In the summer semester 2011, the institute for architectural theory and building history of Innsbruck University organized an exceptional design studio for Master students in cooperation with the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT).
The project was part of the exchange program with RMIT. Six exchange students from RMIT took part in the courses. Matchpoint.Innsbruck was open for a selected group of Students of the University of Innsbruck. The results of this project will be published by RMIT in a book.
The overall title of the project is derived from a Diploma project by Thomas Fussenegger called Matchpoint.Melbourne. His thesis analysed Melbourne as the city that is most strongly influenced by sports and the leisure industry in the world. In conjunction with a complementary research project Fussenegger’s thesis was exhibited at RMIT in summer 2010. Moreover, this exhibition was part of the ‘State of Design’ festival in Melbourne. In the course of a series of events revolving around Matchpoint.Melbourne, Bart Lootsma was also present to run a workshop at RMIT, participate in a symposium and hold a public lecture.
Consequently, Matchpoint.Innsbruck – a design studio and workshop tutored by Prof. Nigel Bertram and Prof. Bart Lootsma (assisted by Dr. Bettina Schlorhaufer) – followed in SS 2011. Thomas Fussenegger assisted in the design studio and ran the associated seminar „Theory of Landscape”. In addition to these courses organized by the institute of architectural theory and building history, Eric Sidoroff from the Institute of Design.Studio 2 contributed with the seminar „Phenomenon and Paradigm“. Prof. Nigel Bertram from RMIT taught a one-month intensive start-up workshop, which was also part of this joint design studio. He also held a public lecture.
Matchpoint.Innsbruck consisted of the following courses: „Studio M“ (Entwerfen M) and the seminars „Theory of Landscape“ and „Phenomenon and Paradigm“. In this way, a comprehensive engagement with Innsbruck as a sporting city was guaranteed. Moreover, special emphasis was placed on historical, urban, sociological, landscape, economical and last but not least architectural aspects.