Architecture, Materiality and Climate

This course is taught as part of the Critical and Contextual Studies module. Lectures focus on mass-produced building materials, steel, concrete, glass and plastic and trace relevant historical concepts, design approaches and key historical buildings from industrial revolution to present and across different geographies. They underscore the intersections of materiality with social and environmental considerations, while introducing students to key figures, buildings and historical and theoretical issues in architectural history.

General Texts

Calder, B. (2021). Architecture: From prehistory to climate emergency. Penguin Books. ‘Introduction’ pp.xi – xxv; ‘”The beauty of speed”’, ‘”Too cheap to meter”’, ‘Today’s Great Energy Revolution’, pp. 323 – 444.

Part 1: Pre-Industrial Architecture and the Industrial Revolution

Part 2: Cast Iron and Steel

2.1 Early Modern

Texts

Addis, B. (2006) ‘The Crystal Palace and its Place in Structural History’, International Journal of Space Structures, 21(1), pp. 3–19.

Gideion, S. (2005) ‘1850–1890 Experimental Architecture’ in Building in France, Building in Iron, Building in Ferro-Concrete, pp. 120–151.

Mertins, D. (2005) ‘Mies’s Event Space’, Grey Room 20, pp. 60–73.

Smith, L. (2022) ‘Mies van der Rohe and the Universal Space Project’, Drawing Matter.

Buildings

Burton, D & Turner, D., Palm House (1848), Kew Gardens, London.

Labrouste, H., Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève (1850), Paris.

Paxton, J., Crystal Palace (1851), London.

Waterhouse, A., Natural History Museum (1881), London.

van der Rohe, M., Tugendhat House (1930), Brno, Czech Republic; Farnsworth House (1951), Illinois; Crown Hall (1956), Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago; Neue Nationalgalerie (1968), Berlin.

Videos

ARTE (2009) ‘Episode 43: The Sainte Genevieve Library’, Architectures.

2.2 Experimentations

Texts

Fry, T & Willis, A-M. (2015) Steel: A Design, Cultural and Ecological History (Design, Histories, Futures). Bloomsbury Academic.

Buildings

Hertfordshire County Council, Hertfordshire Schools Programme (1950s), UK.

Fuller, B., US Pavilion, Expo 67 (1967), Montreal.

Piano, R. & Rogers, R., Centre Georges Pompidou (1977), Paris.

SOM, Broadgate Exchange House (1990), London.

Gehry, F., Guggenheim Museum Bilbao (1997), Spain.

Ito, T., Sendai Mediatheque (2001), Japan.

Videos

ARTE (1997) ‘Episode 2: The Georges Pompidou Centre’, Architectures.

ARTE (2005) ‘Episode 32: The Multimedia Library of Sendai’, Architectures.

ARTE (2001) ‘Episode 23: The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao’, Architectures.

Part 3: Reinforced Concrete

3.1 Early Modern and the International Style

Texts

Johnson, P. (1932) Modern Architecture: International Exhibition. New York: Museum of Modern Art.

Le Corbusier (1931) Towards a New Architecture. London: Architectural Press.

Buildings

Le Corbusier, Maison Dom-ino (1915), Paris; Villa Savoye (1931), Poissy; Unité d’Habitation (1952), Marseille.

Gropius, W., Bauhaus Building (1926), Dessau.

Neutra, R., Lovell Health House (1929), Los Angeles.

May, E., New Frankfurt (Neues Frankfurt) (1925–30), Frankfurt am Main.

Loos, A., Villa Müller (1930), Prague.

Videos

TBC

3.2 Brutalism and the Welfare State

Texts

Calder, B. (2022) Raw Concrete: The Beauty of Brutalism. London: Penguin.

Buildings

Smithson, Alison & Peter, Hunstanton School (1954), Norfolk; Robin Hood Gardens (1972), London.

Le Corbusier, Notre-Dame du Haut (Ronchamp) (1955), Ronchamp; Convent of La Tourette (1960), Éveux.

Lasdun, D., University of East Anglia (1968), Norwich; National Theatre (1976), London.

Chamberlin, Powell & Bon, Barbican Estate (1976), London.

Hodgkinson, P., Brunswick Centre (1972), London.

Goldfinger, E., Trellick Tower (1972), London.

Brown, N., Alexandra Road Estate (1978), London.

Videos

ARTE (n.d.) ‘Episode 14: The Convent of La Tourette’, Architectures.

Architecture Foundation (2017) Neave Brown in Conversation.

3.3 Experimentations

Texts

TBC

Buildings

Saarinen, E., TWA Terminal (1962), New York.

Kahn, L., Salk Institute (1965), La Jolla; National Assembly Building (Jatiyo Sangshad Bhaban) (1983), Dhaka.

Ando, T., Azuma House (1976), Osaka; Rokko Housing (1993), Kobe; Church of the Light (1989), Ibaraki.

Bo Bardi, L., SESC Pompéia (1986), São Paulo.

Herzog & de Meuron, Eberswalde Library (1999), Eberswalde.

Zumthor, P., Bruder Klaus Field Chapel (2007), Mechernich.

SANAA, Rolex Learning Centre (2009), Lausanne.

Videos

TBC

Part 4: Glass

Texts

Reichlin, B. (1984) 'The Pros and Cons of the Horizontal Window The Perret – Le Corbusier Controversy', Daidalos 13, pp.64-78.

Friedman, A T. (1998), ‘People Who Live in Glass Houses: Edith Farnsworth, Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe and Philip Johnson’ in Women and the Making of the Modern House: A Social and Architectural History. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 126-59.

Murray, S. (2009) Contemporary Curtain Wall Architecture. Princeton, NJ: Princeton Architectural Press, pp. 9-63.

Buildings

TBC

Videos

TBC

Part 5: Plastics

Texts

Walker, A. (1994) ‘Plastics: The Building Blocks of the Twentieth Century’, Construction History 10, pp. 67–88. London: Routledge.

Colomina, B. (2004) ‘Unbreathed Air 1956’, Grey Room 15, pp. 28-59.

Buildings

TBC

Videos

TBC