ARTHIST 480-00P: Sem:Late18th Cont Eur&Am Art: Architecture for Humanity (Spring 2010)

  While much of the attention to architecture, in the press and cultural circles, focuses on avant-garde "starchitects" and projects for wealthy and powerful clients and institutions in the industrialized world (architecture for maybe 10% of the world's population), there is a growing movement within the architectural profession to "design for the other 90%".  This movement which departs from the conviction that architecture and design can transform and, in some cases, save human lives, strives for global accessibility, employs community-based practices, and seeks low-cost, sustainable solutions for the underserved.  In this seminar we will examine the work of those designers who are transforming architectural practice and training  (in such programs as the Rural Studio at Auburn or the BASIC initiative at the University of Washington), using their design skills to respond to natural disasters and humanitarian crises around the world.  We will consider the work of groups such as Architecture for Humanity, Architects without Borders, Habitat for Humanity, and the MadHousers, as well as individual practices dedicated to the design of decent, affordable housing and projects that foster community empowerment.  We will explore case studies such as the rebuilding efforts after the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 and those in New Orleans after the Katrina, as well as housing for populations displaced by political warfare and economic need.  We will consider "sustainable" and "green" architecture in this light, understanding that sustainability includes the creation of built environments that encourage self-sufficiency and an enhanced quality of life.

If possible, field trips to the Rural Studio projects in rural Alabama and, over spring break, to New Orleans to observe and participate in the rebuilding process will be scheduled.

Enrollment in the seminar is by permission of the professor only.