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Fani Kostourou

Illustration to PhD profile page for Fani Kostourou

Research

Subject

Adaptability of the Urban Form: Mapping Changes Over Time and Across Scales

Supervisors

Sponsor听

EPSRC Doctoral Training Grant听

Abstract

This thesis investigates physical adaptability of the urban form in the 19th century working-class housing scheme of Cit茅 Ouvri猫re in the city of Mulhouse. The research is based on the assumption that other things aside, housing forms that are not sufficiently adaptable to effectively accommodate changes over time will eventually disappear as they fail to remain fit for their users and to retain their value.

To explore this, the study examines how streets, plots, and buildings change over time, from 1850 until the present. More specifically, it asks how these spatial structures co-evolve in relation to each other and to concurrent social conditions, and how their transformations impact on network centrality and built density. Such knowledge can arguably be crucial to informing architects and planners about factors that may contribute to the social and spatial sustainability of the existing and future urban form.

Founded on the theories and methods of the classical and quantitative urban morphology, specifically space syntax and Spacematrix, the study focuses on small-scale incremental typo-morphological adaptations and their aggregate emergent impact over time and across scales. It first explores the evolution, continuity and transformation of the street network in the city of Mulhouse, revealing mechanisms of change and their impact on centrality patterns. Then, it traces incremental volumetric adaptations of single-family houses in the neighbourhood of Cit茅 Ouvri猫re, and the effect of building growth on built density and space consumption.听

Findings are discussed against a set of historical and socio-political conditions to construct a comprehensive picture of formal adaptability and how this is defined and manifested across different spatial scales. The research is innovative for its historical depth (165 years), high-resolution approach (in terms of scale, time, and extent of study), and the methods used to map and measure the synchronic and diachronic processes of physical transformation (including historical and archival research, field survey, and diachronic 2D听and 3D听modelling).

Biography

Fani is an architect and urban designer. She studied architecture at the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA),听holds a Master's in Urban Design from ETH Z眉rich and an MRes in Spatial Design: Architecture and Cities from The Bartlett, 果冻影院 London.

Her design work has featured in publications such as Minha Casa, Nossa Cidade (Ruby Press, 2014) and group exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Museu de Arte do Rio, X S茫o Paulo Biennale and the 15th Venice Architecture Biennale. Fani has held teaching and research positions at the Welsh School of Architecture, The Bartlett鈥檚 School of Architecture and Development Planning Unit, and the research organization Theatrum Mundi.

During her doctoral studies, she organised international workshops, lectured, and exhibited in Europe, Asia and America. In 2017, she joined the Department of Architecture and Computation at MIT as a visiting researcher and participated in the EU-funded Future Architecture Platform activities in Slovenia, Serbia, Kosovo, and Ukraine.

Fani works, writes, and publishes in the expanded field of architecture and urban studies. Her core research interests include urban morphology and transformations, spatial analysis and data mapping, housing, informality, and design research. Currently, Fani is an EPSRC-funded doctoral student at The Bartlett School of Architecture and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (UK).

Publications and other work听

Publications

Papers

  • Kostourou, F., 2019. Mass factory housing: design and social reform. Design Issues 35(4).
  • Kostourou, F., Karimi, K. 2017. The integration of new social housing in existing urban schemes: the case of Cit茅 Manifeste in Mulhouse, France. Urban Morphology 21 (1).
  • Kostourou, F., Psarra, S. 2017. Formal adaptability: A discussion of morphological changes and their impact on density in low-rise mass housing. Proceedings of the11th International Space Syntax Symposium. Lisbon.
  • Palaiologou, G., Kostourou, F. 2016. Long-term challenges in urban housing: In the search for intersections between design and policy regulations. AMPS Conference Publication Series 7. Future Housing: Global Cities and regional Problems. Swinburne University, Melbourne.
  • Psarra S., Kostourou F., Krenz K. 2016. Designed and Emergent Tectonics: Resituating Architectural Knowledge. The Plan Journal, Vol 0(0).
  • Krenz, K., Psarra S., Kostourou F., Capille C. 2016. Understanding the City as a Whole: An Integrative Analysis of Rio de Janeiro and its Informal Settlements. Proceedings of the 22nd International Seminar on Urban Form: City as organism: New visions for urban life, Vol 1, Rome.
  • Kostourou, F. 2015. Configurational and morphological sustainability in social housing: the case of Cit茅 Ouvri猫re in Mulhouse. Proceedings of the10th International Space Syntax Symposium. London.

Essays

  • Kostourou F., Psathiti. C. 2018. What鈥檚 wrong with Wonderland?. trans magazin No 32 鈥楲iebe鈥�, ETH Z眉rich.
  • Kostourou F. 2017. Built Projects that Inspired. Architectuul.
  • Kostourou F. 2017. Design (re)Production. Horizonte Journal for Architectural Discourse No 11: 鈥榃issen鈥�, Bauhaus-Universit盲t Weimar.
  • Kostourou F. 2016. New Modesty. LOBBY magazine No 5 鈥楩aith鈥�, 果冻影院 Bartlett.
  • Kostourou F. 2016. Conflicts of Interest. LOBBY magazine No 4 鈥楢bundance鈥�, 果冻影院 Bartlett.
  • Kostourou F. 2015. What Lies Beneath. OSA Magazine No 2, 鈥楩ailure鈥�, Oxford School of Architecture.
  • Kostourou F. 2015. Riots. LOBBY magazine No 2 鈥楥lairvoyance鈥�, 果冻影院 Bartlett.
  • Kostourou F. 2014. Urbanism as a product of repetition. LOBBY magazine No 1 鈥楿n/Spectacle鈥�, 果冻影院 Bartlett.

Books (ft/ed/ch)

  • Psarra S., Kostourou F., Krenz K. 2018. A Bisociative Approach to Design: Integrating Space Syntax into Architectural Education. In Oliveira, V. (ed.) Teaching Urban Morphology. The Urban Book Series, Springer.
  • Psarra S., Kostourou F., Krenz K. (eds.) 2017. E-merging Design Research: Pop-Up City. The Bartlett School of Architecture, London.
  • Psarra S., Kostourou F., Krenz K. (eds.) 2016. E-merging Design Research: Rio@Rio. The Bartlett School of Architecture, London.
  • Ang茅lil, M., Hehl, R. in collaboration with Something Fantastic (eds.). 2014. Minha Casa, Nossa Cidade: Innovating Mass Housing for Social Change in Brazil. Ruby Press, Berlin.

Other research

  • Kostourou, F. 2014. Diachronic (Re)assessment of the Social and Spatial Capital of Industrial Housing: Cit茅 Ouvri猫re and Cit茅 Manifeste in Mulhouse. 果冻影院 Bartlett.
  • Ang茅lil, M., Hehl, R. in collaboration with Something Fantastic (eds.). 2013. APB 鈥� Architectura Popular Brasiliera. D-ARCH ETH Z眉rich.听
  • Kostourou, F. 2012. 螣喂 伪谓胃蟻蠋蟺喂谓蔚蟼 未蟻伪蟽蟿畏蟻喂蠈蟿畏蟿蔚蟼 蟽蟿慰 未畏渭蠈蟽喂慰 蠂蠋蟻慰: 伪蟽蟿喂魏维 魏蔚谓维 蟽蟿慰谓 维尉慰谓伪 蟿畏蟼 螤伪谓蔚蟺喂蟽蟿畏渭委慰蠀 [Human activities in public space: urban voids along the axis of Panepistimiou street]. School of Architecture NTUA Athens.
Teaching

Academic Year 2014-2015

  • PGTA, E-merging Design Research (果冻影院, BSA)
  • PGTA, Design as a Knowledge-Based Process (果冻影院, BSA)
  • PGTA, 鈥楽pace syntax鈥� Methodology and Analytical Design (果冻影院, BSA)

Academic Year 2015-2016

  • PGTA, E-merging Design Research (果冻影院, BSA)
  • PGTA, Architectural Phenomena (果冻影院, BSA)

Academic Year 2016-2017

  • PGTA, E-merging Design Research (果冻影院, BSA)
  • PGTA, Building and Urban Design in Practice (果冻影院, DPU)

Academic Year 2017-2018

  • PGTA,听E-merging Design Research (果冻影院, BSA)
  • PGTA,听鈥楽pace syntax鈥� Methodology and Analytical Design (果冻影院, BSA)
  • PGTA, Analytical Design Research Project (果冻影院, BSA)
  • PGTA, Space Syntax: Architecture & Cities MSc Dissertation (果冻影院, BSA)
  • Unit Leader, Spring Studio,听Urban Design MA (Cardiff University, WSA)

Academic Year 2018-2019

  • Design Tutor, Architecture Design Year 3 (Cardiff University, WSA)听

Academic Year 2019-20

  • Design Tutor,听Architecture听Design听Year 3 (Cardiff University, WSA)
  • Mentor, Educational programme 鈥楥reating Homes for Tomorrow' (CANactions School for Urban Studies)听听
Achievements
  • 2017 Visiting researcher (MIT, Department of Architecture, School of Architecture + Planning)
  • 2017 Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
  • 2017 Future Architecture Platform participant, EU Creative Europe Programme
Participations

2017

  • Future Architecture Festival, Museum of Architecture and Design, Ljubljana, Slovenia
  • Balkan Architectural Biennale, Belgrade, Serbia
  • 10th CANactions International Architecture Festival, Kyiv, Ukraine
  • 12th Belgrade International Architecture Week, Belgrade, Serbia
  • Kosovo Architecture Festival, Prishtina, Kosovo
  • XX Chilean Architecture and Urbanism Biennial, Valparaiso, Chile with the MSc BUDD (果冻影院, DPU)
  • Dalieh Watch Day and Festival, Beirut, Lebanon with the MSc BUDD (果冻影院, DPU)


2016听

  • 15th Venice Architecture Biennale, Venice, Italy
  • 鈥榅XXX Faces of Architecture鈥�, Greek Pavilion
  • 鈥楽elo de Qualidade MCMV鈥�, Brazilian Pavilion with the MAS UD (ETH)


2014听

  • Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, USA with the MAS UD (ETH)
  • Museu de Arte do Rio (MAR), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with the MAS UD (ETH)


2013听

  • Columbia GSAPP鈥檚 Studio-X Rio, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with the MAS UD (ETH)
  • X S茫o Paulo Architecture Biennale, S茫o Paulo, Brazil with MAS UD (ETH)

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