About the usefulness and prejudice of history and theory for architecture

Abstract

The aim of this article is to elucidate the role of History and Theory in the Architecture studies. The writing starts with a conceptual approach supported by a wide range of philosophical texts ranging from Nietzsche and Marx to Skinner and Gadamer. It, as well as highlights some fragments of architectural treatises of Vitruvius and Alberti. These readings allow the reflection about the relationship between theory and practice, as well as the instrumental role and/or utility of the Theory of Architecture.

After this introduction, the paper's framework is the School of Architecture of Barcelona. The genealogy of the classes in History and Theory is studied since the founding of the school, to then expose and interpret the past and recent changes in the curriculum. After reasoning the chaining of the subjects of Theory and History along the studies, it delves into the analysis of one of them: Basis for Theory. One observation that allows to test the possibility of a new pedagogy.

The text concludes by drawing a map of threats and opportunities in this process. Threats mainly come from the lack of resources to deploy the guidelines of the European Higher Education Space as well as from the poor preparation, and often from the lack of teachers’ conviction in its implementation. The opportunities consist in the possibility to deploy a teaching not based solely on lectures and hence, giving an organic sense to architectural studies, integrating at once all departments on common tasks.