Master in Ephemeral Architecture and Temporary Spaces

INTRODUCTION TO TSD

• Welcome session and general introduction to TSD, presentation of the directors’ and core teachers’ academic and professional profiles, informal meeting and networking.

SEMESTER 1: EVENTS AND POP-UPS

• Module 1: Thematic and Methodological Foundations

Unit 1.1 Introduction to Temporary Space Design

The aim of this unit is for students to acquire a general and cross-cutting knowledge of the different formats in temporary space design, through a seminar focused on their fundamental characteristics and the study of examples presented by the core professors and other leading practitioners in the field who will show their work and explain their production processes. Students will be asked to complete a series of exercises summarizing what they have learned.

Unit 1.2 Implementation Strategies

One of the characteristic features of temporary design projects is that they are built in spaces that are often already being used for other purposes. This is an advantage, but also a potential source of tension. The analysis and interpretation of existing environmental conditions is essential to the success of the proposal. How a design is implemented in its surroundings is decisive.

Based on the definition of the overall framework and the objectives determined in conjunction with the collaborating organization, this first unit is focused on developing an operative analysis and proposing a strategy for occupying the space.

• Module 2: Event Design

Unit 2.1. Time, Process and Identity

Event design begins with the design of an action: the script, the actors involved, the timing, etc. The design of the space or the environment needs to be fully coordinated with the action itself, as in the case of set design.

When it comes to designing a temporary project for a commercial brand or an institution, interpreting the brand and creating an identity tailored to the particular temporary format is essential. One of the aims of this unit is to define the concepts we want to convey and to determine the criteria for the corporate/institutional identity we want to develop, through a workshop led by specialized professionals.

This unit will focus on the early stages of event design: the development of the conceptualization, content, and proposal for the strategic design of the space and the environment.

Unit 2.2 Project Development

The second unit is dedicated to developing the design concepts proposed in the previous unit. Designing the environmental conditions and managing them over time are the central factors involved in this format. In this case, the physical intervention in space is secondary and may sometimes even be limited to developing the infrastructure needed to create an environment.

The aim of this unit is to develop the detailed design with the help of professors in specialized workshops, with particular emphasis on lighting as a tool for generating environments.

• Module 3: Designing Pop-Up Stores and Stands

Unit 3.1 Effects and Emotions

Working on materials and their ability to generate effects and create emotions is an essential aspect of pop-up design.

The aim of this unit is to provide students with direct working experience involving materials, through a practical workshop where students will develop and build an installation.

Unit 3.2 Material Systems and Project Development

The pop-up store or stand is the most object-based format of all the temporary formats we deal with in the Master’s Degree, and it provides the best opportunity for exploring material systems and building solutions through the creation of small-scale prototypes.

The aim of this unit is to approach detailed project development based on the study and proposal of material systems and an intensive use of model work.

SEMESTER 2: INTERVENTIONS IN PUBLIC SPACE AND EXHIBITIONS

• Module 4: Thematic and Methodological Foundations

Unit 4.1 Temporary Interventions in Public Space and Exhibition Design

The aim of this unit is for students to acquire a general and cross-cutting knowledge of these formats, through a seminar focused on the fundamental characteristics of temporary space design and the study of examples presented by the core professors and other leading practitioners in the field who will show their work and explain their production processes. Students will be asked to complete a series of exercises summarizing what they have learned.

Unit 4.2 Mediation Systems in Design: Maps, Diagrams, Scenarios and Protocols

Temporary projects are usually developed in very complex environments, involving collaboration from professionals in different disciplines and incorporating dynamic factors (time, the circulation of people, changes in light, sound, etc.). Often, they must also manage a mix of different programs. When it comes to proposing and implementing effective design strategies, we need to develop mediation tools that help to relate and coordinate all these factors into a single interface. Mediation systems can be grouped into four basic categories: maps, diagrams, scenarios and protocols. This unit aims to help students become familiar with systems that mediate between the environment and the design. They will learn to create and use these systems through a seminar and practical exercises.

• Module 5: Designing Temporary Interventions in Public Space

Unit 5.1 Location and Strategy

Temporary projects in public space likely have the greatest ability to influence a larger environment and population with the least amount of economic and material investment. Public space is also the most complex working environment. All kinds of morphological, environmental, social and aesthetic factors come together there. Many of these factors are dynamic systems that exist in a state of constant flux.

A strategic approach is of utmost importance in the case of temporary projects in public space, and it often begins with revealing unidentified potentials in the environment. This first unit focuses on recognizing the physical environment and proposing an intervention strategy.

Unit 5.2 Project Development

The second unit is dedicated to the specific development and implementation of the design strategies proposed in the previous unit. The aim is to formalize a specific detailed proposal with the help of the workshop director and specialized consultants.

• Module 6: Exhibition Design

Unit 6.1 From Curating to Exhibition Design

Every exhibition begins with a curating process to pinpoint the subject matter, draft the script and define the content. The role of the designer is to implement the proposal in the space. Translating a written script into a physical space is not a straightforward process. There are many factors and vectors involved in the curating process that could be overlooked without the involvement of a designer. The success of an exhibition depends largely on the process of negotiation between design and curating; during this feedback, the script and the contents are adapted based on the design team’s critical review.

This unit is an approach to the initial phase of the exhibition design process, all the way through to the proposal of a design strategy and the creation of a mediation interface between the space, the script, the exhibition formats, the graphic elements, lighting, etc. in a seminar and workshop format.

Unit 6.2 Exhibition Design

This second unit is dedicated to the specific development and implementation of the design strategies proposed in the previous unit. The aim is to formalize a specific detailed proposal with the help of the workshop director and specialized consultants.