• Like the other lecture-based modules at the London School of Architecture, the Design History aims to develop in students the advanced skills to critically analyse how design happens, in this case through knowledge of ideas prevailing at the time in order ultimately to provide students with the objective tools to be self- critical of their own design output.

• This module aims to deepen a student’s knowledge by presenting fresh perspectives on architectural history, providing the space to compare and contrast the similarities and differences in how architecture has been designed and made in different periods. It is closely related to the Design Tectonics module, the sessions sharing the same Thursday teaching day.

• Through the selection of a key project that is critically relevant to their own design work, the module seeks to enhance a student’s ability to investigate and evaluate appropriate design strategies and techniq ues, to formulate perspectives on what lessons could be learned from the past, and to develop professional judgement in how this relates to contemporary practice.

(LE1) Communication skills: express ideas clearly, as well as listen to, present, challenge and defend ideas effectively both orally and in writing to meet the expectations of a professional working environment.

(LO1) Appraise the design of an historic building(s) as a cultural, social and intellectual artefact shaped by the histories, theories and technologies of architecture and the related arts (GC2.1)

(LO2) Judge the influence of history and theory on the spatial, social and technological qualities of architecture (GC2.2)

(LO3) Determine the ways in which the theories, practices and technologies of the arts influence the quality of architectural design (GC3.1)

(LO4) Illustrate how the application of creative practices such as painting, sculpture, music, performing arts, conceptual art, photography, film and so on, can be relevant to and impact upon architecture (GC3.2)

(LO5) Critically assess architecture in relation to precedents of function, typology, organisation and technology (GC7.1)

(LRE1) Research & information literacy skills: source, critically evaluate and attribute information with clarity and rigour.

(LRE2) Critical thinking skills: open-mindedness, critical awareness, ability to question, reflect, propose.

(S2) Research & information literacy skills: source, critically evaluate and attribute information with clarity and rigour

(S3) Communication skills: express ideas clearly, as well as listen to, present, challenge and defend ideas effectively both orally and in writing to meet the expectations of a professional working environment

(S6) Critical thinking skills: open-mindedness, critical awareness, ability to question, reflect, propose.

Sessions will combine lecture and workshop elements, in some cases involving visits to relevant exemplars and away-days with classes held in an appropriate building and manual exercises to explore history through re-enactment. Expert guest tutors will be invited to participate in some of the sessions, the remainder being taught by the Module Leader.

Sessions will investigate theories of design in relation to historical periods, styles, mental habits and cognitive skills, linked to the potential of materials and technologies and the social aspirations and contingencies that have shaped them.

Students are asked to develop the insights provided during the session by researching the social and educational formation of an architect (chosen by student in consultation with tutor) in relation to the architectural culture, theory and technological capability of their time and their understanding of history.

Indicative lecture content –

• Classical Ar chitecture in Antiquity – learning from buildings (Mark Wilson Jones, guest speaker, tbc)
• Classicism as a method: from the Renaissance to the Ecole des Beaux Arts
• Mies vs. Gropius – contrasts in High Modernist Pedagogy
• The School of Semper and Phenomenology (Irina Davidovici, guest speaker, tbc)
• Gothic and vitalism from Revival to Post-Modernism
• London schools 1954-64 – the impact of Brutalism and Archigram on education and practice

Students will learn through the following range of teaching and events –

• Lectures, workshops and/or field-trips led by Module Leader and/or experts in specific fields of design theory;
• Seminar of work in progress with the Module Leader and peers.

Scheduled learning and teaching –

Description – Lectures, Individual tutorials, Group seminars
Learning hours – 16% – 32 hours

Guided independent study –

Description – Directed activities and self-managed learning
Learning hours – 84% – 168 hours

Total Learning Hours for the Module – 200

Attendance – 100%