COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This seminar will explore significant achievements in contemporary Swiss architecture focusing on the work of Peter Zumthor, Herzog & de Meuron, and Gion Caminada. By studying a relatively limited number of key buildings and architects, the seminar will engage broader discussions regarding contemporary architectural practice in general. Where helpful or relevant, works of architecture from various global settings and time periods will be referenced.
Key themes to be explored will include:
Tradition and Continuity: the relationship between modern architectural masterworks and historically significant settings
Craft: how regional traditions of building influence and support innovations in contemporary architecture
The Role of the Architect in Society: paradigms for practice, cultural production, social advocacy, and theoretical discourse
Architecture and Place: relationships between building and city, building and landscape, building and prevalent patterns of use
Old Course Number: AHST 6140