Conversion History (FS)

Abstract

The course addresses the challenging questions of the topic "Conversion" in terms of design, construction and urbanism from antiquity to the 20th century.

Objective

We will regard the building history from late ancient times to the early 20th century by analysing transformations within two cities. In this way you can apply your knowledge of building history from the core subject to these highly focused examples. You will learn to recognise, interpret and chronologically classify traces of changes in historical buildings. Thus, you will also gain an impression of the issues involved in building archaeology.

Content

Building history is also a history of constant change and adaptation. No city looks today as it did when it was founded. Only very few buildings have been preserved in their original state. Building in existing contexts is therefore not only a term of the current architectural discourse - rather, modernisation, adaptation to new uses, upgrading, repairs or the continued construction of existing buildings (up to the urban planning dimension) have always been core tasks of the architect. We consider history of construction in time-lapse and in an extremely condensed form based on just two cities - Milan and Vienna. On the one hand, we will see that most of the buildings have been rebuilt several times in the course of their existence - even if they seem very uniform to us today. We will identify the conversion phases of these buildings, and also focus on the technical implementation of these measures. On the other hand, we will see that every ambitious new construction in the past has also transformed the existing city - from medieval town fortifications to the construction of railway stations. Every new building is therefore also part of a conversion, either structurally or, e.g. by stylistic changes, aesthetically. The course is not graded. As proof of achievement, participants produce a short photo essay on a historical conversion of their own choice.

Resources