The course offers a historical and critical overview of the transformations in architecture between the fifteenth and nineteenth centuries. It is conceived as a chronological continuation of the previous course, with the aim of providing a solid theoretical foundation for understanding the relationships between architecture, culture, territory and time, as well as the processes that have shaped ways of inhabiting and building throughout history.
Through the study of different cultural and territorial contexts developed between the fifteenth and nineteenth centuries, the course will analyse transformations in the conception of space, the representation of power, systems of knowledge, construction techniques and forms of architectural production. Rather than approaching history as a succession of styles or self-contained periods, the course proposes understanding it as a set of interrelated historical processes that make it possible to interpret the continuities, ruptures and cultural transfers that have shaped the built environment.
Learning will be developed through the interpretation of texts, research projects and classes held both inside and outside the classroom, encouraging an understanding grounded in lived experience. The course seeks to connect architectural thought with its cultural, territorial and temporal contexts and to promote a sensitive, critical and informed perspective on the historical transformations that continue to influence contemporary ways of inhabiting and designing.
Titular Professors
Professors
It is recommended that students have previously completed:
HISTORY 1. Introduction to Architecture / THEORY. History I: Introduction to Architecture
- • To understand the architectural transformations that took place between the fifteenth and nineteenth centuries through the relationships between architecture, culture, territory and time.
• To analyse the evolution of ways of inhabiting, representing and building in different historical, social and cultural contexts.
• To develop a critical reading of architecture and heritage as expressions of historical and territorial processes.
• To encourage an interdisciplinary approach that connects architecture with history, art, philosophy and other fields of knowledge.
• To promote active learning through the analysis of texts, documents and representations, as well as through visits to the built environment.
• To develop a critical and informed perspective on the traces of the past as a tool for understanding and intervening in the present.
TOPIC 01. INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE AND PRESENTATION OF THE PRACTICAL PROJECT
01_01 General introduction to the course
Presentation of the objectives, contents, teaching methodology and assessment system.
01_02 Presentation of the practical project
Explanation of the objectives, work stages and assessment criteria. Organisation of teams and assignment of case studies.
TOPIC 02. THE HISTORIC CITY AND ITS BOUNDARIES
02_01 Formation and transformation of the historic city
Analysis of urban growth, city walls and the configuration of the city’s boundaries.
02_02 Development of the practical project
Introduction to urban and architectural analysis and definition of the historical and territorial framework of the case studies.
TOPIC 03. RENAISSANCE (I). HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXT
03_01 Cultural and architectural principles of the Renaissance
Humanism, perspective, rationality, proportion and the main artistic and urban transformations.
03_02 Development of the practical project
Historical, urban and architectural contextualisation of the case studies.
TOPIC 04. ARCHITECTURE, INFRASTRUCTURE AND THE CITY
04_01 Architecture and the construction of the city
Analysis of the relationships between architecture, infrastructure, economic activity, defence and urban development.
04_02 Development of the practical project
Work with documentary, graphic and historical sources and preparation of the first phase of analysis.
TOPIC 05. RENAISSANCE (II). QUATTROCENTO
05_01 Architecture and the city in the Quattrocento
Study of the main centres of cultural production and the urban and architectural models associated with humanist thought.
05_02 Development of the practical project
Graphic and morphological analysis of the works. Proportion, composition and systems of representation.
TOPIC 06. CROSS-DISCIPLINARY LECTURE
06_01 Lecture organised by the Theory area
Cross-disciplinary session related to the historical, cultural and architectural contents developed during the course.
06_02 Development of the practical project
Debate and critical reflection on the contents of the lecture and their relationship with the case studies.
TOPIC 07. RENAISSANCE (III). CINQUECENTO
07_01 Consolidation of Renaissance models
Study of urban transformations and the main architectural models of the Cinquecento.
07_02 Development of the practical project
Further development of the architectural analysis and critical review of the work.
TOPIC 08. TERRITORY, TOPOGRAPHY AND URBAN LANDSCAPE
08_01 Territorial reading of the city
Analysis of the relationships between topography, landscape, infrastructure, urban growth and the construction of the city’s image.
08_02 Development of the practical project
Application of territorial and landscape-based readings to the analysis of the case studies.
TOPIC 09. BAROQUE (I). POLITICAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXT
09_01 Cultural and architectural principles of the Baroque
Counter-Reformation, theatricality, the rhetoric of space and the main urban and architectural transformations.
09_02 Development of the practical project
Graphic and material development of the work and review of the spatial interpretation of the buildings.
TOPIC 10. ARCHITECTURE, POWER AND INSTITUTION
10_01 Institutional architecture and representation
Analysis of the relationships between space, power, representation and the construction of public image.
10_02 Development of the practical project
Critical review of the relationship between architecture, institution and representation in the case studies.
TOPIC 11. BAROQUE (II). ARCHITECTURE AND THE CITY
11_01 Urban transformations and Baroque architecture
Study of the main figures and works of the Baroque and of the city as a political, religious and cultural stage.
11_02 Development of the practical project
Final development of the model, graphic material and dossier.
TOPIC 12. SYNTHESIS AND FINAL PRESENTATION
12_01 Final cross-disciplinary session
Synthesis and critical reflection on the contents developed throughout the course.
12_02 Final presentation of the practical project
Presentation of the work, joint assessment and conclusion of the course.
The course will combine theoretical classes, critical reading of texts, debates, practical exercises and visits, with the aim of ensuring active and progressive learning. It seeks to foster both conceptual understanding and the practical application of the contents through a teaching structure that integrates the classroom and the city as complementary learning environments.
The methodology is based on an inclusive understanding of education and promotes an open, participatory learning environment that respects the diversity of the student body. Equal opportunities, a gender perspective, active participation and the exchange of different viewpoints will be encouraged, with the classroom understood as a space for critical reflection and shared learning.
Tuesdays (12:00–14:00)
Tuesday sessions will be organised into thematic units combining the development of theoretical contents with activities outside the classroom. Each topic will begin with the presentation and discussion of its fundamental concepts and will continue with a visit to an urban, architectural or heritage site directly related to the contents studied. This organisation aims to encourage a situated and critical understanding of architectural history by establishing a direct connection between theoretical knowledge and the experience of the territory.
Wednesdays (09:00–11:00)
Wednesday sessions will be devoted to the development of an ongoing group project throughout the semester. This project will be closely connected to the course contents and will allow students to apply the knowledge acquired through exercises involving analysis, representation, research and critical reflection. The sessions will be used to guide the work, carry out regular reviews and support the learning process of each group.
This methodological approach aims to encourage the active involvement of students by combining observation, analysis, discussion and the production of knowledge through a constant relationship between theory and practice.
In addition, two lecture sessions shared across the entire Theory area will take place during the semester. Invited professionals will address issues related to architecture, the city and critical thought from different disciplinary perspectives. These activities will complement the course contents and bring students into contact with contemporary approaches and current debates.
• Final written examination (30%)
• Group practical project —dossier and oral presentation— (40%)
• Attendance and active participation in theoretical sessions, practical sessions and visits (15%)
• Monitoring and development of individual work throughout the course (15%)
- (0.0): this grade is reserved for cases derived from the application of disciplinary sanctions.
- Not Presented (NP): this grade will be assigned when a student has not participated in a sufficient number of assessment activities. As a general criterion, the number of assessment activities will be considered sufficient if the highly significant assessment activities in which the student has participated represent an aggregate weight equal to or greater than 50% of the total weight of the highly significant assessment activities.
- Honours Distinction (MH): this distinction may be awarded to students who have obtained a grade equal to or higher than 9.0, according to the criteria of the teaching staff responsible for the course or the Assessment Board.
The assessment will take the following aspects into account:
• Ability to understand, analyse and interpret the course contents.
• Ability to relate and contextualise urban, architectural and historical processes.
• Development of well-founded critical thinking and the ability to articulate it clearly.
• Quality and coherence of graphic representation and oral and written communication.
• Active participation, involvement in individual and group work, and attendance at theoretical sessions, practical sessions and visits.
RESIT ASSESSMENT
Students who do not pass the course during the semester may take the resit assessment, in which they must demonstrate that they have acquired the fundamental theoretical and practical contents of the course.
Roth, L. M. (1993). Understanding Architecture: Its Elements, History, and Meaning. New York: Icon Editions.
Berger, J. (1972). Ways of Seeing. London: British Broadcasting Corporation and Penguin Books.
Curtis, W. J. R. (1996). Modern Architecture Since 1900 (3rd ed.). London: Phaidon Press.
Federici, S. (2004). Caliban and the Witch: Women, the Body and Primitive Accumulation. Brooklyn, NY: Autonomedia.
Fletcher, C. (2020). The Beauty and the Terror: An Alternative History of the Italian Renaissance. London: The Bodley Head.
Gombrich, E. H. (1995). The Story of Art (16th ed.). London: Phaidon Press.
Heydenreich, L. H., & Lotz, W. (1974). Architecture in Italy, 1400–1600. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books.
Nochlin, L. (2021). Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists? (50th Anniversary Edition). London: Thames & Hudson. (Original essay published in 1971).
Wittkower, R. (1999). Art and Architecture in Italy, 1600–1750 (6th ed., 3 vols.). New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Heydenreich, L. H., & Lotz, W. (1996). Architecture in Italy, 1400–1600. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Nochlin, L. (2021). Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists? (50th Anniversary Edition). London: Thames & Hudson. (Original essay published in 1971).
Wittkower, R. (1999). Art and Architecture in Italy, 1600–1750 (6th ed.). New Haven: Yale University Press.