Week |
Subject |
Related Preparation |
1) |
Introduction |
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2) |
MODERNISM W/(O) CULTURE
Part I
The contention between modernism and culture / its reflection or erasure in ‘standard stories’ of modernism / a critique of the canonic historiography of modern architecture: Sigfried Giedion’s Space, Time and Architecture (1941) / Reyner Banham’s Theory and Design in the First Machine Age (1960): “discarding cultural load” → technology versus tradition / Kenneth Frampton’s Studies in Tectonic Culture (1995) → tectonics within tradition |
Students are required to read all texts assigned for a specific week with a critical eye and write a short response paper on a specific theme. |
3) |
MODERNISM W/(O) CULTURE
Part II
The indigenous house versus the bourgeoisie dwelling / the opposite visions of early modernists towards culture: Gottfried Semper’s anthropologic approach to architecture; Adolf Loos’s underestimation of indigenous cultures and their living habits / uncultured living against Wohnkultur / cultural tours to modern dwellings organized by Loos—Wohnungswanderungen.
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4) |
MODERNISM W/(O) CULTURE
Part III
The Orientalism in Modernism / cultural contradictions of modern architecture: the Oriental carpet in modernist interiors designed by Loos / a critique of the distinction between the West and the East within modernism: Le Corbusier’s Journey to the East / Bruno Taut’s travel to Japan and Turkey
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5) |
MODERNISM W/(O) CULTURE
Part IV
The Vernacular, the Anonymous and the Indigenous in Modernism / Bernard Rudofsky’s exhibitions at MOMA: Are Clothes Modern? (1944); Architecture without Architects (1964) / Sibly Moholy-Nagy’s Native Genius in Anonymous Architecture (1957) / Christopher Alexander’s The Timeless Way of Building (1979) → his argument about the “most beautiful” interior space located in Topkapi Palace
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6) |
PRESENTATIONS and END-OF-UNIT DISCUSSIONS |
By the end of three course units, students are required to make a twenty-minute visual presentation on a case-study by analyzing a specific site, a work, a project or an architect’s attitude to modernism and culture and by relating it to the questions and issues raised in lectures and class discussions. |
7) |
THE ORDINARY IN ARCHITECTURE
Part I
The popularization of high modernism in everyday life / Everyday life as a critique of standard modernism(s) in architecture / Theories of everyday life |
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8) |
THE ORDINARY IN ARCHITECTURE
Part II
The distinction between the ordinary, the everyday, and the normative in architecture / representations of these in various scales: from the urban to the domestic.
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9) |
THE ORDINARY IN ARCHITECTURE
Part III
Critical representations of the ordinary particularly in literature, cinema and visual arts.
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10) |
PRESENTATIONS and END-OF-UNIT DISCUSSIONS |
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11) |
MODERNISM AGAINST MODERNISM
Part I
(Inter)nationalizing Modernism / The forms of architecture which resisted the canonic modernism / Alvar Aalto: the comparison of his work in Finland and abroad
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12) |
MODERNISM AGAINST MODERNISM
Part II
Critical regionalism / First-World versus Third-World geographies / CIAM (1949): Discussion on “East/West: Architects and Politics” / Vernacular modernism in postwar Turkey / Sedad Hakki Eldem and the nationalization of architectural discourse
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13) |
MODERNISM AGAINST MODERNISM
Part III
Architecture as a means of communication and exchange: exhibitions, competitions, world fairs / the city or the region as a thematic: IBA-Internationale Bauausstellung versus Aga Khan Awards → architectural versus non-architectural
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14) |
PRESENTATIONS and FINAL DISCUSSIONS |
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Course Notes / Textbooks: |
Kenneth Frampton, Modern Architecture: a critical history ( Oxford University Press, 1980);
Michael K. Hays, “Critical Architecture: between culture and form,” Perspecta, 1984, no.21, p.14-29;
Gülsüm Baydar and Wong Chong Thai (eds.) Postcolonial Space(s) (Princeton Architectural Press, 1997);
Sibyl Moholy-Nagy, Native Genius in Anonymous Architecture (Horizon Press, 1957). |
References: |
Chapters from other relevant books and selected articles will be compiled in a Course Reader that will be available to students at the beginning of the course. |
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Program Outcomes |
Level of Contribution |
1) |
Develop and deepen knowledge in the same or in a different field to the proficiency level based on Bachelor level qualifications. |
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2) |
Be able to conduct research at the proficiency level in Architecture or related disciplines individually, as well as to lead, participate in, or take responsibility for group projects |
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3) |
Demostrate an ability to develop new approaches and produce knowledge at proficiency level researches both in architecture and related disciplines. |
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4) |
Make decisions and produce comprehensive solutions to poorly defined, complex design problems at different scales related to the field by using critical thinking methods. |
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5) |
Evaluate the phenomena in architectural history and assess contemporary developments by analyzing their historical, cultural, social, and political backgrounds. |
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6) |
Be able to conduct independent qualitative and quantitative research requiring expertise in the field of architecture and contribute to professional knowledge and practice. |
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7) |
Be able to present and publish the results of the research or design proposal related to the field in academic dialogue, in national and international forums, using written, oral, or other information and communication technologies, at the B2 General Level of the European Language Portfolio in English. |
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8) |
Develops the lifelong learning abilities. |
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9) |
Engage with the social responsibilities, legal, ethical, and aesthetic values of the architecture discipline. |
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