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  3. The Architecture of Wishful Thinking

The Architecture of Wishful Thinking (ABPL90124)

Graduate courseworkPoints: 12.5Not available in 2019

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Overview

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This subject will explore utopian architecture and planning projects based on political idealism, wishful thinking and the prospects of technology. What does technology contribute to the creation of a modern utopia? Is technology the key to a democratic society without poverty and class warfare? Is it a mechanism for the development of a totalitarian state? This subject will investigate the productive and critical dimensions of utopian thought, exploring the ways in which architecture performs as a vehicle for the implementation of political and social vision.

Intended learning outcomes

At the conclusion of this subject students will have:



  • A highly developed understanding of modern urban and architectural utopian vision, together with a high capacity for critique of them;
  • An understanding of how conceptual and theoretical thought is translated into built form;
  • A critical basis from which to interrogate and evaluate contemporary architecture.

Generic skills

  • Critical thinking and analytical ability.
  • Ability to comprehend architectural concepts and express them lucidly, orally and textually.
  • Methods of documentation and presentation.

Last updated: 3 November 2022