WINTER SEMESTER 21/22

is a collaborative project between the Kunstzone Hugenottenhaus Kassel and the Departments of Design and Architectural Theory and Structural Design at the University of Kassel.
As part of our collaboration with Silvia, Marén, and Lutz Freyer—co-initiators of the Kunstzone Hugenottenhaus—the Kunstzone’s garden is being made available to students as a space for experimentation.

The task is to sustainably expand the Kunstzone—both functionally and conceptually—through so-called “infra-objects,” in order to provide the artists, visitors, and passersby of the Kunstzone with additional opportunities for action, reflection, discussion, and more. Two prototype projects have emerged—the Cooking Workshop and the Infra-Tower—which we intend to realize through a joint effort by the time documenta 15 opens.

This semester, we’re exploring the interplay between function and space and the resulting spaces and areas of activity within a building. Functions are closely linked to our lifestyles, our culture, technological achievements, but above all to our needs.

WHERE?
The Hugenottenareal is a historic building with an enchanted garden in the center of Kassel, which has been developed as an art district since 2019 by artists Silvia and Lutz Freyer in collaboration with Udo Wendland.Last summer, the previously overgrown garden was cleared, and a unique outdoor seating area—the so-called “Art Zone”—was created for the revitalized Café-Bar Perle, featuring a temporary stage and a variety of spots to linger. This newly created space evolved from an informal gathering spot into a lively and charming venue for art, culture, and community. As part of Documenta 15, the Art Zone is to be functionally expanded to offer additional opportunities for artists, visitors, and passersby.

WHAT?
As part of an internal competition, we will design a cooking workshop with a roof that, in addition to a culinary concept, will also offer additional uses.
HOW?
We will work in groups and “by any means necessary”.... Each step stands on its own and ultimately serves to develop a project that expands the site’s spatial and programmatic possibilities.
In the spring of 2022, we will have the opportunity to jointly implement a selected concept and test its quality on a 1:1 scale.

Vertical Project _ Function and Space
Infra-Objects: Collaborative Design and Making

As part of a master plan concept, the students designed an “Infra-Tower” for the Hugenottenareal, intended to serve as a symbolic landmark for the art zone. The project was developed in collaboration with the Structural Design seminar.
Following an exploratory introduction to the topic and the surveying and exploration of the site as part of the “warm-up,” an in-studio ideas competition was held.
The competition entries explored possible programs, atmospheres, and structures for a multifunctional expansion of the art zone in the form of vertical pavilion structures in the garden of the Huguenot Area. The winning design concepts were then further developed collaboratively by all students to reach the current status presented here. The project was accompanied by a seminar in which the typologies of pavilions and towers were researched and analyzed as infrastructure, and constructed as both analog and digital models. The digital models were visualized using AR, and construction instructions were created using Rhino, Grasshopper, and Fologram to test the method of AR-supported implementation from model building to prototype development.

Faculty: Marie-Therese Harnoncourt-Fuchs, Sarah Blahut, Julian Lienhard, Seyed Mobin Moussavi