Continuity and Transformation

3 units

Throughout history and across cultures, certain ideas, concepts and organizational strategies have persisted in architecture, despite advances in social ideals and technological capabilities. The seminar explores the phenomenon of this continuity with the goal of uncovering the manner in which these ideas and strategies are transformed. Whether classified by use, characteristic form, or compositional device, the continuity of these notions is clearly traceable as a body of knowledge waiting to be revealed, understood, assessed and, when valid, built upon. The transformation of ideas and strategies is one of the most fundamental activities of the designer, but relies on careful study. We will discover evidence of this phenomenon in vernacular architecture, patterns of settlement and habitation, and in the work on many of our most influential practitioners, such as Le Corbusier, Kahn, Moneo, and Zumthor, as well as in the realm of painting and sculpture including Cubism, Suprematism, and Expressionism.