Architectural History

6 ECTS credits
150 h study time

Offer 1 with catalog number 1020898BEW for working students in the 2nd semester at a (B) Bachelor - advanced level.

Semester

2nd semester

Enrollment based on exam contract

Possible

Grading method

Grading (scale from 0 to 20)

Can retake in second session

Yes

Enrollment Requirements

NOTE: registration for this course is only possible for working students. Day students can register for courses whose code ends with an R. At Inschrijven / studentenadministratie@vub.be you must be registered at the VUB as a working student for the current academic year.

Taught in

Dutch

Faculty

Faculty of Languages & Humanities

Department

History, Archaeology, Arts, Philosophy and Ethics

Educational team

Pieter Martens (course titular)

Activities and contact hours

26 contact hours Lecture

Course Content

This course offers a general overview of European architecture from antiquity to the twentieth century.

The first lectures give a concise thematic introduction to classical (Greek, Roman) and medieval (Early Christian, Romanesque, Gothic) architecture, with a focus on those aspects that are crucial for understanding the architecture of later periods (e.g. the classical orders, the evolution of the basilica, longitudinal versus central church plans, trabeated versus arcuated structures, the development of different types of vault, etc.).

Then follows a more extensive and systematic survey of European architecture from the 15th century onwards. This survey largely follows the main movements and style periods (Renaissance, Baroque, Neoclassicism, Gothic Revival, Industrial Revolution, Art Nouveau, Modernism, etc.), but goes beyond a purely encyclopaedic approach by including also more in-depth discussions of selected issues. The canonical buildings and chief actors (architects, patrons, theorists) are discussed and situated in their cultural and historical context. The characteristics of the major movements and style periods, and the related architectural terms and concepts, are explained.

In this course architecture is regarded as an interplay of form, function and construction. Attention is devoted not only to the formal (artistic, aesthetic, decorative) aspects of buildings and style periods, but also to functional requirements and constructive principles. Moreover, this course emphasizes the spatial, three-dimensional nature of architecture. A considerable part of the illustrative material therefore consists of architectural drawings (ground plans, cross sections, elevations, axonometries, perspective views, 3D models, etc.). The student develops a visual memory and learns how to ‘read’ architecture from the past. The selected cases illustrate also the diversity of approaches and research methods used by architectural historians.

The student is expected to study parts of the textbook independently. The lectures complement the textbook and provide more in-depth analyses and comparisons. The course usually includes also an excursion in Brussels during which selected historical buildings are studied on site.

Course material

Handbook (Required) : De Westerse architectuur, Een geschiedenis, David Watkin, 2de druk, Sun, 9789024441983, 2021
Digital course material (Required) : Slides met afbeeldingen en architectuurtekeningen; lesopnames; lijst met bouwkundige termen, gebouwen en architecten; leeswijzer bij het handboek. Dit alles wordt beschikbaar gemaakt, Pieter Martens (red.), Canvas

Additional info

The textbook must be used but does not necessarily have to be newly bought; it is always available the university library. Students may also use the original English edition of the textbook if they prefer: David Watkin, A History of Western Architecture (6th edition), London: Laurence King Publishing, 2015 ISBN 9781782675978.

For more information about the specifics of this course, see Canvas.

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge, insight, competence

The student has a general knowledge of the development of European architecture from antiquity to the present.

The student has insight in the major movements, style periods and turning points of Europe’s architectural history and is able to interpret the main stylistic characteristics and technical aspects of the architecture form these different periods.

The student has a developed visual memory and can recognize canonical buildings from the history of Western architecture on the basis of images (photographs and architectural drawings); the student can correctly situate these buildings in their broader cultural, historical and social context; the student can cite these buildings as examples in a broader discussion and can compare them in a meaningful way with other canonical buildings.

The student has insight in long-term developments and continuities, across stylistic periods, of architectural concepts, building types, construction methods, and ornamental motifs.

The student is familiar with the most important actors (architects) of Europe’s architectural history and can situate them correctly in their broader cultural and historical context.

The student is capable of correctly explaining, employing and illustrating architectural terms.

The student can read and interpret architectural drawings (plans, sections, elevations, axonometries, perspective views).

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Written Exam determines 100% of the final mark.

Within the Written Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

written exam with a relative weight of 100 which comprises 100% of the final mark.

Note: mondeling examen en oefening

Additional info regarding evaluation

The exam (written) comprises questions of diverse character. For example: identification of canonical buildings on the basis of images (photographs, architectural drawings); open question assessing insight and ability to synthesize or compare larger issues or developments; question about a concept, movement, style period or protagonist; question on terminology.

Allowed unsatisfactory mark

The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context