DESIGN STUDIO, WS 2014/2015
Prof. Dr. Philipp Misselwitz, Renato d´Alençon Castrillón

Nomad City: Settlement Patterns in Nomadic Culture, Ger Settlements and Monastries in Mongolia

Ger settlements are dynamic, hybrid spaces in which nomadic/ rural and urban lifestyles merge still today, bearing problems but also opportunities for the city, such as the linkages to former (nomadic) lifestyles. In recent years, the state has ceased to ignore the presence of the Ger settlements and has begun to plan towards systematic infrastructural improvement. One of the key challenges is to effectively combine top down state investment with the survival techniques and local expertise of the Ger dwellers themselves. It remains an open question if the traditional Ger remains a significant form of dwelling, beyond folklore or tourist attraction. As a departure point for the second stage of the NOMAD CITY Project, specific cultural traits have been identified related to the cultural tradition and structure of the nomad culture, and they will be systematically researched and designed, namely the combined architectural and urban potentials of the dilapidated condition of the Buddhist monasteries located in (or absorbed by) Ger settlements, thus exploring building and settlement culture as contribution to the social developments.The monastery and Ger district of Dambadarjaa in Ulaanbaatar is one of the few ones which were not destroyed during the purge in the 1930s, and is the selected site for the work of the semester. 

The work is part of a cooperation with the Mongolian University of Science and Technology (MUST), the Municipality of Ulaanbaatar and the Goethe-Institut Ulaanbaatar. The Design Seminar Module will be accompanied by a PiV offered by FG Prof. Dr. Cramer.