Casey R Hickerson

Though primarily known for its associated theories of contextual urbanism, the Urban Design Studio at Cornell University serves as a precedent for many contemporary design studios, including the Architectural Association's Design Research Laboratory, through its view of design education as a form of research and its particular focus upon working methods as a primary subject of that research. This thesis traces the development of the Urban Design Studio's curriculum and its primary working method, the figure/ground technique, consequent to the unique vision of the Studio's founder and director, Colin Rowe.

For the Degree Master of Arts in Histories and Theories of Architecture
Architectural Association School of Architecture, London UK
October 2004; Revised, July 2005

Design Education for the Open Society (7.5 MB)

This essay examines Greg Lynn's book "Animate Form" in relation to the essay "Transparency: Literal and Phenomenal" by Colin Rowe and Robert Slutzky, arguing that the distinction Lynn makes between animation and motion is analogous, and in some respects indebted to, Rowe and Slutzky's distinction between phenomenal and literal transparencies.

For Designing Life, Katharina Borsi
Architectural Association School of Architecture, London UK
Spring Term 2004

Animation as Phenomenal Motion (26 KB)

Within a span of five years, three influential essays on the subject of concept in art were published: "Notes on Conceputal Architecture: Towards a Definition" by Peter Eisenman, "Paragraphs on Conceptual Art" by Sol Lewitt, and "Music as a Gradual Process" by Steve Reich. This essay examines these three essays, noting key similarities and differences between them.

For Narratives of Modernism, Diana Periton
Architectural Association School of Architecture, London UK
Autumn Term 2003

Three Essays on Concept in Art (78 KB)

This essay presents a Kantian critique of Clement Greenberg's critical theory, arguing that Greenberg's demand for abstraction presumes a notion of beauty tantamount to utility and, as a consequence, severely limits Greenberg's credibility as an judge of taste.

For Judgment and Architecture, Mark Cousins
Architectural Association School of Architecture, London UK
Autumn Term 2003

Recasting Abstraction (76 KB)