Analysis of Architectural Precedents: Ancient Industrial Revolution

Catalog description

Analysis of architectural precendents from antiquity to the turn of the twentieth century through methodologies emphasizing research and critical inquiry. The 20th century Italian architectural historian and theorist Manfredo Tafuri argued that architecture was intrinsically forward-looking and utopian: "project" in both the sense of "a design project" and a leap into the future, like "projectile" or "projection." However, he also argued that architectural history, understood deeply and critically, is indispensible if that leap is to make the world a better place. For any new building to make a positive and meaningful contribution to the physical and human world, architects must not only know what they can build, but what has been built, and what architecture's positive and negative impact has been in the past. This course will introduce the history of architecture from antiquity to the turn of the 20th century through (1) ten selected buildings, one covered each week, and (2) a methodology emphasizing research and critical inquiry. Borrowing from the "problem-based learning" approach that is central to studio education, this class will present "question-driven history." Students will learn how to find, use, and critique architectural history resources by attempting to answer six fundamental questions for each of the studied buildings.