ARCHITECTURE ARCT2210 ARCHITECTURE: MODERN HISTORY Semester Semester 1 2007 This unit examines twentieth-century Western architecture from the reformist movements of the late nineteenth century to the contemporary period. The theories and work of designers are discussed in relation to the major themes of Modernism: industrial revolution, abstract formalism, expressionism, utopianism, the relation of architecture and ideology, functionalism, regionalism, and recent reactions to Modernist orthodoxy. Unit Coordinator: Nigel Westbrook
ARCHITECTURE: MODERN HISTORY
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Microsoft Word - 210 Course Guide 07 NW Final.docThis unit examines twentieth-century Western architecture from the reformist movements of the late nineteenth century to the contemporary period. The theories and work of designers are discussed in relation to the major themes of Modernism: industrial revolution, abstract formalism, expressionism, utopianism, the relation of architecture and ideology, functionalism, regionalism, and recent reactions to Modernist orthodoxy.
Unit Coordinator: Nigel Westbrook
ARCT2210 Architecture: Modern History Semester One 2007
Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Visual Arts, The University of Western Australia 2
Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Visual Arts, The University of Western Australia, Semester One 2007
Unit Coordinator: Nigel Westbrook ARCT2210 Architecture: Modern History Semester One 2007 Contents Lecture Topics ....................................................................................................... 2 Tutorial Topics........................................................................................................ 3 Introduction............................................................................................................. 4 Reading ................................................................................................................. 6 Assessment ............................................................................................................ 9 Weekly Programs .............................................................................................. ...12 Notes On Essay Writing ...................................................................................... 26
ARCT2210 Architecture: Modern History Semester One 2007
Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Visual Arts, The University of Western Australia 3
Semester Diary WK DATE LECTURE TOPICS 1 28 February Framing Modernism
Historiography and Modern Architecture Art Nouveau 1890-1910
2 7 March Chicago: The New Frontier Louis Sullivan and the Chicago School Frank Lloyd Wright and the Prairie School 3 14 March Culture, Industry and the Will to Form The Deutscher Werkbund Expressionism 4 21 March The City: Process, Form and Reactions The Modern City: Vienna, the Ringstrasse and the Secession Adolf Loos 5 28 March The Avant-gardes in Holland and Russia De Stijl Constructivism and Abstract Formalism 6 4 April PROSH - no lectures
9 April Non-Teaching Study Week
7 18 April Le Corbusier and Modern Architecture Le Corbusier: Theory, domestic architecture, public buildings Le Corbusier: the new city 8 25 April The Dialectic of the Modern The Bauhaus: from Gropius to Mies (WEB-BASED LECTURE) The Return to Order and Modernity (WEB-BASED LECTURE) 9 2 May Rationalism CIAM and the Issue of Social Housing
Modernism, Nationalism, and Neo-Realism
7 May Submission of essay 10 9 May Regional Variations Architecture in Scandinavia 1910-65 Le Corbusier: Chandigargh and South American Modernism 11 16 May Modern Architecture in America The Modern American House: Usonia and California Mies, Kahn and the return to Monumentalism 12 23 May Critiques of the Modern Movement Brutalism, the Smithsons, Team X and the end of CIAM Postmodernism 13 30 May No lectures 14 1 June 1st Semester ends
ARCT2210 Architecture: Modern History Semester One 2007
Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Visual Arts, The University of Western Australia 4
Semester Diary WK DATE TUTORIAL TOPIC
1 27 Feb No tutorials
2 6 March Tutorial Introduction Reading: A. Colquhoun, Modern Architecture, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2002, Chapter 1 2 Library tutorials at times to be advised 3 13 March Building Case-Study: F. L. Wright, Unity Temple, Oak Park Illinois,1905 Reading: Colquhoun, Chapter 2, pp. 51-55; Frampton, ‘Modern Architecture’, pp. 57-63 4 20 March Discussion of essay abstract 5 27 March Building Case-Study: A. Loos, Müller house, Prague, 1930 Reading: Colquhoun, Chapter 4
2 April Submission of essay abstract
6 3 April Building Case-Study: Mel’nikov, Soviet Pavilion, Paris Exhibition of Decorative Arts, France, 1925 Reading: Colquhoun, Chapter 6, pp. 120-35
9 April Non-Teaching Study Break- No Tutorials
7 17 April Essay Tutorials
8 24 April Building Case-Study: Le Corbusier, Stein House, Garches, France, 1927 Reading: Colquhoun, Chapter 7, pp. 138-149 9 1 May Building Case-Study: W. Gropius, Total Theatre for Erwin Piscator (project), Berlin, 1926 Reading: Colquhoun, Chapter 8 7 May Submission of essay
10 8 May Building Case-Study: G. Terragni, Danteum (project for Rome), Italy, 1938 Reading: Colquhoun, Chapter 9, pp. 183-186; Frampton, ‘Modern Architecture’, Ch. 23 11 15 May Building Case-Study: A. Aalto, Carré House, Bazoches-sur-Guyonne, France, 1959 Reading: Colquhoun, Chapter 10, pp. 200-207 12 22 May Building Case-Study: C. & R. Eames, Case Study House, Pacific Palisades, California, USA, 1949 Reading: Colquhoun, Chapter 12, pp. 231-37 13 29 May No Tutorials
ARCT2210 Architecture: Modern History Semester One 2007
Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Visual Arts, The University of Western Australia 5
INTRODUCTION This unit offers an account of architectural Modernism, examining selected aspects of twentieth century Western architecture and urban design, viewed in relation to the transformations of culture and society from the reformist movements of the late nineteenth century to the contemporary period. The theories and works of designers are discussed in relation to the major themes of Modernism, as they emerge out of the political, cultural, economic and industrial transformations of the Nineteenth Century, which in turn grew out of the secularist revolutionary ferment of the French Revolution, and the industrial expansionism of the nineteenth-century nation states.
If the various diverse, and sometimes incompatible, practices of Modernism are considered in relation to each other, they constitute less a single picture of cultural progress than a wide-ranging debate. Thus, beginning with the Arts and Crafts movement there is a whole strand of Modernism that grows out of the Romantic movement that is, at best, ambivalent towards industrial progress. The Futurists, on the other hand, sought to forge a new culture out of the transformation of perceptions brought about by industrialization producing, in effect, a machine aesthetic. In contrast to the seductive representation of speed and dynamism in Futurist art and architecture, the attention to form and design that permeated De Stijl was, for all its Modernist trappings, a means of subordinating the technological to the aesthetic, through the abstraction of the natural world.
The post-Second World War period witnessed the apparent triumph of Modernism as the dominant cultural form, but also, paradoxically, the weakening of its ideological basis. The implicit political, reformist agenda of Modernism did not survive its transition to either an American, or an Australian context, while in Europe the techniques and practices of Modernism were required to confront the crisis of their bomb-ravaged cities, in the ethical shadow cast by the Holocaust. The issues of pre- war CIAM congresses were re-addressed to deal with an urgent need for mass housing and urban infrastructure. In England, the Mediterranean basin, Germany and Scandinavia, pre-war Modernist cultures were revived and re-evaluated, with greater emphasis on the ‘humane’ qualities of the traditional city. The new sciences of sociology and anthropology complicated the idea of the modern, calling into question simplistic organic or mechanical models of the city and human habitation.
Thematic issues discussed in this unit will include: responses to the industrial revolution, abstract formalism, expressionism, utopianism, the relation of architecture and ideology, functionalism, regionalism, and recent reactions to Modernist orthodoxy. It is intended that the course will provide a useful introduction to the themes and issues found in the contemporary culture of architecture, both international and local. Learning outcomes Students obtain an understanding of the key themes and developments in modern architecture, focusing on the period from the late nineteenth century to the period of critiques of the Modern Movement. They gain experience in the articulation and presentation of architectural concepts in relation to the evaluation of architectural projects and learn to communicate effectively through verbal and written submissions. Content This unit examines twentieth-century Western architecture from the reformist movements of the late nineteenth century to the contemporary period. The theories and work of designers are discussed in relation to the major themes of Modernism: industrial revolution, abstract formalism, expressionism, utopianism, the relation of architecture and ideology, functionalism, regionalism, and recent reactions to Modernist orthodoxy.
Prerequisites Prerequisites: either VISA1102 Art: Idealism to the Everyday and ARCT1120 Art and Architectural History 2
ARCT2210 Architecture: Modern History Semester One 2007
Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Visual Arts, The University of Western Australia 6
Credit Points Six
Unit structure/formats The unit comprises two lectures and one tutorial per week.
All the lectures take place in the Hew Roberts Lecture Theatre (Wednesdays 11.00am and 12.00pm) and the tutorials in ALVA tutorial rooms (Tuesday mornings, duration one hour, scheduled between 9am and 1pm). Each student will be allocated a place in a tutorial group and these will be posted on the ALVA pin-up boards together with time and room number. It is expected that students will attend all lectures and all tutorials.
The following Items marked with an asterisk are standard documents that are available on-line:
Submission of assignments FALVA Extension policy * (See ALVA website)
FALVA policy on late work * (See ALVA website)
FALVA policy on digital submissions * (see ALVA website)
Academic Misconduct/plagiarism FALVA policy * (See ALVA website)
Appeals against academic assessment University Policy* (See ALVA website)
Charter of Student rights University Policy* (See ALVA website)
*Policy and Procedural information for the Faculty is available on the web at www.alva.uwa.edu.au/current_students/forms_and_policies
Unit Staff Coordinator/Lecturer: Nigel Westbrook [email protected] Tel: 6488 2592 Fax: 6488 1082 Available for consultation Wednesdays 1-3pm.
Lecturer: Professor Geoffrey London [email protected] Tel: 6488 2588 Fax: 6488 1082 Available for consultation Wednesdays 1-3pm.
Tutors: Ms. Anastasia Katsimbardis Ms. Annette Condello Communication outside lectures and tutorials will occur by email, so all students should ensure (a) that they activate their Pheme account and student email account (b) that they check their account regularly (at least weekly) (c) that they communicate with University staff ONLY through their student email account. (Staff
have been advised not to respond by email to any other addresses.)
ARCT2210 Architecture: Modern History Semester One 2007
Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Visual Arts, The University of Western Australia 7
READING TEXT BOOK Alan Colquhoun, A., Modern Architecture, Oxford 2002, should be purchased as a general reference text.
Readings from this book are required for full participation in the tutorials.
Copies will be available in the EDFAA library on reserve
FURTHER TEXTS The following books provide a useful introduction, while some provide detailed information on a specific area. A number of the books promote divergent viewpoints. Most include extensive bibliographies which provide good starting points for the more detailed research necessary for tutorial presentations and essays:
Benevolo L. History of Modern Architecture vols. 1 & 2, London 1971, 1st edn 1960. Collins, P. Changing Ideals in Modern Architecture , London, 1965. Colquhoun A., Essays in Architectural Criticism: Modern Architecture and Historical Change, Cambridge,
Mass. 1985. Conrads U. Programmes and Manifestos on Twentieth Century Architecture, Cambridge, Mass. 1970. Curtis, W., Modern Architecture Since 1900 [3rd edition], Oxford, 1996. Frampton K., Modern Architecture: A Critical History Thames & Hudson, London 1992 and later
editions Giedion, S. Space, Time and Architecture , Cambridge, Mass., 3rd edn. 1954. Heynen, H., Architecture and modernity: a critique, Cambridge, Mass., c1999 Ghirardo, D.Y., Architecture after Modernism, N.Y., 1996 Hays K.M., Oppositions Reader: selected readings from a journal for ideas and criticism in architecture,
1973-1984, N.Y. 1998 [individual copies of Oppositions are available in the ALVA resource room - not for loan]
Hitchcock, H. R. Architecture: Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, 3rd edn, Harmondsworth and Baltimore, 1968.
Rowe C. The Mathematics of the Ideal Villa and Other Essays, London 1982. Tafuri M. & Dal Co F. Modern Architecture, London 1979, 1986 Tournikiotis, P., The historiography of modern architecture, Cambridge, Mass., 1999 Venturi R. Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture, N.Y. 1966. Modern Art Richardson T. & Stangos N. (eds) Concepts of Modern Art, London 1981. Landscape Architecture Wrede S. & Adams W. H. Denatured Visions : landscape and culture in the twentieth century, N.Y.
c1991
All books listed above are held in the EDFAA (Education, Fine Arts, and Architecture) Library reserve collection. All other readings listed under the following lecture abstracts are available for 3 day loans.
ARCT2210 Architecture: Modern History Semester One 2007
Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Visual Arts, The University of Western Australia 8
JOURNALS Contemporary journals give a first hand picture of current issues in architecture. Also, the EDFAA journal collection extends over many years and provides useful detailed material for tutorials and essays. It is valuable to spend some time each week in the EDFAA Library reading from the large number of journals relevant to this unit. Journals may not be borrowed which means that they are always available in EDFAA for reference. Journals of particular relevance: Architectural Review Architects’ Journal (AJ) Casabella Domus El Croquis Grey Room Lotus Quaderns l'Architecture d'aujourd'hui Discontinued journals of use include: Oppositions (in ALVA resource Room, see also Oppositions Reader (EDFAA)) Assemblage (EDFAA) The EDFAA Library also has a large collection of fine arts journals and students are encouraged to consult these to gain an understanding of the issues effecting the broader visual culture during the period of time studied in this unit. JOURNAL ARTICLE SEARCHES How to Find Journal Articles To find articles on a specific topic you can look in journal indexes which are available in various formats, eg. print, CD-Rom or networked database. Main journal indexes in Architecture are: Australian Architectural Periodicals Index networked database AUSTROM ARCH, pre 1980 on microfiche. Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals networked database through CygNET Architectural Periodicals Index Print index, annual volumes. Art Index CD-Rom, use print volumes for pre-1980 -also indexes major US architecture journals Encyclopaedias and Dictionaries For definitions, introductory information and biographical data, look at the specialised dictionaries and encyclopaedias in the EDFAA reference collection. Key references are: Contemporary Architects: R720.922 1994 CON International Dictionary of Architects and Architecture: R720.9 1993 INT A Visual Dictionary of Architecture: R720.3 1995 VIS The World Atlas of Architecture: R720.9 1984 WOR
ARCT2210 Architecture: Modern History Semester One 2007
Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Visual Arts, The University of Western Australia 9
World Wide Web There is a wide range of useful resources on the Internet relating to architecture and the visual arts. Use the Web Subject Guides or Web Search Engines options on CygNET Online to find information on architects, architectural projects, world architecture, exhibitions, and imagery archives. Be aware that the quality of web sites vary according to the knowledge and expertise of the web page provider. Good sites to start with are: The Architecture and Landscape Architecture Virtual Library:
http://www.clr.toronto.edu: 1080/VIRTUALLIB/arch.html Getty Information Institute:
www.gii.getty.edu University of Pennsylvania Architectural Archives: http://www.design.upenn.edu/archives/archives/index.html Kidder Smith Image Archive MIT http://libraries.mit.edu/rvc/kidder/photos/ UIC Art History Imagebank http://www.uic.edu/depts/ahaa/classes/ah111/imagebank.html A.N.U. Art and Architecture Imagebank (ArtServe) http://rubens.anu.edu.au/ University of California Berkeley Image Sources for the Built Environment http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/ENVI/pict.html Courtauld Institute of Art: Art and Architecture (U.K.)- lots of period images http://www.artandarchitecture.org.uk/index.html Research Records Keep a comprehensive record of the sources you research. This will save you going over the same ground twice. Take down details of the references you find (including web page addresses on the Internet). Otherwise you may waste considerable time trying to find details of an incomplete reference for your bibliography. Electronic referencing programmes such as ‘End-Note’ may be of assistance. NOTE: You are strongly encouraged to become familiar with the EDFAA Library and its search facilities. Staff at the EDFAA Library Information Desk will provide advice on any aspect of the above. Web Access to Unit WEBCT Image Files, Lecture Texts (week 8) and Notes: Access to course materials will be as follows: Via internet on: http://webct6.uwa.edu.au Log in: User name (student number) Password (pheme password) Select : ARCT2210 Week (….)
ARCT2210 Architecture: Modern History Semester One 2007
Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Visual Arts, The University of Western Australia 10
ASSESSMENT Students will be assessed and marks awarded proportionally as follows: 1. Tutorial participation and nominated responses...................................................................... 40% 2. Essay (due by 10am Monday 7 May)...................................................................................... 40% 3. Examination............................................................................................................................ 20% TUTORIALS The tutorial program provides support for the lectures and involves two aspects: the discussion of nominated chapters from the recommended unit text, and the analysis of nominated architectural works with the development of an understanding of their theoretical and cultural context. Tutorials (p.3) have set readings for each week which are required for ALL students.
Each student will be allocated the responsibility of leading the discussion on one architectural work during the semester. This presentation will often be shared with one other student.
In leading this discussion focus should be directed to the broad questions related to the project - what, why, how, where, has it been designed? Consideration should be given to how the building sits within the architects' own output.
Consider the following: Architects refer to the main generating idea, (sometimes called ‘parti’), of a design. What was the main generating idea of the project you are studying? Explain this, using both verbal and graphical description. Some headings for graphical analysis are given below. Treat these as a starting point. Use initiative- the focus of the analysis will change in accordance with the nature of the project.
Presenters should use readings nominated in the unit guide together with readings emerging from individual research. Don’t just repeat material from the lecture, and avoid simple description which does not involve critical analysis.
When nominated to work in a pair, students should consult closely to allocate tasks and avoid repetition.
Presentation format is to be Powerpoint, using the data projector and computer supplied by the School. Those presenting should rehearse their presentation before the tutorial to resolve any potential problems - including timing.
This is a rare opportunity to study a single building in great detail - a process that if undertaken with rigour will provide an excellent set of analytical tools for individual design work.
One week after presenting in class each student is required to submit a tutorial paper of no more than 1500 words. This paper should include analytical diagrams of the building being examined. The paper should be modified from the original tutorial presentation in response to observations made during the tutorial session.
This paper is to be submitted to the Faculty Resource Room by 9.00am on the Tuesday following your presentation. Tutorials are considered vital to a full understanding of this unit of study - they provide the opportunity for the amplification of issues raised in lectures and the testing of student comprehension of these issues. Contributions to ALL tutorial discussions are essential and subsequently form part of the unit assessment. It is the responsibility of the WHOLE tutorial group to prepare for each week’s discussion. Please consult with your tutor if you are experiencing problems with any part of the course.
ARCT2210 Architecture: Modern History Semester One 2007
Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Visual Arts, The University of Western Australia 11
Graphical Analysis: Minimum Requirements for Powerpoint Presentations 1. Site: Location (How does building relate to site visually, materially and functionally?) Access (How is building accessed? Eg. Public/ users/ service) 2. Plan: Composition (geometrical basis, underlying grids, use of forms and/ or shapes ) Functional separation/ overlap (eg. day space/ night space; public/ private; inside/ outside) Circulation (how do the various users of the building move through it, eg. owners/ servants) Structure/partition (Which elements in plan serve a functional role; which are non-structural space dividers?) 3. Facades Geometry (Geometrical basis for composition: gridlines, proportions & relationships) Composition of planes which constitute facade within 2 or 3 dimensions Composition of materials/ surfaces Transparency (visual and spatial depth/ shallowness) Spatial extension/ transformation open/closed 4. Section Levels (how do they relate?) Definition of volumes Visual connections between levels and spaces Structure (what are the structural elements; how do they contribute; how do they help to form the spaces?) 5.Volumetric Analysis Represent volumes, planes and elements of which building is composed: represent graphically in three dimensions 6. Conceptual diagram of design strategy How could design strategy be abstractly represented? The graphical analysis is to be of a high standard of clarity and presentation skills. You are required to prepare your own drawings - do not recycle drawings found in books or web-sites! You may find it useful to consult F. Ching, Architecture: Form, Space and Order for examples of appropriate graphical analysis. There are numerous other useful references in the EDFAA library.
ARCT2210 Architecture: Modern History Semester One 2007
Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Visual Arts, The University of Western Australia 12
ESSAYS Submissions:…
Unit Coordinator: Nigel Westbrook
ARCT2210 Architecture: Modern History Semester One 2007
Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Visual Arts, The University of Western Australia 2
Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Visual Arts, The University of Western Australia, Semester One 2007
Unit Coordinator: Nigel Westbrook ARCT2210 Architecture: Modern History Semester One 2007 Contents Lecture Topics ....................................................................................................... 2 Tutorial Topics........................................................................................................ 3 Introduction............................................................................................................. 4 Reading ................................................................................................................. 6 Assessment ............................................................................................................ 9 Weekly Programs .............................................................................................. ...12 Notes On Essay Writing ...................................................................................... 26
ARCT2210 Architecture: Modern History Semester One 2007
Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Visual Arts, The University of Western Australia 3
Semester Diary WK DATE LECTURE TOPICS 1 28 February Framing Modernism
Historiography and Modern Architecture Art Nouveau 1890-1910
2 7 March Chicago: The New Frontier Louis Sullivan and the Chicago School Frank Lloyd Wright and the Prairie School 3 14 March Culture, Industry and the Will to Form The Deutscher Werkbund Expressionism 4 21 March The City: Process, Form and Reactions The Modern City: Vienna, the Ringstrasse and the Secession Adolf Loos 5 28 March The Avant-gardes in Holland and Russia De Stijl Constructivism and Abstract Formalism 6 4 April PROSH - no lectures
9 April Non-Teaching Study Week
7 18 April Le Corbusier and Modern Architecture Le Corbusier: Theory, domestic architecture, public buildings Le Corbusier: the new city 8 25 April The Dialectic of the Modern The Bauhaus: from Gropius to Mies (WEB-BASED LECTURE) The Return to Order and Modernity (WEB-BASED LECTURE) 9 2 May Rationalism CIAM and the Issue of Social Housing
Modernism, Nationalism, and Neo-Realism
7 May Submission of essay 10 9 May Regional Variations Architecture in Scandinavia 1910-65 Le Corbusier: Chandigargh and South American Modernism 11 16 May Modern Architecture in America The Modern American House: Usonia and California Mies, Kahn and the return to Monumentalism 12 23 May Critiques of the Modern Movement Brutalism, the Smithsons, Team X and the end of CIAM Postmodernism 13 30 May No lectures 14 1 June 1st Semester ends
ARCT2210 Architecture: Modern History Semester One 2007
Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Visual Arts, The University of Western Australia 4
Semester Diary WK DATE TUTORIAL TOPIC
1 27 Feb No tutorials
2 6 March Tutorial Introduction Reading: A. Colquhoun, Modern Architecture, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2002, Chapter 1 2 Library tutorials at times to be advised 3 13 March Building Case-Study: F. L. Wright, Unity Temple, Oak Park Illinois,1905 Reading: Colquhoun, Chapter 2, pp. 51-55; Frampton, ‘Modern Architecture’, pp. 57-63 4 20 March Discussion of essay abstract 5 27 March Building Case-Study: A. Loos, Müller house, Prague, 1930 Reading: Colquhoun, Chapter 4
2 April Submission of essay abstract
6 3 April Building Case-Study: Mel’nikov, Soviet Pavilion, Paris Exhibition of Decorative Arts, France, 1925 Reading: Colquhoun, Chapter 6, pp. 120-35
9 April Non-Teaching Study Break- No Tutorials
7 17 April Essay Tutorials
8 24 April Building Case-Study: Le Corbusier, Stein House, Garches, France, 1927 Reading: Colquhoun, Chapter 7, pp. 138-149 9 1 May Building Case-Study: W. Gropius, Total Theatre for Erwin Piscator (project), Berlin, 1926 Reading: Colquhoun, Chapter 8 7 May Submission of essay
10 8 May Building Case-Study: G. Terragni, Danteum (project for Rome), Italy, 1938 Reading: Colquhoun, Chapter 9, pp. 183-186; Frampton, ‘Modern Architecture’, Ch. 23 11 15 May Building Case-Study: A. Aalto, Carré House, Bazoches-sur-Guyonne, France, 1959 Reading: Colquhoun, Chapter 10, pp. 200-207 12 22 May Building Case-Study: C. & R. Eames, Case Study House, Pacific Palisades, California, USA, 1949 Reading: Colquhoun, Chapter 12, pp. 231-37 13 29 May No Tutorials
ARCT2210 Architecture: Modern History Semester One 2007
Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Visual Arts, The University of Western Australia 5
INTRODUCTION This unit offers an account of architectural Modernism, examining selected aspects of twentieth century Western architecture and urban design, viewed in relation to the transformations of culture and society from the reformist movements of the late nineteenth century to the contemporary period. The theories and works of designers are discussed in relation to the major themes of Modernism, as they emerge out of the political, cultural, economic and industrial transformations of the Nineteenth Century, which in turn grew out of the secularist revolutionary ferment of the French Revolution, and the industrial expansionism of the nineteenth-century nation states.
If the various diverse, and sometimes incompatible, practices of Modernism are considered in relation to each other, they constitute less a single picture of cultural progress than a wide-ranging debate. Thus, beginning with the Arts and Crafts movement there is a whole strand of Modernism that grows out of the Romantic movement that is, at best, ambivalent towards industrial progress. The Futurists, on the other hand, sought to forge a new culture out of the transformation of perceptions brought about by industrialization producing, in effect, a machine aesthetic. In contrast to the seductive representation of speed and dynamism in Futurist art and architecture, the attention to form and design that permeated De Stijl was, for all its Modernist trappings, a means of subordinating the technological to the aesthetic, through the abstraction of the natural world.
The post-Second World War period witnessed the apparent triumph of Modernism as the dominant cultural form, but also, paradoxically, the weakening of its ideological basis. The implicit political, reformist agenda of Modernism did not survive its transition to either an American, or an Australian context, while in Europe the techniques and practices of Modernism were required to confront the crisis of their bomb-ravaged cities, in the ethical shadow cast by the Holocaust. The issues of pre- war CIAM congresses were re-addressed to deal with an urgent need for mass housing and urban infrastructure. In England, the Mediterranean basin, Germany and Scandinavia, pre-war Modernist cultures were revived and re-evaluated, with greater emphasis on the ‘humane’ qualities of the traditional city. The new sciences of sociology and anthropology complicated the idea of the modern, calling into question simplistic organic or mechanical models of the city and human habitation.
Thematic issues discussed in this unit will include: responses to the industrial revolution, abstract formalism, expressionism, utopianism, the relation of architecture and ideology, functionalism, regionalism, and recent reactions to Modernist orthodoxy. It is intended that the course will provide a useful introduction to the themes and issues found in the contemporary culture of architecture, both international and local. Learning outcomes Students obtain an understanding of the key themes and developments in modern architecture, focusing on the period from the late nineteenth century to the period of critiques of the Modern Movement. They gain experience in the articulation and presentation of architectural concepts in relation to the evaluation of architectural projects and learn to communicate effectively through verbal and written submissions. Content This unit examines twentieth-century Western architecture from the reformist movements of the late nineteenth century to the contemporary period. The theories and work of designers are discussed in relation to the major themes of Modernism: industrial revolution, abstract formalism, expressionism, utopianism, the relation of architecture and ideology, functionalism, regionalism, and recent reactions to Modernist orthodoxy.
Prerequisites Prerequisites: either VISA1102 Art: Idealism to the Everyday and ARCT1120 Art and Architectural History 2
ARCT2210 Architecture: Modern History Semester One 2007
Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Visual Arts, The University of Western Australia 6
Credit Points Six
Unit structure/formats The unit comprises two lectures and one tutorial per week.
All the lectures take place in the Hew Roberts Lecture Theatre (Wednesdays 11.00am and 12.00pm) and the tutorials in ALVA tutorial rooms (Tuesday mornings, duration one hour, scheduled between 9am and 1pm). Each student will be allocated a place in a tutorial group and these will be posted on the ALVA pin-up boards together with time and room number. It is expected that students will attend all lectures and all tutorials.
The following Items marked with an asterisk are standard documents that are available on-line:
Submission of assignments FALVA Extension policy * (See ALVA website)
FALVA policy on late work * (See ALVA website)
FALVA policy on digital submissions * (see ALVA website)
Academic Misconduct/plagiarism FALVA policy * (See ALVA website)
Appeals against academic assessment University Policy* (See ALVA website)
Charter of Student rights University Policy* (See ALVA website)
*Policy and Procedural information for the Faculty is available on the web at www.alva.uwa.edu.au/current_students/forms_and_policies
Unit Staff Coordinator/Lecturer: Nigel Westbrook [email protected] Tel: 6488 2592 Fax: 6488 1082 Available for consultation Wednesdays 1-3pm.
Lecturer: Professor Geoffrey London [email protected] Tel: 6488 2588 Fax: 6488 1082 Available for consultation Wednesdays 1-3pm.
Tutors: Ms. Anastasia Katsimbardis Ms. Annette Condello Communication outside lectures and tutorials will occur by email, so all students should ensure (a) that they activate their Pheme account and student email account (b) that they check their account regularly (at least weekly) (c) that they communicate with University staff ONLY through their student email account. (Staff
have been advised not to respond by email to any other addresses.)
ARCT2210 Architecture: Modern History Semester One 2007
Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Visual Arts, The University of Western Australia 7
READING TEXT BOOK Alan Colquhoun, A., Modern Architecture, Oxford 2002, should be purchased as a general reference text.
Readings from this book are required for full participation in the tutorials.
Copies will be available in the EDFAA library on reserve
FURTHER TEXTS The following books provide a useful introduction, while some provide detailed information on a specific area. A number of the books promote divergent viewpoints. Most include extensive bibliographies which provide good starting points for the more detailed research necessary for tutorial presentations and essays:
Benevolo L. History of Modern Architecture vols. 1 & 2, London 1971, 1st edn 1960. Collins, P. Changing Ideals in Modern Architecture , London, 1965. Colquhoun A., Essays in Architectural Criticism: Modern Architecture and Historical Change, Cambridge,
Mass. 1985. Conrads U. Programmes and Manifestos on Twentieth Century Architecture, Cambridge, Mass. 1970. Curtis, W., Modern Architecture Since 1900 [3rd edition], Oxford, 1996. Frampton K., Modern Architecture: A Critical History Thames & Hudson, London 1992 and later
editions Giedion, S. Space, Time and Architecture , Cambridge, Mass., 3rd edn. 1954. Heynen, H., Architecture and modernity: a critique, Cambridge, Mass., c1999 Ghirardo, D.Y., Architecture after Modernism, N.Y., 1996 Hays K.M., Oppositions Reader: selected readings from a journal for ideas and criticism in architecture,
1973-1984, N.Y. 1998 [individual copies of Oppositions are available in the ALVA resource room - not for loan]
Hitchcock, H. R. Architecture: Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, 3rd edn, Harmondsworth and Baltimore, 1968.
Rowe C. The Mathematics of the Ideal Villa and Other Essays, London 1982. Tafuri M. & Dal Co F. Modern Architecture, London 1979, 1986 Tournikiotis, P., The historiography of modern architecture, Cambridge, Mass., 1999 Venturi R. Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture, N.Y. 1966. Modern Art Richardson T. & Stangos N. (eds) Concepts of Modern Art, London 1981. Landscape Architecture Wrede S. & Adams W. H. Denatured Visions : landscape and culture in the twentieth century, N.Y.
c1991
All books listed above are held in the EDFAA (Education, Fine Arts, and Architecture) Library reserve collection. All other readings listed under the following lecture abstracts are available for 3 day loans.
ARCT2210 Architecture: Modern History Semester One 2007
Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Visual Arts, The University of Western Australia 8
JOURNALS Contemporary journals give a first hand picture of current issues in architecture. Also, the EDFAA journal collection extends over many years and provides useful detailed material for tutorials and essays. It is valuable to spend some time each week in the EDFAA Library reading from the large number of journals relevant to this unit. Journals may not be borrowed which means that they are always available in EDFAA for reference. Journals of particular relevance: Architectural Review Architects’ Journal (AJ) Casabella Domus El Croquis Grey Room Lotus Quaderns l'Architecture d'aujourd'hui Discontinued journals of use include: Oppositions (in ALVA resource Room, see also Oppositions Reader (EDFAA)) Assemblage (EDFAA) The EDFAA Library also has a large collection of fine arts journals and students are encouraged to consult these to gain an understanding of the issues effecting the broader visual culture during the period of time studied in this unit. JOURNAL ARTICLE SEARCHES How to Find Journal Articles To find articles on a specific topic you can look in journal indexes which are available in various formats, eg. print, CD-Rom or networked database. Main journal indexes in Architecture are: Australian Architectural Periodicals Index networked database AUSTROM ARCH, pre 1980 on microfiche. Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals networked database through CygNET Architectural Periodicals Index Print index, annual volumes. Art Index CD-Rom, use print volumes for pre-1980 -also indexes major US architecture journals Encyclopaedias and Dictionaries For definitions, introductory information and biographical data, look at the specialised dictionaries and encyclopaedias in the EDFAA reference collection. Key references are: Contemporary Architects: R720.922 1994 CON International Dictionary of Architects and Architecture: R720.9 1993 INT A Visual Dictionary of Architecture: R720.3 1995 VIS The World Atlas of Architecture: R720.9 1984 WOR
ARCT2210 Architecture: Modern History Semester One 2007
Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Visual Arts, The University of Western Australia 9
World Wide Web There is a wide range of useful resources on the Internet relating to architecture and the visual arts. Use the Web Subject Guides or Web Search Engines options on CygNET Online to find information on architects, architectural projects, world architecture, exhibitions, and imagery archives. Be aware that the quality of web sites vary according to the knowledge and expertise of the web page provider. Good sites to start with are: The Architecture and Landscape Architecture Virtual Library:
http://www.clr.toronto.edu: 1080/VIRTUALLIB/arch.html Getty Information Institute:
www.gii.getty.edu University of Pennsylvania Architectural Archives: http://www.design.upenn.edu/archives/archives/index.html Kidder Smith Image Archive MIT http://libraries.mit.edu/rvc/kidder/photos/ UIC Art History Imagebank http://www.uic.edu/depts/ahaa/classes/ah111/imagebank.html A.N.U. Art and Architecture Imagebank (ArtServe) http://rubens.anu.edu.au/ University of California Berkeley Image Sources for the Built Environment http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/ENVI/pict.html Courtauld Institute of Art: Art and Architecture (U.K.)- lots of period images http://www.artandarchitecture.org.uk/index.html Research Records Keep a comprehensive record of the sources you research. This will save you going over the same ground twice. Take down details of the references you find (including web page addresses on the Internet). Otherwise you may waste considerable time trying to find details of an incomplete reference for your bibliography. Electronic referencing programmes such as ‘End-Note’ may be of assistance. NOTE: You are strongly encouraged to become familiar with the EDFAA Library and its search facilities. Staff at the EDFAA Library Information Desk will provide advice on any aspect of the above. Web Access to Unit WEBCT Image Files, Lecture Texts (week 8) and Notes: Access to course materials will be as follows: Via internet on: http://webct6.uwa.edu.au Log in: User name (student number) Password (pheme password) Select : ARCT2210 Week (….)
ARCT2210 Architecture: Modern History Semester One 2007
Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Visual Arts, The University of Western Australia 10
ASSESSMENT Students will be assessed and marks awarded proportionally as follows: 1. Tutorial participation and nominated responses...................................................................... 40% 2. Essay (due by 10am Monday 7 May)...................................................................................... 40% 3. Examination............................................................................................................................ 20% TUTORIALS The tutorial program provides support for the lectures and involves two aspects: the discussion of nominated chapters from the recommended unit text, and the analysis of nominated architectural works with the development of an understanding of their theoretical and cultural context. Tutorials (p.3) have set readings for each week which are required for ALL students.
Each student will be allocated the responsibility of leading the discussion on one architectural work during the semester. This presentation will often be shared with one other student.
In leading this discussion focus should be directed to the broad questions related to the project - what, why, how, where, has it been designed? Consideration should be given to how the building sits within the architects' own output.
Consider the following: Architects refer to the main generating idea, (sometimes called ‘parti’), of a design. What was the main generating idea of the project you are studying? Explain this, using both verbal and graphical description. Some headings for graphical analysis are given below. Treat these as a starting point. Use initiative- the focus of the analysis will change in accordance with the nature of the project.
Presenters should use readings nominated in the unit guide together with readings emerging from individual research. Don’t just repeat material from the lecture, and avoid simple description which does not involve critical analysis.
When nominated to work in a pair, students should consult closely to allocate tasks and avoid repetition.
Presentation format is to be Powerpoint, using the data projector and computer supplied by the School. Those presenting should rehearse their presentation before the tutorial to resolve any potential problems - including timing.
This is a rare opportunity to study a single building in great detail - a process that if undertaken with rigour will provide an excellent set of analytical tools for individual design work.
One week after presenting in class each student is required to submit a tutorial paper of no more than 1500 words. This paper should include analytical diagrams of the building being examined. The paper should be modified from the original tutorial presentation in response to observations made during the tutorial session.
This paper is to be submitted to the Faculty Resource Room by 9.00am on the Tuesday following your presentation. Tutorials are considered vital to a full understanding of this unit of study - they provide the opportunity for the amplification of issues raised in lectures and the testing of student comprehension of these issues. Contributions to ALL tutorial discussions are essential and subsequently form part of the unit assessment. It is the responsibility of the WHOLE tutorial group to prepare for each week’s discussion. Please consult with your tutor if you are experiencing problems with any part of the course.
ARCT2210 Architecture: Modern History Semester One 2007
Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Visual Arts, The University of Western Australia 11
Graphical Analysis: Minimum Requirements for Powerpoint Presentations 1. Site: Location (How does building relate to site visually, materially and functionally?) Access (How is building accessed? Eg. Public/ users/ service) 2. Plan: Composition (geometrical basis, underlying grids, use of forms and/ or shapes ) Functional separation/ overlap (eg. day space/ night space; public/ private; inside/ outside) Circulation (how do the various users of the building move through it, eg. owners/ servants) Structure/partition (Which elements in plan serve a functional role; which are non-structural space dividers?) 3. Facades Geometry (Geometrical basis for composition: gridlines, proportions & relationships) Composition of planes which constitute facade within 2 or 3 dimensions Composition of materials/ surfaces Transparency (visual and spatial depth/ shallowness) Spatial extension/ transformation open/closed 4. Section Levels (how do they relate?) Definition of volumes Visual connections between levels and spaces Structure (what are the structural elements; how do they contribute; how do they help to form the spaces?) 5.Volumetric Analysis Represent volumes, planes and elements of which building is composed: represent graphically in three dimensions 6. Conceptual diagram of design strategy How could design strategy be abstractly represented? The graphical analysis is to be of a high standard of clarity and presentation skills. You are required to prepare your own drawings - do not recycle drawings found in books or web-sites! You may find it useful to consult F. Ching, Architecture: Form, Space and Order for examples of appropriate graphical analysis. There are numerous other useful references in the EDFAA library.
ARCT2210 Architecture: Modern History Semester One 2007
Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Visual Arts, The University of Western Australia 12
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