Architecture

This course examines comprehensive and integrated building design, where the architectural whole is approached as a complex of systems (of production, technology, infrastructure and so on), in turn embedded within larger systems (of ecology, economy and so on). It develops a level of competence in design skills and thinking and involves the integration of technology with the natural environment, and urban context. Students address a generic brief by building upon it with emphasis in Urban, Environment, and/or Technological issues in a given site to demonstrate the acquisition of a level of competence in research, design thinking, operational skills and communication.

The course serves as an introduction to the city of Prague as a specific cultural and social milieu, seen through the lens of its artists, architects, and their works. It is also intended – particularly through the reading list – to inspire an interest in the unique blend of storytelling and legend that underpins much of the city’s character and history. The scope of the course includes the major periods of European architectural development: from medieval to modern, as well as aspects specifically reflecting the history and heritage of the Czech nation. In structuring the course according to artistic styles and movements, the course recognizes the ways in which artists of widely varying origins and temperaments responded to, influenced, or disrupted the artistic conventions of the day, and how their work continues to reflect the social and political dynamics of the city.

This class, geared towards first year students, deals with general and holistic fundamentals about the variety of interior architecture and built environments for understanding and creating spaces. This course aims to encourage freshmen students growing multidisciplinary perspectives, theories, and practical knowledge necessary to design spaces, and to promote creative and analytic approaches for further works. Course topics include organizing thoughts for space, making a close observation of the spatial environment we live in, understanding what space is and how it is organized, widening our view of the spatial environment we are experiencing, empowering the ability of analyzing the spaces, understanding the creative design process, experiencing the actual construction process, and forming philosophical grounds to create a good space. The is an introductory lecture for learning residential environment and interior architecture and provides the foundation for further university study.

Taught by numerous site visits to historic buildings alongside lectures and seminars, this course introduces students to the study of architecture by exploring buildings in the London area from the start of the 17th century to the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837. During the course, students witness London burn to the ground, be comprehensively rebuilt, and then expand from a small European capital into the largest city in the world. Along the way, students encounter a wide variety of buildings including cathedrals, palaces, churches, synagogues, breweries, shops, and hospitals. Students  acquire skills in looking at, reading, and understanding buildings and become adept at using them as historical evidence. Students also learn how to relate architecture to its social, political, and intellectual context, and develop insights into the ways that buildings may carry and convey meaning, whether to an expert or to a more general audience. No prior knowledge of architecture or architectural history is required to undertake the course.