94613 - Architectural Composition Theories I

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the student will possess in-depth knowledge of the main themes of contemporary architectural research, in the relationship between architecture and the city, with particular attention to the theoretical and critical contributions of methodologies and techniques of architectural design. He is also capable of recognising, arguing and independently developing a critical position with respect to contemporary architectural theories in the field of architectural and urban composition.

Course contents

The objectives of the course will be, starting from the theoretical principles of architectural composition, the issues relating to the design of transformation areas on an urban scale. Starting from the analysis of the different settlement systems of the city and its typo-morphological structures, we will attempt to discuss and define the principles and methods of construction/reconstruction of the possible forms of the contemporary city.

In a moment of crisis which sees the urban project often resolved as the sum of individual architectures separated from their urban context, without the ambition of giving definitive answers, we will try to focus on the ways and tools that have a large degree of generality on a theoretical level, corresponding to the different positions of contemporary architectural culture.

Entire peripheral and degraded urban sectors need to be extensively redesigned, adapted and redeveloped.

Starting from the current high degree of problematicity and complexity of these project application areas, it offers the possibility of establishing a broad discussion on the meaning of a still possible urban development, understood not as a mere expansion but as an attempt at redevelopment and regeneration of existing parts of the city, which however do not yet have their own stable, significant and recognized form.

This is a crucial and strategically important topic, full of application potential, which, through the systematic study of some sample areas, analyzes the transformation needs of cities, offering the tools to rethink the definition of many areas that are now abandoned from a design perspective. .

The project proposals will be characterized by being conceived from a non-sectoral perspective but which on the contrary summarizes through a general point of view the concrete reality of current urban issues, such as the protection and saving of the soil, the comparison with the natural elements and with the existing building heritage, consideration for the characteristics of the places, attention to the aspects of energy saving and efficiency, the quality and cost-effectiveness of the construction systems, the new forms of living.

Precisely on this last point, the Course, in support of the Architectural Design Laboratory, will start research on the different possible forms of living through the study of the examples provided by the history of architecture, particularly interesting in defining the boundaries of a typological horizon of reference.

The teaching of the THEORIES OF ARCHITECTURAL COMPOSITION I course therefore takes the form of a collective work carried out together with the students who see in the different projects the possibility of experimenting with different interventions of design and redesign of significant parts of the city and their territory on some principles general principles that indicate a path for the redefinition of settlements and for the reconstruction of the urban form in general and which at the same time allow design principles and hypotheses to be made comparable to trigger a process of creation of shared models and verification of the supported theses.

Readings/Bibliography

A. Rossi, Scritti scelti, Milano, Clup, 1975.

A. Rossi, L'architettura della città, Milano, Clup, 1978.

O.M. Ungers, La città dialettica, Milano, SKira, 1997.

Colin Rowe e Fred Koetter, Collage city, Milano, Il Saggiatore, 1981.

LA RICOSTRUZIONE DELLA CITTA', Berlino-IBA 1987, XVII Triennale di Milano. A cura di M. De Michelis. P. Nicolin, W. Oechslin, F. Werner, Milano, Electa, 1985.

La Casa. Forme e luoghi dell’abitare urbano. A cura di Gino Malacarne, Milano, Skira, 2013.

Bibliografie specifiche saranno fornite durante lo svolgimento del laboratorio.

Teaching methods

The THEORIES OF ARCHITECTURAL COMPOSITION I course will be divided into a series of lessons and seminars on the contents and theoretical objectives of the laboratory. The lessons will be dedicated to readings of significant "architectural texts" - projects and creations, in which the links between design practice and theory will be investigated with particular attention to the theme of the laboratory in the thought of some masters of modern and contemporary architecture. In addition to the lessons, design exercises are planned. The deadlines and methods of presentation of the exercises will be communicated at the opening of the laboratory. The lessons will be accompanied by periodic reviews of individual students' work and some collective seminars on the progress of the work.

Assessment methods

The Urban Design Degree Laboratory (C.I. 16 CFU, 192 0re) consists of the characterizing module/teaching of Architectural and Urban Composition (8 CFU, 96 hours), a module/teaching of Urban Planning (2 CFU, 24 hours), from a module/course on Architecture for the regeneration of the urban landscape (6 CFU, 72 hours) and from a module/course on Theories of Architectural Composition I (2 CFU, 24 hours).

The Urban Project Degree Laboratory exam includes the verification of learning of the contents of all the modules/courses that make up the integrated laboratory and takes place in a single exam.

The verification of the learning of the laboratory topics will concern the evaluation of the project documents, the exercises carried out during the year and the verification of the knowledge of the theoretical issues covered during the lessons. For suitability, the following will be presented: historical, cartographic and environmental documentation suitable for the intervention context, documentation on the urban planning tools relating to the city and the intervention context, models and plans of the actual and project status.

To illustrate the fundamental design intentions, the project will be developed with:

- Texts, tables, drawings at different scales collected in a laboratory book;

- Plates in A1 / A0 format;

Basic materials required:

Historical analysis table (historical, topographical and figurative references relating to the area; relationships between the project area and the urban context; city architecture, characters and developments; evolution of urban development).
Planimetric insertion at the urban scale (1:2000 or 1:5000)
Planimetric insertion with current status and project (scale 1:1000)
Ground connection plan and/or standard plan (scale 1:500)
Significant profiles (scale 1:500)
Views, perspectives, axonometries
Architectural in-depth study of at least one building (for students who support eligibility individually) and at least two buildings (for groups of 2 students), through plans, elevations and sections at 1:200 scale.
1:500 scale model

Teaching tools

Laboratory for classroom exercises, model laboratory, PC, digital video projector, printers and plotters.

Office hours

See the website of Alessandro Tognon