Theories of Architecture ARCH 3309

Course description:

This course has at its stake philosophical grounding in architecture, starting from the industrial revolution, through the rapid changes in the nineteenth century to the present time.It critically reviews philosophical foundation to emerged forms and shapes in architecture, in addition to analyzing architectural styles (including, for example, elements, construction, materials, concepts or functions) and schools of thought which emerged in 19th century and 20th century. The analysis illustrated in this course primarily deals with cultural factors, in addition to social, economic, political and technical aspects, which have contributed to the philosophical trends,Analysing the pioneer architects’ works, together with the strategy followed in each concept of the design aligned to their works.It examines urban trends in Arabic and Islamic countries and their relationship with the philosophical trends to found in the aftermath of industrial revolution, right from the 18th century.

Course Aims:

This course aims at: 
  • Identifying various architectural movements of thought in architecture in accord to angelo-american literature.
  • Highlighting the key aspects of architecture styles of 19th and 20th centuries, in addition to modern movements in art. 
  • Studying the key architects and their works of each style or school of thought, thereby touching upon the philisphicalderices behind the architecture elements, the construction system being used, how the function has been organized, the materials for construction being adopted and the asthetic part of each style.

Course outcomes:

The students upon completion of this course would be expected to:
  • Develop their own architecture design on the basis of philosophical trends and styles of architecture studied in this course.
  • Have depth of knowledge in the aspects related to each school of thoughanalysed in this course.
  • Be familiar with aspects related to the key styles of architecture, which includes modernism and postmodernism in architecture and their philsopical foundations.
  • Acquire report writing skills when required as part of the performance to organize reports on themes or topics covered in this course.
  • Gain analytical skills through the students analysing various architectural styles, as part of assessing their understanding.
  • Develop their skills of posing critiques through discussions citied throughout this course. 
  • Enhance their ability to handle architectural language and to be familiar with the works of key architects, particularly those who cite their works parallel to modernism and postmodernism.