Class Theory of Architecture 3.1

Teoria 3.1 (Theory of Architecture) belongs to the field of architectural theory and criticism, focusing on the period between the early 1960s and the present. The unit works on the formation of the architecture student's critical thinking: the capacity to read a theoretical text as an argument and to identify the presuppositions of a position. It is a course unit on the analysis of discourses and methods. It addresses the critical reading of primary sources, the methods of analysis of the built territory, particularly those developed for reading a real urban area, and the forms of critical discourse beyond the text - the architecture exhibition, documentary film and analytical drawing as instruments of argument.

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Topic 1 - The crisis of the functional city and the revision of modern orthodoxy. Jane Jacobs (1961) Topic 2 - Looking at the ordinary: analytical method and the suspension of judgement. Venturi (1966); Venturi, Scott Brown and Izenour (1972) Topic 3 - Type, permanence and the city as construction in time. Rossi (1966) Topic 4 - The expansion of the disciplinary field. Hollein (1968); Banham (1965, 1969); architecture as infrastructure, servicing and norm. Topic 5 - Postmodernism: language, historiography and reception. Jencks (1977)

All contact hours of this UC are devoted to theoretical teaching. The methodologies described are implemented through lectures, guided discussion, and seminar sessions. The exercises are carried out as autonomous student work within the allocated hours. a) Expository sessions conclude with a synthesis that translates the content into an operative question addressed to the ongoing work in the Design Studio CU. b) Study visits are coordinated across the different teaching activities. c) In the EG sessions, discussion will require each group to consider divergent positions, with assessment focusing on the quality of the argumentation and the ability to respond to objections. d) Study visits constitute expository sessions conducted outside the university premises, with commentary guided by the lecturer. e) Critical GenAI literacy. f) Moodle platform for the provision of primary texts, reading guides, briefs and assessment feedback, following an inverted classroom approach.

Bristol, K. G. (1991). The Pruitt-Igoe myth. Journal of Architectural Education, 44(3), 163-171. Hollein, H. (1968). Alles ist Architektur. Bau, 23(1/2). Jacobs, J. (1961). The death and life of great American cities. New York: Random House. [Ed. portuguesa: Morte e vida de grandes cidades. São Paulo: Martins Fontes.] Jencks, C. (1977). The language of post-modern architecture. London: Academy Editions. Rossi, A. (1966). L'architettura della città. Padova: Marsilio. [Ed. portuguesa: A arquitectura da cidade. Lisboa: Edições Cosmos.] Venturi, R. (1966). Complexity and contradiction in architecture. New York: The Museum of Modern Art. Venturi, R., Scott Brown, D., & Izenour, S. (1972). Learning from Las Vegas. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.