This discussion-based seminar will offer an unconventional and trans-temporal interpretation of mannerism: architectural works and theories on 16th-century Mannerism will be presented and discussed, and then linked to certain trends in modern and contemporary architecture.

This course explores mannerism as a critical tool for understanding the architecture of our time. Architecture cannot exist without or outside of a tradition; therefore, architects are always engaged in a dialogue, a comparison, or a debate with history and their predecessors, reinterpreting, modifying, or completely transforming their legacy. The mannerist condition refers to those practices aimed at the creative reuse of any chosen set of precedents: practices of “remixing” architecture.

“The Mannerist Condition” will explore the work of those architects who are also intellectuals–that is, architects who operate at the intersection of design practice and the development of a personal design philosophy, within a framework in which history, theory, and criticism are intertwined.

Among the main topics: Maniera vs. Agency; Enigma and Ambiguity; Imitation vs. Referentiality; Chunky, Bizarre, or Sophisticated; Erudition and Grotesque; License and Creative Reuse of Precedents;  Generative AI and Strategies of Creative Imitation in the Arts.

Note regarding the Fall 2026 GSD academic calendar: The first day of classes, Wednesday, September 2nd, is held as a MONDAY schedule at the GSD. This course will meet for the first time on Wednesday, September 9th.