U D 384M.2 / ARC 327R / ARC 386M / LAR 388 Seminar
Thurs 2:00 – 5:00pm, SUT 2.114
Open to all U D, ARC, and LAR students.
Martin Hättasch: m.haettasch@utexas.edu
Housing as Discourse: Whether postwar American suburbs or the minimal dwellings of the European avant-garde of the 1920’s, the form of the dwelling reflects individual and collective aspirations and gives shape to our attitudes towards others, economic and natural resources, and our position in the world. Throughout the 20th century, housing models have evolved in a constant dialectic of crisis and innovation, typological evolution and design intent. As an inherent part—if not the driver—of modern architecture, housing has been at the center of crucial debates on architecture and urbanism. In this spirit we will explore housing as the scene of utopian speculation as much as economic reality.
Crisis/Innovation: We are currently experiencing a global housing crisis unprecedented in recent history. Ever less people have access to affordable housing while construction and mobility associated with housing models in North America (and beyond) continue to deplete natural resources and accelerate climate change. This dual social and ecological challenge demands a fundamental rethinking of familiar patterns of urbanization.
Low-Rise/High-Density: This semester’s seminar will focus on the low-rise/high-density (LRHD) range of housing as an important but underappreciated alternative to both the economically and ecologically unsustainable single-family house and the high-density apartment block which predominantly caters to mobile and highly individualized lifestyles. Through readings and case studies this seminar will study the histories, conceptual and material backgrounds, and future potentials of LRHD housing. Students will produce in-depth graphic and written research on selected housing projects focusing on the reciprocal relationship between typology and urban morphology. Guest presentations by outside practitioners and scholars will complement students’ inquiries and provide a context for low-rise/high-density models of housing in today’s context.
