ARCH 624 History/Theory Project
15 credits
Introduction
This course constitutes the culmination of the M. Arch II program and it takes place during the Summer. It is also strongly recommended for Ph.D.1 students interested in the relationship between history/theory and contemporary problems in the practice of architecture. After a Project Preparation Winter course (ARCH 623, 3 credits) that includes discussions about the wider fields of artistic and architectural practice and usually culminates with a mapping exercise, students engage in a project that concludes with a final review (with guests) at the end of June, and the final submission of a publishable document at the end of July (included in a dossier required for promotion/graduation, described in the master schedule).
For Master’s students, the project is thematic and changes every year. It is intended to be sited in Montreal, yet offers great flexibility for personal exploration. In general, it is intended as an on-site exploration of ethics and poetics in architecture, confronting the major issues about relationships between theory and practice and exploring design alternatives other than instrumental methods and reductive representation. For Ph.D. I students the projects may be self-generated and aimed at more specific questions concerning the students’ topic of research and the plan for a dissertation.
Typically, three separate stages constitute the projects:
- "Surveying” and documentation. The city will be explored and creatively mapped.
- Visit of chosen architectural sites.
- "Renovation" projects. A fusion of history and fiction: a history "for the future." Text and architectural drawings/objects will be produced.
After the final presentation installed in the school’s Exhibition Gallery, the work will be kept through the Summer to culminate in a formal “closing” the following September (this allows us to share our work with the school and a wider community). Each student will produce a diskette and hard copy of his/her work in late-July (specifications will be provided at an appropriate date). The hard copy is a four-page description/presentation of the work that is usually published in a catalogue. Successful completion of this course will fulfil the requirements for the Master's degree, or for continuation into Ph.D.2
Details of the specific stages will be provided by the professor at appropriate times, starting in January.