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GEK1016 

HISTORY & THEORY OF MODERN ARCHITECTURE
   2010/2011, Semester 1
   School of Design and Environment (Architecture)
Modular Credits: 4
  Tags: --

Syllabus

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Modern Architecture and its canons of belief towards building design first emerged in mid-19th century and diversified in the 20th century. One of the most significant characteristics of Modern Architecture lies in its essentiality - the conscious engagement with modernity and its compassing of unprecedented transformation in technology, culture and demography.

Resisting against the uncritical adoption of classical norms, architects in Europe, America and Asia attempted to establish alternative values by designing through their own circumstantial experiences. The various architectural movements and trends of thought include Arts and Crafts, Art Nouveau, Deutsche Werkbund, Esprit Nouveau, Chicago Frame, Prairie House, Expressionism, Italian Futurism, Russian Constructivism, De Stiji, Neue Sacharichkeit, CIAM, Japanese Metabolism, Team X and so forth. Each was unique, but interesting interrelations could be traced among them.

This course offers students an introduction to the diverse design ideas in Modern Architecture. The 13 lectures will focus on these architectural movements and trends of thought - their germination, emergence, beliefs, and most importantly, how they relate to one another. By using appropriate visual materials and texts, the lectures will explain individual architects who were proponents of the respective movements, and how these architects translate their ideas into architectural form. The course aims to develop the students' ability to read, interpret, write and discuss about the relationship between historical context and the architects' conception of their design thinking.

There is no prerequisite for this course as it is categorized as a General Module. Lectures and tutorial sessions are delivered with a succinct clarity so that students from any faculty can enjoy them and freely participate.
 

Learning Outcomes

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The design, history and theory of architecture should be made accessible to anyone who shares an interest as well as the desire to learn. Furthermore, the role of this general education module is to provide students with an introduction to the basic ideas of architecture and enable students to look at the world through architectural thinking. Based on these beliefs, the course aims to develop students’ basic understanding of the major principles of modern architecture, while providing an opportunity for them to build-up their abilities to read, interpret, write and discuss about the relationship between architecture and its social, cultural, technical background.
 


 

Synopsis

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Chronologically arranged, the lectures attempt to cover major architectural design movements and trends of thought in the modern architecture. Each lecture discusses on a specific focus by introducing various architectural designs and ideas evolving around the issue. The lecture notes explain the brief contents of the actual lectures, and indicate a specific reading assignments and references. Students are highly recommended to read these texts before the lectures so that they understand the background of lectures.


The seminar provides an opportunity for students to work on the research and presentation. Students should contribute to the research on the assigned questions, while presenting the result through verbal description and appropriate visual materials. The presentation must be short and focused so that other students can give comments and questions. The content of research should be developed through such activities and submitted as written papers. For the detail of the seminar and submission, see Seminar Outline.  

Teaching Modes

TopLectures and Seminars (Tutorial Sessions)   

Schedule

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Lecture Schedule
time:    Wednesday 7:00–9:00pm
venue:  LR427
 
11/08/10     1.              Introduction: Architecture and Modernity    
 
18/08/10     2.              Modernization: territoriality, technology, culture
 
25/08/09     3.              Hand and Machine: Arts and Crafts, Art Nouveau, Werkbund
 
01/09/10     4.              Unadorned Surface: Adolf Loos and Le Corbusier
  
08/09/10     5.              Classicism versus Organicism: Chicago Frame and Prairie House
 
15/09/10     6.               Expressing Subjective Vision: Expressionism and Futurism
 
22/09/10                       Recess -- No Lecture
 
29/09/10      7.              Avant-gardes: De Stiji and Russian Constructivism                 
 
06/10/10      8.              Functionalism: Neue Sacharichkeit and Mies van der Rohe
 
13/10/10      9.              Reconstituting Tradition: Kenzo Tange and Japanese Modernists
 
20/10/10     10.             Visionary Architecture: Team X, Metabolsim, Archigram     
 
27/10/10     11.              Postwar Monumentality: Louis Khan
                       
03/11/10     12.              Criticism Against Modernism – Postmodern Architecture
 
10/11/10     13.               Appraisal / Q and A
                                                                       
 
Seminar Schedule
Wed 4:00-5:00 pm
Wed 5:00-6:00 pm
Wed 9:00-10:00 pm
Venue to be announced
 
25/08/10          1.         TA’s Briefing for Group Work
 
01/09/10          2.         Students’ Presentation 1
 
08/09/10          3.         Students’ Presentation 2
 
15/09/10          4.         Students’ Presentation 3
                                   
22/09/10                      Recess -- No Seminar
 
29/09/10          5.         TA’s Briefing for Individual Work
                       
06/10/10          6.         Students’ Presentation 4
 
13/10/10          7.         Students’ Presentation 5
 
20/10/10          8.         Students’ Presentation 6
 
Assignment Submission
Venue: Department of Architecture Office SDE1  
Date for Assignment Submission and Examination to be announced 
 

 

Assessment

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Group Essay + Presentation               20%

Individual Essay + Presentation          30%

Examination                                       50%

 

Prerequisites

TopNo prerequisite

Workload

Top2-2-0-2-5

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