The course in the first semester, aims to stimulate students in the study of architecture as a moment of critical acquisition, putting them in a position to understand the original nature and the essential principles that constitute the architectural practice and to trace the complexity of the phenomenon towards the archetypal essentiality of the basic elements.
Canali
teacher profile teaching materials
L. Quaroni, Progettare un edificio. Otto lezioni di Architettura, Milano, Mazzotta, 1977.
P.O. Rossi, La costruzione del progetto architettonico, Bari, Editori Laterza, 1996.
H.Hertzberger, Lezioni di architettura, Bari, Editori Laterza, 1996.
E. Valero, La teoria del diamante e il progetto di architettura, Letteraventidue, Siracusa, 2021
Programme
The introductory part of the course guides students in recognizing the foundational principles of architectural practice and the organizational characteristics of functional space as they are embodied in the architectural entity. This process is pursued through theoretical study, systematically accompanied by practical exercises aimed at measuring, shaping, and—ultimately—tangibly recognizing the qualities of architectural space.Prerequisiti
Knowledge of architectural drawing conventions is required in order to interpret architectural examples presented by the instructor and to accurately represent—in accordance with established standards—the architectural structures subject to analysis.Core Documentation
B. Zevi, Saper vedere l'architettura. Saggio sull'interpretazione spaziale dell'architettura, Torino, Einaudi, 1953.L. Quaroni, Progettare un edificio. Otto lezioni di Architettura, Milano, Mazzotta, 1977.
P.O. Rossi, La costruzione del progetto architettonico, Bari, Editori Laterza, 1996.
H.Hertzberger, Lezioni di architettura, Bari, Editori Laterza, 1996.
E. Valero, La teoria del diamante e il progetto di architettura, Letteraventidue, Siracusa, 2021
Reference Bibliography
B. Zevi, Saper vedere l'architettura. Saggio sull'interpretazione spaziale dell'architettura, Torino, Einaudi, 1953. L. Quaroni, Progettare un edificio. Otto lezioni di Architettura, Milano, Mazzotta, 1977. P.O. Rossi, La costruzione del progetto architettonico, Bari, Editori Laterza, 1996. H.Hertzberger, Lezioni di architettura, Bari, Editori Laterza, 1996. L. Altarelli et al., Forme della composizione, Roma, Kappa, 1997. G. Ponti, Amate l’architettura, Genova, Vitali e Ghianda, 1957, (ristampa in commercio: Milano, CUSL, 2004). M. Bonaiti, Architettura è. Louis I. Kahn, gli scritti, Electa, Milano, 2002 R. Moneo, Inquietudine teorica e strategia progettuale nell’opera di otto architetti contemporanei, Electa,2005.Attendance
Mandatory attendance is required, particularly for the development of compositional, analytical and design exercises, refined through individual and collective revisions.Type of evaluation
The course, which is divided into two semesters, requires students to submit exercises developed during the introductory phase at the end of the first semester. This submission, evaluated by the instructor, will allow students to be admitted to the applied/project-based portion of the course, scheduled for the second semester. teacher profile teaching materials
The learning path is articulated through the acquisition of the critical, theoretical and practical tools necessary for the architect's work. Building means measuring and shaping space, allowing the geometric-abstract dimension of the project to take root in the specific identity of the place and to confront the human scale.
Through a sequence of lectures and composition exercises, students will be confronted with the problem of the form of architectural space, in relation to type, structural conception, aesthetic formative intention, construction, programme, and definition of the most appropriate character in relation to the theme and circumstances.
The exercises conducted in this part of the course begin with a series of studies of the composition of plastic forms, and then focus on the theme of the relationship with the place - in particular with a specific topographical condition - to arrive at the interpretative reading and analysis of reference architectures, which will be the subject of redesign and reconstruction through the elaboration of models.
The reading of significant architectures, conducted through the identification of compositional and design themes, is aimed at clarifying the relationships between the parts that constitute the architectural organism, between the conception and construction of the work, investigating from within, as in an anatomical dissection, the reasons for the generation of forms.
Through this path the student becomes aware of the tools and techniques indispensable to the control of form and the design of space, in its possible articulations, from the initial idea to the final definition.
Fernando Távora, Dell'organizzazione dello spazio, nottetempo, 2021
Jörn Utzon, Idee di architettura. Scritti e conversazioni, Christian Marinotti, 2011
Francesco Venezia, Che cos’è l’architettura, Milano 2011
Alberto Campo Baeza, Palinsesto Architettonico, LetteraVentidue, Siracusa 2021
Francesco Cellini, Manualetto, Norme tecniche, costruttive e grafiche per lo svolgimento di una esercitazione progettuale sul tema della casa unifamiliare, Palermo, 1991
Programme
This is the first part of an annual architectural design workshop.The learning path is articulated through the acquisition of the critical, theoretical and practical tools necessary for the architect's work. Building means measuring and shaping space, allowing the geometric-abstract dimension of the project to take root in the specific identity of the place and to confront the human scale.
Through a sequence of lectures and composition exercises, students will be confronted with the problem of the form of architectural space, in relation to type, structural conception, aesthetic formative intention, construction, programme, and definition of the most appropriate character in relation to the theme and circumstances.
The exercises conducted in this part of the course begin with a series of studies of the composition of plastic forms, and then focus on the theme of the relationship with the place - in particular with a specific topographical condition - to arrive at the interpretative reading and analysis of reference architectures, which will be the subject of redesign and reconstruction through the elaboration of models.
The reading of significant architectures, conducted through the identification of compositional and design themes, is aimed at clarifying the relationships between the parts that constitute the architectural organism, between the conception and construction of the work, investigating from within, as in an anatomical dissection, the reasons for the generation of forms.
Through this path the student becomes aware of the tools and techniques indispensable to the control of form and the design of space, in its possible articulations, from the initial idea to the final definition.
Core Documentation
Le Corbusier, Verso una architettura, Longanesi, 2003Fernando Távora, Dell'organizzazione dello spazio, nottetempo, 2021
Jörn Utzon, Idee di architettura. Scritti e conversazioni, Christian Marinotti, 2011
Francesco Venezia, Che cos’è l’architettura, Milano 2011
Alberto Campo Baeza, Palinsesto Architettonico, LetteraVentidue, Siracusa 2021
Francesco Cellini, Manualetto, Norme tecniche, costruttive e grafiche per lo svolgimento di una esercitazione progettuale sul tema della casa unifamiliare, Palermo, 1991
Reference Bibliography
Étienne Louis Boullée, Architettura. Saggio sull'arte, Marsilio, 1967 Adolf Loos, Parole nel vuoto, Adelphi, 1992 Heinrich Tessenow, Osservazioni elementari sul costruire, Franco Angeli, 1974 Le Corbusier, Verso una architettura, Longanesi, 2003 Fernando Távora, Dell'organizzazione dello spazio, nottetempo, 2021 Jörn Utzon, Idee di architettura. Scritti e conversazioni, Christian Marinotti, 2011 Francesco Venezia, Che cos’è l’architettura, Milano 2011 Alberto Campo Baeza, Palinsesto Architettonico, LetteraVentidue, Siracusa 2021 Francesco Cellini, Manualetto, Norme tecniche, costruttive e grafiche per lo svolgimento di una esercitazione progettuale sul tema della casa unifamiliare, Palermo, 1991Attendance
Attendance is compulsory for 75% of the lectures Attendance at lectures and study of the bibliography is essential for the attainment of an ability to value and control composition. Assiduity and continuity of revision with lecturers and assistants is essential for the development of the exercises.Type of evaluation
The evaluation will cover the entire course of each student and will be carried out by means of in itinere assignments and a concluding seminar, in which the student will demonstrate the knowledge acquired, presenting the work, with graphics and models, accompanied by a 'logbook' containing drawings, photos of the models, sketches, references, notes. teacher profile teaching materials
The first part of the design studio will consist primarily of lectures, complemented by practical exercises intended to further explore the topics addressed during the lectures and make them more accessible and comprehensible.
Through the study and analysis of architectural works and projects, students will be guided in developing their own critical thinking and acquiring a method for approaching architectural design.
Elementary Principles of Architectural Composition
The first part of the design studio focuses on the development of a shared framework of thought: learning to construct a personal paradigm through which to observe and interpret the world around us. Students are first asked to describe what they see, whether it is a work of art, a building, or the structure of a city.
Understanding the surrounding reality and organising it through clear and well-defined concepts constitutes the first step towards an awareness of how architects construct and progressively develop their own thinking through observation, analysis, and interpretation.
As Vitruvius writes: “The knowledge of the architect is enriched by many disciplines and varied forms of learning: he must be able to judge all the works produced by the individual arts…”
The enduring relevance of this statement lies in its essential clarity, offering a guiding principle for approaching the challenge of describing an increasingly complex world, crowded with signs, images, and forms of representation.
Form constitutes the primary field of architectural study. It is defined and made operable through a series of thought-processes and actions that enable students to understand and master its fundamental characteristics.
Students are encouraged to reason abstractly about the different operations that can be applied sequentially to an initial form: the cube.
The cube represents an absolute and radical geometric form. It embodies the ultimate expression of a solid constructed through planes and edges and, for this very reason, is the geometric solid defined by planar surfaces that comes closest to the absolute perfection of the sphere. While the cube represents form in its most clearly defined condition, articulated through planes, faces, and edges, the sphere, by contrast, embodies the greatest possible degree of continuity and perfection.
The abstract process of formal transformation provides the context in which students encounter some of the fundamental principles of architectural composition: rotation, translation, and, more generally, the operations capable of modifying an initial configuration. Giving a name to each successive step means progressively gaining control over the design process and recognising a rationale behind every decision.
A more specific approach to architecture, with greater emphasis on functional requirements, is developed during the second part of the first semester. Students are introduced to the concepts of section and elevation, understood as tools for defining the construction of a building and for understanding the necessary relationship between plan, elevation, and section.
The final element introduced at the end of the semester is the staircase, understood not merely as a device connecting different levels, but also as an element capable of disrupting the fixed spatial arrangements established by the structure of the small cube, which at this stage remains free from any functional connotation.
J. G. Ballard, Il condominio,(titolo orig. High Rise), Feltrinelli, 1975.
E. H. Gombrich, La storia dell’arte, Phaidon, edizione 2008.
George Leonard Hersey, Il significato nascosto dell’architettura classica, Bruno Mondadori, edizione 2001.
Franco Purini, Comporre l’architettura, Laterza, Bari, edizione 2000.
Colin Rowe, La matematica della villa ideale, Zanichelli, edizione 1992.
Ulteriori indicazioni bibliografiche saranno fornite agli studenti durante l’anno accademico.
Instagram: francesco_menegatti_students
Programme
First Part of the Course (First Semester)The first part of the design studio will consist primarily of lectures, complemented by practical exercises intended to further explore the topics addressed during the lectures and make them more accessible and comprehensible.
Through the study and analysis of architectural works and projects, students will be guided in developing their own critical thinking and acquiring a method for approaching architectural design.
Elementary Principles of Architectural Composition
The first part of the design studio focuses on the development of a shared framework of thought: learning to construct a personal paradigm through which to observe and interpret the world around us. Students are first asked to describe what they see, whether it is a work of art, a building, or the structure of a city.
Understanding the surrounding reality and organising it through clear and well-defined concepts constitutes the first step towards an awareness of how architects construct and progressively develop their own thinking through observation, analysis, and interpretation.
As Vitruvius writes: “The knowledge of the architect is enriched by many disciplines and varied forms of learning: he must be able to judge all the works produced by the individual arts…”
The enduring relevance of this statement lies in its essential clarity, offering a guiding principle for approaching the challenge of describing an increasingly complex world, crowded with signs, images, and forms of representation.
Form constitutes the primary field of architectural study. It is defined and made operable through a series of thought-processes and actions that enable students to understand and master its fundamental characteristics.
Students are encouraged to reason abstractly about the different operations that can be applied sequentially to an initial form: the cube.
The cube represents an absolute and radical geometric form. It embodies the ultimate expression of a solid constructed through planes and edges and, for this very reason, is the geometric solid defined by planar surfaces that comes closest to the absolute perfection of the sphere. While the cube represents form in its most clearly defined condition, articulated through planes, faces, and edges, the sphere, by contrast, embodies the greatest possible degree of continuity and perfection.
The abstract process of formal transformation provides the context in which students encounter some of the fundamental principles of architectural composition: rotation, translation, and, more generally, the operations capable of modifying an initial configuration. Giving a name to each successive step means progressively gaining control over the design process and recognising a rationale behind every decision.
A more specific approach to architecture, with greater emphasis on functional requirements, is developed during the second part of the first semester. Students are introduced to the concepts of section and elevation, understood as tools for defining the construction of a building and for understanding the necessary relationship between plan, elevation, and section.
The final element introduced at the end of the semester is the staircase, understood not merely as a device connecting different levels, but also as an element capable of disrupting the fixed spatial arrangements established by the structure of the small cube, which at this stage remains free from any functional connotation.
Prerequisiti
Required Materials and Tools For the exercises in the first part of the design studio, students will need a smooth A3 sketchbook with heavyweight paper (Fabriano A6), pencils of varying hardness, and set squares for technical drawing. Technical pens of different line widths will also be used. The final examination drawings will be produced using traditional, hand-drawing techniques, with a minimum of ten sheets. The project developed during the design studio will be presented on these sheets using appropriate scales and hand-drawn perspective representations.Core Documentation
BibliografiaJ. G. Ballard, Il condominio,(titolo orig. High Rise), Feltrinelli, 1975.
E. H. Gombrich, La storia dell’arte, Phaidon, edizione 2008.
George Leonard Hersey, Il significato nascosto dell’architettura classica, Bruno Mondadori, edizione 2001.
Franco Purini, Comporre l’architettura, Laterza, Bari, edizione 2000.
Colin Rowe, La matematica della villa ideale, Zanichelli, edizione 1992.
Ulteriori indicazioni bibliografiche saranno fornite agli studenti durante l’anno accademico.
Instagram: francesco_menegatti_students
Type of delivery of the course
Course Structure and Delivery The course will be delivered in the form of a design studio. Lectures will be held in person, as will the practical exercises, which will be carried out partly in the classroom and, where necessary, completed at home. The exercises will be designed to further explore the topics addressed during the lectures. They will focus on graphic representation, through the production of drawings and the construction of physical models. Considerable time will be devoted to the collective review of students’ work, providing opportunities for discussion, exchange of ideas, and critical reflection. In parallel, students will engage directly with the design process, working towards the definition of the building at the appropriate scales, in accordance with the design brief proposed by the course. Further instructions regarding the format and techniques to be used in the production of the required work will be provided during the course.Type of evaluation
A collective review of the exercises carried out during the first semester will take place on a designated day in February. This session is intended to prepare students for the transition to the second semester. The three design studios will jointly inform students in due time of the date scheduled for this collective review of the work produced during the first semester.