TAARP: Participatory Learning on Dismantling, Reassembly, Modular and Cyclical Design Principles

TAARP: Participatory Learning on Dismantling, Reassembly, Modular and Cyclical Design Principles

Curators
Prof. Alessandra Zanelli
Prof. Carol Monticelli

Tutors
Haya Alussaini
Ketan Solanki
Maria Giovanna Di Bitonto

OVERVIEW

TAARP – Tempor-Active Architecture & Reversibility Principles is a participatory course focused on dismantling and reassembly methods, as well as modular and cyclical design strategies based on the residual performance of materials.

The course explores lightweight and temporary architectural systems, often overlooked in traditional architectural history but increasingly relevant in contemporary, flexible ways of living. Using materials such as textiles, membranes, and composite elements, students investigate how adaptable spaces can be assembled, dismantled, and reused efficiently.

CASE STUDY: TemporActive Pavilion

The course revolves around the TemporActive Pavilion, an ultra-lightweight structure designed at Politecnico di Milano for the TensiNet Symposium 2019.

Originally conceived as a temporary pavilion, TemporActive was assembled in a few days, used for one week, and later dismantled for reuse. It subsequently hosted activities and workshops for three years, becoming an example of architecture designed for multiple life cycles of assembly, use, and reuse.

LEARNING APPROACH

The course combines lectures, workshops, and on-site activities, integrating:

• Problem-Based Learning (PBL): collaborative redesign focusing on material efficiency, structural behaviour, and sustainability
• Design-Based Learning (DBL): form-finding experiments with physical models and computational tools (Grasshopper, Kangaroo, RhinoVault)
• Experiential Learning: hands-on testing of membranes, films, FRP components, and recycled fabrics at the Textiles HUB Laboratory
• Parametric and environmental analysis: structural simulations, lighting and thermal studies, and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

Students work in interdisciplinary teams and interact with experts and guest lecturers from international institutions.

OBJECTIVES

Students analyse the pavilion through a reverse-engineering process, including:

• cataloguing components
• studying dismantling sequences
• designing strategies for future reassembly and reuse

Following Design for Disassembly principles, the workshop explores modular reconfigurations and possible future “lives” of the TemporActive Pavilion.

PROGRAM

The course includes classroom sessions, online seminars, and on-site activities at the TemporActive Pavilion, with key moments dedicated to:

• site inspections and component cataloguing
• supervision of dismantling operations
• design proposals for reconfiguration and reuse
• project reviews and final presentations

The final presentation will showcase students’ proposals for the future life cycles of TemporActive.

RESEARCH CONTEXT

The course is organised within the activities of the Textiles Architecture Network (TAN) research group and developed with the support of the Textiles HUB Laboratory and the Department of Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering.

The initiative is funded through the ENHANCE Alliance – The Future of European Education and Research and offered within the Passion in Action programme.

More information visit the dedicated website.