Architectural Representation: Visualization and Description
(Architectural Perspective on Design)
Dr. Arch. Jonathan Letzter
Architecture is both a physical and conceptual entity, described and obtained through various visualizations of forms: from the architectural language of plans, sections, elevations, and perspectives to physical models and the architectural realization of projects.
This course addresses questions regarding conveying meanings and ideas through architecture: How has it been represented throughout the years? Is architecture the scenery, background, or the primary matter? Is physical architecture the essential component, or is its representation more critical?
The course examines architectural representation as manifested, illustrated, and described through content, context, and form. The discussion will reference architecture in different visual media: architectural drawings and models, paintings and visual art, literature and texts, videos and movies, photography, and music. Students will develop analytical skills and the ability to describe and critique architecture through different media.
Background
The way of seeing architecture (17.10.24)
The lesson examines the close connection between architecture and art, emphasizing how architecture not only serves as a physical structure but also as a visual representation of history and culture. It explores how early architectural historians approached architecture through an art historical lens, highlighting the significance of the "primitive hat." The lecture contrasts historiography with history, reflecting on how our understanding of architecture evolves.
Themes:
- The architectural Gaze
- Hierarchy in architecture
- The evolution of architectural language
Semper, Gottfried. Style in the Technical and Tectonic Arts; or, Practical Aesthetics (1860-62), trans. Harry Mulgrave (Los Angeles: Getty Institue, 2004).
Wölfflin, Heinrich. Principles of Art History: The Problem of the Development of Style in Later Art (Dover, 1950).
Zevi, Bruno. The Modern Language Of Architecture (Da Capo Press,1994).
Camillo Sitte, City Planning according to Artistic Principles (Phaidon, 1889).
Licitra Rosa, Carmelo,Et al. “From the Imaginary to Theory of the Gaze in Lacan.” Front Psychol, 2021; 12: 578277. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8042220/
Styhre, Alexander. "The architect's gaze: The maintenance of collective professional vision in the work of the architect." Culture and Organization, Volume 17, 4, 2011: https://doi.org/10.1080/14759551.2011.590304
Hieronymus Bosch, The Conjurer, 1502
Modeling and Perception: From Home to Unheimlich (24.10.2024)
The lesson delves into the intricate relationship between physical and virtual representations. It examines how both history and the present are portrayed through architectural models, exploring the concept of home and the connection between historic and contemporary buildings. The lesson illustrates how memory and abstraction are materialized in built form, highlighting how models, massing and proportions shape architectural experiences.
Themes:
- Virtual and Physical in architecture
- Architectural models
- OMA modeling
- House/home / Uncanny
- Robert Venturi’s Ghost Structures / Gordon Matta-Clark / Richard Wilson
- Rachel Whiteread - house
Venturi, Robert. Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture. (Museum of Modern Art, 1977).
Vidler, Anthony, The Architectural Uncanny: Essays in the Modern Unhomely (Mit Press, 1994).
Hays, K. Michael. “Critical Architecture: Between Culture and Form.” Perspecta, Vol. 21 (1984), pp. 14-29.
Vidler, Anthony. “Diagrams of Diagrams: Architectural Abstraction and Modern Representation.” Representations, 72 (Autumn, 2000).
Park, Eundeok. “Children's Drawings of Model Houses: A Developmental Study. Visual Arts Research.” Vol. 23, No. 1 (Spring 1997), pp. 62-72: https://www.jstor.org/stable/20715896
Lynn, Greg. Animate Form (Princeton Architectural Press, 1999).
Mies van der, model for Crown Hall in Chicago.
OMA, model for Taipei Performing Arts Center
Time and Memory in Architectural Representation (31.10.2024)
The lecture will focus on the themes of time and memory in architectural representation. The connection between historic buildings and modern additions shows how time is expressed in different architectural projects. How do architects represent time, both conceptually and physically? How can architecture evoke memory and nostalgia? What are the roles of decay, preservation, and ruin in architectural thinking?
Themes:
- Time as a Design Tool
- Critical Regionalism
- Addition to Historic buildings: Memory in architecture
- Promenade architecturale (The High Line, New York (2009))
- Materiality and the Passage of Time
- Maya Lin, Vietnam Veterans Memorial (1982)
- The Yokohama International Port Terminal – FOA (2002)
Giedion, Sigfried. Space, Time and Architecture: The Growth of a New Tradition (Harvard University Press, 1941).
Frampton, Kenneth. “Toward a Critical Regionalism: Six points for an architecture of resistance.” In: Docherty, Thomas. Postmodernism (Routledge, 1983).
Tzonis, Alexander; Lefaivre, Liane. Critical Regionalism: Architecture and Identity in a Globalised World (Prestel, 2003).
Rossi, Aldo. The Architecture of the City (MIT Press, 1982).
Picon, Antoine. The Materiality of Architecture (U of Minnesota Press, 2021).
Wigley, Mark. "Prosthetic Theory: The Disciplining of Architecture." Assemblage, August 1991, No. 15, pp. 6-29: https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/3171122.pdf
Letzter, Jonathan. "Additions to historic buildings: between parasite and prosthetic architecture." Journal of Architectural Conservation, Volume 29, 2023 - Issue 1, pp. 63-83: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13556207.2022.2095803
Crystal, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto
Le Corbusier, Visual Art Center Carpenter, 1963
Implications
Literature and Architecture (07.11.2024)
This lecture explores the intricate relationship between literature and architecture, focusing on how architectural spaces are depicted in texts. It examines the ways in which space, volume and scenery are described in literature to create vivid settings that enhance mood, symbolize deeper themes, and influence character development and plot dynamics.
Themes:
- Describing architecture:
- How architecture, space, volumes, scenery is being depicted in books and literature?
- What is the importance of knowing how to describe architecture?
- From text to physical and back - hermeneutic and Paul Ricœur
Follett, Ken. The Pillars of the Earth (New York: Penguin Publishing Group, 2010).
Kafka, Franz. The Castle (Berlin: S. Fischer Verlag, 1982).
Niffenegger, Audrey. The Time Traveler's Wife (New York: Scribner, 2003).
Oz, Amos. A Tale of Love and Darkness (the University of Virginia: Harcourt, 2004).
Rand, Ayn. The Fountainhead (Boston: Penguin Putnam, 1996).
Ruiz Zafón. Carlos. The Shadow of the Wind (Boston: Penguin Books, 2001).
George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four (London: Harvill Secker, 1949).
Carpo, Mario. Architecture in the Age of Printing (Cambridge, Mass.: The MIT Press, 2017).
Vitruvius, The Ten Books of Architecture, edited by Ingrid D. Rowland (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999).
Jorge Luis Borges, The Library of Babel (Editorial Sur, 1962).
Rand, Ayn. The Fountainhead
Exhibition and Architecture (14.11.2025)
This lecture explores the essential role of architectural exhibitions in conveying complex ideas and themes related to the built environment. It highlights the importance of effective curation in shaping public discourse, providing insights into how curators craft narratives that engage diverse audiences. Notable examples, such as the International Style Exhibition and the Venice Architecture Biennale, illustrate the impact of these exhibitions on architectural trends and public perception. Additionally, the lecture discusses how architectural exhibitions differ from other exhibitions by focusing on spatial representation and the intersection of aesthetics and social context. Through this exploration, students will gain a deeper understanding of the power of architectural exhibitions to inspire dialogue and appreciation for architecture.
Themes:
- Toward a Concrete Utopia: Architecture in Yugoslavia, 1948–1980 (MoMA, 2019)
- Modern Architecture: International Exhibition (MoMA, 1932)
- Architecture Without Architects (MoMA, 1964)
- Deconstructivist Architecture (MoMA, 1988)
Deconstructivist Architecture (MoMA, 1988)
Tour (21.11.2024)
A - Fuchsbau
B - Orpheus und Eurydike
C - Theodor-Dombart-Straße 2
D - Otto Steidle – Modulhaus Gentner Straße
Bayerischer Denkmal-Atlas: https://geoportal.bayern.de/denkmalatlas/
American Brutalism: https://www.jletzter.com/brutalism
Brutalismus in Deutschland: https://www.jletzter.com/german
A - Fuchsbau (1972)
Architects: Wilhelm Steinel
- Residential and commercial building.
- Three-armed, pyramid-shaped terraced building with eight floors in exposed concrete and striking balconies made of precast concrete, with a shop area projecting to the north on a polygonal floor plan
- 239 apartments of different sizes, communal roof terrace with swimming pool and ground-floor outdoor areas, by Wilhelm Steinel.
Three sculptures, by Lászlo Szabó, 1971.
B - Orpheus und Eurydike (1973)
Architects: Jürgen Freiherr von Gagern, Udo von der Mühlen and Peter Ludwig.
The two residential high-rise buildings, using prefabricated concrete panels, as exposed concrete. In addition to the private apartments, the residential complex includes a petrol station and a restaurant.
The Orpheus House is a 13-story high-rise building and has an oblique floor plan with bent balconies. The apartments are divided into 10 different types.
The Eurydike House is a 9-story building divided into two wings arranged at an oblique angle to each other with a staircase and elevator tower in between. Projections recesses, and deep balconies of different sizes structure the façade.
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wohnanlage_Orpheus_und_Eurydike
https://www.moderne-regional.de/die-liebe-in-zeiten-des-brutalismus/
C - Theodor-Dombart-Straße 2
D - Otto Steidle – Modulhaus Gentner Straße (1971)
Architect: Otto Steidle , Doris and Ralph Thut , Jens Freiberg, Gerhard Niese, Hans Rehm, Patrick Deby and Roland Somme.
- At the end of the 1960s, Munich was in a spirit of optimism and the preparations for the 1972 Olympic Games.
- The uncompromising design: Instead of conventional bricks, the supporting structure of the row of apartments was prefabricated as a modular, industrial construction system.
- Eight rows of up to four-story cantilever supports each were clamped into foundations. The supporting skeleton, in the service of spatial freedom, enabled open and therefore spacious rooms on staggered living levels.
- The modular construction on Genter Strasse is the purpose, not the goal, and the seemingly unfinished program.
Guest lecture - Details. Between Construction and Perception (28.11.2024)
Dr. Alberto Franchini
---Dies Academicus (5.12.24)
Cinema and Architecture (12.12.2024)
This lecture delves into the deep connection between architecture and cinema, exploring how both disciplines shape human experiences through the design of environments. It examines the role of architecture in film as more than just a backdrop, but as a crucial element in establishing mood, symbolizing themes, and enhancing narrative. The lecture discusses how cinema inspires architectural practice, from design innovation to the use of cinematic techniques in architectural visualization and concludes with an exploration of future trends, including virtual reality and the ethical implications of architectural representation in film.
Themes:
Mon Oncle, Jacques Tati (1958)
The girl from Situan, Orson Welles (1947)
The Truman Show, Peter Weir (1998)
Herzog & de Meuron in “Reflections on Architecture”, Amos Gitai (2016)
Belly of an Architect, Peter Greenaway (1987)
A Clockwork Orange, Stanley Kubrick (1971)
Roma, Federico Fellini (1972)
Snowpiercer, Bong Joon-ho (2014)
Gomorrah, Matteo Garrone (2008)
The Grand Budapest Hotel, Wes Anderson (2014)
Der Himmel über Berlin (Wings of Desire), Wim Wenders (1987)
Mon Oncle, Jacques Tati (1958)
Gomorrah, Matteo Garrone (2008)
Mass media and Architecture (19.12.24)
The lesson delves into understanding how mass media influences architecture, emphasizing critical thinking about media's impact on design and consumer behavior. It explores how media trends shape public expectations and drive space design. The lesson highlights how buildings can serve as brand advertisements and discusses the effects of media-driven design on consumer behavior, as well as the integration of media trends into architectural designs.
Themes:
-The right to the city
- The Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites, Los Angeles, John C. Portman Jr. (1977)
- Architectural journals and magazines
- Times Square, New York
- Apple Stores
Marshall McLuhan, The Medium is the Massage (London: Penguin Books, 1967)
Lefebvre Henri and Harvey, David. The Production of Space (New York: Wiley, 1991).
Bonaventure hotel
Christmas (25.12.2024)
Christmas (2.1.2025)
Photography and Architecture (9.1.2025)
Photography and architecture have a symbiotic relationship, each enhancing the appreciation of the other. Architectural photography is a specialized field that focuses on capturing buildings and other structures in a way that is aesthetically pleasing and informative. This lesson will cover the basics of architectural photography, including techniques, equipment, and the interplay between light and structure.
Themes:
Shulman, Julius. Architecture and Its Photography (Cologne: Taschen, 1998).
Michael Freeman. Photographer's Eye (Hachette: Ilex Press, 2007).
Eric de Mare, Architecture in Photography (Architectural Press, 1961).
Berenice Abbott, House of the Modern Age, Park Avenue & 29th Street (1936)
3/4 term (16.01.2025)
Music and architecture (23.01.2025)
This lecture explores the philosophical connections between architecture and music, two art forms that shape human experience through harmony, rhythm, and space. It examines how both disciplines balance order and chaos, create spatial and temporal experiences, and intersect in sacred spaces and concert halls. Through case studies like the Sydney Opera House, the lecture highlights the interplay between architecture and music, inviting students to see them as unified expressions of cultural and aesthetic values.
Representation of Gender in Architecture (30.01.2025)
This lecture explores the representation of gender in architecture, examining how built environments have historically reinforced gender roles and how contemporary design is evolving to be more inclusive. We will discuss the gendered nature of spaces, the challenges women and other marginalized groups face within the profession, and the importance of intersectionality in design. The lecture also considers future directions, such as flexible and participatory design, and the role of technology in creating more equitable spaces. Through this, we aim to understand how architecture can contribute to a more just and inclusive society.
Lilly Reich, Barcelona chair
Reflections
Final Presentation
