Norwegian Architecture
Emnenavn på Norwegian Bokmål:
Norwegian Architecture
Credits:
6
Course code:
80 301
Level of study:
Master
Teaching semester:
2016 Autumn
Language of instruction:
English
Required prerequisite knowledge
This course is only open for exchange students, international students and Norwegian students who are admitted at master level.
Verbal and written command of English language.
Course content
This is an introductory course to Norwegian architecture, its history and the contemporary sphere.
The course is primarily based on seminars and field trips, involving walking tours, proactive research and work with different media (drawing, Internet, sound, photography, video, etc).
The course is presented as a retrospective, through a reversed chronology, addressing issues crucial to the contemporary understanding of space and architecture in Norway. Through readings, class discussions and critical writing, this seminar will address the meaning of national identity, and explore a few of the ideas that dominated the means of architectural production through history in Norway. Parallel to this, great attention will be given to the act of looking back in time and examining a work.
What is history? How do we talk about it? How do we engage with it? How do the means of recording and communication affect its continuation, meaning and perception? These will be some of the questions addressed in order to rethink the way we relate to and engage with architectural history through different methods and media.
In a quasi-journalistic manner, we will report on the findings of our research and field trips through a class blog. This class blog, is to serve as an informal guide to Norwegian architecture for both local and vising architects and students like you.
Through out the entire duration of the course, invited architects and experts will join us to give account on past and current trends of the practice.
Learning outcome
a. Knowledge:
Participants will gain an understanding the evolution of the architectural thought and practice within the Norwegian context. Participants will learn and experience relevant works of Norwegian architecture through the study of the principles of construction in relation to the time and architectural ambitions of the author.
b. Skills:
Participants will be introduced to scholarly practices such as building analysis, academic writing, working with archives, conducting interviews and editorial work.
c. General competence:
Students will engage in the production of knowledge and experimentation with different media.
Working and learning activities
There will be an excursion in almost every meeting. Lectures will supplement the field trips and provide necessary background.
Work effort
Students are expected to attend all meetings and be active contributors and participants.
Class will be structured in two parts: with a seminar meeting from 10-11.30h and excursions in the afternoon.
Excursions will take place in the Oslo metropolitan area and often joined by local architects and other school faculty.
Field trips will be carried out regardless of weather conditions. Warm and waterproof clothing is recommended, especially in the second half of the field trip schedule.
Students are responsible for their own transportation arrangements and bringing any necessary documentation and equipment.
Curriculum
Uncreative Writing. Kenneth Goldsmith, Columbia University Press. 2011.
Genius Historiae. Mari Hvattum + Genius Loci - Place? Christian Norberg-Schultz. + The Place is not a Post-Card -The Problem of Genius Loci. Alberto Pérez Gómez. An Eye for place: Christian Norberg-Schulz: Architect, historian and editor. 2009.
Detoured Installations. Karl Otto Ellefsen - AD, 2015
Landscape Rituals - National Tourist Routes in Norway. Karl Otto Ellefsen, AU 2013
An Allegory of the City - Byen i Mennesket. Martin Baathen. Place and Displacement: Exhibiting Architecture, 2014
Additional literature will be listed in the syllabus.
| Mandatory coursework | Presence required | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Excursions | Not required | Class will be structured in two parts: with a seminar meeting from 10-11.30h and excursions in the afternoon. Excursions will take place in the Oslo metropolitan area and often joined by local architects and other school faculty. Field trips will be carried out regardless of weather conditions. Warm and waterproof clothing is recommended, especially in the second half of the field trip schedule. Students are responsible for their own transportation arrangements and bringing any necessary documentation and equipment. |
| Form of assessment | Grouping | Grading scale | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Project assignment | - | - | Throughout the semester students will work in couples or individually on a series of assignments adding up to the execution of a collective class project. Evaluation will take place through presentations, delivered material and one test. |
| Workload activity |
|---|
| Individual problem solving |
| Group work |