With an understanding that an archetype may still hold the capacity to reveal the invisible within the visible, we shall explore the making of architecture based in the recognition of our own experience. Remembering, however, the meaning of our experience cannot simply be understood as a symptom to be diagnosed and deciphered, but rather as something to be understood for its own sake – as a genesis and not as an effect. The semester will begin with a series of exercises and readings aimed at fleshing out issues of metaphor, imagination and interpretation, and how these may help to articulate a non-trivial architecture. You will choose an archetype and develop a program based on your explorations.

These include, but are not limited to:water, womb, shell, earth, labyrinth, angel, forest, air, fire, shadow.

The programs through which these archetypal topics may be explored include, but again are not limited to the museum, the library, the church, the music hall, the rail station, the town hall, the courthouse, the school, the theatre, the cemetery. The relationship of the topic to the type should not be literal, for example the archetype of house should not lead you to design condominium. However, the exploration of house may lead you to an understanding of dwelling, possibly essential to the design of a museum. The type of program will not be the initial point of inquiry, however it will be essential that you do come to terms with the specificity of your project. While a library may be spiritual, it is not a church. You must be prepared to understand and explain that which makes your project distinct. Issues of technology—the techne of logos as well as the logos of techne—shall be central to the development of ideas, and shall be expressed through the semester in various projects.