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History, Criticism and Theory in Architecture: Modelling Modernity
Last Updated: 2026-02-05 15:42:24
Abstract
Modelling is a primary mechanism through which we make sense of and act upon our material lives and society at large. Whether as a demonstration, experiment, or proposition, architectural models have the ability to record, alter, and remake the material world. This seminar will study and examine the multiple roles played by the architectural model in the construction of the modern world.
Objective
Through lectures and close readings of texts this seminar will critically investigate the function and form of models, the materials and methods of depiction, questions of scale, and the issues surrounding the perception, experimentation and presentation of the medium. In addition to regular attendance at the seminar students will independently research and present specific examples for a future publication.
Resources
Literature
. Elser, Oliver ed.: Das Architektur Modell: Werkzeug, Fetisch, kleine Utopie – The Architectural Model: Tool, Fetish, Small Utopia, Exhibition catalogue, Deutsches Architekturmuseum (Frankfurt am Main, 2012) . Frommel, Sabine and Raphaël Tassin eds.: Les maquettes d’architecture : fonction et évolution d’un instrumentde conception et de realization (Paris / Rome, 2015) . Lending, Mari: Plaster Monuments: Architecture and the Power of Reproduction (Princeton/Oxford, 2017) . Lepik, Andres: Das Architekturmodell in Italien: 1353-1500 (Worms, 1994) . Mindrup, Matthew: The Architectural Model: Histories of the Miniature and the Prototype, the Exemplar and the Muse (Cambridge, MA, 2019) . Pillsbury, Joanne, Patricia Joan Sarro, James Doyle, and Juliet Wiersema: Design for Eternity: Architectural Models from the Ancient Americas (London/New Haven 2015)
Learning Materials (Links)
- Main link
- Information
General Information
- Language
- English
- Levels
- BSC
- Frequency
- Yearly recurring
Examination
- Type
- ungraded semester performance
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| seminar |
History, Criticism and Theory in Architecture: Modelling Modernity
Keine Lehrveranstaltung am 19.3.19 (Seminarwoche), am 17.4.19 (Osterferien) sowie an Feiertagen und vor den Schlussabgaben (s. Raumbelegungen!)
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2 h weekly |