Course detail

Traditionalism in Architecture of the 20th and 21st Centuries

FA-TRA-TAcad. year: 2026/2027

The course explores the key themes of modern architectural traditionalism: Beaux-Arts architecture and stylistic theories; efforts toward urban reform from Camillo Sitte to New Urbanism; the movement for the preservation of the homeland; and disputes between traditionalist and modernist schools of thought in historic preservation; influential figures among architects and architectural theorists; and issues in the historiographical reflection on 20th- and 21st-century architecture. Students apply the knowledge gained in their own annotated architectural design.

Language of instruction

Czech

Number of ECTS credits

3

Mode of study

Not applicable.

Guarantor

doc. PhDr. Martin Horáček, Ph.D.

Department

Department of Monument Care (UPP)

Entry knowledge

Basic overview of historical and contemporary architecture.

Rules for evaluation and completion of the course

To receive a graded credit, students must prepare and submit the assigned architectural designs and decorative details by the specified deadline (10 drawings or the agreed-upon number of 3D models + a 40-slide presentation on a selected architect).

Aims

The aim of the course is, on the one hand, to provide an overview of traditionalist trends in architecture from the late 19th century to the present, as well as the professional and lay discourse surrounding these trends, and, on the other hand, to develop practical skills in the use of contemporary design methods and technologies for modeling traditional architectural and decorative elements.
Graduates of the course are expected to:
– strengthen their competencies in the field of traditional artistic skills;
– understand traditionalism as a school of thought, a philosophical stance, and an aesthetic position;
– understand ornament as an organic component of spatial design;
– the ability to integrate traditionalist concepts with contemporary creative processes and techniques;
– the ability to reflect on both their own and others’ architectural work from the perspective of artistic style and architectural vocabulary.

Study aids

Christopher Alexander, The Nature of Order I: The Phenomenon of Life, Berkeley 2002.

James Stevens Curl, Making Dystopia: The Strange Rise and Survival of Architectural Barbarism, Oxford 2019.

Werner Hegemann - Elbert Peets, The American Vitruvius: An Architect´s Handbook of Urban Design, New York 1992 (1. ed. 1922).

Martin Horáček, Za krásnější svět: Tradicionalismus v architektuře 20. a 21. století / Toward a More Beautiful World: Traditionalism in Architecture of the 20th and 21st Centuries, Brno 2013.

Léon Krier, The Architecture of Community, Princeton 2011.

Jan Michl, www.janmichl.com

Nikos A. Salingaros, Unified Architectural Theory: Form, Language, Complexity, Kathmandu 2013.

Geoffrey Scott, The Architecture of Humanism, New York 1974.

James Stevens Curl, Budování Dystopie: Podivný triumf architektonického barbarství, Brno 2022.

Geoffrey Scott, The Architecture of Humanism, New York 1974.

Prerequisites and corequisites

Not applicable.

Basic literature

ALEXANDER, Christopher et al. A Pattern Language. Oxford University Press, 1977. ISBN 978-0195019193. (EN)
HORÁČEK, Martin. Za krásnější svět: Tradicionalismus v architektuře 20. a 21. století. Brno: Barrister a Principal - VUTIUM, 2013. ISBN 978-80-7485-002-8. (CS)
MICHL, Jan. Funkcionalismus, design, škola,trh: Čtrnáct textů o problémech teorie a praxe moderního designu. Brno: Barrister a Principal, 2012. ISBN 978-80-87474-48-8. (CS)
SALINGAROS, Nikos A. Sjednocená teorie architektury: Forma, jazyk, komplexita. Brno: VUTIUM - BP Publishing, 2017. ISBN 978-80-7485-138-4. (CS)
SCOTT, Geoffrey. The Architecture of Humanism. New York: W. W. Norton, 1974. ISBN 0-393-00734-0. (EN)

Recommended reading

CHARLES, Princ z Walesu. Harmonie - nový způsob, jak nahlížet na náš svět. Brno: BP, 2018. ISBN 978-80-7485-154-4. (CS)
KRIER, Léon. Architektura - volba nebo osud. Praha: Academia, 2001. ISBN 80-200-0012-7. (CS)
NERDINGER, Winfried (ed.). Geschichte der Rekonstruktion – Konstruktion der Geschichte. München: Prestel, 2010. ISBN 978-3-7913-5092-9. (DE)
SITTE, Camillo. Stavba měst podle uměleckých zásad. Brno: Ústav územního rozvoje, 2012. ISBN 978-80-87318-21-8. (CS)
WATKIN, David. Radical Classicism: The Architecture of Quinlan Terry. New York: Rizzoli, 2006. ISBN 978-0-8478-2806-7. (EN)

Classification of course in study plans

  • Programme N_A+U Master's 1 year of study, summer semester, elective

Type of course unit

 

Seminar

26 hours, compulsory

Teacher / Lecturer

doc. PhDr. Martin Horáček, Ph.D.