PREREQUISITES

The course is open to undergraduate students in Architecture, Architectural Engineering, Art History, and related fields. For Architecture students, having taken architectural history survey sequence is strongly recommended.

FORMAT

This is a lecture/discussion course that will trace the history of major engineering inventions in architecture from the Antiquity until today within their social and cultural contexts. Lectures will focus on detailed examinations of specific case studies and tie them to general ideas and concepts in structural and environmental engineering. Therefore we will tackle questions that often remain unanswered in more general architectural history courses, such as: Why did the dome of Hagia Sophia collapse twice before a viable one was constructed? How were the soaring Gothic vaults constructed? Who invented modern reinforced concrete? Who invented the modern elevator? When was air conditioning developed? What exactly is the structural system of Sydney Opera House? What are inflatable structures?, etc.

Besides attending lectures, student will work on a research project about a specific historical building, which they will present at the end of the semester and submit as a paper.

EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES

To acquaint students with important topics in architectural engineering and their historical development: structural systems and corresponding materials; infrastructure and environmental systems; building technologies; etc. To induce an awareness of the historical base of our contemporary engineering solutions.

EVALUATION

Grades will be based on in-class quizzes (30%), a final examination (30%), class participation (10%) and a final paper (30%).

TEXTS

Most articles will be posted on Blackboard for students to download.

Additional readings will include:
Cecil D. Elliott. Technics and Architecture: The Development of Materials and Systems for Building. Cambridge, Mass.: The MIT Press, 1992.
John Fitchen. Building Construction Before Mechanization. Cambridge, Mass.: The MIT Press, 1989.
David P. Billington. The Tower and the Bridge. New York: Basic Books, Inc., Publishers, 1983.