CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE SPRING 2018 Ms. Guvenc Office: Mandel 207 FA180A Off.Hrs: TH 2-4 pm&by app. M, W, T 11-11.50am This course focuses on major innovations and stylistic developments in world architecture since the World War II. Examining the larger social, political, and economic contexts within which architecture operates, the course will trace the diverse positions that characterize contemporary architecture across the globe. This course will provide an accessible and lively introduction to the relationships between architectural theory, debate, and the creative capacity of practice in contemporary architecture The course consists of three modules: The Architecture of Post-World War II; The Rise of Critical Discourse; and Contemporary Architecture for Social Justice. In the first module: we will examine how architectural theory and practice has evolved in the economic and political contexts of post-wwii. We will pay special attention to the architectural developments in relation with rising capitalism and racism in the United States. In the second module, we will examine the experiments of contemporary architecture on the creative and critical capacity of architectural interventions beginning in the 1970s. And finally, in the third module we will study and see examples of contemporary architecture within the rising discourses of: participatory architecture, architecture without architects, spatial and social justice, sustainability, green architecture, and urban resilience. The course works both chronologically as an architectural and urban history of styles and thematically examining the contextual issues (social, political and economic) that gave each period its distinctive architecture. This is an interactive lecture course. The instructor primarily lectures, but frequently invites students to answer questions, discuss readings, and express their thoughts on specific subject matter. The learning goals for this course are: to foster critical thinking to discuss the works of contemporary architecture in relation with political, social, and economic contexts. to acquire an expanded understanding of architecture in relation to urbanism and geography. to gain knowledge about major architectural works, monuments and architects.
to develop an understanding of how architecture participates in and responds to contemporary forms of social justices and injustices. to develop the ability to analyze works of architecture with descriptive vocabulary and to express this via writing assignments and oral presentations. Texts: (books are available in paperback at the Brandeis Bookstore and reserved at the library) 1)William J. Curtis s Modern Architecture Since 1900, 3 rd edition, Phaidon 2)Elie G. Haddad and David Rifkind, A Critical History of Contemporary Architecture: 1960-2010, Routledge (also available online via University s library system). 3)Weekly assigned readings on LATTE. COURSE REQUIREMENTS Attendance & Participation: Attendance is mandatory. Students are expected to attend classes regularly and to complete all reading assignments. Doing well on the assignments will thus depend on diligently attending lectures, participating discussions and keeping up with weekly readings. Lateness is not only disruptive, but also disrespectful. Religious Observances: Students may miss class in observance of major religious holidays and other activities observed by a religious group of which the student is a member. For such days, you need to inform me during the first two weeks of the semester. Following the standards of the New England Association of Schools & Colleges, the Dean of Arts & Sciences has asked that the following statement be posted on all syllabi: Four-Credit Course (with three hours of class-time per week) For this 4 credit hour course, the expectation is that students will spend a minimum of 9 hours of study time per week in preparation for class (readings, papers, discussion sections, preparation for exams, etc.). During the class discussions, students are expected to be courteous and respectful of the opinions of others. Debates and discussions are central to this
course. Everyone is encouraged to articulate his or her point of view, but to do so in a manner that is courteous and respectful. Course Requirements, Grading & Deadlines 1) Class attendance and active participation will account for 15% of the grade. 2) Two Essays will account for 40% of the grade (20% each) of the grade. There will two short essays (4-6 pages, Times News Roman 12, doublespaced) to be submitted at the end of each first two module. First Essay is due on February 26 and the second essay is due on March 29. Details of these essays will be made available at the beginning of each module. 3) Final Project will account for 45% of the grade. Final Project is constituted from final classroom presentation and the submission of final analytical paper. Final Analytical Paper (30%) Your final term paper should be a well-written and tightly argued paper engaging a research topic on Architecture for Social Justice, due on April 30. (8-10 pages, Times New Roman 12, double-spaced) Specific instructions and guidelines will be distributed earlier in the semester. The topic of your paper should be submitted to the instructor by February 15. [The topic of your term paper should be approved by the instructor.] Classroom Presentation (15%) Students are expected to perform classroom presentation about their final paper at the end of semester. Deadlines are imperative and shall not be extended. Please take note of the date that every assignment is due. All late work will be graded down by a letter grade for every day that it is late. Extensions for the deadlines will be granted only for documented family emergencies and documented medical reasons. In such cases, you should notify your advisor in Academic Services about the situation. Classroom Policies: Electronic Device Policy: The use of cell phones in any mode (ring tone, vibratory, texting) is not permitted in the classroom. They should be switched off and kept out of sight. Laptops are permitted only for note taking and accessing course material purposes, Students using such devices are expected to
pay full attention to instructor presentations and general course discussions. If a student does not follow above items, the permission to use laptop or such an electronic device in this class may be denied. To ensure the free and open discussion of ideas, students may not record classroom lectures, discussion and/or activities without the advance written permission of the instructor, and any such recording properly approved in advance can be used solely for the student s own private use. Academic Honesty: The authenticity and quality of a student s work is critical to the educational process. Thus, cheating or plagiarism is a serious violation of the school s academic code. Cheating or plagiarism on any assignment will not be tolerated. The University policy on academic honesty is distributed annually as section 5 of the Rights and Responsibilities handbook. Instances of alleged dishonesty will be forwarded to the Office of Student Life for possible referral to the Student Judicial System. Potential sanctions include failure in the course and suspension from the University. Disability Resources: If you are student who needs academic accommodations because of a documented disability, please contact me and present your letter of accommodation as soon as possible. If you have questions about documenting a disability or requesting academic accommodations, you should contact Beth Rodgers-Kay in Academic Services (781-736-3470) or brodgers@brandeis.edu. Letters of accommodation should be presented at the start of the semester to ensure provision of accommodations. Accommodations cannot be granted retroactively.
CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE WEEKLY SCHEDULE AND READINGS MODULE I: THE ARCHITECTURE OF POST-WORLD WAR II Week 1 Jan 10 Introduction and course overview (No Reading) Jan 11 End of CIAM: How is contemporary architecture different from modern architecture? Read: Curtis, 9-10 Rifkind&Haddad s. Modern (or) Contemporary Architecture circa 1959, 9-31 Week 2 Jan 17 The Right to the City and Worlding Practices: OMA Read: David Harvey, "The Right to the City." Chap. Preface In Rebel Cities: From the City to the Urban Revolution. 1-25. London, New York: Verso, 2012. (LATTE) Jan 18 On Lagos OMA Koolhas (Class Discussion) Read:Joseph Godlewski, "Alien and Distant: Rem Koolhaas on Film in Lagos, Nigeria," in Traditional Dwellings and Settlement Review, v. 21, 2, p.7-19 (LATTE) Watch before the class: Lagos/Koolhas documentary (55 minutes) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7w63d4zzoj0 Week 3 Regional Modernities Jan 22 Alvar Aalto and Scandinavian Design, Jan 24 Brasilia: Oscar Niemeyer s Social Architecture Read: Curtis, 389-391; Rifkind &Haddad, Ch.8 Jan 25 India: The Question of Internationalization Read: Rifkind & Haddad, Ch. 19, 379-401. Week 4 Post-War Architecture: Housing Crisis Jan 29 The unite d habitation at Marseilles Read: Curtis Ch. 24, 437-453. Jan 31 Expressions in Concrete Feb 1 The Genealogy of Housing in the United States Read: Kenneth Jackson, Federal Subsidy and the American Dream: How Washington Changed the American Housing Market and The Baby Boom
and the Age of the Subdivision in Crabgrass Frontier: The Suburbanization of the United States, (New York: Oxford University Press 1985). Pgs. 190-218; (LATTE) Week 5 The failure of Public Housing Feb 5 Suburbanization The Baby Boom and the Age of the Subdivision in Crabgrass Frontier: The Suburbanization of the United States, (New York: Oxford University Press 1985). Pgs. 231-245.(LATTE) Feb 7 In-class documentary: The Pruitt-Igoe Myth: An Urban History (Sections) Read: Bristol, Kate, The Pruitt-Igoe Myth Journal of Architectural Education, 1991, pp. 163-171. (LATTE) Feb 8 Class Discussion Week 6 The Rising Capitalism Feb 12 The Glass Office: Kevin Roche, John Dinkeloo, Herman Hertzberger Read: Curtis, 596-599 Feb 14 The Skyscraper: Skidmore, Owings and Merril Read: Curtis, 549-565 Feb 15 The Rise of Critical Discourse Read: Elihu Rubin s Insuring the City: The Prudential Center and the Postwar Urban Landscape Chapters 1 and 6. (LATTE) Lecture: Professor Elihu Rubin Yale School of Architecture Insuring the City: The Prudential Center and the Postwar Urban Landscape. Richard Saivetz '69 Lectures in Architecture, 5pm @ Carl and Ruth Shapiro Admissions Center. FINAL PAPER TOPIC SUBMISSION DUE Feb 19-Feb 23 No University Exercises MODULE II: THE RISE OF CRITICAL DISCOURSE Week 7: The Struggle between Modernity and Tradition Feb 26 FIRST ESSAY SUBMISSION DUE The Post-Modern Architecture and Criticism Read: Curtis, 589-610; Rifkind&Haddad, 31-51
Read: Jencks, Charles. "Part Three: Post-Modern Architecture." In The Language of Post-Modern Architecture. 6th ed. New York: Rizzoli, 1991. ISBN: 0847813592. (LATTE) Feb 28 The American Commercialization Read: Curtis, 617-628 Mar 1 Globalization and Critical Regionalism (Class Discussion) Read: Kenneth Frampton Critical Regionalism: Modern Architecture and Cultural Identity in A Critical History of Modern Architecture, pp. 314-327. (LATTE) Week 8: Mar 5 High-Tech Read: Rifkind & Haddad; Chapter 3, 51-69 Mar 7 The New York Five Read: Eisenman, Peter. "Aspects of Modernism: Maison Dom-ino and the Self- Referential Sign." In Oppositions Reader. Edited by K. Michael Hays. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1998. ISBN: 1568981538. (LATTE) Mar 8 The New York Five and the Global Architecture Read: Rowe, Colin. Introduction to Five Architects. Reprinted in Architecture Theory since 1968. Edited by K. Michael Hays. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1998. ISBN: 9780262082617. (LATTE) Week 9: Mar 12 Deconstructivism: The Surface, Structure and the Material: Sanaa, Herzog De Meron, Jean Nouvel Read: Rifkind&Haddad 69-91. Mar 14 Frank Gehry, Santiago Calatrava Read: Frank Gehry, Keynote Address in Critical Architecture and Contemporary Culture, by Lillyman W. eds. Oxford, pp. 165-187. (LATTE) Mar 15 Computation: Zaha Hadid, UN studio Week 10: Deconstructivism or Re-constructivism? Mar 19 Coop Himmelblau (Discussion) Read: Steven Taubeneck, The Ground is no Longer Flat: Postmodernity from Architecture to Philosophy, in Critical Architecture and Contemporary Culture, by Lillyman W. eds., Oxford, pp. 197-211. (LATTE) Mar 21 Bernard Tschumi Read: Madness and the Combinative and Abstract Mediation and Strategy in (pg. 173-205; 237-259) in Architecture and Disjunction by Bernard Tschumi. (LATTE)
Mar 22 Daniel Libeskind Read: Daniel Libeskind s Jewish Museum in Berlin: The Uncanny Arts of Memorial Architecture in At Memory s Edge by James E. Young (pp. 152-183) (LATTE) Week 11: Mar 26 Peter Eisenman and the memorial architecture Lecture: Hagy Belzberg Founding Principal Belzberg Architects, APC. Richard Saivetz '69 Lectures in Architecture, 5pm @ Carl and Ruth Shapiro Admissions Center. Mar 28 Contemporary Architecture and Public Space: Diller and Scodofio+ Renfro; Rem Koolhas re-visited Mar 29 In-class- documentary: Deconstructivist Architects Documentary Film (Michael Blackwood Productions) SECOND ESSAY SUBMISSION DUE Mar 30- Apr 6 Passover and spring recess: No university exercises. MODULE III: CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE Week 12 Apr 9 Neoliberalism and the Informal Architecture Solomon, David. Plural Profession, Discrete Practices. In The SAGE Handbook of Architectural Theory, edited by Greig Crysler, Stephen Cairns, and Hilde Heynen, 430 443. London: SAGE, 2012. (LATTE) Apr 11 Sustainability and Vernacular Architecture Apr 12 Green Architecture : Norman Foster, Wiliam McDonough Rifkind & Haddad, Chapter 5, 91-115 Week 13 Apr 16 Spatial Justice and Urban Acupuncture Cruz, Teddy. "Tijuana Case Study Tactics of Invasion: Manufactured Sites." Architectural Design, 75, no.5(2005): 32 37. (LATTE) Soja, Edward. The City and Spatial Justice. 56 72. Université Paris Ouest Nanterre La Defense, 2008. Available online at http://books.openedition.org/pupo/415#text. Apr 18 The Architecture for Social Justice: Medellin, Columbia Marcuse, Peter. Spatial Justice: Derivative but Causal of Social Justice. In Justice et Injustice Spatiale, 76 92. Paris: Presses universitaires de Paris Ouest, n.d. Available online at http://books.openedition.org/pupo/420
Week 14: Contemporary Architecture for Social Justice Apr 19 Student Presentations Apr 23 Student Presentations Apr 26 Student Presentations Final Overview April 30 FINAL PAPER SUBMISSION DUE Your paper should be between 8 and 10 pages in length (12-pt. font, double spaced). You should return it to me in paper no later than 3 pm on April 30. The final paper must be uploaded to Latte as well.