CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE II

The course is aimed at understanding the characteristics of contemporary architecture from the Twentieth Century until today, by exploiting the main changes, in particular the evolution of the concept of “modernity” in the transition from the era of mechanization at the introduction of information technology into everyday life, with all that this has meant for the birth of new manifestations in the architectural field at different levels (compared to the adopted methods, to the proliferation of new languages and new theories), accompanied by an abnormal development of the contemporary metropolis.
Teaching objectives are:
To understand how a design contemporary culture is formed; what are the approaches that have historically contributed to a progressive identification of the languages, to a their recognition from the aesthetic point of view, such as to mark an era; how to orient themselves inside of the variegated contemporary architectural panorama; to be able to critically evaluate contemporary architecture and the its evolution over the time compared to the physical characteristics of the buildings, to the type of functionalities developed, to the action exerted over the society, to the relationship with the surrounding environment.

It is particularly important for students to become aware of contemporary architectural reality by learning to distinguish between the different theories, methods, the adopted approaches that lead to heterogeneous results from many points of view, ultimately capturing the individual characteristics of the current historical moment and the complexity of situations that characterize its becoming; complexity of which contemporary history architecture is one of the most tangible expressions. In the presentation of the topics the student must demonstrate sufficient critical spirit and adequate descriptive skills.

Knowledge of the basic features of the history of architecture, adquired through the basic teachings of the first three-years degrees.

The historical excursus spans the Twentieth Century until today through the analysis of a selection of topics related to the changes taking place, the work of some of the main protagonists, the study of the different theories and buildings realized.

Basic manuals
- Josep Maria Montaner, Dopo il movimento moderno. L'architettura della seconda metà del Novecento, Bari, Laterza, 2008.
- William J. Curtis, L'architettura moderna dal 1900, New York, Phaidon, 2006.
- Marco Biraghi, Storia dell’architettura II (1945-2008), Torino, Einaudi, 2008.

In-depth texts
On the historial period 1955-1975:
- P. Mello, Neoavanguardie e controcultura a Firenze. Il Movimento Radical e i protagonisti di un cambiamento storico internazionale, Firenze, Angelo Pontecorboli, 2017.
On the relation between contemporary architecture and urban space evolution:
- P. Mello, Metamorfosi dello spazio. Annotazioni sul divenire metropolitano, Torino, Bollati Boringhieri, 2002.

A series of guide materials will be posted on the Moodle platform to retrace, deepen and fix the topics covered during the course.

The exam will be in the form of an oral interview and will focus on the topics developed during the course.
Non-attending students will refer to the basic manuals and materials deposited on the Moodle platform. For further clarifications on the parts of the basic manuals to be studied, please contact the teacher by e-mail.

Lectures during which various materials will be indicated (interviews, exhibitions, short films online), as a further study of the topics covered.

Italian

Attendance is not mandatory but recommended.
For those interested it will be possible to take a guided tour at the 17th International Architecture Exhibition titled “How will we live together?” (May 22rd - November 21th 2021) curated by architect, lecturer and researcher Hashim Sarkis.

oral

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Cities, infrastructure and social capital" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development