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Architects, Urbanists, Philosophers
Last Updated: 2026-06-01 11:32:56
Abstract
What can architects and urbanists learn from philosophy? And what do philosophers have to gain from design? This seminar explores groundbreaking moments of exchange between architects, urbanists, and philosophers in the last hundred years. Every week, students will discover new ideas, approaches, and modes of thinking that have, creatively and critically, brought these disciplines together.
Objective
- Familiarize oneself with the context, content, and characteristics of significant architectural-philosophical intersections; - Discover and text out new frameworks with which to think and understand the built environment; - Engage with philosophical writings as well as design projects in a well-informed, logically structured, and insightful manner; - Apply the knowledge and skills acquired during the seminar to conduct independent and original investigations on issues of one’s own interest.
Content
The seminar begins with an historical overview of the architecture and urbanism’s close relation with philosophy. This introductory survey will contextualize the significance of the specific periods focused on throughout the semester. Then, each week, the instructor will introduce two sets of readings, which the class will read, compare, and discuss together: a philosopher’s insights about the built environment; and an architect’s project or text that resorts to the philosopher’s work. The in-depth analyses of these pairings shall, as a whole, bring forth several key philosophical ideas that have exerted major influence on recent and current architectural theory and practice. A short study trip will give students the chance to employ what they’ve learned in order to read the built environment around them in novel ways. The semester ends with a guest lecture.
General Information
- Language
- English
- Levels
- BSC
- Frequency
- Semesterly recurring
Examination
- Type
- graded semester performance
Registration & Places
- Max Places
- 20
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| lecture with exercise |
Architects, Urbanists, Philosophers
Does not take place this semester.
No course on 20.03.2025 (seminar week) and in the last two weeks of the semester.
|
No time listed | 2 h weekly |