Buildings from Within

Please note first class takes place on Tuesday, January 30.As a complement to the lecture course, this seminar will examine 4 projects of my own. For each individual project, I will attempt to relate the architectural design principles and goals in their specific circumstances. Often in the schools, architecture seems to be a practice freed of the constraints that appear in daily life. The reality is that design is fraught with obstacles and opportunities determined by the site, the program, codes, budgets and the building industry.Most current architecture evolves through a process of resolving imposed demands and limitations which ought to be overcome by means of the architectural design. Is architectural knowledge still a valuable tool for solving these problems? This is the question I would like to consider with these 4 examples. Our goal is to generate a genuine dialogue between the architect and the students through an examination of buildings with similar programs, yet marked by the differences of site, program and circumstance.The projects to be discussed will include:Harvard University LISECambridge, MA 2001-presentNovartis LaboratoriesBasel, Switzerland2005-presentColumbia University LaboratoriesNYC2005-presentPrinceton University LaboratoriesPrinceton, NJ2006-presentCourse ScheduleTuesday, January 30Wednesday, January 31Tuesday, February 27 Wednesday, February 28 Thursday, March 1 Tuesday, April 3 Wednesday, April 4 Thursday, April 5 Tuesday, May 1Wednesday, May 2 Thursday, May 3