Lecture: Basics II - Focus on Housing (Summer Semester 2013)

The course “Building Theory” covers the defining elements of buildings and various building typologies. The course is primarily intended for architecture students, but is also specifically designed for students of urban planning and landscape architecture.

In the winter semester / basics I, fundamental topics are covered that form the building blocks of spatial choreography and are of central importance for the planning and design of buildings and open spaces. In the summer semester, students can choose between the advanced lecture series “Basics II” and the building theory seminar “BBBB <Structural Fire Protection and Accessible Design>.”

In Basics II, various building typologies—such as education, work, culture, and housing—are examined in greater detail. In SS 13, the focus is on residential construction, which, at approximately 60%, accounts for the lion’s share of the total construction volume and thus also of urban planning work in this country. Residential construction is both an everyday reality and highly complex—a challenging field that is intimately connected to people’s lives and thus requires sound architectural judgment. The lecture series covers the fundamentals and provides a comprehensive overview of the topic of housing as a foundation for students’ own conceptual and design approaches. The focus is on the interplay between urban planning conditions, open space, and building architecture, as well as on functional requirements and structural and construction characteristics. Examples from architectural history and the current landscape will be presented, and trends will be discussed. This course is intended for architects, landscape architects, and urban planners.

Maya Reiner (University Professor, Dipl.-Ing., M.Arch.)