[WiSe 2024/25] Evolving types: Berlin’s courtyards and their transformations since

This course delves into the courtyards of Berlin's central core and examines how they have transformed since 1990. The research primarily is threefold: first, the typo-morphological analysis of the Berliner courtyards and their variations, not only for their formal aspects but also their cultural, social and environmental roles; second, the analysis of typologies of courtyards' transformations, investigating the methods and tools/elements of transformation such as the relation with the ground, sky, edges, and program; and third, the investigation of a broader view of Berlin's contemporary culture of reappropriation of civic spaces via the medium of "courtyard," in between private and public, individual and collective, and exterior/void and interior/solid. On the pedagogical front, the course consists of three main steps: introductory lectures/seminars, case study selection and fieldwork/site visits, and analysis and representation phase, with an expected outcome of a collective catalogue of Berlin's courtyards, showcasing their contemporary metamorphosis.

 

Instructor: Arian Heidari Afshari (DAStU, Politecnico di Milano), Prof. Dr. Jörg H. Gleiter