Contemporary Architectural Phenomena II
CAP2bCBA
Instructor: Milena Metalkova-Markova
Style of Class: Lecture/Seminar (depends on enrollment)
Credits: 4ECTS- 30h lectures-30h exercises
Course Description:
The course gives a revision of principle trends which actively form the field of contemporary
architecture landscape since the second half of 20th century. These trends will be elucidated
by analyzing some seminal writings by contemporary architects such as Rem Koolhaas, Peter
Eisenman, Fumihiko Maki, Daniel Liebeskind, Toyo Ito, Bernard Tschumi, Arata Isozaki and
texts by prominent architectural critics and historians such as Manfredo Tafuri, Colin Rowe,
Charles Jencks, Anthony Vidler, Kenneth Frampton and others.
The goal is to underline the role of text and writing in the development of contemporary
architectural theory and practice.
Objectives:
1. The main goal is to acquaint students with a broad framework of architecture theory
since 1968.
2. To enable students to distinguish some current trends in world architecture and urban
planning with their underlying background in philosophy, human and cultural studies.
3. To enable students to grasp the relationship between architectural theory and practice
in contemporary world architecture.
Prerequisites: History of Modern Architecture, Contemporary Architectural Phenomena
Class materials:
1. Architecture Theory since 1968-edited by K.Michael Hays, The MIT Press, 2000
2. Mutations-Rem Koolhaas Harvard Project on the city, Stefano Boeri Multiplicity,
Sanford Kwinter, Nadia Tazi, Hans Ulrich Obrist, ACTAR
3. The Architectures of the Contemporary City- edited by Vittorio Magnago
Lampugnani, YKK Architectural products, Tokyo, 1999
4. Deconstruction- A student guide, edited by Jorge Glusberg, Academy Editions,
London, 1996
5. The Architecture of the Jumping Universe.-Charles Jencks, Academy Editions,
London,1997
6. Japan-ness in Architecture, Arata Isozaki, 2006
7. Tarzans in the media forest, Toyo Ito, Architectural Association, London, 2011
8. Project Japan. Metabolism Talks…Rem Koolhaas, Hans Ulrich Obrist, Taschen, 2011
9. House Vision-2013 Tokyo Exhibition- Kengo Kuma, Heibonsha, Tokyo, 2013
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10. Akihisa Hirata: Tangling,Contemporary Architect’s Concept Series 8, INAX
Publishing, Tokyo, 2011
11. Junya Ishigami-Another scale of architecture, Seigensha Art Publishing, Tokyo, 2010
12. Sou Fujimoto: Primitive Future -Contemporary Architect’s Concept Series 1, INAX
Publishing, Tokyo, 2011
Grading methods:
40 % Class attendance, participation and presentations
60% Research paper, 20-25 pages or a design project
Class Schedule:
1-2 Modernism and contemporary architectural productionManfredo Tafuri, “Toward a Critique of Architectural Ideology” - Class material -1, pp.2-36,
Manfredo Tafuri, “The Language of Criticism and the Criticism of Language” Class material -1, pp.146174
Kenneth Frampton, “The Status of Man and the Status of His Objects: A Reading of The Human
Condition” Class material -1, pp.358-378
3-4 No-Stop city, Collage City, Life in the Metropolis
Archizoom Associati, “No-stop City”, Class material -1, pp.56-60
Colin Rowe and Fred Koetter, “Collage city”, Class material -1, pp.88-112
Rem Koolhaas, “’Life in the Metropolis’ or ‘The Culture of Congestion’”, Class material -1,pp.320-332
Paul Virilio, “The Overexposed City”, Class material -1,pp.540-552
Sanford Kwinter, “La Citta Nuova: Modernity and Continuity”, Class material -1,pp.586-614
5-6 Post-modern Architecture
Charles A. Jencks, “Post-Modern Architecture”, Class material -1,pp.306-318
Jurgen Habermas, “Modern and Postmodern Architecture”, Class material -1,pp.412-428
Michel Foucault, “Space, Knowledge and Power”, Class material -1,pp. 428-440
Alberto Perez Gomez, “Introduction to Architecture and the Crisis of Modern Science”, Class material
-1, pp.462-476
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7-8 Architecture and Disjunction , Post-Functionalism
Bernard Tschumi, “The Architectural Paradox”, Class material -1, pp. 214-230
Peter Eisenman, “Post-Functionalism”, Class material -1, pp. 234-240
Bernard Huet, “Formalism-Realism”, Class material -1, pp. 254-262
Maurice Culot and Leon Krier, “The Only Path for Architecture”, Class material -1, pp. 348-356
9-10 Deconstructivism- class material 4, pp. 31-62
Jacques Derrida, “La Case Vide: La Villette 1985, Class material -1, pp. 566-582
Daniel Liebeskind, Chamber Works, Class material -1, pp. 476-480
Peter Eisenman, Class material -1, pp. 522-540, 582-586
Mark Wigley, “The translation of Architecture, the Production of Babel”, Class material -1, pp. 658676
Deconstructivist Architecture, Museum of Modern Art, New York, Class material -1, pp. 676-678
Mary McLeod, “Architecture and Politics in the Reagan Era: From Postmodernism to
Deconstructivism” , Class material -1, pp. 678-704
Jeffrey Kipnis, “Twisting the Separatrix”, Class material -1, pp. 614-624
Frank Gehry, Gehry House, Class material -1, pp. 378-382
Bernard Tschumi, The Manhattan Transcripts, Class material -1, pp. 408-412
11 Cosmogenic Architecture
Class material -5, pp. 122-186
Jacques Herzog, Pierre de Meuron, Remy Zaugg, “A City in the Process of Becoming”, Class material
3, pp.63-67
Richard Rogers, “Building Cities to Move the Spirit”, Class material 3, pp.93-98, 216-222
12 Weak architecture, Minor Urbanism
Ignasi de Sola-Morales, “Weak architecture”, Class material -1, pp. 614-624
R.E.Somol, “One or Several Masters?”, Class material -1, pp. 780-802
Rem Koolhaas, “What ever Happened to Urbanism”, Class material 3, pp.91-93, 166-178, 290-300
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13 Architectural Uncanny
Antony Vidler, From The Architectural Uncanny: Essays in the Modern Unhomely, Class material -1,
pp. 744-758
14 Fluid Architecture, Materiality, Scale
Toyo Ito- Class material 7: pp.22-33, 60-69, 72-82, 115-125, 163-172
Akihisa Hirata-Class material 10: pp.78-124
Junya Ishigami- Class material 11: 270-289
15 The “House” in a disordered city
Toyo Ito- Class material 7: pp.69-72, 125-136
Sou Fujimoto- Class material 9 and 12,
Fumihiko Maki- Class material 3, pp.17-23, 98-108
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