ITALIAN HILL TOWNS Summer 2003 July Session
(UNLV course number = AAE 496 Special Topics in Architectural History and Theory)
Credits 2
Type of Course Architectural History, Summer 2003
Time Variable; lectures and field trips scheduled during 5 weeks in Italy
Instructor Janet R. White
Prerequisites none
Course Description Exploration of urban space and form-making through analysis of historical urban sites. Emphasis on developing techniques of spatial analysis as well as an understanding of the built environment as a cultural creation.
NAAB Criteria 10. Western traditions Understanding of the Western architectural canons and traditions in architecture, landscape and urban design, as well as the climatic, technological, socioeconomic, and other cultural factors that have shaped and sustained them 2. Research Skills Ability to employ basic methods of data collection and analysis to inform all aspects of the programming and design process
Completion Req.s Students will be expected to attend lectures and participate in scheduled field trips. A sketchbook/journal will be required, as well as exercises in observation, documentation, and spatial analysis of urban form. Course Description:
This course approaches the study of urban form by way of both historical study and on-site observation. Doing field work in significant historic hill towns in Italy, students will develop answers to questions such as:
1. How does the urban form of these communities express their political/social/ cultural context, both current and historical?
2. What are the unique spatial experiences offered by the built form of these towns? What common formal elements contribute to the nature and quality of their public space? What is the impact of their physical context (geography, topology, climate) on their urban form?
Course lectures will take place at USAC and during field trips. Day, overnight, and weekend field trips will be scheduled to historic towns. All students are required to participate in the Heart of Italy tour prior to beginning the July session in Turin, which will include visits to Florence, Siena, Pienza, Lucca and Viareggio. Other field trip sites may vary due to circumstances; possible towns include San Gimignano, Albenga, Santa Margherita, Portofino, Vigevano, Pavia, and Mantua.
Readings:
Required readings will be posted through the UNLV Electronic Reserves system, accessed through the UNLV web site
Materials:
It is not easy to get architectural/drawing supplies in Turin. Students should bring with them:
11X 14 hard-cover sketchbook 6 X 9 sketchbook (spiral bound to lie flat is preferred type) 4 mechanical pencils/lead holders and leads in 2H, H, HB, B; lead sharpener Color pencils -- minimum: red, yellow, blue, green, orange, brown, black; pencil sharpener Black sketching markers, assorted tip widths Optional: other rendering media as desired, such as felt-tipped markers, pastels Pink Pearl or other soft eraser Kneaded eraser Erasing shield Glue stick
Major Assignments:
The primary assignment will be keeping a sketchbook/journal in which the student will record observations, sketches, lecture notes, etc. relevant to the questions outlined in the course description. The information gathered will be used as the basis for two graphic exercises in socio-spatial analysis and a final analysis project .
Grading:
Exercise 1 15% Exercise 2 15% Final Project 60% Active participation 10%
Calendar:
July 1-5 Heart of Italy Tour Pisa, Florence, Siena, San Gimignano, Pienza, Lucca, Viareggio
Readings: Howard Saalman, Medieval Cities, pp. 12-41. David Waley, The Italian City-Republics, Introduction and Ch. 1 “The Legacy of Power,” pp. 7-21.
July 7 School Orientation July 8 First lecture class: Introduction, The Roman and the Episcopal City
July 10 One day field trip - Albenga
July 11-12 Overnight field trip – Italian Riviera Santa Margherita, Portofino, Monterosso al Mare (Cinque Terre)
Readings: Waley, Chapter 3 “Government,” pp 56-74. Kevin Lynch, The Image of the City, pp. 46-85.
July 14 The City of the Commune July 15 Case Study: The Political and Urban Design History of Mantua – Exercise 1 due in class
July 17-18 Overnight field trip - Mantua (Thursday after lunch through Friday late afternoon)
Readings: Lauro Martinez, Power and Imagination: City States in Renaissance Italy, Ch. XII “The Princely Courts,” pp. 218-237.
July 21 The City of the Prince July 22 Case Study: The Political and Urban Design History of Lucca – Exercise 2 due in class
July 25-26 Field Trip - Piedmont Countryside
Readings: Christine Smith, Architecture in the Culture of Early Humanism, Ch. 6 “Varietas and the Design of Pienza,” pp. 98-129. Wolfgang Braunfels, Urban Design in Western Europe: Regime and Architecture, 900-1900, Ch. 6 “Seats of a Princely Court,” pp. 186-193.
July 28 The Renaissance City July 29 Case Studies: The Political and Urban Design History of Pienza and Vigevano
July 30 ??Tentative – day trip to Vigevano
July 31 Final Project/Sketchbook due