Into the Light: A Daylight Talk by Hemma Fasch

Since 2013 Petra Petersson is a Professor of Architecture at the Technical University in Graz, Austria, where she is the head of the Institute for Construction and Design Principles. Since October 2018 she is the Dean of the Faculty of Architecture in Graz.

Armin Stocker has been assistant professor and deputy head at the institute since 2018 for the basics of construction and design at TU Graz and is currently working on his habilitation with the title "Constructive Basics of Design". 

The Institute of Construction and Design Principles (KOEN) was established at Graz University of Technology in the winter semester of 2013 and is led by the architect Petra Petersson, head of the Berlin architectural practice Realarchitektur and dean of the architecture faculty. Throughout the first year we introduce the many facets of Architecture through a number of construction oriented as well as design subjects to our students. The integration of the two main courses Construction and Design within one department enables us to emphasize their tight interrelationship. The course focuses on the essentials, with the goal of teaching a basic understanding of architecture, three dimensional space, and the contextual connections in the built environment. We ask the primary questions “Why” and “How”. In addition, the students are given tools with which to further develop and communicate their ideas. These include sketches, technical drawing (by hand and computer), layouts, and model building, as well as verbal and written presentations. Model building in particular is suitable for the understanding of three dimensional space and is therefore an important part of the course. The regular use of working models, as well as presentation models, are an integral part of the design process. Together with the sketching, the model-building reflects one of our main concerns: understanding the making of architecture as a process