Modulverantwortung: Alberto Alessi
Lehrteam: Alberto Alessi
Assistant: Olin Petzold

MACA – Make Architecture Canonical Again…

1923: This book is written in bold strokes. How to talk about architecture with elegant detachment, about architecture as resulting from the spirit of an era, at a time when this spirit is still obscured by the unbearable rags of a dying era
1966: An architecture of complexity and contradiction has a special obligation toward the whole.
1995: Architecture is by definition a chaotic adventure.
2025: The Founders […] sought to use classical architecture to visually connect our contemporary Republic with the antecedents of democracy in classical antiquity, reminding citizens not only of their rights but also their responsibilities in maintaining and perpetuating its institutions.

The recent MFABA document by the White House defines the canons for the public architecture in the US. Is it really possible/necessary/wished nowadays to fix a canon for beautiful/good architecture? What does this mean? How and who should define it? Why? Starting with a reflection on three seminal books (1923 Vers une Architecture, 1966 Complexity and Contradiction, 1995 S,M,L,XL), students are invited to propose a fourth text that relevant for our challenging times. Architecture always results from a complex exchange between thoughts, possibilities, personal aims, collective meanings and physical decisions. The course encourages students to actively investigate the specific richness of different situations, positions and tools as necessary components for a conscious architectural attitude. Lectures, and guest lectures are supported by students‘ presentations and discussions.