As he ends his years of service at the Department of Architecture at the Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD), Iñaki Ábalos has given a Walter Gropius Lecture, customary for departing chairs.
Entitled “Architecture for the Search for Knowledge,” the lecture is named for Ábalos’ mantra by the same words, which is an aphorism written by Friedrich Nietzsche.
Throughout the event, Ábalos delved into various mixed-use typologies, each of which is in some way related to the basic typology of the medieval monastery.
Highlights of the lecture include:
- 10:30 - 14:45 Ábalos introduces the theme of the relationship between education, research, and professional practice, as well as the overall typology of mixed-use projects, through the example of the medieval monastery.
- 14:45 - 17:30 Ábalos delves into the architectural typology of the medieval monastery, noting their “open ecosystems,” varying “circles of privacy,” and mixed uses.
- 17:30 - 22:20 Ábalos explains his dedication to the study of mixed-use projects in modernist and contemporary architecture, as well as subsystems of skyscrapers.
- 22:20 - 31:00 The namesake aphorism of the lecture is explored, in addition to its and Nietzsche’s relationship to monasteries. The background is additionally given on the basic elements of monasteries.
- 31:00 - 38:45 Ábalos discusses the history and evolution of the monastery, as well as the typical use of stone in monasteries.
- 38:45 - 46:05 After giving background on the monastery typology, Ábalos explores various monastic lifestyles, and how they affected their respective architectures, as well as how monasteries created the monastery palace typology.
- 46:05 - 53:40 Ábalos compares the two “monastery circles” of the revolutionary period, based on contributions from Thomas Jefferson and Charles Fourier, and their work in universities and phalansteries, respectively.
- 53:40 - 1:00:30 Ábalos shifts to more modern interpretations of the monastery typology, namely those of the 20th century in Europe and America.
- 1:00:30 - 1:04:10 Ábalos recounts his time as a professor and chair at the GSD, noting his teachings concerning mixed-use projects and various aspects of thermodynamics, and closes the lecture by tying together each of the various mixed-use typologies he has discussed.
- 1:05:10 - 1:29:00 Ábalos answers questions concerning the lecture.
News via: the Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD).
