Course detail

Theory of architecture

FA-D03Acad. year: 2026/2027

Theory of architecture as an academic discipline with objective characteristics. The course consists of individual consultations or group discussions on current aspects of architectural theory. Students propose their own topics based on their preferences and needs, in connection with their dissertations and other courses.

Language of instruction

Czech

Assignment to study programme types

Doctoral

Mode of study

Not applicable.

Guarantor

doc. PhDr. Martin Horáček, Ph.D.

Department

Department of Theory (UT)

Entry knowledge

Knowledge on architectural history gained in the Bc and MA architectural training.

Rules for evaluation and completion of the course

Preparation of a paper with theoretical aspects (conference presentation with slides, research paper). The conference presentation may take place domestically or abroad; in the case of a written research paper, it may also take the form of a more extensive popular study. The goal is not only to master the essentials of preparing scholarly outputs but also to understand the formal requirements of the submission, peer review, and professional feedback processes. The topic and scope of the paper are based on the student’s needs, primarily in connection with their dissertation.

Aims

Students deepen their ability to critically analyze and interpret architectural works and discourse within a hierarchical system of scientific knowledge and in the context of current individual, social, and environmental demands.
Students are also encouraged to develop their self-reflection and the ability to present their own critical stance, defend it, and define its place within a chosen school of thought.

Study aids

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

Cynthia C. Davidson ed., Eisenman/Krier: Two Ideologies, New York 2005.

Léon Krier, The Architecture of Community, Princeton 2011.

Hanno-Walter Kruft, History of Architectural Theory, Princeton 1996.

Harry F. Mallgrave, Modern Architectural Theory: A Historical Survey, 1673–1968, Cambridge 2005.

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.

Patrick Schumacher, The Autopoiesis of Architecture, Hoboken 2011.

Prerequisites and corequisites

Not applicable.

Basic literature

KRUFT, H.-W., Dejiny teórie architektúry, Bratislava: Pallas 1993. (CS)

Recommended reading

ALEXANDER, C. The Nature of Order I–IV. Berkeley: The Center for Environmental Structure 2002–2005. (CS)
HARARI, Y. N., Homo Deus. London: Harvill Secker 2016. (CS)
HORÁČEK, M. 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: Barrister & Principal – VUTIUM 2013. (CS)
MALLGRAVE, H. F. Architecture and Embodiment: The Implications of the New Sciences and Humanities to Design. New York: Routledge 2013. (CS)
MICHL, J. Funkcionalismus, design, škola, trh: Čtrnáct textů o problémech teorie a praxe moderního designu. Brno: Barrister & Principal 2012. (CS)

Classification of course in study plans

  • Programme ARCHURB Doctoral

    specialization URBAN , 1 year of study, summer semester, elective
    specialization ARCH , 1 year of study, summer semester, compulsory

  • Programme ARCHURB Doctoral

    specialization URBAN , 1 year of study, summer semester, elective
    specialization ARCH , 1 year of study, summer semester, compulsory

Type of course unit

 

Lecture

12 hours, optionally

Teacher / Lecturer

doc. PhDr. Martin Horáček, Ph.D.

Syllabus

The cycle of lectures is divided into four basic parts: Secession period 1895 - 1918; period of search for a new style in the first half of the twenties; heroic period of Brno functionalism in the late twenties and thirties; fading of functionalism after World War II.
The influence of the interwar period on the creative activity of contemporary Brno architects is continuously remembered.
Topics:
1. Scientific architectural theory.
2. Architecture and psychology, biology, mathematics, and physics.
3. Complexity in architecture.
4. Architectural language.
5. Tradition and inovation in architecture.
6. Architecture in the 21st century.

Guided consultation

2 hours, compulsory

Teacher / Lecturer

doc. PhDr. Martin Horáček, Ph.D.

Seminar

6 hours, compulsory

Teacher / Lecturer

doc. PhDr. Martin Horáček, Ph.D.