Technics

· Technics, n. The doctrine of arts in general; such branches of learning as respect the arts. · Technic Tech"nic, n. 1. The method of performance in any art; technical skill; artistic execution; technique. They illustrate the method of nature, not the technic of a manlike Artificer. Tyndall. 2. pl. Technical terms or objects; things pertaining to the practice of an art or science. · tech·nic (t k n k) n. (used with a sing. or pl. verb)The theory, principles, or study of an art or a process. (used with a pl. verb) Technical details, rules, or methods. · technics Engineering. the science or study of the mechanical and industrial arts.

Vision

We go where Architecture has not gone before, and beyond?

Motto

Less is more ... (difficult)

Mission

· To seek innovative, efficient and effective solutions to real architectural issues

· To cherish the experiential process of thinking, making and forming as well as the rigour of testing and assessing

· To explore the synergy of technological innovations, the ergonomics, the bionics and the built environment

· To experiment with emerging possibilities offered by ally disciplines so as to extend the existential meanings of architecture.

AND

· To cultivate self-awareness in design.

Strategies & Modus Operandi

· The studio exists not in the dream world of Noddyland. Nor are we here to invent issues. The purpose of the studio is to detect emerging issues and to explore existing issues. Therefore, close ties must be formed between it and the immediate (contextual) world of HK and China and the World (universal) on the whole. Faculty and students are both responsible in the making and working of these ties. Venturing beyond the boundaries of the campus, an influx of visitors and professionals, as well as joint projects and design competitions with outside organizations will be a hallmark of the studio.

· "Everybody can have an opinion, I am looking for proofs" (K Popper). The studio sees the framing of a concept, or an intention, a piece of ?objective knowledge?. Hence it is possible and essential to discern it through the process of conjecture and refutation. The studio aims to seek means and methods - physical, computational and statistical - to enable that process to take place.

· "Idea is cheap, show me a Demo" (N Negroponte). It is upon the foundation of a concept, as formulated with proofs, that the process of innovation should be based. With this in mind, the studio must proceed with the making of prototypes (or Demos) that address the realm and the boundaries of human and physical rules. Accordingly, the studio will seek ways to ensure that the rules are clear and that tests could be formulated to assess the Demos.

· "It is ironic that a chef cook, a painter paint, a sculptor sculpt and an architect can only draw." (B Lubetkin) There are needs to enrich the experience of design and to cherish the process of making by introducing tools, machineries and materials into the studio. It is important to get the hands and feet ?dirty?. The Design Technology Laboratory, and other laboratories and workshops in the Dept exist to serve that needs. Additional venues, and sites, will be sought to enrich the experience of building and sensing.

· "It is a human endeavour that defies logic and the laws of gravity. " (N Armstrong). Life is an experience, Architecture and the Built Environment is a key contributor of that experience. The advent of Internet and Cyber communities, the Space and Underworld Program, as well as Media, Nano and Supersonic technologies has brought forward spatial and temporal experiences never possible before. The Studio aims to extend and redefine the existential meanings of architecture through an exploration of these ally disciplines.