Lecture Architectural Theory

Module 13677, 13654 | Lecture  | WiSe 2023/24
Monday 13:45-15:15 | LG 2A 025. 1
Start: 16. Oktober 2023
Prof. Dr. Albert Kirchengast

The lecture Architectural Theory provides the basic introduction to the subject at BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg. Methodically, it places selected historical buildings in the context of architectural theoretical topoi, discusses their context and history of impact, in order to consider building and the idea of building as a unity. "Architectural situations" serve as a starting point, which understand the built space in its cultural-historical as well as idea-historical foundation as a "phenomenon" that correlates with our immediate experience. Consequently, the lecture aims to relate one's own in-depth experience of Architecture to the continuity of theoretical concepts; central to this is the material-constructive-material concreteness of a building. Architecture presents itself as a medium of ideas that derives its meaning from the lifeworld's response to elementary needs, both physical and spiritual. The close look at architectural solutions in the interplay of building and thinking space is combined with the claim to approach current challenges in order to learn to cope with them better.

Architectural Theory Seminar

Module 13677, 13654 | Seminar | WiSe 2023/24
Monday 15:30-17:00 | LG 2A 025. 1
Start: 16 October 2023
Prof. Dr. Albert Kirchengast, Victoria Loyall, Jonathan Metzner

The seminar in Architectural Theory follows on from questions raised in the lecture and discusses central issues of a phenomenological Architectural Theory through discursive work on the text as well as intensive discussions. The confrontation with architectural theoretical, philosophical and also literary sources should help to cultivate a "poetic thinking": Design tasks are not only posed before tangible-practical questions, but always in the context of the history and theory of the subject, the concrete meaning of which is only fully revealed against the background of one's own life and experience. The sensitization for the conceptual language as mediator of our living world, its theoretical arguments and concepts, furthermore the transformation of everyday situations into meaningful ones, as literature succeeds in doing in the fictional space of its works, the willingness to think freely about the essential and ideal, as it happens in philosophy, shall broaden the scope of architectural action and fund a critical attitude. Guests of different professional backgrounds enrich the seminar and likewise different assignments facilitate the deepening of the topics treated.

Building thoughts

Integration Module 13776 | Seminar | WiSe 2023/24
Tuesday 13:45-17:00 | LG 2C 212
Start: 24 Oct 2023
Prof. Dr. Albert Kirchengast, Victoria Loyall, Jonathan Metzner
With Design Studio Prof. Per Pedersen

What is (my)a "building idea"? Every design is guided by intellectual directions - they can come from the program, the site, a typology, history, an intuition, etc., and are expressed programmatically, structurally, spatially, motivically or materially in central moments of a building. But are they ever consciously reflected, questioned and thus critically transformed? The seminar "Building Thoughts" accompanies the design studio as an integration module and offers - along the task developed there - a discursive space for reflection that serves to work out one's own central idea. It is about slowing down and deepening, about leading to the fundamental idea that is found in the building, without being able to anticipate it. The reflection on the fundamental, the interlocking of thought and project - freed from the frictions of practice - is guided by various individual exercises (texts, sketches) and finally concretized in individual, "built" model studies. Photographs and descriptions of the model situation serve for "phenomenal" sharpening. Selected text readings of the building thoughts of other architects from the fund of Architectural Theory and (guest) critiques accompany the Architectural Theory workshop.