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Theory and History of Architecture
02DWTPQ
A.A. 2023/24
Course Language
Inglese
Degree programme(s)
Course structure
| Teaching | Hours |
|---|---|
| Lezioni | 10 |
| Esercitazioni in aula | 20 |
| Tutoraggio | 17,5 |
Lecturers
| Teacher | Status | SSD | h.Les | h.Ex | h.Lab | h.Tut | Years teaching |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Pace Sergio
Theory and History of Architecture (History of architecture) |
Professore Ordinario | CEAR-11/A | 10 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Co-lectures
Context
| SSD | CFU | Activities | Area context |
|---|
2023/24
Through multidisciplinary lessons and targeted exercises, the introductory seminar is aimed at laying the groundwork for fostering a critical approach to architectural and urban design. It provides an introductory methodological guideline aimed at reading and interpreting the envisaged and built environment. At the center of the debate are the challenges of the present time, shared by all the master's degrees offered by the Collegio di Architettura.
The present-day scenario is becoming denser and denser with complex entwining between memories and amnesia, between a progressive extension of heritage constraints and a concurrent growth in abandonment. The paradoxical overlapping of the fast-moving economy and the slow-moving urban and territorial identity, and therefore of contrasting life cycles, marked by global climatic changes and the structured palimpsest of the territory, casts the project into an endless and indispensable experimental activity, requiring a continuous questioning of the objects and spaces of our life, as well as of the tools needed to think of their transformation. In this historical moment, as well as in the past, although perhaps in different forms, the mediating vocation of the architectural project is challenged to hold together extremely diverse scales, techniques, objectives, and narratives, exploring the limits of its own operational capacity.
The introductory seminar aims to lay the groundwork for fostering a critical architectural and urban design approach through multidisciplinary lessons and targeted exercises. It provides an introductory methodological guideline to read and interpret the envisaged and built environment. At the center of the debate are the challenges of the present time, shared by all the master's degrees offered by the Collegio di Architettura.
The present-day scenario is becoming denser and denser with complex entwining between memories and amnesia, between a progressive extension of heritage constraints and a concurrent growth in abandonment. The paradoxical overlapping of the fast-moving economy and the slow-moving urban and territorial identity, and therefore contrasting life cycles, marked by global climatic changes and the structured palimpsest of the territory, cast the project into an endless and indispensable experimental activity, requiring a continuous questioning of the objects and spaces of our life, as well as of the tools needed to think of their transformation. In this historical moment and in the past, although perhaps in different forms, the mediating vocation of the architectural project is challenged to hold together extremely diverse scales, techniques, objectives, and narratives, exploring the limits of its operational capacity.
A retrospective research process on existing projects will compare the analyses of the context, carried out by the authors of the projects themselves, and the resulting transformations and modeling of the spaces that have been concerned. The study of the interplay between the different moments involving the design act is indispensable for achieving a greater critical awareness of the works analyzed as well as understanding the narrative potential of the project, regardless of its effective realization. This research process is also useful in providing the methodological tools needed to correctly approach a new project, which is something that really begins with an analytical and interpretative step, whose tools and methods are fully understood.
During the seminar, students will learn to critically reflect on contexts using different modes of research and analysis: readings and comparisons between historical maps, production of interpretive schemes, elaboration of original mapping, and development of textual narratives. Although the seminar does not aim to develop a project, the lecturers will provide the tools necessary to recognize critical issues and potentialities inherent in places to highlight and describe transformative possibilities.
The fine line between analytical gaze and design process will also be studied by examining preliminary design documents from architectural firms in developing realized projects.
The seminar does not require any specific prerequisites - apart from those required for admission to a master’s degree - other than a keen sense of curiosity about architecture and the city, combined with a willingness to engage in critical reflection, matured through the reading of project documents.
The seminar does not require any specific prerequisites - apart from those required for admission to a master’s degree - other than a keen curiosity about architecture and the city, combined with a willingness to engage in critical reflection, matured through reading project documents.
Starting from a scientific approach, which examines the project as a process and connects all its phases, from the concept to its development, we shall explore the relationships between the initial analyses, the evolution of the project, and its result. The aim is to investigate the boundaries, overlaps, and interferences of these phases with each other, in case studies identified through bibliographic and archive research.
The seminar will be organized in two distinct but interconnected stages, bridging architectural design theories and histories.
Stage One will focus on the research of case studies, which can illustrate different ways of interpreting the context by different design actors. Examples will be illustrated, projects described, and interdisciplinary seminars organized. The outcome of this stage will be a research activity, carried out by the students, that will explore the ever-changing and shifting boundaries between the different moments of project activities.
During Stage Two of the seminar, students will be asked to develop their own critical interpretations and analyses, starting from a real context that will be assigned to them. The outcome of this stage should be an articulate and coherent narrative of the different reading and interpretation operations, organized in an illustrated report.
Starting from a scientific approach, which examines the project as a process and connects all its phases, from the concept to its development, we shall explore the relationships between the initial analyses, the evolution of the project, and its result. The aim is to investigate the boundaries, overlaps, and interferences of these phases with each other in case studies identified through bibliographic and archive research.
The seminar will be organized in two distinct but interconnected stages, bridging architectural design theories and histories.
Stage One will focus on the research of case studies, which can illustrate different ways of interpreting the context by different design actors. Examples will be illustrated, projects described, and interdisciplinary seminars organized. The outcome of this stage will be a research activity by the students that will explore the ever-changing and shifting boundaries between the different moments of project activities.
During Stage Two of the seminar, students will be asked to develop their critical interpretations and analyses, starting from a real context that will be assigned to them. The outcome of this stage should be an articulate and coherent narrative of the different reading and interpretation operations organized in an illustrated report.
In Stage One, the teaching methods are mainly organized in lectures and seminars, both in-person and online.
After an initial period of general introductory lectures, the topics on which to tackle the first exercise will be discussed with individual students or groups of a maximum of three members, through individual or collective discussions.
The result of this first stage will be the development of a research paper, which will outline case studies through a critical interpretation, and which will be illustrated to all students through a general presentation. The content of the research will focus on the identification and description of the relationships between the analytical phases and the actual realization of the projects through graphic diagrams and descriptive texts.
Subsequently, Stage Two, which will be more operational, will begin with an on-site visit to a specific area of the city. Here, the issues explored in the first exercise will be tackled through the elaboration of critical reflections and original analyses by means of different devices of representation, description, and analysis.
Throughout the whole course of the second phase, students will have the opportunity to engage with the lecturers in individual and group reviews.
In Stage One, the teaching methods are mainly organized in lectures and seminars, both in-person and online.
After an initial period of general introductory lectures, the topics to tackle the first exercise will be discussed with individual students or groups of a maximum of three members through individual or collective discussions.
The result of this first stage will be the development of a research paper, which will outline case studies through a critical interpretation and will be illustrated to all students through a general presentation. The research content will focus on identifying and describing the relationships between the analytical phases and the actual realization of the projects through graphic diagrams and descriptive texts.
Subsequently, Stage Two, which will be more operational, will begin with an on-site visit to a specific city area. The issues explored in the first exercise will be tackled by elaborating critical reflections and original analyses using different representations, descriptions, and analysis devices.
Throughout the second phase, students can engage with the lecturers in individual and group reviews.
Summaries of lectures, copies of the slides used during the lectures, online lecture recordings, and other documents useful for organizing group activities will be made available on the Teaching Portal.
During the seminar, the lecturers will provide examples and bibliographical references that will be discussed with the students, who will in any case be asked to carry out individual research aimed at their own specific learning path through the project.
At the same time, the basic reference text is: Russi N., (2018), Background. Il progetto del Vuoto, Macerata: Quodlibet Studio.
Summaries of lectures, copies of the slides used during the lectures, online lecture recordings, and other documents useful for organizing group activities will be available on the Teaching Portal.
During the seminar, the lecturers will provide examples and bibliographical references that will be discussed with the students, who will, in any case, be asked to carry out individual research aimed at their specific learning path through the project.
The starting reference texts are:
RUSSI N., (2022). Climatic Agents. In: Rappaport N. “Hybrid Factory, Hybrid city”. New York, Barcelona: Actar. ISBN 9781638400318, pp.184-197.
RUSSI N. (2012). Building Context: when architecture becomes the background. In: SAN ROCCO, vol. 4.
ISSN: 2038-4912, pp. 80-85.
Materiale multimediale ;
Multimedia materials;
Modalità di esame: Prova orale obbligatoria; Elaborato grafico individuale; Elaborato scritto individuale;
Exam: Compulsory oral exam; Individual graphic design project; Individual essay;
...
The exam will consist of the presentation of the results of the project research through the exhibition of the works developed during the seminar.
In both cases, students will be asked to upload the material produced digitally to the portal before the exam date.
In order to take the exam, each student is required to have individually participated (or together with his / her group) in the intermediate reviews previously established by each of the two modules, the final evaluation will take into account the final presentation and discussion (40%), the work overall carried out by the student during the half-year (40%), but also by the individual participation in this work and the moments of presentation (20%).
Stage One
The evaluation of the results of Stage One will be based on the following criteria: (1) ability to investigate noticeable projects and case studies; (2) ability to critically interpret the case studies presented, through a coherent narrative; (3) ability to write, layout and graphically render the results, through original schemes and diagrams.
Required outputs: printable PDF album in A4 format containing research materials; synthetic PDF presentation, to be projected.
Stage Two (exam)
The evaluation of the results of Stage Two will be based on the following criteria: (1) ability to identify relevant research issues on a specific site; (2) ability to identify some appropriate methods of analysis and interpretation through multiple devices (graphical, photographic, etc.) (3) coherence between the interpretative approach of Stage Two and that developed in the first one; (4) Coherence between the interpretative approach of the second stage and that developed in the Stage One;
Required outputs: printable PDF album in A4 format containing research materials from both stages; synthetic PDF presentation of the whole work, to be projected.
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.
Exam: Compulsory oral exam; Individual graphic design project; Individual essay;
The exam will consist of the presentation of the results of the project research through the exhibition of the works developed during the seminar.
In both cases, students will be asked to upload the material produced digitally to the portal before the exam date.
To take the exam, each student must have participated in the intermediate reviews for both modules, alone or with their group. The final evaluation will consider the final presentation and discussion (40%), the overall work done by the student during the semester (40%), their participation in the work, and their presentation moments (20%).
Stage One
The evaluation of the results of Stage One will be based on the following criteria: (1) ability to investigate noticeable projects and case studies; (2) ability to critically interpret the case studies presented through a coherent narrative; (3) ability to write, layout and graphically render the results, through original schemes and diagrams.
Required outputs: printable PDF album in A4 format containing research materials; synthetic PDF presentation to be projected.
Stage Two (exam)
The evaluation in the second stage will consider the following criteria: (1) finding research topics related to a specific location, (2) selecting suitable analysis and interpretation methods using various tools such as graphs and photos, (3) ensuring consistency between the interpretive approach used in Stage Two and the one developed in Stage One, and (4) ensuring consistency between the interpretive approach used in Stage Two and the one developed in Stage One.
Required outputs: printable PDF album in A4 format containing research materials from both stages; synthetic PDF presentation of the work to be projected.
Teachers will use laude if the work developed by students who have already achieved the highest evaluation presents characters of originality and critical autonomy.
In addition to the message sent by the online system, students with disabilities or Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) are invited to directly inform the professor in charge of the course about the special arrangements for the exam that have been agreed with the Special Needs Unit. The professor has to be informed at least one week before the beginning of the examination session in order to provide students with the most suitable arrangements for each specific type of exam.