ARCH 509, Section 15

Devils and Details: Scarpa/Plecnik
Winter 2022
Instructors: Neal Robinson
Term: Winter 2022
Section: 15
Class Number: 509
Credits: 3
Required: No
Elective: Yes
Meets: Fri 8:30-11:30am  West Review
Course Brief:

This course utilizes lectures, readings, student presentations, and micro construction exercises to look closely at the spatial production of Carlo Scarpa (Italian 1906-1978) and his “personal” language of construction. Specifically, the course will focus attention on the small, slow, and enigmatic details employed as testaments to both body and place. 

The course is divided into three stanzas. The first concentrates on the influence of culture, context, and intellectual friendships that shaped the architect’s pursuit. Starting from the theoretical work of Gottfried Semper (1803-79) and continuing to the Italian post-WWII experience, identity politics of the early twentieth century will ground this stanza. The second stanza consists of in-depth analysis and subsequent student-led presentations of a series of testimonial works and situational texts. Presentations include the study of drawing techniques, exhibition design, and social positioning. The last section of the course involves the production of an original detail or joint resolution by each enrolled student.  Scale varies

Readings will be PDF files shared via the Slack /Canvas