MARCH640 BT: Material Practice of Arch

This seminar will investigate the dynamic relationship between a building's form, production, and performance. Throughout history, there have been certain architects, designers, and engineers who have attempted to integrate how a building looks with how it is made with what is actually does. Their works constitutes what can be called the material practice of architecture and serves contemporary practices with a model of integrative design methods. In the work of architects such as Antonio Gaudi, Eladio Dieste, and Frei Otto, it is impossible to separate the geometric definition of the building from how it was fabricated to how it performs as a piece of architecture. These prototypical practices will be placed within the larger context of the history and theory of building technologies in order to obtain a more complete understanding of their contribution to contemporary design thinking and methodology. The class is organized into three consecutive modules. The course will begin with the history and theory of material practices, transition into a look at contemporary strategies and tactics of integrative design, and conclude with individual research projects exploring a specific course topic.