Interim Courses

The course investigates the history of the built environment as technical, social, and cultural expressions from antiquity to the contemporary age. It studies building materials and expressions in terms of their chronology, context and stylistic developments, as well as themes, theories, and innovative practices in architecture and urban design. Among other focus topics, students are encouraged to consider architecture as a cultural expression, study its semiotic potential, ascertain its role within political aesthetics, and investigate its relationship to best practices in sustainable building. The course also considers architecture’s impact on humankind, how it shapes both human habitat and the natural environment, and how it has the potential to change human minds. In the Interim Summer Session I, 2025 the course will take place directly on site in Munich, Regensburg, and Prague from May 19-30. The emphasis will be on “architecture and its semiotic potential,” investigating individual forms and types of architecture, as well as specific building elements, and in what sense they become “carriers of meaning.” Particular topics are architecture and war, architecture and Nazism and architecture and Socialism, film architecture, corporate images as proclaimed in buildings, urban planning within specific post-war contexts, and the pressing topic of constructing sustainable buildings to respond to the manifestations of climate change and growing urbanizations. Further discussion will include what makes a smart city and architecture in the context of contemporary technology, such as AI. Specific studio workshops in drawing, photography, and storyboarding will further the understanding of how to represent architecture. This course carries a supplemental fee: CHF 450 (for students invoiced in CHF) or USD 540 (for students invoiced in USD). “The course cost covers accommodations in Munich, Regensburg, and Prague; transportation between cities; as well as local public transportation, museum and exhibition entrances, and some extracurricular activities. Students are required to make their own travel arrangements to Munich (arrival 19 May) and from Prague (departure 30 May). Please consult Professor Fassl prior to making your arrangements and make sure to meet all registration and deposit deadlines.”