History of architecture: contemporary [15h] [ LAUCE1302 ]

The course will describe and analyse architectural systems designed in the past several decades, and in particular the most recent period. The course will look at domestic, monumental, public and urban architectures, as well as approaches to landscape. The course will make explicit the theoretical, philosophical, social and cultural issues in regard to the examples used, and will develop a critical perspective on them. The course will be based on the use of traditional architectural tools and views: the plan, the section, the elevation.

By the end of this course, students will be able to: Recognize the movements, schools of thought, and singularities that are active in current architectural practice, both internationally and in Belgium. Identify what is at stake in these different movements, regarding questions of habitation, of architectonic structure, modes of construction, and of participation in the context of public space. Make progress toward the constitution of a personal analytical and critical position.