Archi 210/Arch 202

Writings and Precedents in Architecture and

Landscape Architecture (Dynamics of Space)
This course attempts to provide frameworks for architectural practice and for relating practice to society. This course
will introduce you to texts that have shaped architectural thought and help you anchor your own positions in
contemporary discourse.

Readings and Class Structure

Each week a set of readings are assigned according to the theme and topic. Readings for the particular week are given the
week before. Students are expected to read the readings prior to the week. A one-page response paper is due during the
week of assigned readings. During class, students are not only expected to understand the discussions in the readings, but
are also required to participate in the discussions during the seminar sessions.

Requirements
• Response papers and Summative Essays (1‐2 pages) – 30%
• Final Paper (10‐15 pages) – 35%
• Oral Presentation ‐ 25%
• Class Participation and Attitude ‐10%

WEEK1 SIMPLICITY AND COMPLEXITY

Marcel Breuer, “Where Do We Stand?” First Published in 1935
Robert Venturi, Excerpts from Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture. First Published in 1966
Vittorio Gregotti, “On Simplicity.” First Published in 1996

WEEK2 ORNAMENT AND AUSTERITY

Adolf Loos, “Ornament and Crime.” First Published in 1908
Reyner Banham, “Ornament and Crime: The Decisive Contribution of Adolf Loos.” First Published in 1957
Joseph Rykwert, “Ornament Is No Crime.” First Published in 1975

WEEK3 HONESTY AND DECEPTION

John Ruskin, “The Lamp of Truth.” First Published in 1849
Eugène-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc, Excerpts from Discourses on Architecture. First Published in 1863
Fil Hearn, “Truth to the Medium: Using Materials.” First Published in 1996

WEEK4 MATERIAL AND IMMATERIAL

Leon Battista Alberti, Excerpts from The Art of Building in Ten Books. First Published in 1486
Juhani Pallasmaa, Excerpts from The Eyes of the Skin. First Published in 1996
Jonathan Hill, Excerpts from Immaterial Architecture.

WEEK5 FUNCTION AND FORM

Louis Sullivan, “The Tall Office Building Artistically Considered.” First Published in 1896
Bernard Tschumi, Excerpts from Architecture and Disjunction. First Published in 1983
Adrian Forty, “Function.” First Published in 2000
Frank L. Wright, Excerpts from An American Architecture. First Published in 1955
Peter Eisenman, “Post-Functionalism.” First Published in 1976
Richard Hill, “Purpose, Function, Use.” First Published in 1999

WEEK6 BODY AND BUILDING

Marcus Vitruvius, Excerpts from The Ten Books on Architecture. First Published ca. 25 B.C.E.
Le Corbusier, Excerpts from Le Modulor. First Published in 1948
Lance Hosey, “Hidden Lines: Gender, Race, and the Body.” First Published in 2001

WEEK7 PROPORTION AND ARRANGEMENTS

Andrea Palladio, Excerpts from The Four Books on Architecture. First Published in 1570
Le Corbusier, “The Plan of the Modern House.” First Published in 1930
Colin Rowe, “The Mathematics of the Ideal Villa.” First Published in 1947
WEEK8 CONTEXT AND BUILDING
Le Corbusier, Excerpts from The Radiant City. First Published in 1935
Jane Jacobs, Excerpts from The Death and Life of Great American Cities. First Published in 1961
Tom Schumacher, “Contextualism: Urban Ideals and Deformations.” First Published in 1971
Marcus Vitruvius, Excerpts from The Ten Books on Architecture. First Published ca. 25 B.C.E.
Robert Venturi, Denise Scott Brown, and Steven Izenour, Excerpts from Learning from Las Vegas. First Published in 1972
Adrian Forty, “Context.” First Published in 2000

WEEK 9 NATURAL AND CONSTRUCTED

Marc-Antoine Laugier, Excerpts from An Essay on Architecture. First Published 1753
Vittorio Gregotti, “Territory and Architecture.” First Published in 1985
Carol Burns, “On Site: Architectural Preoccupations.” First Published in 1991
Christian Norburg-Shulz, Excerpts from Genius Loci: Towards a Phenomenology of Architecture. First Published 1979
E. Relph, Excerpts from Place and Placelessness. First Published in 1976
Kathryn Moore, “Genius Loci: Hidden Truth or Hidden Agenda?” First Published in 2003

WEEK 10 SPACES OF POWER

Michel Foucault “Space, Knowledge, and Power,” interview with Paul Rabinow, Skyline, March 1982
Gerard Lico “Manila Beautiful: Urban Hygiene and Colonial Architecture in the Age of American Imperialism.” 2019
Kim Dovey “Framing Places: Mediating Power in the Built Form.” 1999
Douglas Spencer “The Architecture of Neoliberalism: How Contemporary Architecture Became an Instrument of Control
and Compliance.”2015