The course provides an introduction to the themes of contemporary environmental history, observed from the point of view of architecture and territorial transformations. It investigates the historical relationships between design, construction, and social uses of space on the one hand, and the use of natural resources on the other hand, observing architecture, cities and territories under the lens of their changing relationship with the environment.

By promoting a diachronic observation of the relationship between architecture, resources, and territories, the course aims to provide the basis of information and the essential tools to place the analysis of contemporary architectural and environmental issues within a broader framework of knowledge. The course aims in particular to develop some specific skills, such as: - the ability to understand the problems and challenges of sustainable design in their temporal dimension; - the ability to identify, critically read and interpret primary and secondary historical sources; - the ability to discuss complex issues by integrating historical knowledge with a plurality of disciplinary perspectives (economic, social, etc.); - the ability to move with agility and in an appropriate way between different scales of observation and intervention.

Basic knowledge of general history and of the history of architecture, cities and territories of the early modern and modern period is required, in particular that acquired during the Bachelor's degree course. A good knowledge of the English language (reading, speaking, writing) is an essential requirement.

The course will cover the most relevant trends of research and discussion into the environmental history of architecture and cities. Topics will include: - Architecture, climate, and energy throughout history; - Approaches to the environmental history of cities since the 1990s; - Understanding the role of nature in a man-made world; - The ecological challenge: architectural history’s methods and approaches in the Anthropocene.

Further details on the program will be given at the beginning of the course. Although the evaluation will be strictly individual, some of the required activities might be carried out by groups of students.

The course will be articulated into: - a series of lectures on various aspects of environmental history research; - a commented reading of Barnabas Calder’s Architecture (see bibliography below); - a series of discussions focusing on key texts in environmental history and theory; - a research exercise carried out by the student under the supervision of the professor; this will result in the submission of a written paper focusing on an aspect of the environmental history of architecture and cities.

A detailed bibliography will be provided during the semester. The following texts serve as an introduction to the themes touched by the course. Barnabas Calder, Architecture: Buildings and Energy from Pre-History to Climate Crisis, London, Pelican, 2021. William Cronon, Nature’s Metropolis: Chicago and the Great West, New York, W.W. Norton, 1992; Matthew Gandy, The Fabric of Space: Water, Modernity, and the Urban Imagination, Cambridge, MA, The MIT Press, 2014; Anna L. Tsing, The Mushroom at the End of the World: On the Possibility of Life in Capitalist Ruins, Princeton, Princeton University Press, 2015; Sonja Dümpelmann, Seeing Trees: A History of Street Trees in New York City and Berlin, New Haven, CT, Yale University Press, 2019; Daniel A. Barber, Modern Architecture and Climate: Design Before Air Conditioning, Princeton, NJ, Princeton University Press, 2020; Sebastian Haumann, Martin Knoll, Detlev Mares (eds.), Concepts of Urban-Environmental History, Bielefeld, Transcript, 2020; Philippe Rahm, Histoire naturelle de l’architecture. Comment le climat, les épidémies et l’énergie ont façonné la ville et les bâtiments, Paris, Éditions du Pavillon de l’Arsenal, 2020.

Slides; Libro di testo;

Modalità di esame: Prova orale obbligatoria; Elaborato scritto individuale; Elaborato scritto prodotto in gruppo;

Exam: Compulsory oral exam; Individual essay; Group essay;

... The final grade will be based upon: - an evaluation of the written paper or video (1/3); - an oral discussion of Calder’s Architecture (1/3); - an oral discussion of some of the texts on the environmental history of architecture and cities presented in class (1/3); The evaluation will assess: a) the capacity of the students to report historical facts with accuracy and precision; b) the capacity of the students to forge connections between the various elements of information acquired during the course and to critically discuss the historical problems raised by the bibliography; c) the capacity of each student to clearly express herself/himself through oral presentations and writing.

Gli studenti e le studentesse con disabilità o con Disturbi Specifici di Apprendimento (DSA), oltre alla segnalazione tramite procedura informatizzata, sono invitati a comunicare anche direttamente al/la docente titolare dell'insegnamento, con un preavviso non inferiore ad una settimana dall'avvio della sessione d'esame, gli strumenti compensativi concordati con l'Unità Special Needs, al fine di permettere al/la docente la declinazione più idonea in riferimento alla specifica tipologia di esame.