75455 - History of Italian/European Architecture M

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course, the student will have a comprehensive understanding of historical concepts, methods and tools for analysing architecture, from single buildings to the geographical scale, from antiquity to the present day. In particular, they will have developed expertise in: the relationship between form and structure; historical knowledge of building materials and techniques; the history of commissioning; diachronic and synchronic reading of places. By the end of the course, the student will be able to analyse an architectural work in a historical-critical perspective, with specifc reference to European and Italian history.

Course contents

Knowledge and Skills to Be Achieved

By the end of the course, students will possess a historical-critical knowledge of the main architectural experiences, from the origins of modern architecture to current architectural trends, and will also be familiar with the fundamental episodes of 20th-century artistic production.

Course Contents

The course aims to introduce students to the knowledge of Italian and international contemporary architecture through the study of significant works, figures, and issues. A chronological span from the mid-19th century to the present day will be covered, taking into consideration both urban and architectural design, with a focus on key themes such as the truth and nature of materials, the role and forms of structures, and their relationship with space and ornament. The experiences of architectural masters will be analyzed by examining, in addition to images and architectural drawings, theoretical texts and references—including those outside the specific discipline—that help reconstruct the history of architecture within the considered timeframe.

The main tools of historical research will be illustrated and presented in a simplified form to the student, who will thus be able to use and manage them.

The study of the various architectural experiences will allow students to engage with a series of issues that may inspire potential personal research projects. Students will thus acquire a basic knowledge of the main themes, architects, architectural languages, and buildings that have characterized the history of contemporary architecture in Italy and Europe. Furthermore, they will be able to apply the methods of historical-critical architectural analysis to specific contexts, presenting the results of such analyses by identifying the structuring features of these contexts based on their physical, socio-cultural, and aesthetic-perceptual connotations, as well as their conservation needs and potential for enhancement.

MODULE 1

• The Idea of Modern Architecture in the 19th Century
• Structural Rationalism: From Viollet-le-Duc to Art Nouveau
• John Ruskin
• Italy: Camillo Boito and Gustavo Giovannoni
• Auguste and Gustave Perret
• Tony Garnier
• Gottfried Semper and the Cladding Principle
• The Crystal Palace and the Eiffel Tower
• Walter Gropius and the Bauhaus
• Historical Avant-Gardes: Futurism and German Expressionism

MODULE 2

• Joseph Maria Olbrich and Josef Hoffmann
• Arts and Crafts, William Morris, and John Ruskin
• Deutscher Werkbund
• Le Corbusier
• Mies van der Rohe
• Alvar Aalto
• Italian Rationalism
• Post-War Reconstruction in Italy

Readings/Bibliography

Bibliographical references and related materials will be provided lecture by lecture on VIRTUALE

Teaching methods

Lectures (ex-cathedra)

Practical exercises on reading the architectural building in its formal and constructive components

Guided tours for first-hand knowledge of architecture

Assessment methods

The final exam will consist of an oral interview aimed at verifying knowledge of the lectures and the bibliographical materials uploaded on VIRTUALE.

Teaching tools

virtuale.unibo.it

Office hours

See the website of Ilaria Cattabriga