HISTORY OF CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE
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- Versione italiana
- Academic year
- 2019/2020
- Teacher
- MARCO MULAZZANI
- Credits
- 9
- Didactic period
- Secondo Semestre
Training objectives
- Knowledge.
The course offers an introduction to the history of Contemporary Architecture, in a chronological period between the mid-Eighteenth Century and the present day. The historical narrative is carried out through the analysis and discussion of general themes; of the experiences of the main protagonists of the historical and current events of architecture; deepening the study of specific realizations and projects and of the principles of the lexicon that regulates their composition. Constant attention is dedicated to the historical context in which the architectural and artistic events examined during the course take place. As a result, the main knowledge acquired by the students will be articulated in the topics specified in the course contents.
Skills.
The expected skills concern the acquisition by the students of a methodology of historical-critical analysis; the development of an ability to read and understand the characteristics of architectural projects and works, also through drawing; the ability to compare architectures realized by different protagonists in the same period and/or belonging to different historical times, recognizing genealogies, analogies and differences; the ability to identify critical nodes of historiography, to formulate and verify original research hypotheses. Prerequisites
- It is useful for students the knowledge, even general, of the political and social history in the contemporary age, about the geographical areas considered during the course; and an understanding of the meaning and use of bibliographic tools.
Course programme
- The course of History of contemporary architecture consists of a main contemporary architectural history module (70 hours), complemented by a contemporary art history module (20 hours). The aim of the course is to deepen some issues of its artistic and architectural research of the contemporary age; on this purpose, they are been identified in some periods of art history lessons and in contexts of special interest for the intertwining of these experiences.
Course topics (in general, each topic listed coincides with a 2 hour lecture).
History of contemporary architecture:
Giovanni Battista Piranesi and the Eighteenth Century crisis. Architecture in England in the age of the Industrial Revolution: from John Soane to William Morris - Architects "revolutionaries" in France in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth century: Etienne-Louis Boullée, Claude-Nicolas Ledoux – "Neoclassical" architecture in Berlin and Monaco in the nineteenth century: Karl Friedrich Schinkel and Leo von Klenze – Otto Wagner and Vienna between the Nineteenth and Twentieth century – "Art Nouveau" in Europe in the early Twentieth century: Josef Olbrich and Henri Van de Velde – Adolf Loos “outdated” –Architecture in America: Louis H . Sullivan and the Chicago school – The American city and the development of the skyscraper – Modernism in Catalonia and Antoni Gaudí – Hendrik Petrus Berlage and the Dutch modern architecture – Auguste Perret and the reinforced concrete – Peter Behrens and the Werkbund – Walter Gropius and the Bauhaus – Architecture in Germany 1919-1939 – Frank Lloyd Wright: from the "prairie houses" to California; Frank Lloyd Wright: from Broadacre City to the Guggenheim Museum in New York – Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in Berlin; Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in America – Le Corbusier: from his beginnings in La Chaux de Fonds to Algiers plan; Le Corbusier: dall'Unité d'habitation in Marseilles to the Capitol in Chandigarh – The "Nordic Classicism" and the experience of Gunnar Asplund and Sigurd Lewerentz in Sweden – The Italian architecture between the two World Wars – Giuseppe Terragni, Luigi Moretti, Adalberto Libera – The post-war reconstruction in Italy and the experience of Ina-Casa – Pier Luigi Nervi and engineering in Italy – Franco Albini and the "Italian museum" – Carlo Scarpa – Alvar Aalto – Sverre Fehn – Louis I. Kahn – James Stirling – Aldo Rossi ¬– Renzo Piano – Contemporary architecture in Portugal: Fernando Távora, Álvaro Siza, Eduardo Souto de Moura.
History of Contemporary Art.
European Avant-garde – Italian Art 1900-1950 – Europe-America: the Fifties and Sixties of the Twentieth Century. Didactic methods
- The course consists of “ex cathedra” lessons on each of the topics listed in the program. The Contemporary Art History lessons are included in the teaching calendar in relation to dealing with similar topics and / or historical periods in the history of contemporary architecture classes. No contemplated collective exercises. Specific indications for the deepening of the individual study program can be provided at the end of the lessons and during the hours devoted to the students reception.
Learning assessment procedures
The assessment of the achievement of the training objectives mentioned above takes place by an interview related to the topics of History of Contemporary Art and History of Contemporary Architecture covered during the course.
In the interview, the student is required to present knowledge and skills acquired in the study of one of the themes treated with during the lessons. The theme, chosen by the student in advance and agreed with the teacher, must be deepened through the supplementary bibliography indicated by the teacher. This part of the exam is considered by the teacher of paramount importance to assess the student's knowledge and skills to critically defining the subject chosen as a topic for discussion. After the presentation of the topic chosen by the candidate, some questions are foreseen to verify the general knowledge of the themes covered in class and the reference bibliography indicated by the teacher.
The exam grade attributed by the teacher to the student corresponds to the level achieved in the skill to critically frame the topic of study and in the general knowledge of the themes covered in class.
Reference texts
- History of Architecture:
Manfredo Tafuri, Francesco Dal Co, Architettura contemporanea, Electa, Milano 1976.
History of Art:
Mario De Micheli, Le avanguardie artistiche del Novecento, Feltrinelli, Milano 2000.
In addition, for both modules, lecture notes are useful.
A supplementary bibliography of reference texts and in-depth bibliography needed to deal with the deepening of the individual topics covered in the course is available on the teacher's website.
