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This vertical studio aims to question what constitutes an architectural apparatus by looking into the architectural model and model making process. When you are working on architecture inside of a particular computer program, why are you doing it? Are you doing it because you want to or because the program wants you to? Are you using the program because it is truly the best program for the job or are you using it because that is the program you are most comfortable in? What if you could design your own software and do architecture the way you would like to? Would it lead to a more diverse pool of designs? Could the architectural “model” be rethought?

 

The architectural model is often presented to be refined and beautiful, often takes months to build. But how useful are these refined final models? I would argue for rougher models but more intuitive and quicker to build. Students should treat model making as a game and something fun to do rather than a tedious expenditure of time and money. The concept of the “sketch model” should be playful, intuitive and improvisational. If we were to understand that play (suggested in Homo Ludens) is primary to the generation of culture and that the architectural discourse itself is a game, then what does it take to win in such a game? Students are required to play 2 seasons of the architectural video game in Qube Saga for the semester. 

 

While Play is fun, Play is also competitive and requires a certain degree of rigour. There will be winners and losers. The students will be split up into teams of three. The team that wins at the playoffs will receive a CR+. The team that receives the most points at the end of the season will get a CR+. The players of each team (MVPs) who score the most points at the end of the season will receive a CR+. Teams may trade players before the playoff as long as they have a ⅔ majority in the decision. Points can be traded as well. 

 

The game that the students will be playing is Qube Saga. They will have 10 mins to design and build with assets they have built beforehand. Students and Jury vote for what they think is the best design anonymously through the game. Votes will be tallied up after the match. There will be 2 matches a week. A season is 7 weeks. Play-off is a week and it is a single round elimination. Teams may modify the game however they want through their own DLCs or Mods to produce a “better” result.