Shaymaa Alsalami’s Profile Student Toggle navigation

This historical survey of architecture covers the period from early civilizations to the arrival of the Industrial Revolution. Architecture is understood as an expression of the culture and life of a society, and each class session considers architectures from around the world within their social, historical, and spatial contexts. While the history of Western architecture is covered from the Egyptian to the Enlightenment, a special focus is directed to the architectures of the Far East, South Asia, Africa, pre-Columbian Latin America, the Islamic World, and elsewhere to provide a comprehensive overview of the richness and diversity of architecture as a cultural artifact.

This historical survey of architecture covers the period from early civilizations to the arrival of the Industrial Revolution. Architecture is understood as an expression of the culture and life of a society, and each class session considers architectures from around the world within their social, historical, and spatial contexts. While the history of Western architecture is covered from the Egyptian to the Enlightenment, a special focus is directed to the architectures of the Far East, South Asia, Africa, pre-Columbian Latin America, the Islamic World, and elsewhere to provide a comprehensive overview of the richness and diversity of architecture as a cultural artifact.

Understanding architecture is achieved by developing a visual literacy of New York City’s built environment. Using the city as a living laboratory, students explore concepts of design, composition, and construction by sketching and writing about their direct experience of buildings. Focus workshops on freehand drawing techniques, basic drafting skills, graphic standards, 2D and 3D composition, writing about buildings and their construction, and reading architectural drawings are central to this course. Students develop graphic skills and the basic foundation to talk, write, and graphically express architecture and its construction.

Understanding architecture is achieved by developing a visual literacy of New York City’s built environment. Using the city as a living laboratory, students explore concepts of design, composition, and construction by sketching and writing about their direct experience of buildings. Focus workshops on freehand drawing techniques, basic drafting skills, graphic standards, 2D and 3D composition, writing about buildings and their construction, and reading architectural drawings are central to this course. Students develop graphic skills and the basic foundation to talk, write, and graphically express architecture and its construction.