Living Where the Immaterial Matters

Abstract

This paper will focus on the questions raised through the work of Unit 2: Living Where the Immaterial Matters, a research based studio of the 4th and 5th years of the professional degree at the University of Nicosia. Our unit's core investigation is to provoke a debate on the issue of immaterial matter and its potential role in Innovative Architecture. The unit examines the relationship of the immaterial to the build environment.We investigate the intangible qualities of architecture, immaterial matters that can create new typologies targeting to innovative living solutions. It is expected from the students, in this level of their studies, to tackle with the issue of the immateriality as an indispensible part of the material matter and the tectonics.The notion of the boundary as a physical and an immaterial entity forms the vehicle through which investigations begin and might end. We see Boundaries as Thresholds between contrasting conditions, grey zones of crossing limits, edges of different entities.The Methodology of the unit is of equal importance with the research question. Our approach is empirical. Through the act of trial and error we approach architecture as an on-going process.The Unit's thematic is INNOVATIVE LIVING + EVENT. The everyday permanent programme of living such as social housing, urban (re) development is generated through an insertion of an event. The 'Living' + 'Event' is been tested as a catalyst in order to investigate the main questions of the unit: immaterial matter and its potential role in innovative architecture.