The “Architectural Design Theory” Studio aims to describe architectural practice through an attempt at theorizing the project of architecture, and focusing more on an analysis of the actions carried out by those who design architectures than on theoretical and critical interpretation of works or authors. The Studio also aims to suggest possible ways of unpacking the practice of architectural design, with particular reference to authors, texts and works that animated - and continue to animate - the contemporary debate. The general objective of the Studio is to allow the student to acquire on one hand awareness of the characteristics of generality and repeatability of the architectural design procedures and, on the other, of the problematic – and consequently plural and open – nature of their theoretical positions. In order to represent multiple theoretical approaches, seminars can be organized for students of all laboratories, during which teachers will hold coordinated lessons on key issues of contemporary design theory. The teaching will be based on a laboratory approach, focused around students’ work, through the development of exercises and interactions with other teams. The various modules of the course will be structured around the development of an urban transformation game simulation, with a double approach that focuses on one hand on the action (game, simulating practice) and on the other on the reflection on the action (theory). This double approach is intended to simulate the development of innovation within real design practice.

The Studio aims to teach the design strategy and its possible innovations through a game of practices. The theory that is taught is the description of the ex post design practice (what is being done and what can be done) and not ex ante (the ideal doings of the theory of architecture). The phases of the game are associated with critical analyses of case studies of design strategies (or 'great battles'), with a focus on the main international research centers that work on design theory. The Studio intends to train students on the following skills: Ability to trace their architectural choices and design actions to the aspects of the theory of the project. Ability to distinguish and critically choose positions relating to the main problems of architectural design theory. Ability to navigate the architectural literature by distinguishing between architectural history, design theory, architectural theory and criticism. Ability to produce texts / documents / visualizations capable of effectively describing and communicating the relationships between design program and project solutions, between the designer's actions and effects within the project or of the project itself.

Students are expected to manage high-school-level reading and writing abilities, along with the basic critical, drawing, and design skills achieved in their previous years of undergraduate learning and, specifically, having attended and preferably passed the examinations of the Architecture design studio, the City and territory studio, and the Building construction studio.

The Studio is organized in weekly meetings. Each meeting is developed in four parts, developed in parallel and with cross exchanges during the course. 1. game. The game takes place in a set of transformation lots in the city of Detroit, chosen as case study. The Detroit case is deemed interesting because it does not allow to translate previously defined design strategies into architectural strategies, but requires that design tools are activated to obtain a specific effect. That is, because of its specificities, the Detroit case forces designers to design for contingency. The goal of the game is to achieve the declared effect. The objective occurs through a series of progressive associations of instances (partly external, partly also embodied in other players). 2. discussion. The prospective strategies and tools used along the game by the students will be discussed in the classroom, starting from the theoretical contributions of the course. 3. great battles. In a series of lectures, some emblematic cases of design strategies will be presented to students, intended as precious reference to be used to develop further strategies / game perspectives. 4. innovation centers. Through a series of lectures, some examples of contemporary research on design theory will be presented to students, as useful precedents for developing further design tools along the game.

The Studio is structured through the presentation of theoretical aspects about design action starting from the analysed case study, to which the weekly reviews of the students’ strategic – design elaborations are associated. The teaching will be structured through the recombination of lectures, collective design and research reviews and the promotion of interdisciplinary seminars with external guests. The four modules of the course (game, discussion, great battles, innovation centers) do not identify four chronological phases of the course, but rather four parallel threads whose overlapping will fuel the development of the projects. The phases of the game and their progressive integration with the theoretical contributions of the course will produce drawings, traces and documents that will be exchanged, discussed and organized through the digital portal / archive of the course.

The bibliography listed below is considered indicative to understand some central problems of project theory, with particular reference to the most recent debate. Numerous other bibliographical references will be provided during the semester by the teaching body, in order to help the student do his own specific bibliographic research. Cuff, Dana (1991). Architecture: the story of practice. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press Yaneva, Albena (2012). Mapping Controversies in Architecture. Burlington: Ashgate. Bratton, Benjamin H. (2018). The Stack. On Software and Sovereignty. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press Easterling, Keller. (2014). Extrastatecraft. The Power of Infrastructure Space. London: Verso. Ardeth #2 (2018). Bottega. Armando, Alessandro and Giovanni Durbiano (2017). Teoria del progetto architettonico. Dai disegni agli effetti. Roma: Carocci.

Modalità di esame: Prova orale obbligatoria; Elaborato grafico individuale; Elaborato scritto individuale; Elaborato progettuale individuale; Elaborato progettuale in gruppo;

The evaluation of the production of both modules (action and theory) takes place on the construction, arrangement, chain and criticism of the project tools. The final evaluation will be based on the partial evaluations obtained during the course, referring to the scores detected in the game and in the critical discussion of the theoretical issues addressed.

Modalità di esame: Prova orale obbligatoria; Elaborato grafico individuale; Elaborato scritto individuale; Elaborato progettuale individuale; Elaborato progettuale in gruppo;

The evaluation of the production of both modules (action and theory) takes place on the construction, arrangement, chain and criticism of the project tools. The final evaluation will be based on the partial evaluations obtained during the course, referring to the scores detected in the game and in the critical discussion of the theoretical issues addressed.