Hello.
Ashley Menegon here writing from Trondheim, Norway.
Firstly I want to reiterate that I have set up this blog to outline my experience while undertaking a semester exchange here in Norway. The main aim of exchange was to embed myself within more practical models of Architectural Education.
The reason why I started investigating a potential semester exchange at 'NTNU: Norwegian University of Science and Technology' was due to an awareness of the architecture practice TYIN. TYIN spoke in Sydney a couple of years ago at an Affirmative Architecture conference which I actually ended up missing… but I have had my eye on them since.
TYIN was established by two Architecture students prior to the completion of their education at NTNU, with their first projects entailing built works in Thailand and other such under privileged areas. A book entitled ‘Behind the Lines’ outlines the multifaceted learning facilitated through these experiences. It was through NTNU however that such an approach was initially nurtured. For the past 12 years NTNU has been facilitating or assisting students with achieving their own built projects and it was for this reason that I wanted to gain a place and somehow get involved. I have also been preparing a thesis this year to analyse the nature of such experiential learning however I’ll get into this a little later.
The particular course I was aiming for was comprised of two courses entitled ‘Design in Context’ and ‘Digital Modelling and Fabrication’... The initial proposal for the course was to complete three projects. Two projects resulting in built works - one utilising minimal technology whilst building on site, the second a pre-fabricated structure utilising BIM and CNC technologies - and a third design based project. Initially my thesis was going to focus on how these quite different construction environments facilitated learning in different ways, which is still does, however has shifted a little, as has the course. The images below give an idea of the initial course structure.
But I was accepted as per my first post and headed to Norway on the 21st of July. Since arriving I took part in a 3 week long intensive Norwegian course which turned out to be quite stressful, went to Finland to look some Aalto buildings and began the course around two weeks ago now on the 30th of August. I had intentions of posting week by week but now into our third week I am a little behind. So I will give an overview of the first two weeks in the following posts and then hopefully take up a weekly posting routine.