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78050-01 - Seminar: Programmed Architectures: Computation and Spatial Design (3 CP)
| Semester | spring semester 2026 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Pierre Depaz (pierre.depaz@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | Starting from architecture as the design of space through the reconfiguration of materials to provide habitable environments, this seminar looks at how computation—that is, automated calculation—is itself a form of architecture. What is the psychogeography of the "global village"? What is a territory in the age of GPS? What kind(s) of environment(s) do we experience through software? This seminar investigates the relation of software with space, how it affects physical space, and how it constructs conceptual spaces. It looks at how physical space has been affected by software systems, shrinking it to the service of time and logistics, managing it through smart city sensors, designing it with CAD software, and eluding it in artificial intelligence systems. It then turns to new configurations of space that have seen the light thanks to the specifics of computation; from video games to virtual learning environments, from latent space to problem spaces, software creates a new kind of architecture putting into question fundamentals of spatiality such as orientations, dimensions, grounding, graspability and habitability. |
| Learning objectives | - Get an understanding of architecture as a form of media, and of spatiality as a key epistemic tool. - Understand the implications of calculating the built environment - Reflect on how space disappears under, or resists against, computation - Identify the new kinds of space that are native to computation |
| Course application | Anmeldung über MOnA notwendig (services.unibas.ch). |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Tuesday | 14.15-16.00 | Holbeinstrasse 12, Bluebox |
Dates
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday 17.02.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Holbeinstrasse 12, Bluebox |
| Tuesday 24.02.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Fasnachtsferien |
| Tuesday 03.03.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Holbeinstrasse 12, Bluebox |
| Tuesday 10.03.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Holbeinstrasse 12, Bluebox |
| Tuesday 17.03.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Holbeinstrasse 12, Bluebox |
| Tuesday 24.03.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Holbeinstrasse 12, Bluebox |
| Tuesday 31.03.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Holbeinstrasse 12, Bluebox |
| Tuesday 07.04.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Holbeinstrasse 12, Bluebox |
| Tuesday 14.04.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Holbeinstrasse 12, Bluebox |
| Tuesday 21.04.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Holbeinstrasse 12, Bluebox |
| Tuesday 28.04.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Holbeinstrasse 12, Bluebox |
| Tuesday 05.05.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Holbeinstrasse 12, Bluebox |
| Tuesday 12.05.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Holbeinstrasse 12, Bluebox |
| Tuesday 19.05.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Holbeinstrasse 12, Bluebox |
| Tuesday 26.05.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Holbeinstrasse 12, Bluebox |
| Modules |
Modul: Aufbaustudium Mediale Infrastrukturen (Bachelor's degree subject: Media Studies) Modul: Materialitäten (Master's degree program: Cultural Techniques) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Students will be evaluated through presentation of the readings assigned for one of the seminar sessions. |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | no repetition |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Medienwissenschaft |