What is SITREP.at?
SITREP.at produces Situation Reports on Architecture and Urbanity.
SITREP.at is a New York City-based “design tank” dedicated to the study of Architecture and Urbanity through research and design. We aim to publish our findings and proposals for public distribution as Situation Reports – SITREP.
SITREP.at was founded by Michael Wen-Sen Su, Philippe Baumann, and Tristan Bel in 2012, and operates as SITREP Inc., a New York State S Corp. registered in New York City.
(Updated May 15, 2017.)
What is a SITREP – Situation Report?
Following its military derivation, the term SITREP, which is short for “Situation Report,” refers to a report describing “actionable” situations of Urbanity. That is, a Situation Report on Urbanity describes existing situations of Urbanity relative to specific actions that can be taken to rectify (negative reinforcement) or amplify (positive reinforcement) the given situation. As such, a Situation Report on Urbanity not only describes the situation, but also necessarily proposes a particular response to it.
A SITREP typically includes the following sections:
- LOCATION Determination of the particular systems and methods at work in a given Situation.
- ACTIVITY Description of the nature of these systems.
- EFFECTIVE Description of the nature of these methods.
- DISPOSITION Determination of the development trajectory, or extrapolated timeline, of a given Situation.
- REFERENCE Establishment of a desired trajectory or timeline.
- INTELLIGENCE Collection and analysis of the information extrinsic to, but capable of acting upon, a given Situation.
- OPERATION Proposal to rectify/amplify a given Situation, consisting of determining the Logistics for a desired trajectory/timeline.
- LOGISTICS Description of the organization necessary for the Operation, consisting of the requisite Personnel and Connectivity.
- PERSONNEL Description of the specific components of the organization.
- CONNECTIVITY Description of the requisite relationships, e.g. – hierarchy, redundancy, or insulation, of the organization.
How does you define the term Urbanity?
SITREP.at defines the term Urbanity as the unique confluence of high density, wide diversity, and compressed temporality commonly associated with cities and city life. Furthermore, we treat cities as superpositions of various systems (hardware), the operations of which are determined by methods (software) adapted for generalized user-ship.
What is a SITREP.at design studio?
SITREP.at studies Architecture and Urbanity through our ON-SITE and REMOTE design studios.
Our design studios take the form of 2 to 3 week-long intensive, on-site and remote studios operated by a dedicated team of Instructors and Participants. Instructors are experienced architectural educators, while Participants are selected through a rigorous application process. All studios are operated as architectural seminars and design studios, in that the Instructors establish particular themes for study, work closely with small teams of Participants on research and design, and present the results through juried reviews with outside critics.
The studios also feature guest lecturers, specialist discussion panels and seminars, expert tutorials and workshops, and public exhibitions. The findings and projects produced by these studios form the basis of our Situation Reports, for which studio participants are credited as contributing co-authors.
The LISBON design studio offers 6 European University Credits (ECTS), which may be transferrable to institutions outside the European Union. As well, credits/units/points towards country-specific, professional licensure programs may be available.
Where are our design studios?
SITREP.at design studios are currently operating in New York City on-site, in Lisbon on-site, and in Manila remotely. For news and updates on our design studios, please join our Mailing List.
Who should join our design studios?
SITREP.at design studios are intended for advanced students and recent graduates of programs in Architecture and Urban Planning. In particular, prospective Participants may consider using our studios as a stepping stone to study or work in the United States or the European Union.
Frequently Asked Questions : application process
1. What is the Application Procedure?
- To apply, please carefully review all the information on the current Application page. (Please use the sidebar link.)
- If you have any lingering questions, please send us a message using the Contact Form.
- Complete and submit the Application Form. Please be sure to attach your Portfolio PDF file.
- All applications will be reviewed within 72 hours. If you wish to contact us about the status of your application, please wait until after this review period.
(Updated May 15, 2017.)
2. What is the Portfolio Requirement?
A single PDF file, letter/A4-sized, consisting of an 8-page portfolio, 15Mb max. file.
(Revised January 31, 2017.)
3. What is the Early Application?
Applicants are eligible for tuition discounts and a limited number of full scholarships by submitting their applications early.
Full scholarship enrollment requires the fulfillment of certain obligations relating to the logistics of operating the design studio, e.g. – controlling studio access, equipment monitoring, general communications, and exhibition coordination.
Please see studio-specific pages for updates on tuitions.
(Revised May 15, 2017.)
4. What are the Program Prerequisites?
SITREP.at Design Studios are intended for advanced undergraduate students or recent graduates of accredited programs in Architecture and Urban Design. (However, depending upon the submitted portfolio, applicants with other backgrounds may also be considered. If you have any questions, please contact us using the Contact Form below.)
All Participants in the studio must:
- Have completed at least 2 years of undergraduate education, or 1 year of graduate education, in the fields of Architecture, Urban Studies, or Urban Planning. The studio is also open to practicing professionals.
- Participate in the entire design studio.
- Commit to working in teams of two or three, rather than working independently.
- Commit to working in the dedicated studio space every day, including over the weekends.
- Be competent in written and spoken English.
- Be competent in using the software specified under Equipment Requirements.
- Complete a Foundational Review Exercise for the start of the studio.
- Submit a completed Participant Agreement prior to the start of the studio, which includes a Intellectual Properties/Rights Agreement.
5. What are the Equipment Requirements?
All Design Studio participants must bring their own wifi-capable laptop or desktop computer (and monitor) running Windows or Mac OS and, at a minimum, educational versions of the following software:
- Autocad 2010 or higher.
- Rhinoceros 5 with renderers, e.g. Keyshot, Lumion, Maxwell, V-Ray.
- Sketchup 8 with renderers, e.g. Keyshot, Lumion, Maxwell, V-Ray.
- Adobe CS6 (minimum) Indesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, and Acrobat X.
- Microsoft Office (with Powerpoint) or Apple iWorks (with Keynote).
6. What happens if I am accepted to the studio?
If you are accepted into our intensive, on-site design studios, please send a non-refundable, Registration Deposit within 7 days of receiving your Acceptance Letter. (This deposit may be sent via Paypal to: info@sitrep.at, or via our Tuition Payment page.) Subsequently, the balance of the full tuition will be due 10 days before the start of the studio.
All Registration and Tuition payments must be received by these due dates in order to ensure your enrollment.
Further details of the Registration and Enrollment process will be included in your Acceptance Notice.
7. Are there any contingencies for the studio?
Yes.
In the event that the application enrollment for a specific design studio is below the minimum number required for us to operate the studio, or in the event of studio logistics preventing the operation of the studio, your Deposit will be REFUNDED and the studio will be canceled.
Any and all payments will be fully refunded within 7 days of the cancellation of the studio.
8. Do you provide housing for studio participants?
We do not provide housing for studio participants. However, once the final studio enrollment is established, we will connect you with local residents and fellow participants to facilitate your lodging arrangements for the duration of the studio.
9. What if I have more questions?
Just use the Contact Form below to reach us. We will reply ASAP.