenges students to draw from existing resources (abandoned buildings, unused materials) to renew work (unemployment center in combination with diagnostics center, job fair, co-working, startup incubator, learning center, makers space) and life (temporary living structures in remote areas for people to recharge while looking for new jobs).
The studio combines design with research where students will investigate the future of work and smart reuse of materials to derive appropriate programs and design strategies. Students will work both collectively (unemployment center) and individually (vacation house). Site visits, lectures series, and guest juries with experts in the field of future scenario research, architectural renovation and material recycling will accompany students through this discovery journey.
Studio Critics: Leonid Slonimskiy
Teaching Assistant: Bertrand Van Dorp
Elsa Audouin
Sarah Bentivegna
Robin Delerce
Azadeh Djavanrouh
Marina Ezerskaia
Thibault Krauer
Nourbonou Missidenti
Patrycja Pawlik
Louise Plassard
Patris Sallaku
Yichen Wang
Nobuyoshi Yokota
Lea Rime
Head of Department: Javier F. Contreras
Scientific Deputy : Valentina De Luigi
Image Credits © HEAD – Geneva, Zoe Aubry and Leonid Slonimskiy
