The subject offers a thematic inquiry into architectural and urban theory in the broader context of
philosophical schools of thought and cultural and social conditions, which include modernism,
postmodernism, phenomenology, semiotics, post-structuralism, deconstruction and critical
regionalism. These themes will guide the organization of weekly lecture and discussions, which will
proceed from the establishment of a basic theoretical apparatus to the examination of specific
cases. These will supply us with tools for the analysis of specific architectural situations. Students
will develop a written synopsis of a designated reading, and an in-depth and analytical research
paper on the designated topic.
The teaching objectives of the module are:
1. To engage students with relevant theories which have shaped cities and experience around
architecture, including its role as mediator between our society and its architecture
2. To provide critical perspectives on key issues within the contemporary discourse of architecture,
through integration of case-studies and theoretical studies
3. To enhance the understanding of the complexity of architecture and the ability to undertake
independent research
Projects:
Students are required to present an in-depth and analytical research study on the designated
topic. Students are to explore the image of a city based on Kevin Lynch’s most famous work,
The Image of the City (1960). The project consisted of 2 parts; the first is to identify Lynch’s 5
elements; path, edges, districts, nodes and landmarks within a selected city and the second part
is to produce an essay with a cognitive map of the city
Part A
Part B
Subsequent to each thematic lecture, students are required to submit a synopsis in the form
of reaction paper. Its aim is for the students to read a selected reading in relation to the theme
that has been discussed in class for the week and submit a reaction paper of the text. There
will be a total of 4 synopses.
Reflections:
This module gave us a whole new perspective towards the fundamentals of urbanity and its issues which affects us humans, both consciously and unconsciously. The 5 elements brought up by Kevin Lynch will be very useful to our site analysis methods and ideas of point taking in the future.
