Adaptive Typologies (847252 + 847291)
Oswald Jenewein
Ian Gillis
Adaptive Typologies: Spatial Typologies as Change Agents.
Dates: MAR 2 – May 8, condensed workshop-style instruction
Questions: Oswald Jenewein, [email protected]
Description:
This seminar explores architectural typologies as spatial systems shaped by climate, topography, material culture, and patterns of habitation. Focusing on valleys, settlements, buildings, and architectural elements, the course examines how architectural typologies mediate the relationship between natural systems and the built environment under changing climatic conditions.
Throughout the semester, all analyses, mappings, and typological investigations are directed toward a single objective: the collaborative development of a board game in student teams. The board game is the final and only project of the course and functions as a design medium to translate climate adaptation strategies, stakeholder roles, and decision-making processes involving multiple change agents into a playable system.
The board game also serves as a tool for climate communication, designed to interact with citizens, support dialogue, and raise awareness of climate-related challenges and adaptation strategies in the Alpine context.
Course environment:
Students work collaboratively in groups, with 15 participants from the University of Texas at Arlington and 15 from the University of Innsbruck.
Alpinestudio International Program:
The Alpinestudio International Program is the global campus of the University of Texas at Arlington and the University of Innsbruck, focusing on climate-resilient cities in the Central Alpine Region. In 2026, the program theme aims to address the question: How can architecture act as a change agent for urban climates?