This paper focuses on the Bauhaus building by Walter Gropius and its use of windows. Paper details prompt from the teacher: Students will each write a substantial research paper over the course of the term to investigate fundamental architectural forms that represent architecture’s confrontation with modernism.

The Bauhaus building

Paper details prompt from the teacher: Students will each write a substantial research paper over the course of the term to investigate fundamental architectural forms that represent architecture’s confrontation with modernism. They will first select an element of architecture from the categories that Rem Koolhaas collated at the 2014 Venice Architecture Biennale to understand the structural fundamentals around the globe: floor, ceiling, roof, door, wall, stair, toilet, window, façade, balcony, corridor, fireplace, ramp, escalator, and elevator.

The Bauhaus building

Students will then identify a modern “object” (building or project) from the readings, or beyond, and situate the design, evolvement, or reinvention of the element within its context, including technological advancements, political priorities, municipal or state regulations, economic constraints, historical references, stylistic preferences, and protocols of representation. By studying the distinctive character of an architectural element, the research paper will locate a specific shift in the development of modernism through architecture, and ultimately, to address the question: in what ways can architecture be modern? https://youtu.be/jM8mLQhC688

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