Unit A

Unit A is a research-led BSc Architecture Design Studio at the University of East London, lead by Carsten Jungfer and Fernanda Palmieri. We work with live-project situations and connect design learning with research through knowledge exchange between students and external partner organisations. Unit A focuses on social-spatial conditions within contested urban contexts and understands architectural design both as a spatial and strategic response to specific socio-spatial contexts.

12/08/2021

Mapping: A Critical Tool for Sustainable Design in Architecture and Urbanism?


 

The understanding of context is a fundamental part of the architectural design process. Designing a new building really starts with looking at what already exists, before the first design responses are formulated. Context to be understood not only as a specific spatial surrounding, but expanding to the social, economic, cultural and ecological realms that form a complex multi-dimensional 'constellation' or relationships.
The ongoing transformation of our socio-spatial built environment is accelerated by the effects of climate change including the pandemic. Over the last years the considerable speed and impact of change onto urban neighbourhoods and our way of life has become evident. While Habrakens 'concept of field' explores the relationship between context and the architects' interaction within it, the realisation of the Anthropocene and its cause, now requires radical rethinking. What new tools are needed to better understand processes of the 'relational', the 'unknown' as well as unprecedented modes of transformation, such as step changes?



Over the last years, Fernanda Palmieri and Carsten Jungfer of unit A, have developed a set of new and innovative analytical tools that aim to expand the understanding of urban conditions under change, by critically questioning traditional methods used for architectural mapping.

 
The alternative tools have been developed through a research-lead design studio culture together with year 2 & 3 students of unit A at the BSc Architecture Programme at the University of East London. Using East London neighbourhoods as 'testing grounds', the tools explore dynamic urban contexts through methods of immersion: data is collected by groups of students working at street level, by first-hand observations, experiences and through dialogue with passers-by, residents, stakeholders etc. 

Contrary to traditional mapping techniques, that tend to focus on representational simplification of knowledge that already pre-exists, the alternative tools aim to discover genuine new and 'unknown' objectives, hidden layers, secret activities and new patterns of knowledge and without predetermined ideas of representation. Analytical 'moments' can be described as personal observations, 'findings', relevant 'individual encounters', that are recorded on site and respectively drawn using any suitable hybrid-drawing technique. This 'sampling' of numerous socio-spatial conditions are then re-contextualised through means of collective discourse, which allows a group to construct and verify a layered multi-dimensional representation of underlying patterns across various scales. This unconventional approach to mapping was acknowledged by London Borough of Hackneys' planning department in 2018, which consecutively commissioned Unit A to carry out a comprehensive socio-spatial mapping of Dalstons' town centre with a focus on its community stakeholders: Relational States of Dalston Research Project. The unique findings form this research project became part of the evidence-base that when on to critically inform the recently published Dalston Area Action Plan 2033 (see page 49)

In June 2021, Fernanda Palmieri and Carsten Jungfer, were invited by the Faculty of Architecture at the Technical University of Munich to talk about their ongoing research in this field.  As part of the 'Thick Mapping' seminar, lead by Norbert Kling and Anastasios Roidis at the Chair for Sustainable Urban Design, Fernanda and Carsten presented mapping methods and tools developed with the Relational States of Dalston research project.