History of Architecture : from the origins to the Middle Ages

Note from June 29, 2020
Although we do not yet know how long the social distancing related to the Covid-19 pandemic will last, and regardless of the changes that had to be made in the evaluation of the June 2020 session in relation to what is provided for in this learning unit description, new learnig unit evaluation methods may still be adopted by the teachers; details of these methods have been - or will be - communicated to the students by the teachers, as soon as possible.

3 credits

30.0 h

Teacher(s)

Pouillon Henry;

Language

French

Main themes

Introduction to the theological, ideological and theoretical stances which inform works from Antiquity and the Middle Ages

The beginnings of architecture
Pharaonic Egypt: petrified eternity
Hellenic Antiquity: divine perfection of proportion
The Roman world: a universal and imperial construction
Paleochristian conversion: the renewal of meaning
Byzantine synthesis: Hellenism, Roman culture, Orientalism, Christianity
Isla : abstract expression of the divine
Romanesque experiments: Christianity made manifest
Gothic exaltation: structured use of light

Aims

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :

The History of Architecture teaching unit is designed to provide a set of references. It will however avoid considering history as merely a reservoir of examples, but attempt to analyse 'historically', i.e. to put these examples in their context to gain better understanding of their complex meaning.

The main objective of the unit is to ask questions and attempt to understand architecture, as a complex phenomenon, of an intellectual, physical and social kind, and its meaning. This will be done by taking a strictly historical approach.
Specific learning outcomes:
By the end of this course, students are able to

understand and use the vocabulary of art, architecture and urbanism.
identify and name the main (typical) stylistic characteristics of an artistic, architectural or urbanistic work in the period being studied.
logically place, in time and space, architecture and town developments representative of the period being studied.
explain the meaning of a work by putting it back in context, namely by understanding the whys and wherefores which shaped it.
place unfamiliar examples by referring them to familiar models.
convey the link between art history and the political, economic and social organisation of society.

Contribution to the learning outcome reference framework:
Build knowledge of architecture

Be familiar with and analyse the basic references
Be able to use given references which, by analogy, can lead to other interpretations of the context

Place the action

Analyse the environments and contexts according to various given methods and starting from various identified points of view

Make use of other subjects

Make use of other subjects to ask questions about the design and implementation of an architectural project

Use the technical dimension

Observe and assess the main construction principles of a building

The contribution of this Teaching Unit to the development and command of the skills and learning outcomes of the programme(s) can be accessed at the end of this sheet, in the section entitled “Programmes/courses offering this Teaching Unit”.

Bibliography

Von MEISS (P.), De la forme au lieu. Une introduction à l'étude de l'architecture, Lausanne, 1993.
TARICAT (J.), Histoires d'architecture, [Parenthèses], 2004 .
NORBERG-SCHULZ (Ch.), La signification dans l'architecture occidentale, Bruxelles-Liège, 1977.
CHEYNUT (J.) et LEFEVRE (P), Parcours d'architectes, Paris, [Le Cavalier Bleu], 2012.
DONNADIEU (B.), L'apprentissage du regard. Leçons d'architecture de Dominique Spinetta, Paris, 2002.

Faculty or entity

LOCI

Programmes / formations proposant cette unité d'enseignement (UE)

Title of the programme

Sigle

Credits

Prerequisites

Aims

Bachelor in Architecture (Tournai)

ARCT1BA