Studio “quantified diversity” @ SEU Nanjing, 2012

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Final report – short summary

Studio Odilo 欧狄龙 Schoch

“quantified diversity” @ SEU Nanjing, 2012

Author: Odilo Schoch

Professor Dr.-Ing. . Dipl.Arch ETH . MAS ETH in Housing

T direct +41 34 426 41 89, [email protected]

Biel/Nanjing, June 17., 2012

Executive Summary

From April to june 2012, BFH’s Professor Odilo 欧狄龙 Schoch lead a design studio at renowned Chinese South

East University in Nanjing. 14 Students in the 2nd year joined a innovative curriculum which featured structured

design approach and the development of own design concepts. The studio was titled ‚quantified diversity‛.

The visiting professorship was supported by SEU Nanjing and Swiss SSSTC grants. Special thanks go to Prof.

Wang, Prof. Gong Kai, Prof. Dong Wei, Prof. Dr. Li Biao, Heinz Müller, Marc-André Gonin and René Graf,

In result, both sides gathered serious experience on the possibilities and limitations of such a management-based

approach in a Chinese academic context. Among the appr. 100 students of the 2nd year course, the students on

Prof. Odilo Schoch’s studio had to design as well a community library on a site nearby the school’s building in

Nanjing. With classes every Monday and Thursday morning, the studio’s curriculum had to fit to the student’s

ability and their other classes.

By introducing simple management tools such as the ‘morphological table’, SWOT-analyses or BIM-processes,

the students got an holistic understanding of both the design-task and their own design.

The results are impressive: the design with the year’s highest grades was done in Prof. Odilo Schoch’s studio, as

well as 4 of 10 best designs among the 100 students. Teaching was strongly supported by Odilo Schoch’s

colleague Dipl. Ing Manh Tran from Berlin and Beijing, Dr. Zhu from SEU Nanjing.

Besides the students immense work, various guests contributed to the studio: Prof. Dr. (ETH Zurich) Chen

Cheng-Chen, Tamkan University, Taiwan; Prof. Dr. Gerhard Schmitt, ETH Zurich, Switzerland and Future Cities

Laboratory FCL, Singapore; Wu Wei, GMP Architects, Shanghai/Beijing; Yoshi Uchiyama, Zaha Hadid Architects,

Beijing/Shanghai, China; Prof. Zhao, Nanjing University; Dr. (ETH Zurich) Pia Simmendinger, Baumschlager-

Eberle Architects, Zurich; Guido Züger, ETH Zurich, Switzerland and Claudio Däscher, Berne University of Applied

Sciences.

20120618_seu-studio-odilo_final-report_001en.docx 2

Introduction

Right: impression of the studio during a review. Guest critique with Prof. Chen Chen-Cheng of Tamkang University, Taipei, Taiwan.

This design studio got named ‚quantified diversity‛. During a discussion with Prof. Dong Wei in November 2011,

we figured out, that nowadays students are facing challenges in connection technical requirements of a building

design with architectural form. Based on the experience at BUAS in Switzerland and CITA in Copenhagen, I

reported positively about introducing a management view onto the making of a holistically designed piece of

architecture. This approach doesn’t mean the development of a design machine, which is re-using a single

prototype – it means an additional view onto architecture. Anyway, the communication of a design is an

interconnection set of different media. Text, picture, drawing, models and numbers are used. In relation the target

audience and the aim, one or the other media will be preferred. Investors might be interested in a numeric

representation where as end-users aim for atmospheric representation of space, its amount of squaremeters,

energy-demand and cost. The diversity of design can be quantified. A very positive side-effect appears by inter-

connecting the different media around the same project: the decision makers in the design-phase have a better

understanding of their own project. This is considered a broadened understanding of BIM (Building Information

Modelling).

这个设计课程被命名为‚量化的多样性‛课程。在2011年9月与董卫教授的讨论中，我们发现，现在的学生证面临

着联系建筑设计的技术要求和建筑形态结合的挑战。基于我在瑞士BUAS和丹麦哥本哈根CITA的经历，我提出了

关于将管理的视角引入建筑整体设计的观点。这种方法并不只是意味着设计工具，一种对于单一范式重复利用

的发展，而是另一种建筑视角的融入。不管怎样，设计的交流是不同元素间的相互联系。文本，图片，图纸，

模型，数字都参与其中。在目标观众和目标的关联之间，一个或者其他的元素可能更受青睐。投资者将最终对

数据表示兴趣，其目标是对空间、面积，能量需求和花费上的诉求。设计的多样化可以被量化。一个非常积极

的副作用体现在同一个工程中不同的媒介之间的相互联系上：决策者在设计阶段就对他们自己的工程有更好的

理解。这被认为是BIM（建筑信息模型）认识的扩展。


Sophomore STUDIO

The spring semester of 2nd year studio (sophomore studio) at SEU Nanjing in 2012 focussed on the design of a

library. It is embedded in the overall curriculum of SEU Nanjing. First year in architectural education focuses on

the design of activity centre based on the basic knowledge of space and architecture, 3rd year on the design of

culture and art centre with BIM including order, ritual, interaction and polyvalence of space , 4th year on different

topics including urban design, public building residential design and interdisciplinary design. The final year of the

undergraduate education focused on the real project.

东南大学大二年级2012学年春季学期专注于图书馆的设计。这个设计被贯穿于东南大学的整个课程。其中建筑

一年级的教学关注空间与建筑之间的建构关系的基础知识，并做活动中心；三年级以BIM为主要的设计理念，结

合秩序，仪式、互动与多义性，进行演艺中心设计；四年级则关注于不同的课题，如城市设计、大型共建设计

、住宅设计以及学科交叉的设计等；毕业设计则是与实际工程结合进行设计。

Aim

Main didactic aim is to teach the students those tools which allow them to handle an increased complexity of a

building, its site and their connection. Therefore a design task is chosen by the school of architecture, which

broadens the knowledge of students. All students of the second year course are doing the same design task.

主要的教学目的是教导学生学会处理建筑不断增加的建筑、基地以及建筑之间及内部之间联系复杂性。因此，

该建筑设计作业的选择，这将扩大学生们的知识面。所有的学生在第二年都进行相同的设计作业。

Meaning of “quantified diversity”

Architectural design is an activity with various inter-connected aspects. In the context of this studio, ‘architectural’

design is considered as the decision making towards form, content and quality. Demands, such as the client’s

wish to build a community library, have to be transferred to specifications, such as the precise definition of

material and geometry.

Because a large number of themes might have an impact on these specifications, this studio introduced tools

and their related ways of thinking in order to focus on reasonable solutions: out of virtually any kind of

specification, the students should only consider those few possibilities, which actually make sense in their specific

design. A simple example is windows and their relation to reading areas: In case his reading area has normal

furniture and does not want to have direct light, then only openings should be chosen which have certain

materiality that also diffuse light.

建筑设计是一个各种方面相互联系的活动。在设计课程中，建筑设计被认为是对形式、内容、质量进行决定的

过程。需求，例如客户需要建一个社区图书馆，需要特殊定制，例如确定的材料和形体的定义。

由于很多主题可能对这些特质有影响，课程给出了一些针对性的工具以关注于各种合理的方法：在众多的特定

的解决的方法

中，学生可以仅仅考虑几种可能性来体现出他们的设计思想。一个简单的例子就是窗户和与它们有关的图书馆

阅读区域，如果阅读区域有普通的家具并且不希望有直射光线，因此窗户可以选择一种漫反射材料。


Figure 1: Slide of lecture 16. April 2012, introducting the core understanding of handling complexity by reducing the amount of questions.

Library Design

By choosing the design task of a community library, the students are facing questions which consider a broader

context. In particular the broader investigations of the neighbourhood are introducing themes such as:

通过选择社区图书馆的设计作业，学生将面临更多的相关问题。特别是关于相关的社区调查，其中主要涉及以

下主题：

- built environment建成环境

- building heights建筑高度

- Spatial perception空间感知

- pattern图案

- diversity of space, population, accessibility and services空间、人口，可达性和服务空间的多样性

- green spaces绿色空间

Inside the building, a library is handling a handful of activities which are interconnected at specific points. A library

appears less complex than an apartment but still challenging due to its diversity of activities.

建筑内部，图书馆包含大量特定位置发生的相互关联的活动的建筑。尽管图书馆没有公寓复杂，但由于它的活

动的多样性，仍然具有挑战性。

Supervision/ Critics

During the course, an amazing number of guests visited the studio. The main aim of their presence was to allow

the students novel input to their design. By confronting the students with the opinion of external guests, they hear

new vocabularies and other opinions that their main teachers are facing. Amazingly, the students observed a

common sense of the opinions of their teachers and the guests, although the guests never have seen their

projects before. This consensus underlines the success of the applied didactic methodology.

Studio Odilo Schoch, SEU Nanjing, China, 2012

Main didactic aims of this studio

design a good library

• manage complexity

• explain your own design concept with good stories

• work more focused

amount of questions

to answer in a design

reduction through

structured design

approach


在课程期间，大量的客人参与了这次课程设计。他们参与的主要目的是让学生把他们的新奇的想法投入他们的

设计。通过面对这些外来客人的观点，学生们学到了一些新的词汇和他们主要的老师正面对的观点。令人惊奇

的是，尽管这些来宾之前并没有看到他们的设计,学生观察到了指导教师和来宾的普遍观点。这一共识调调了应

用教育方法论的成功。

Teaching Structure “design thinking”

The course’s curriculum is actively applying the methodology of ‚design thinking‛. This is a successful approach

to quickly handle interdisciplinary assignments for design. By having a clear separation of activities, the design

problems, their possibilities, proposal, evaluation and solution is creating an awareness of both the problems and

their possible solutions. The assignments can be handled very efficiently as ‚design thinking‛ is truncating

interconnected problems into single elements.

Interesting aspect is, that the actors can jump in between the 5 steps in their own sequence. ‚design thinking’ is

successful used in universities such as Stanford University and in Odilo’s home university ‚Berne University of

Applied Sciences, Switzerland‛. It got developed by the Hasso-Plattner Insitution at Stanford, USA, and in

Potsdam, Germany.

课程要求体现关于”设计思想”的方法，以此非常接近在设计中快速解决各科间交互工作的方法。通过对活动与设

计问题的区分，它们的可能性，提议、评价产生了一种问题与可能的解决方法意识。工作可以非常有效实现，

因为“设计思想”的各个方面被联系在了单一元素中。

有趣的是，工作者可以在他们的工作顺序的五步中跳跃。“设计思想”被成功的运用在大学的教育中，如斯坦福大

学和笔者所在学校伯尔尼科技大学。这种理念在美国斯坦福大学的Hasso-

Plattner研究所以及德国的Postdam得到转化

Figure 2: Illustration of the steps following ‚Design Thinking‛ It is the core methodology of the Studio. It is a successful approach to handle

complexity in interdisciplinary complex design tasks. Presenten in Lecture of April 16, 2012.


Tools

A mix of tools are introduces to the students which allow the generation of architecture in a more structured way.

The tools are selected in order to full fill these two main goals:

1. Allow the students to explain their design much better to others

2. To reduce the complexity of a design task.

A selection of the tools which the students integrated:

1. Brain

2. Clay-model

3. Pen and paper

4. Text

5. Excel

6. BIM-3D-models

7. Digital energy –simulation

8. SketchUP 3D-modelling

9. Conceptual models

10. Cardboard models

11. Projections

12. SWOT

13. Morphological Table

14. …

A couple of tools are rarely found in architectural education. Among them, the Morphological Table and the

SWOT-Analyse are described in more detail. The application of both tools allows the students to get a more

structured understanding of the design-problem and their own design-decisions.

方法的混合可以使得一代建筑更加结构化，这些方法主要用来充分实现以下两个主要目标：

1．可以让学生更好的向其他人解释他们的设计

2. 减少设计任务的复杂性

学生可以综合使用的方法选择：

1. 大脑

2. 粘土模型

3. 纸和笔

4. 文字

5. 表格

6. BIM-3D-模型

7. 数码供能模拟

8. Sketchup-3D-模型

9.概念模型

10. 纸制模型

11. 投影

12. SWOT分析

13. 形态图表

14.……


一些方法很少出现在建筑教育中。在这些方法中，‚形态图表‛和SWOT-

分析有更多的细节描述。关于这些方法的应用可以让学生更加结构化的了解设计问题和他们自己的设计思想

Morphological Table

The tool ‚Morphological Table‛ got invented by Mr. Fritz Zwicky (1898 – 1974) ‚Zwicky developed a generalised

form of morphological analysis, which is a method for systematically structuring and investigating the total set of

relationships contained in multi-dimensional, usually non-quantifiable, problem complexes‛ (quote: Wikipedia)

‚形态图表‛方法由Fritz Zwicky（1898-1974）发明，

提出一种形态分析的普遍结构，这是一种用来系统化的架构和调查所有的包含在‚多维‛，非量化，等复杂问题中

的关系的方法‛（引自维基）

Graphics: Structure and Sample on a morphological table in architectural design. Presented and applied in studio on April 14, 2012.

SWOT

The SWOT analyses originates from the discipline of ‚quality management‛ and got popular around the 1960s. It

results in a clear listing of Strengths, harmful Weaknesses, Opportunities and harmful Threats. These can be

related towards an existing fact or a future design decision., The application of the SWOT-table in an architectural

design-process is helpful because of the separation of internal and external attributes.

SWOT分析起源于‚质量管理‛中的规律并且在1960年左右开始流行。它包括优势、劣势、机遇与挑战的明确区

分。他们可以被用来联系现实或者未来的设计思想。由于内部和外部属性的区分，SWOT表格的在建筑学设计

进程的应用是非常有帮助的。


Student: XXX-your-name, XX-XX-2012

Template for morphological table

Theme 1 Theme 2 Theme 3 Theme 4

idea 1.1 idea 2.1 idea 3.1 idea 4.1




Student: XXX-your-name, XX-XX-2012

… example

services/activities entrances elevation

only e-books and digital

media

supermarket, hotel,

lecture-room, university,

books, storage, café,

swimmingpool, KTV

books, storage, e-books,

study-rooms


Figure: empty example of a SWOT-table (source: Wikipedia.org)as presented on May 28, 2012.

1:1 projection

The 1:1 projection as a simple yet powerful tool to let the students interact with the atmosphere and size of their

own design. A digital projection is made on full height of space. At SEU Nanjing we use 2,50m height and 3,30m

width. By focussing on materiality, the students generate a good visual representation of their space. By simply a)

adjusting the section-plane of the rendering to a location where objects are as well 2,50m height and b) adjusting

the viewpoint of the rendering to the eye-height when standing in front of the projection, an immersion appears

close to a real feeling as being in the building.

1:1投影是一种简单而有力的方法让学生将他们的设计尺寸与环境更好的结合。数字化投影创造了足尺寸的空间

。在此，我们使用2.5m高，3.3米宽的尺寸加以投影。通过对材料的关注，学生对空间进行了一次很好的视觉展

现。简单说来，其方法是a）将渲染的场所调整为真实的2.5米的高度，b）在学生站在投影前的时候，将渲染的

视角调整到人视点，立刻人们就能感受到真实的建筑体验。

Image: Example of a 1:1 projection in the entrance lobby of SEU School of architecture, May 31, 2012.


How to make a decision?

By writing:

• writing the facts in a SWOT-Analyse (Strengths, Weaknesses; Opportunities,

Threats)


Benefits

1) The design thinking will help students clear the process of design, and construct the clue of design.

2) the rational idea of design make the architecture teachable and help students judge the design by themselves.

3) the strategies of Morphological Table help students know the way of thinking and selecting, thus to get the

comprehensive result

4) 1:1 projection helps students experience the real space and the material as well.

1）设计思考将帮助学生清晰的了解设计的有效进程，让毫无头绪的设计，变得有据可寻；

2）一种理性的设计思维在使得建筑可教的同时，也使得学生自己明确其判断的标准。

3）形态图表的图示化分析策略将学生的思维在经历了混乱的同时，学会思考与选择，从而取得综合的结果。

4）1:1的空间展示，使得学生能真实的体验空间，进而进行材质的考虑。

Requirements

Morphological table and SWOT analysis are required to be focussed on from the very beginning and need to be

stick to the end; 1:1 projection is required in the end for the interior space elaboration, and the material, detail

and light are required for the final rendering of atmosphere.

‚形态图表‛和SWOT需要在最初得到关注，并将其选择的结果一直坚守到最后。1:1的投影则需要最后表达真实

的空间表达，其中，材料，细部节点以及光线是对于场景的表达重要的关注点。


Final review

The final review took place on June 8th at SEU Nanjing from 8:30 to 12:30. All students of 2nd year architecture

studio defended their design during that time. The studio of Prof. Odilo Schoch was honered to welcome external

reviewers from Nanjing and abroad. With representatives from world-famous offices and renowned universities,

the students were confronted with experiences architects that had their full attention.

Poster announcing the final review with ist list of guests.


Results

Student Mr. Wen Zishen reached highest score of all 100 students in this 2nd year course.

His work nicely represents the networking of individual elements of the studio’s curriculum:

Left: Mr Wen’s poster for the final review

Right: Introduction text.


His initial concept, as sketch and physical models.

Site-plan.


Analyses of the design idea, concepts, energy-demand and energy-gain on site.

A vertical section in 1:50 with initial technical details.


Pictures of studies in physical models.

A section through one volume.


Impressions

The Studio was filled with the positive atmosphere of eagerness, respect and exploration of unknown fields. See

the following collection of images that underline this diversity.

Welcome-dinner on April 16, 2012 in Nanjing (students were invited by teachers), with special guest Prof. Dr. Li

Biao.


The two assistanting teachers: Visiting lecturer dipl. Ing. Manh Tran (left) and Dr. Zhu (right).

The studio-space at SEU Nanjing, 5th floor.


Site-walk.

Impressions from the final review on Jun 8th, 2012….



Student defends his design to the reviewers (from left to right): Manh Tran (visiting lecturer SEU Nanjing / kinh

architects), Yoshi Uchiyama (Zaha Hadid Architects, Beijing), Claudio Däscher (BFH, Switzerland), Dr. Pia

Simmendinger (Baumschlager-Eberle Architects, Zurich), Wu Wei (GMP Architects, Shanghai/Beijing), Prof. Zhao

(Nanjing University).




Final group-picture with guest reviewers, teachers and all students.

Thank you to all which enabled this amazing visiting professorship and studio in spring 2012. Inparticular SEU in

Nanjing and BFH in Switzerland.

Kind regards,

Odilo Schoch, Professor Dr.-Ing. Dipl. arch ETH


Documents

Studio “quantified diversity” @ SEU Nanjing, 2012