The course aims to provide knowledge of some themes, ideas, spaces and elements of contemporary architecture.

In the twentieth century and especially in Postmodernism (as clearly highlighted in the book Theories of Contemporary Architecture. Paths of Postmodernism by Paola Gregory) it is no longer possible to trace a univocal theory that determines rules and norms, but a multiplicity of visions of reality and architecture, which correspond to as many philosophical currents.

These will be developed in the course from the ideas and writings of architects.

In addition, the economic and financial crisis of 2008 and the current pandemic is changing the methods and themes of 21st century architecture, which is less linked to ideological issues, the search for a style or language, but seeks answers to current needs and problems with limited means and resources. The course will investigate this modified condition of present-day architecture through the knowledge of the architects and works that are its main expression.

The works of the architects of the 21st century will be compared with those of the masters of the end of the last century and with those of Modernity dealing with the same theme, in order to understand the continuity and variations of some of the fundamental issues and elements of architectural design.

To this end, the course lectures will deal with six themes: theories, archetypes, memory, place, reuse and structure.

In addition to these, lectures will be given by other lecturers from the faculty and other Italian universities in order to have multiple points of view and different declinations of these themes.