B9643 - STORIA DELL'ARCHITETTURA E DELLA CITTÀ

Learning outcomes

At the end of the module, students will be familiar with the main events that led to the construction of a large metropolis and, at the same time, the key figures who shaped its character. They will be able to place them in their contemporary historical and cultural context and in the subsequent historiographical narrative. They will also be able to analyze the case studies proposed by way of comparison, placing them in their geographical context.

Course contents

The course focuses on the urban, architectural, political, and economic development of Berlin since the beginning of the 18th century. Berlin is a prime example of the mutual, reciprocal connection between society and architecture and the changes that are reflected in it. The focus is on the morphological, programmatic, and political transformations from a royal residence to a metropolis, from an industrial city to a frontline city, from a divided capital and symbol of the Cold War to a city of start-ups and international tourism. Berlin's architectural development had an extraordinary influence on European modernism (1920s and 1930s). Special focus will be placed on the connection between industrial architecture and modernism, i.e., on the birth of modern architecture from the spirit of industrial architecture. The seminar will focus on the processes of transformation and reconstruction, on the connection between architecture, society, and industry. Through lectures, exercises, and an excursion to Berlin, students will be introduced to the topic and the processes of conversion and transformation of the architectural heritage of post-war modernism, with a special focus on City West, the architects Schoszberger and Schwerbes, Düttmann, Scharoun, Bornemann, Heinrichs, Mies van der Rohe, and Oswald Mathias Ungers. An important component will be a three-day excursion to Berlin and joint seminars with the departments of Architecture Theory (Prof. Gleiter) and Design and Building Construction (Prof. Pasel).

Readings/Bibliography

“Berlin kommt wieder”. Die Architekten Paul Schwebes und Hans Schoszberger, ed. by Karin Wilhelm, Johann Sauer u. Nicole Opel, Berlin: Jovis Verlag 2023

The Archipelago City: Piecing together Collectivities, ed. by Lara Schrijver, 71 OASE (2006)

Envisioning Tomorrow’s Cities, O. M. Ungers’ Urban Reflections, HPA 12/2023, https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.2611-0075/v6-n12-2023 [https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.2611-0075/v6-n12-2023%20]

Das Steinerne Berlin: Geschichte der grössten Mietkasernenstadt der Welt. Berlin: Kiepenhauer, 1930.

A detailed bibliography will be provided during the course.

Teaching methods

The course is organized through lectures, seminars, and laboratory activities.

Assessment methods

The examination of the teaching module will be taken jointly with the modules of the degree laboratory, and the assessment for suitability will consider the results achieved in the various activities of the laboratory itself. Suitability will combine the assessment of the design exercises developed within the individual teaching modules and an oral discussion on the contents of the activities carried out during the course.

The exam assessment will depend on the quality of the discussion in references to the course bibliography. Importance will be given to the ability to use appropriate and correct disciplinary terminology.

The quality of the presentation, the knowledge acquired, the theoretical depth, the correctness of the project and the quality of the assignments will be taken into consideration.

Teaching tools

The relevant teaching materials will be made available to students in digital format on the UNIBO VIRTUAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT platform (https://virtuale.unibo.it/).

Office hours

See the website of Joerg Hermann Gleiter