Elective course no. 1: Construction and computing course (CCI)

This course introduces students to rehabilitation work on ordinary buildings.
It should enable them to acquire knowledge of current construction processes for buildings constructed between 1850 and 1930, and of the appropriate construction systems to be used for their rehabilitation.

– Attendance at lectures
– Hand in 3 tutorials

– TD 1: Dating exercise on current typologies of Parisian buildings from 1850 to 1930
– TD 2: Oral and written presentation of one of the themes specified at the beginning of the semester in relation to the buildings analyzed by period (sanitary quality of housing, accessibility, fire safety, ventilation, heat, acoustics, etc.),
– TD3: Case studies: thematic exercises (building analysis, production of details) on old buildings (proposed by the teacher)

TDs are developed in pairs.

Transmitted at the beginning of the semester.

This course introduces students to rehabilitation work on ordinary buildings.
It should enable them to acquire knowledge of current construction processes for buildings constructed between 1850 and 1930, and of the appropriate construction systems to be used for their rehabilitation.

– Attendance at lectures and 3 tutorials

– TD 1: Dating exercise on current typologies of Parisian buildings from 1850 to 1930
– TD 2: Oral and written presentation of one of the themes specified at the beginning of the semester in relation to the buildings analyzed by period (sanitary quality of housing, accessibility, fire safety, thermal, acoustic, etc.), accompanied by a large-scale graphic production of details.
– TD3: Themed exercises on old buildings (suggested by the teacher).

Transmitted at the beginning of the semester.

1.INTRODUCTION
The architect is first and foremost a “generalist”, and as such must carry out multiple analyses: technical, social, economic and environmental. He must adapt to the context in which his work is carried out, which requires a broad range of skills and knowledge. This “open” posture enables them to ask the right questions and refine their proposals.

My teaching approach is based on a “decompartmentalized” approach, across all fields and with teachers from different disciplines, enabling students to take a more specific stance on constructive practices and execution details. The aim is to consolidate a “technical knowledge base”, on which an initial response to needs can be conceptualized and argued in terms of the building’s targeted performance, taking into account its use. By analyzing the context, using the right tools for surveying and representing the architectural project, and having a well-constructed argument that is relevant to today’s ecological, socio-demographic and economic challenges, we can pass on to future architects a method based on an overall diagnosis (from the territory to the building) that is well-founded and shared.

2. IMPACT

France: 32 million existing homes to be rehabilitated in line with current comfort requirements and awareness of environmental, social and economic issues
than 350,000 housing starts for the whole of 2024,
ZAN has promoted the rehabilitation and regular maintenance of buildings in place of deconstruction (where feasible), thereby significantly reducing the consumption of raw materials, particularly energy.
Proper diagnosis is the key to successful rehabilitation
A diagnosis cannot be limited to malfunctions and pathologies. It must first and foremost highlight the qualities of the buildings to be preserved, as well as their potential for development as part of a sustainable approach.
Rehabilitation is an important market for our future architects, and one that is far more complex than the new-build market.

3. OBJECTIVES
The objectives are to impart solid knowledge of how to examine a concrete situation, in order to prepare students to analyze these different aspects and ask themselves the right questions in the act of building and/or renovating:
– Acquire a culture, a technical vocabulary and a set of references of constructive systems and technical solutions analyzed and situated; – Be able to break down the building into sub-assemblies (adaptation to the ground, main structures, envelope, partition, equipment and finishes) whose issues are known.
– Prioritize the project’s architectural program in order to address the pathologies identified and meet the client’s (public and private) requirements.

4. INTEGRATION OF RELATED CONCEPTS

– integrate the notion of sustainable development into the rehabilitation process
– be able to establish a broad diagnosis of dysfunctions and opportunities…, a diagnosis that takes into account, among other things, interaction with the site, the social form of occupation, technical issues depending on the type of administration (condominiums, owner-occupiers… tenants…), economic possibilities, cultural and heritage value, current regulations and possible changes. The aim is to be able to think in the short, medium and long term.
– choose the right intervention techniques for each type of property and management style.
– acquire a diagnostic methodology, for cross-disciplinary action based on hierarchical, multi-criteria choices
– future architects must acquire a methodology of analysis and at the same time be clearly aware of the limits of their interventions, knowing which type of expertise to call on on a case-by-case basis.

– final report: file focusing on the diagnostics of the building studied + oral check on understanding of rehabilitation issues and diagnostic stages.
-Two distinctive approaches: a first intuitive approach and a second based on acquired knowledge of building physics. Site visits. Final report: a file focusing on the diagnosis of the pathologies and malfunctions studied (observation case sheets, description of the phenomenon, probable causes and solutions).

-50% lectures and 50% seminars. The tutorials are based on a “real” building to be rehabilitated. Students analyze the building step by step, according to the different stages of the diagnosis.
Tutorial: drawing up different diagnoses.

will be given by courses with bibliography on each subject

The aim of this course is to work on a building’s facades right from the design stage. The work can be carried out on an existing building (renovation) or on a new project according to a given program.

Continuous assessment and submission of personal work

Teaching takes the form of compulsory face-to-face seminars. Theoretical notions and references will be introduced as the course progresses, in the form of theoretical lectures.

Books and articles
Referential for stormwater management at source in the metropolis. Book 1, Why manage rainwater at source? Cahier 2, Comment gérer les eaux de pluie à la source ? Atelier parisien d’urbanisme (2018, https://www.apur.org/fr/nos-travaux/referentiel-une-gestion-source-eaux-pluviales-metropole).
Le Paris pluie, guide d’accompagnement pour la mise en œuvre du zonage pluvial à Paris (Ville de Paris, 2018).
Villes et changement climatique, by Jean-Jacques Terrin dir. (Parenthèses, 2015).
Impacts du végétal en ville, by Guillaume Pommier, Caroline Gutleben, Damien Provendier, Marjorie Musy (Programme de recherche VegDUD – Rôle du végétal dans le développement urbain durable, 2014).
Bâtir en favorisant la biodiversité, by Marc Barra (naturParif, 2012).
Ventilation et lumières naturelles, by David Roditi (Eyrolles, 2011).
Architecture et volupté thermique, by Lisa Heschong (Parenthèses, 1981, reed. 2021).

Web conferences
Philippe Clergeau, Urbanisme et biodiversité (Espace des sciences, 2018).
Stefano Mancuso, The roots of plant intelligence (Ted global, 2010).

Comics/graphic novels
Rester Cool, by Alain Bornarel and Emmanuelle Patte (Lanceurs d’avenir/ICEB, 2019).
Petit traité d’écologie sauvage, by Alessandro Pignocchi (3 volumes, Steinkis, 2021).
L’Oasis, by Simon Hureau (Dargaud, 2020).

The aim of this course is to grasp the issues involved in using digital tools in architecture today, in 2025, at a time of climate and ecological urgency.

Certain digital tools enable us to design buildings that are more respectful of their environment, thanks to various ‘environmental simulations’: sunlight analyses, thermal analyses, life cycle analyses, energy consumption analyses, carbon impact analyses, etc. These digital techniques enable a detailed assessment of the environmental impact of a building, and could therefore optimize and guarantee its ‘eco-design’.

We now know that digital tools are (also) harmful to our planet and our societies. Think, for example, of the extraction of the rare metals needed to manufacture hardware, the high and growing electricity consumption of our datacenters, the undignified working conditions in electronic component factories, or those of the click workers who feed the big data models of generative AIs; not to mention the effect of dark patterns on our attention, or of doomscrolling on our cognition.

In this context, how can we tackle the issue of digital tools for architects, when we know the high environmental and social cost of our digital infrastructures? Can we approach the question of digital environmental simulation without falling into a form of technosolutionism? What digital techniques can we develop and adopt, and above all, what attitude should we develop towards these techniques?

In this course, we will attempt to answer these questions in a practical way, through algorithmic experimentation, in the light of a corpus of techno-critical texts on the question of the digital, design and low-tech.

Continuous assessment and participation: 50%
Final production: 50%.

The only prerequisite for this course is an interest in computational (digital) architecture, low-tech and the history of technology. The course is aimed at all levels of digital literacy: no specific software knowledge is required. A good knowledge of visual programming will be appreciated, but is not necessary: teaching will be adapted to all levels.

Reading
Programming on Grasshopper

Number of ECTS : 3
Number of supervised hours : 44h
Number of hours of personal work : 28h

Bates, D. (2023). The exosomatic amplification of intelligence: Biology, epistemology, cybernetics (A. Alombert, Trad.). Apparatus, 26.
Broca, S. (2014). The strange fate of free software. Le Monde diplomatique.
Canizares, G. (2024). Taming the Rhinoceros: A brief history of a ubiquitous tool. Perspectives in Architecture and Urbanism, 1(2), 100020.
Carpo, M. (2011). The Alphabet and the Algorithm (The MIT Press).
Carpo, M. (2023). Beyond Digital-Design and Automation at the End of Modernity. The MIT Press.
Crawford, K. (2021). The Atlas of AI – Power, Politics, and the Planetary Costs of Artificial Intelligence (Yale University Press).
Crawford, M. B. (2016). Éloge du carburateur-Essai sur le sens et la valeur du travail (La Découverte). (Original edition 2009)
Durand, C. (2020). Techno-feudalism-Critique de l’économie numérique (La découverte).
Ellul, J. (1977). Le système technicien (Calmann-Lévy).
Graeber, D. (2017). Bureaucracy (Babel). (Original edition 2015)
Herrmann, E. (2023). Houses of Ice: Raster Utopias and Architecture’s Liquid Turn. In Utopia Computer-The “New” in Architecture? TU Berlin.
Masure, A. (2017). Design and digital humanities (Editions B42).
Nova, N. (2024). Persistance du merveilleux-Le petit peuple de nos machines.
Petit, V. (2024). Environmental technology versus environmental engineering. In M. Triclot (Ed.), Prendre soin des milieux-Manuel de conception technologique (Editions Matériologiques).
Simondon, G. (2005). L’Invention dans les techniques: Cours et conférences (1968 -1976) (Seuil).
Stiegler, B., and Collectif Internation. (2021). Bifurquer: Il n’y a pas d’alternative (Les liens qui libèrent). (Original edition 2020)
Tafuri, M. (2022). Projet et utopie-Architecture et développement capitaliste (Entremonde). (Original edition 1973)
Turner, F. (2024). Such old promises. In L. Cellard and G. Heuguet (Eds.), Beyond the ideology of Silicon Valley (Audimat, p. 29 47).
Vitali-Rosati, M. (2024). Eloge du bug-Être libre à l’époque du numérique (La découverte).

The aim of this course is to train students in BIM (Building Information Modeling) methodologies for project management and the technological constraints it entails in the rehabilitation phase. This knowledge of “BIM” should help rather than hinder the creation of architectural projects. BIM can be defined as:
-A process for integrating, producing, managing and visualizing data; -A single, registered model of the building, a database containing all the information (technical, normative, economic, etc.) required for its construction, upkeep, maintenance, rehabilitation and “deconstruction”; The course is taught in the form of lectures and tutorials. Our aim is also to demonstrate to students that BIM should facilitate the feasibility of architectural projects in rehabilitation, but it does not help the quality of architectural and urban design in the upstream phases of the project.

– Monographic and technical sheet on the building studied.
– Exercises and personal mini-project using modeling and calculation software.
– Hand in a dossier at the end of the semester presenting :
– work approach,
– modeling and verification hypotheses.

Continuous assessment 50% and personal portfolio 50%.

Personal research
As part of the seminars, practical work on an analysis file.
Visits (if possible): photographs, drawings, note-taking.

In this course, we’ll be looking at 3D Laser Scanner surveying, which is used in the field of construction and architectural project restitution. The aim is to enable students to digitally restore architectural objects using 3D scanner data (geometric and constructive). Teaching takes the form of lectures and tutorials. This course enables students to:
-Master the techniques of 3D laser scanning of buildings, to produce a volumetric representation of the project.
-Retrieve information for manual and digital rendering of the building studied.
-Study the rehabilitation and restoration of heritage, drawing on knowledge from different disciplines (history, architecture, construction and structure).
-Diagnose and study the building’s constructive systems, then simulate a digital restitution of all these constructive elements in the rehabilitation phase.
-Produce different types of representation of the building and its construction system (plans, sections, facades, technical details, colors and materials, 3D model, etc.).
We have signed an agreement with LEICA-GEOSYSTEME to use their HDS scanner and the Cyclone Register, Cloudworx and 3DReshape software suites for point cloud manipulation and processing.

– Exercises and personal mini-projects using the 3D scanner and modeling and calculation software, 3D digital restitution.
– Monographic and technical file on the building studied.
– Hand in a dossier at the end of the semester presenting :
– working approach,
– restitution and verification hypotheses.
– Exhibition and display of work at the school.

Continuous assessment 50% and personal portfolio 50%.

This course is divided into two main stages:
1. On-site lasergrammetric survey of the building:
– On-site identification of the entire building to be scanned, to determine the number of stations to be set up, the potential locations for the 3D scanner, and the type and number of markers (flat targets or spheres) to be used.
– The “3d laser survey” of the building takes up 80% of the on-site work time. The aim is to obtain measurements or “points” on all visible and laser-accessible equipment in the architectural project.
2. Data analysis and processing.
Students group together all the stations (assembly) into a single point cloud. From these point clouds, we will: generate a 3D model of the object or extract characteristic lines in the form of a facade plan, elevation or section, simulate the layout and restitution of the constructive system. The point cloud can be compared with the theoretical model of the building to be studied to detect deviations, collisions and, in most cases, conformity of the model, measure distances, angles and slopes, produce plane projections and elevations and transfer them to other CAD applications, e.g. Autocad, Archicad, Revit, 3DSmax or others, calculate vertical sections on the point cloud and transfer them to Autocad, Rhino or others…

This course takes the fundamentals of statics and strength of materials acquired in undergraduate studies, and expands on them with concrete examples, notably drawn from naval architecture. Students are introduced to the use of parametric modeling and structural calculation tools.

Exercises – Computer files – Quiz (QCM)

3.5 h per week, 1.5 h of lessons and 2 h of tutorials in the form of individual and group supervision, for 14 sessions, i.e. = 49 h

Regulatory texts https://rt-re-batiment.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/re2020-r320.html
(bibliography in progress)

Understand the levers for action in construction to mitigate the impact of global warming, by linking a global view with concrete measures at building and landscape level.

Theoretical courses alternate with group visits, production and inverted classes. Attendance and participation will be taken into account, as well as the quality of renderings.

In pairs:
1.1st session: choose an article from those on offer, and orally present/illustrate the fundamental concepts
2. Following a presentation of Paris City Council’s ‘rue aux écoles’ scheme, visit and project to transform a street
3. Deepen and illustrate the functioning of an architectural typology for freshness (e.g. patio, pergola, cryptoporticus…)
4. Two workshops with a hydrologist. The path of water becomes a common thread running through the project: applications on a neighborhood and building scale
5. Application of passive and active devices integrated into one of your projects, from landscape and urban insertion to the scale of detail. The aim is not to add technical devices, but to generate architecture. For example: the layout and configuration of openings will be thought out according to their orientation and in such a way as to encourage natural ventilation; a water retention device on the plot will be displayed as micro-architecture in a renovation project… Scale model 1:5 or 1:10 of a device linked to the project (e.g. ventilation devices, windows, green roof…).

Compensatory work if necessary: manufacture of a low-tech device (e.g. summer fridge).

Books and articles
Guidelines for managing stormwater at source in the metropolis. Book 1, Why manage rainwater at source? Cahier 2, Comment gérer les eaux de pluie à la source ? Atelier parisien d’urbanisme (2018, https://www.apur.org/fr/nos-travaux/referentiel-une-gestion-source-eaux-pluviales-metropole).
Le Paris pluie, guide d’accompagnement pour la mise en œuvre du zonage pluvial à Paris (Ville de Paris, 2018).
Villes et changement climatique, by Jean-Jacques Terrin dir. (Parenthèses, 2015).
Impacts du végétal en ville, by Guillaume Pommier, Caroline Gutleben, Damien Provendier, Marjorie Musy (Programme de recherche VegDUD – Rôle du végétal dans le développement urbain durable, 2014).
Bâtir en favorisant la biodiversité, by Marc Barra (naturParif, 2012).
Ventilation et lumières naturelles, by David Roditi (Eyrolles, 2011).
Architecture et volupté thermique, by Lisa Heschong (Parenthèses, 1981, reed. 2021).

Web conferences
Philippe Clergeau, Urbanisme et biodiversité (Espace des sciences, 2018).
Stefano Mancuso, Les racines de l’intelligence végétale (Ted global, 2010).

Comics/graphic novels
Rester Cool, by Alain Bornarel and Emmanuelle Patte (Lanceurs d’avenir/ICEB, 2019).
Petit traité d’écologie sauvage, by Alessandro Pignocchi (3 volumes, Steinkis, 2021).
L’Oasis, by Simon Hureau (Dargaud, 2020).

Pedagogical objectives:

The aim is to learn by experimenting how to design earthen architectures and membrane architectures (fabrics, films, etc.).

At the same time, learning to design architecture with such different, even opposing, materials allows :

– identify even more clearly the specific characteristics and potential of each of these two families of materials, enabling us to learn how to use them in appropriate contexts.

– learn how to design architecture using a mix of these two families of materials. By contrasting the functional, as well as aesthetic and formal, characteristics of the materials used, mixing will highlight the potential for innovative architectural design.

Raw earth is one of the oldest building materials.
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/192/ (Ancient city of Shibam and its surrounding wall (Yemen) )
Disregarded for a time, it now seems to be being rediscovered in contemporary architecture for its ecological qualities (proximity of raw materials, circular economy, low energy consumption, healthy material with no VOCs, etc.), social qualities (use of local labor, etc.), interior comfort (thermal and hydrometric regulation), as well as sensitivity and aesthetic qualities (highlighted in particular by Martin Rauch) https://www.pinterest.fr/cendrierloic/martin-rauch/

It is proposed to make students aware of these now recognized aspects of earth construction, but also to instruct them concerning the following contrasts:

Membranes (which are webs or films) are in some ways the opposite of earth:
– membranes are mostly made of petroleum-based materials / earth is a natural, non-energy consuming material; – membranes are made from a material that comes from far away / earth is a natural material within reach ; However :
– membranes, because they operate in tension, allow materials to be used sparingly / earth requires large volumes and masses because of its poor mechanical characteristics and the impossibility of operating in traction; – to ensure stability, non-aerosupported membranes must have a double negative curvature (e.g. horse saddle).

https://structurae.net/fr/ouvrages/marche-international-de-rungis-porte-de-chevilly-larue-e1

https://files.structurae.net/files/photos/1/spoutnik-architecture-tennis-bourg-la-reine-3.jpg

/ Because earth constructions work essentially only in compression, they should ideally have double positive curvature surfaces of the anti-funicular type, in order to make the best use of the material. https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Case_obus
For both membranes and earth constructions, therefore, it’s a question of designing morphologies that are adapted to the material in order to save material. A rustic example of the principle:
https://www.istockphoto.com/fr/photo/harran-maisons-sanliurfa-en-turquie-gm499363421-42552560
…
This leads us to study the notion of Right Tech, i.e. considering the right material for what it does best…
To this end, we will also study:
– the physico-chemical characteristics of membranes and earth materials; – the additives required for earth materials to obtain certain mechanical characteristics, depending on the construction techniques chosen; – the coherence of implementation with regard to various criteria (ecological, economic, etc.).

Beyond the images published, we will analyze the real qualities of raw earth constructions according to the techniques used… (Beware of greenwashing …).

This course is a continuation of the Structural Morphology course taught in L1
Examples of courses previously taught by Yves MAHIEU

Participation
Presentation of a prototype, a dossier and a film.

Design and production
Analysis (particularly structural) of productions (files and films)

Based on a theme of experimental architecture or structure (this year, 2023-24, the theme will be the construction of a Catalan-style vault or dome), the thematic course proposes in-depth architectural and technical research into this new architecture, and the creation of a 1:1 pavilion project.
A certain transversality will be set up with the Petits Constructeurs TC (S. Ebode / M. Leyral).

Pavilions from previous years can be seen here: https://www.instagram.com/construirarchi/

The first 7 sessions will be dedicated to the organization of a mini student competition to choose the project to be built.
Participation in the project will count for 50% of the grade
The last 7 sessions will be dedicated to the construction of the 1/2 scale model of the project and to the preparation of the 1 scale construction (planned in S8)
Participation in the construction will count for 50% of the grade.

Students’ autonomy and initiative are particularly expected and observed. The course aims to put students in a position to carry out a project fairly independently.

The semester consists of 14 sessions of 3:00 each, divided into 1:30 hours of lectures and 1:30 hours of supervised work.
The course will use parametric architecture/structure techniques. A good knowledge of Rhino and Grasshopper is an asset, but a refresher course on this topic will be given at the beginning of the TC.
Course language: French
Languages of communication: English, Spanish, Italian

https://www.construire-l-architecture.com/echelle-1
https://www.construire-l-architecture.com/recherche-publications