Why study architecture in a class on
visual culture?
The built environment is an incredibly important part of the
visual world we inhabit.
We need some understanding of the
physical places where we spend our time.
Actual space Virtual, mediated space
Why study architecture in a
class on visual culture?
Our actions &
behaviors
are
organized &
shaped by
the spaces
we inhabit.
Architecture is the most social
of the arts.
It governs how we live together and the
circumstances under which we
encounter each other.
What approach is best to take?
Through specialized terminology used in architecture?
e.g., flying buttress
Through ways architects visualize the finished product?
Typologically, through the different kinds of buildings?
• single family vs. multifamily residence
• church vs. courthouse
• library vs. stadium
Through the physics underlying technological innovation?
• post and beam
• arch
• dome
One introductory approach:
learn specialized vocabulary
Cathedral construction Skyscraper construction
Another approach: how do architects communicate
visual information about their designs?
PLAN
SECTION
Today, many architects use AutoCAD or REVIT, which permits
rendering in three dimensions alongside many other features.
building typologiesClassifying the variety of architectural forms by type, for example:
Religious vs. secular
Residential vs. commercial
a third possible approach
These typologies are
remarkably durable over time.Champaign County
Courthouse, Urbana, IL, 1901 Palazzo Vecchio
dome
Filippo BRUNELLESCHI
"Duomo," Santa Maria del
Fiore, Florence, Italy
1419-1436
WATCH a video about
Brunelleschi's engineering
of this dome.
LEARN MORE about the
history of this amazing
structure.
Frank Gehry
(born 1929)Born in Toronto, Canada
Moved to Los Angeles at 18
Multifaceted career as truck
driver, designer, architect,
Frank Owen Gehry
in 3 works1. Gehry House, Santa Monica, 1985
2. Dancing House, Prague, 1996
3. Walt Disney Concert Hall, LA, 2003 [next class]
The Dancing HouseProminent location in Prague
Completed in 1996
Funded by ING with almost unlimited budget
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