“The Systemless Project: Granville Island” Studio led by James Huemoeller

Aerial of Granville Island

James Huemoeller will be teaching the “The Systemless Project: Granville Island” graduate comprehensive studio at UBC SALA alongside Joanne Gates, Amanda Reed, Matthieu Grady, and Jason Heinrich.

From wildfires to heat domes to flooding, the climate change-related events experienced recently in British Columbia and worldwide underscores this studio’s focus on resiliency. In response to the reality that carbon emissions and energy use will continue to increase, along with temperatures, sea level, and unpredictable weather events throughout the 21st century, the studio invites you to rethink how resiliency embeds itself within the architectural project. The studio follows the precedent of House 2226, an office building by Baumschlager Eberle, whose organizational concept follows the logic of thermodynamics. This approach is what we have termed the systemless project, an architecture of care that foregrounds new design priorities:

• local environmental phenomena and ecosystems

• simple, compact volumes/forms

• highly insulated building enclosure

• thermal mass

• bodies as the primary heat source

• natural ventilation

• local, low embodied carbon and healthier materials

• minimal energy use

The systemless project will be explored through the design of an Incubator and Academic Hub focused on making, teaching and innovation located on Granville Island in Vancouver

Students built 1:1 models

Student pin-up boards