Patterns
AA Visiting School Muscat 2011

10 - 22 September

www.aaschool.ac.uk

 
Oman has been careful and farsighted in its approach to development. With regard to recent events in the region this approach has proven to be a successful model. Massive increase in population, decrease of fossil resources, climate change, change of life-styles, change of economic foundations, extended tourism – are all part of an increasing set of parameters set to challenge Oman’s approach to development.
 
Urbanization sits at the centre of these parameters, in this scenario the search for an environmentally and culturally appropriate architecture and urbanism in Oman is one of the most important ventures.
 
In order to develop theoretical as well as practical contributions for this discourse in Oman the workshop will have a methodological focus on patterns. Patterns are seen as a means of translating the performance, not only the appearance of historical structures into new concepts. Heuristic and algorithmic thinking as well as advanced computational methods will be introduced as a means of investigating patterns and developing new solutions. These solutions will also take into consideration aspects relating to manufacturing, assembly and constructability.
 
The aim here is to apply these solution to various scales from facades and buildings to cities and regions.
 
The Muscat Visiting School 2011 is the first of three workshops held in cooperation between the Architectural Association, London, and the German University of Technology in Oman, Muscat.
 
 
AA_ Programme Director
Omid Kamvari, Architectural Association, London

www.aaschool.ac.uk

 
GUTech_ Coordinator
Nikolaus Knebel, German University of Technology in Oman, Muscat www.gutech.edu.om