PS Research Skills

Tim Altenhof, Bettina Schlorhaufer, Andreas Rumpfhuber, Marco Russo, Elmar Kossel, Petra Mayrhofer

Introduction to scientific work; classification and evaluation of a research topic; systematic literature search; rules of good scientific practice and proper citation.

VO Architectural Theory 1

Bettina Schlorhaufer

In the Architecture Theory 1 course, students gain an overview of various architectural theory positions between approximately 1750 and 1900. 

The focus is on the theme of reform, i.e. the efforts of architects and other participants in social, economic and cultural discourses to initiate improvements to and within our (built) living environments.

SL Cultural Studies

Peter Volgger

The Cultural Studies lecture series offers an interdisciplinary perspective on the cultural forces that shape our present. It focuses on key topics such as media ecology and fashion as expressions of social dynamics and Marxist analyses of capitalism. In addition, it addresses issues of public space, philosophy of nature and the role of culture in social debates. Other focal points include the cultural construction of nature and landscape in the Anthropocene era, ecological issues in connection with media architecture and care ecologies according to Guattari, as well as postcolonialism and migration as sites of cultural hybridity and identity formation. The series combines theoretical reflections with concrete case studies and artistic positions. It shows how culture emerges, works and changes – and invites us to reinterpret the everyday world.

PJ Design Studio 2

Mathieu Wellner

HABITUS

The content of this course focuses on the analysis of the everyday practices of individuals, working within the field of architecture. Central to the course is the question of the attitude underlying architectural action: why do actors behave in particular ways? Pierre Bourdieu conceptualizes this underlying “why” as an internalized system of dispositions, which he terms habitus. The objective of the course is to analyze, critically question, and empirically investigate the motives of architectural practice, as well as to document and, where appropriate, simulate these processes. The investigation of internalized patterns, such as habitus, forms the guiding motif of our research.

For further information LFU:Online

SE Selected Topics in Architecture: Passion and Ideology - Selected Texts on Philosophy and Architectural Theory. A reading seminar.

Marco Russo

Passion and ideology

For Pier Paolo Pasolini, passion, as an existential-affective force and ideology, as a determined ideological positioning, are productive forces of literary creation. In his work Passione e Ideologia (Garzanti, 1960), he examines the extent to which social and historical developments shape literary and ultimately cultural production and how this in turn affects society.

Applied to architecture, we find that it is used again and again to transport ideological messages and shape social narratives. There are plenty of examples of this: think of the rationalist architecture of Italian fascism, the monumental buildings of the Third Reich, socialist classicism, but also projects such as Brasília, the "Grand Projets" under Françoise Mitterand, The Line in Saudi Arabia or the US program "Making Federal Architecture Beautiful Again".

The tension between passion and ideology intensifies when we take a look at media and infrastructure networks within which communication takes place and unfolds. As Erik Davis already outlined in his book "Techgnosis" at the end of the 1990s, cyberspace is not a neutral place, but one permeated by myths, affects and ideological narratives, in which libertarianism and techno-solutionism collide with promises of salvation on growth imperatives: Silicon Valley is a future laboratory where people are busily working on the apocalypse.  

Now tell me, how do you feel about architecture? What drives us to practice architecture or to be enthusiastic about it? Which Daimon (δαίμων) speaks to us? Is it passion, or does this interest arise from a certain ideological or ideological attitude? And where is the boundary between personal expression and instrumentalization?

Over the course of the semester, we will use selected texts from philosophy and architectural theory to shed light on the relationship between passion and ideology in the broad sense. In the first part of the seminar, we analyze philosophical positions on the terms passion, affect, worldview, and ideology in order to develop a basic understanding of these concepts. In the second part, we dedicate ourselves to concrete writings in architectural theory that address the tension between passion and ideology. The aim is to investigate the complex connections between individual motivation and social structures in architecture – and thus to gain a deeper understanding of our own relationship to architecture.

SE Gender Studies

Katerina Haller

GenderSpace - Feminist strategies in space production and appropriation of space.

The course analyzes the interconnection of gender, race and class along key texts, blogs and artistic interventions in public space. How is built the city? What are regulations and exclusions – where are gaps? These issues will be reflected along the interdisciplinary gender studies and gender-friendly building will be critically discussed.

EX Excursion

Peter Volgger

Sicily

The excursion takes you along the coast of Sicily, starting from Palermo. Between Norman palaces and Arab-influenced domed buildings, you will gain an initial understanding of Sicily as a cultural crossroads between Europe and North Africa. From there, the route follows the north coast via Cefalù, travels along the northern flank of Mount Etna and visits a lava landscape. The route continues along the east coast, from Taormina (Greek-Roman theatre) to Catania (Baroque, fish market), Syracuse (Neapolis, Ortigia). From Noto (Baroque), the excursion leads via Agrigento (Greek temple complex) back to Palermo. 

Parallel to exploring these historically grown identities, the excursion deliberately focuses on current challenges and areas of tension. Between ambitious architecture and the so-called maifiniti – never completed or failed projects – participants encounter a different, less idealised Sicily: a space where political upheavals, economic bottlenecks and social dynamics leave visible traces.

It is precisely this complexity that makes Sicily a central space of experience in today's Europe. The island stands at a threshold not only geographically, but also culturally and geopolitically: as a floating bridge between continents, as the first point of arrival for migration across the Mediterranean, as a laboratory of regional identity and European solidarity.

Time period: 2nd week of April