A rear view of the driller head of the Tunnel Boring Machine that created the 57-kilometre-long Gotthard Base Tunnel in Switzerland. (image: www.alptransit.ch)
This is an archive page for Vaduz
Forthcoming dates for this school to be announced.
Vaduz
The Alpine AA University of LiechtensteinThursday 6 – Sunday 16 September 2012
Situated in the heart of the Alps, Alpine AA takes advantage of its location to investigate the relationship between nature and artifice in one of the most beautiful yet challenging terrains in the world.
Despite their formation – 82 fourthousanders (peaks over 4000m) alongside a series of smaller mountains, glaciers, lakes and rivers – the Alps are in no way impassable. The vectors of war, commerce, pilgrimage and tourism have dramatically transformed the physical landscape of the Alps, as well as land use and inhabitation. Whilst most consider the Alpine region to be an entirely natural environment, it is in fact a synthetic landscape shaped by the need for accessibility, connectivity and energy production. It is highly developed, not only on the surface, in the form of road passes, wind farms and hydro-electric dams, but also deep underground, excavated both by the Swiss Army in the 1930s and 1940s – creating numerous derelict bunkers – and by the makers of a series of infrastructural tunnels. The first of these was constructed in 1882, and the latest, the Gotthard Base Tunnel, scheduled for completion in 2016, will be the longest tunnel in the world at 57 kilometres.
The workshop will focus on developing visionary yet sensitive proposals that analyse and map this shift, providing possible solutions for the future use, inhabitation and development of invisible infrastructures and excavations underground. The investigations will require a close examination of both vertical and horizontal sectional conditions in order to reveal what lies beneath the pristine surface.
Alpine AA will be based at the University of Liechtenstein. Lectures and workshops with experts in the fields of cartography, architecture and engineering as well as history and theory will provide invaluable input to the projects, which will culminate in a public exhibition of a series of installations.
Applications
The deadline for applications is 23 August 2012. All participants travelling from abroad are responsible for securing any visa required. After payment of fees, the AA can provide a letter confirming participation in the workshop. A portfolio or CV is not required, only the online application form and payment.
Fees
The AA Visiting School requires a fee of £695 per participant, which includes a £50 Visiting Membership. If you are already a member, the total fee will be reduced automatically by £50 by the online payment system. Fees are non refundable.
Fees do not include flights. Accommodation during the workshop is not provided, but advice on accommodation options can be given. Students need to bring their own laptops, digital equipment and model making tools. Please ensure this equipment is covered by your own insurance as the AA takes no responsibility for items lost or stolen at the workshop.
Eligibility
The workshop is open to architecture and design students and professionals worldwide.
