With the Archipedia section, Baumeister is developing an online research tool on the subject of architecture in collaboration with Bochum University of Applied Sciences.
With the “Archipedia” section, Baumeister is setting up an online research tool on the subject of architecture in collaboration with Bochum University of Applied Sciences over the next few weeks. Students on the “Architecture Media Management” course will write short fictitious letters to the most famous architects of the past 100 years. Bit by bit, an archive with subjectively colored but also fact-rich biographies will be created. We spoke to Jan Krause, professor at Bochum University of Applied Sciences and co-initiator of the project, in advance.
Baumeister: What was your motivation to start the “Archipedia” project with Baumeister?
Jan Krause: I was immediately inspired by Baumeister editor-in-chief Alexander Gutzmer’s idea of developing an architectural encyclopaedia with our Master’s students. After all, anyone who wants to do their Master’s degree in Media Management for Architecture with us should already be working on practical projects during their Master’s degree that are relevant to the real world of architectural communication. At the same time, such projects must always leave room for the freedom that we offer students in the university’s experimental field. The openness and curiosity with which the Baumeister accompanied the project offered a unique opportunity to practice basic communication techniques and try out new formats.
B: What was your first reaction when you read the texts?
J K: To be honest, I was a little proud of my Master’s students that this little adventure with an uncertain outcome led to results that we are now happy to present to the public. The idea of writing an “architectural encyclopaedia in letters” has been wonderfully implemented by the students. This has resulted in very unique, emotional pieces that offer the reader the opportunity to get to know important architects on a very personal level. And this in times of Twitter and text messages, when some people thought we had forgotten how to write letters.
B: What experiences did your students have when writing the texts?
J K: Writing texts is like designing. It starts with a thorough analysis – in writing we call it research. You need a strong conceptual idea. This is followed by careful elaboration in detail. And it requires practice, practice, practice.
B: Building houses and writing texts – do they go together?
J K: Those who have mastered this dual skill have great advantages. It is often no longer enough to have a good idea. You also have to be able to formulate them visually and verbally in an understandable and convincing way. This doesn’t just play a role after the house has been completed or the design has been finalized, but at the very beginning of the design process. I always recommend putting the design idea down on paper in words first and then starting to draw. The act of writing is an extremely beneficial act of inspiration and concentration.
B: Your Master’s program combines both. It has been running for twelve years now. What is your interim conclusion?
J K: I see our AMM Architecture Media Management Master’s program at Bochum University of Applied Sciences as a laboratory in which we work at the interface with the public. The careers of our AMM alumni show that the concept works. It is possible to train architects to become communication professionals in this intensive one-year Master’s program. We don’t design buildings here, but communication strategies and provide students with tools for journalistic writing, visualization, photography, video journalism, data management, business planning and project management. The basis, however, is the “architectural thinking” learned in architecture studies. This profile of AMM graduates from Bochum is now well-known in the scene. Almost every week we receive job offers from architecture firms, communications agencies, marketing departments and cultural institutions looking for employees with this skill. And the demand for our 20 Master’s places is far higher than we can meet, with 60 to 80 applicants every year.
Photo: Prof. Jan R. Krause, AMM Architecture Media Management, Bochum University of Applied Sciences, www.amm-bochum.de
