Loyola University Chicago

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FNAR 394 / ROST 390 Architecture in Rome: History & practice

Fall 2008 / Spring 2009

On-Site

Instructor: Debora White, Architect [ dwhite3@luc.edu ]

Meeting Day: Monday

Meeting Times: 9:30 am - 12:30 pm

Office Hours: Room 104 TBD

Note: Classroom and on site instruction.  Proposed site visits and readings described below are subject to change.  Students should anticipate needing approximately €60 to cover bus tickets and entrance fees to monuments and museums during this course.

Course Description:

Was the Emperor Hadrian, designer of the Pantheon, also an architect?  How did he reward the architect who he asked to comment on his drawings?  How did Michelangelo’s training as a sculptor and painter revolutionize town planning in his design of the Piazza Campidoglio?  In this introduction to the profession of architecture from the Roman Empire to the present, we will explore the relationship between the architect and society throughout the history of Rome by learning what it was like to be the designer of the piazzas, monuments and churches we visit throughout the city.  We will also investigate the challenges current architects face in developing plans for Rome of the 21st century by visiting significant contemporary Roman buildings.  Finally, we will learn about the current practice of architecture, including the education and daily work of an architect by visiting a working architect’s office

Learning Outcomes:

  •  To understand the social and economic context in which architects described in your history classes created the Rome of today.
  •  To see how the social trends, technologies, and political structures that exist when important civilizations are created influence the design of  buildings and cities.
  •  To learn about the daily work of an architect, then and now, and how design professionals view and understand the city.
  •  To use drawing as a method of recording the essence of our observations, with no need for artistic skill.
  •  To possibly be inspired to pursue a career that draws on your Rome experience, as the instructor was based on her studies at Loyola University Rome Center in 1978-79 (see attached photos of instructor’s work). 

 

Course Requirements and Grading:

Class attendance and participation 15%  You are expected to attend each class, to read the assigned material prior to class, and to be prepared with questions and comments for discussion.  The quality of this discussion-based course depends on students’ preparation. 

Student led class discussions 10%  Each student is expected to lead a discussion of one reading assignment during the semester.  Specific assignments will be given in advance of each class. 

Journal 25%  A journal of drawing and writing will document the semester’s educational experience.  Instruction in drawing as a way of seeing and recording information will help you use the journal as a tool to understand the architecture of Rome.  Documenting what we see by annotated drawing forces us to learn about essential physical patterns and relationships in our environment in a way that photography and writing alone cannot.  The journal will be evaluated three times during the semester for the depth of descriptive content, not beauty or artistic skill. 

Final Paper: 20% The final paper will allow you to investigate one of the topics of the course in more detail through reading and internet research.  Topics will be pre-discussed with the instructor. 

Final exam: 30%

 

Required reading and possible discussion, paper and exam topic sources:

  • 1.      Kostof, Spiro. The Architect: Chapters in the History of the Profession 1977  
  • 2.      Architecture in Rome: History & Practice – Selected Readings.  This reader has been compiled for your convenience.    Full versions of the included texts are available as noted in the reader’s table of contents.

COURSE TOPICS, SITE VISIT SCHEDULE AND READING ASSIGNMENTS

The following plan represents my best prediction as to how class will proceed: 

Introduction to the Profession of Architecture

September 8 - Location: Loyola Rome Center

  • ·         Summary of course goals and expectations
  • ·         The definition of architecture, role of an architect
  • ·         The determinants and tools of architectural design
  • ·         The architectural design process
  • ·         Sketching lessons

Architecture of Ancient Rome: Theory, Technology and Practice

September 15 – Proposed locations: Roman Forum (€11 fee), Colosseum, Santi Cosma & Damiano

Read for this class:

  • -        Ching. Design Drawing pgs 1-12 Introduction, Drawing from Observation ch.1 Line & Shape
  • -        Ching. A Global History of Architecture pgs 154-163 Forum & Colosseum
  • -        Nicholson Art in Rome Manual pgs 1-8 The Main Periods, The Visual Arts: Architecture
  • -        Roam. The Back of the Napkin
  • -        Waldrep. Becoming An Architect pgs1-10 The Definition of an Architect: What Do Architects Do?

Optional Reading:

  • -        Nicolaides. The Natural Way to Draw pgs1-22 How to Use this Book, Section 1: Contour and Gesture

September 22 – Proposed locations: Pantheon and Ara Pacis (€6.50 fee)

Read for this class:

  • -        Ching. A Global History… pgs 192-194 Pantheon
  • -        Kostof. The Architect: Chapters in the History of the Profession pgs 28-58 Roman Architects
  • -        Vitruvious. The Ten Books of Architecture Table of Contents (plus pgs 1-32 optional)
  • -        http://en.arapacis.it watch video interview with Richard Meier and English description of the Meier Ara Pacis Museum project
  • -        http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2008/aug/13/architecture.art article about the politics of building in Rome today

Emergence of a Christian Architecture

September 29 – Proposed locations: Santa Costanza, Sant’Agnese fuori le Mura and catacombs (€3 fee)

Read for this class:

  • -        Ching. A Global History… pgs 237-239 Emergence of Christianity
  • -        Kostof. A History of Architecture: Settings and Rituals pgs 2-18 The Study of What We Built
  • -        Yarwood, Doreen.  The Architecture of Europe 14 pages of drawings of Rome

Submit journals for review

October 6 – No class – Fall Break

Development of Early Christian and Medieval Architecture

October 13 – Proposed locations: Santa Sabina and Santa Maria in Cosmedin

Read for this class:

  • -        Kostof. The Architect: Chapters in the History of the Profession pgs 59-95 The Architect in the Middle Ages, East and West

The Renaissance Architect in Search of the Ideal

October 20 – Proposed locations: Tempietto and Villa Farnesina (€4 fee)

Read for this class:

Architectural Practice in the High Renaissance

October 27 – Proposed locations: Il Gesu and Piazza del Campidoglio

Read for this class:

  • -        Alberti, Leone Battista. On the Art of Building in Ten Books 1452 pgs v-vi Editor’s Forward and xvii-xx Table of Contents
  • -        Wittkower, Rudolf.  Architectural Principals in the Age of Humanism1971 Introduction and Contents
  • -        Ching. A Global History… pgs 485-487 Italian High Renaissance

November 3 – Proposed locations: Saint Peter’s Basilica and Piazza

Read for this class:

  • -         Ching. A Global History…  pgs 458-459 St. Peter’s Basilica
  • -         Kostof. The Architect: Chapters in the History of the Profession pgs 124-160 The New Professionalism in the Renaissance

Submit journals for review

Baroque Architecture and the Integration of Complexity

November 10 – Proposed locations: San Carlino alle Quattro Fontagne and Sant’ Andrea al Quirinale

Read for this class:

  • -        Ching. A Global History…  pgs 502-506 Baroque Italy
  • -        Ching. A Global History…  pgs 638 Ecole Des Beaux-Arts
  • -        www.vasi.uoregon.edu review this interactive site comparing 18th century cartography with perspective prints of Rome

The Challenge of Modern Architecture in Rome

November 17  – Proposed location: Jubilee Church

Read for this class:

  • -        Ching A Global History… p. 690 Modernism, p.715 Italian Fascist Architecture, p. 746 Postmodernism
  • -        Rand, Ayn. The Fountainhead 1968 watch movie available from instructor (optional reading: novel is in LURC library)
  • -        Yarwood, Doreen.  The Architecture of Europe pgs 525-528  20th Century Architecture in Italy
  • -        http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4168 - interview w/Richard Meier re: Jubilee church
  • -        http://www.labiennale.org/en/architecture/exhibition/en/62184.html - Venice Biennale to take place 9/14-11/23/08 – Rome Exhibit: “The Uneternal City”

November 24  – Proposed locations: Palazzetto dello Sport, City of Music, Museum of the Arts of the 21st Century

Reading for this class:

The Current Practice of Architecture in Rome and the U.S.

December 1  – Proposed location: the Architectural office of Jean Nouvel. 

Read for this class:

  • -        http://howdesignworks.aia.org/casestudy-house.cfm watch American Institute of Architects (AIA) video on design process
  • -        AIA contract documents for DWA projects (handout)
  • -        Kidder, Tracy.  House 1985

Submit journals for review

Final Exam

December 9 - Location: Loyola Rome Center

Note:  Topics, class locations, specific readings, and dates are subject to change.

 

Photos of work examples.(pdf)