The Architectural Imagination: Culture and Design
Discover how architecture reflects both cultural values and engineering innovation, from ancient monuments to modern marvels.
Discover how architecture reflects both cultural values and engineering innovation, from ancient monuments to modern marvels.
Delve into the world of architecture through Harvard's comprehensive course, The Architectural Imagination. This course offers a unique blend of cultural analysis and technical understanding, teaching you to interpret architecture as both an expression of social values and a feat of engineering. Through vivid analyses of exemplary buildings and hands-on exercises in drawing and modeling, you'll gain insight into the work of architects and historians. The curriculum covers a wide range of topics, from perspective drawing and architectural typology to the impact of technology on design and architecture's role in shaping collective memory. Whether you're considering architecture as an academic pursuit or a professional career, this course provides a solid foundation in architectural principles, history, and cultural significance.
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What you'll learn
Understand architecture as a cultural expression and technical achievement
Analyze different forms of architectural representation
Explore the social and historical contexts of major architectural works
Learn basic principles of architectural drawing and modeling
Examine the impact of technological innovations on architectural design
Understand architecture's role in shaping collective memory and meaning
Skills you'll gain
This course includes:
PreRecorded video
Graded assignments, exams
Access on Mobile, Tablet, Desktop
Limited Access access
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There are 10 modules in this course
This course offers a comprehensive exploration of architecture, examining it as both a cultural expression and a technical achievement. The curriculum is divided into three main parts. The first part introduces the concept of architectural imagination, covering topics such as perspective drawing, architectural typology, and the challenges of writing architectural history. The second part focuses on technology's role in architecture, exploring how innovations enable new aesthetic experiences and transform architectural possibilities. The final part examines architecture's complex relationship with its social and historical contexts, discussing its power of representation and ability to produce collective meaning and memory. Throughout the course, students will engage in hands-on exercises in drawing and modeling, and analyze exemplary buildings to understand architectural principles in practice. The course also touches on the professional aspects of architecture, providing insights valuable for both academic study and a career in the field.
The Architectural Imagination: An Introduction
Module 1
Reading Architecture: Column and Wall
Module 2
Hegel and Architectural History
Module 3
Aldo Rossi and Typology
Module 4
The Crystal Palace: Infrastructure and Detail
Module 5
The Dialectics of Glass and Steel
Module 6
Technology Tamed: Le Corbusier's Machines for Living
Module 7
Drawing Utopia: Visionary Architecture of the 18th Century
Module 8
The Pompidou Center in the City of Paris
Module 9
Presenting the Unrepresentable
Module 10
Fee Structure
Instructors
1 Course
Architectural Historian Bridging Architecture, Law, and Education at Harvard
Lisa Haber-Thomson is an Instructor in Architecture at Harvard University, specializing in architectural history and the intersection of architecture and law. As a PhD candidate in Architectural History and Theory at Harvard, her research focuses on the relationships between territory, law, and architecture, with her dissertation exploring incarceration architecture across the English Channel from 1642-1945. Haber-Thomson has taught courses in architectural history and design studio at Harvard, including co-teaching "HAA 11: Landmarks of World Architecture" with David Roxburgh. She has also been instrumental in developing online education initiatives, including her work on "The Architectural Imagination," a massive open online course (MOOC) offered through HarvardX. Her diverse background, which includes experience as an architect at Ateliers Jean Nouvel and as a video and sound editor, informs her multidisciplinary approach to teaching architecture. Haber-Thomson's courses likely blend historical analysis, legal perspectives, and practical design considerations, reflecting her unique expertise in the field.
1 Course
Influential Architectural Theorist and Harvard Professor Shaping the Field
K. Michael Hays is the Eliot Noyes Professor of Architectural Theory at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design, where he has been a pivotal figure in shaping architectural theory since 1988. As Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Interim Chair for the Department of Architecture, Hays has significantly influenced architectural education and scholarship. His research spans European and American modernism, critical theory, and contemporary architectural practice, with notable publications on architects like Hannes Meyer, Ludwig Hilberseimer, and Mies van der Rohe. Hays founded the influential journal Assemblage and served as the first Adjunct Curator of Architecture at the Whitney Museum of American Art. His major works, including "Architecture's Desire: Reading the Late Avant-Garde" and "Architecture Theory Since 1968," have become foundational texts in the field. With degrees from Georgia Institute of Technology and MIT, Hays has led Harvard's PhD program and Advanced Independent Study Programs, cementing his role as a key figure in architectural education and theory for over three decades.
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4.8 course rating
117 ratings
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