studio chahar
Graduate Global Studio: Norway
Architectural Experimentation and Culture in Motion
Wentworth Institute of Technology. Fall 2024. Graduate level. With Ingrid Strong.
The Norway Studio: Architectural Experimentation and Culture in Motion was a graduate-level Global Research Studio that explored the intersection of architecture, ecotourism, and cultural identity within the evolving Nordic landscape. Grounded in the phenomenological ideas of “genius loci,” the studio examined how Norway’s National Tourist Routes redefined the experience of landscape through architectural interventions. Drawing on theoretical texts and governmental frameworks, students considered how tourism, migration, and environmental policy shape place-making in rural and urban contexts. The studio posed architecture as a lens through which to assess cultural shifts and ecological responsibility in a changing climate.
Students and faculty embarked together on a two-week field trip across Norway, a travel itinerary carefully designed by the instructors to unfold along three National Tourist Routes and a series of architecturally significant sites. From Bergen to Oslo, the group visited remote viewing platforms, cultural museums, and experimental pavilions, including the Wild Reindeer Pavilion and Hedmark Museum. Along the way, students engaged in sketching, documentation, and critical discussions on the role of architecture in shaping ecotourism. Upon returning, each student developed an individual design proposal rooted in their site observations and reflections, exploring how architecture might respond to environmental, social, and cultural transitions with sensitivity and innovation.
Selected final project: The Mefjellet Memorial, 6 Men Who Froze to Death, by Andoni Kareklas.