ARCH 50611 - Nature and the Built Environment, Spring 2007

This course explores the evolutionary roots of form and order in the built environment. While grounded in scientific evidence, a broad perspective of humanism is emphasized throughout, with discussions of how ideas, beliefs, experience, ideals, and human nature animate individuals and societies and thereby give form to the things they make.

Vitruvian Calendar

ARCH 50611--Nature and the Built Environment

Professor Norman Crowe

School of Architecture
University of Notre Dame

Course Structure: Two 75-minute classes per week

Prerequisites: None

 

Course Description

This is a seminar that is open to graduate students and upper division undergraduates. It has no stipulated pre-requisites and is open to all majors. 

This course explores the evolutionary roots of form and order in the built environment.  While grounded in scientific evidence, a broad perspective of humanism is emphasized throughout, with discussions of how ideas, beliefs, experience, ideals, and human nature animate individuals and societies and thereby give form to the things they make. 

Readings begin with the idea of nature and how it is manifest in ancient cities, architecture, and other artifacts.  This is then contrasted with today’s built environment and our world of increasing economic and cultural globalization, the advent of mega-cities, and an impending worldwide scarcity of critical natural resources.

Citation: Crowe, N., Crowe, N. (2007, June 21). Nature and the Built Environment. Retrieved November 23, 2009, from Notre Dame OpenCourseWare Web site: http://ocw.nd.edu/architecture/nature-and-the-built-environment.
Copyright 2009, by the Contributing Authors. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. Creative Commons License