ARCH468E

This course is intended to provide architecture students with an understanding of late 20th century and early 21st century Spanish architectural practice. Its aim is to introduce students to a country, a body of work, an architectural culture; exploring trends and design genealogies. We will address the built environmental from different angles: design, context, history and materiality. The focus will be on understanding contemporary Spanish architectural discourse in its local, regional and global contexts. Spain is country marked by its melting pot history up until the discovery of America and expulsion of Arabs and Jews in the 15th century. Modern Spanish identity is forged of this cultural mix, the process of 19th century decolonization, the aftermath of the civil war (1936-1939) and the posterior dictatorship. Its architecture is a reflection of these multiple sources.