Building Biography: A Living Archive of Columbia GSAPP

When we think of the practice of ‘Architecture’, it must be defined by more than its physical structures. It must be centered around building networks, histories and identities. Taking-on this extended view of the discipline through a biographical lens, the project seeks to outline who we have been, who we are and who we will become, as an institution. Welcoming students from all programs and backgrounds, the workshop will be offered in a hybrid model, based upon active conversation, interviews, teamwork with guest speakers and at least one off-site visit, if possible. As a collective group, over the 2-week session, participants will work through a series of activities to produce a ‘living archive’ of Columbia GSAPP to reflect our space of progressive higher learning, interdisciplinary integration and critical engagement. The purpose of this workshop is to develop an expanded institutional biographical archive of GSAPP in order to highlight the rich histories of our diverse student body and the school’s presence as an important pillar in our University community, New York City and the Academy at large. The research undertaken hopes to advance the school’s mission of, “developing new forms of pedagogy, research, and practice to engage the crucial issues of our time across all scales of the built environment”, through creative methodologies and distinct interventions.