This studio will pivot around the idea of an illusionary architecture. For the design of a Casino, the architectural vocabulary will research and oscillate between honesty and dishonesty. The Casino is simultaneously old and new, as this typology combines grandeur with banality, success with tragedy. Traditionally casinos were places for the wealthy, where the building of social standing was as important as the attractive risk of winning or losing. Contemporary casinos became more accessible and banal, to be found in several graduations. Some of these places proceed to refer to this aristocratic atmosphere by using traditional monumentality, or choose for a complete exotic fantasy.
The architectural ambition of this studio is to find a productive ambivalence, were the vocabularies of the conventional and the contemporary merge into an appealing balance. The program will be of second importance. The urban ambition of the building is to bring a place into order with one clear gesture. As the visual appearance is of mayor importance, the modus operandi during this studio will be a constant stream of all types of working models. A photographic and graphic analysis in pictures and collages will support this process.

First meeting: Thursday October 19th, 12:00h – 15:00h
Room 241, Building 20.40