I thought maybe I could write an introduction about our course in Dessau. It is a 2-year Master of Architecture program, at the Hochschule Anhalt in Dessau. The course is only 8 years old now, but it's being constantly improved and there are quite nice things in it.

For three semester we are supposed to take compulsory classes, which include Architectural Theory, Urbanism and CAD/Logic. And of course, one Studio every semester. Along with these, we have a series of electives which vary each semester. Cultural Theory, Architecture and Film, Generative Scripting, Space and Volume, etc. Then in the fourth and last semester, Thesis. More information can be found at the course's website.

Like every other school, I had my positive and my negative experiences with this course. But the overall experience was immensely worth it. I feel I learned a lot and I am very glad I did it.

My first Studio was back in 2006, Winter Semester, when we worked on urbanism proposals for Bucharest, Romania, together with professors Andrea Haase and Ralf Niebergal. Along with that, I had my first contact with Scripting, via Tobias Schwimm's elective, and with Prof. Neil Leach's lectures (Architectural Theory, Cultural Theory and Architecture and Film), which never ceased to amaze me.

Second semester, Studio with professor Neil Leach. We went to Sedrun, Switzerland. There we tried to figure out what would become of that remote location after the "amazing" 800m elevator, a project called Porta Alpina, finally opens its doors.

In the third semester, Prof. Neil Leach left us and was replaced by Prof. Daniel Dendra. I got in his studio, where we were supposed to make a proposal for a Museum for Lost and Found Objects at the Tempelhof Airport in Berlin. Also replacing prof. Leach, Prof. Gunnar Hartmann started with Cultural and Architectural Theory, as well as with Film and Architecture. Matias Del Campo, from ETH in Vienna started a workshop series about form and computational design.

Fourth semester: the dreaded Thesis. My advisor was Prof. Daniel Dendra, together with Prof. Neil Leach as a second advisor. I went more smoothly than I though, despite all the natural stress with such great responsibility. Then in July, I, together with other 20 colleagues, got our diplomas.

Were great 2 years of my life.

The Winter semester is running for already a month now, but only last week I got the "ok" from Archinect to start this blog. As you can see from my profile, I am not a student anymore. I graduated last July, but this semester I am still around the school as I became an instructor to an elective... View full entry