There are four essays which ask you to demonstrate your understanding of the concepts of human behavior
in the architectural process. EACH ESSAY FOR ONE PAGE.You should refer to material presented in the reading, the concepts contained
in the readings and any independent research you may have uncovered to illustrate the concepts we
discussed. The essays will be evaluated on 1) the clarity and conciseness of your answer to the question, 2)
the ways material from the lectures and readings are used to support your ideas, and 3) the creativity and
originality of your use of architectural examples from your own research to illustrate your answers. Essays
should also be formatted correctly and use APA citations as necessary. Please include images with your
essays needed to illustrate any points you make. Students are reminded that this is an exercise to test
the individual’s ability to synthesize the material from the first four lectures using their own
thoughts and words. Answers borrowed from other students’ work are not permitted. !
The Problem: Select a work of architecture that you do not admire and even might think of as
bad architecture. This exercise asks you to think critically about that work and to apply the
principles we have discussed in the first four lectures of this course to help you understand why it
is so unappealing to you. In other words, to this point you have had a subjective and intuitive
opinion for the building; now try to objectify your feelings and put them in the context of what the
lectures, the readings, and your own research have taught you about that work of architecture. !
Essay 1: Why does the building work so poorly in terms of the way people perceive and interpret
the external form and/or internal spaces? Use the principles outlined by Arnheim and/or Evans
and McCoy to support your analyses. Use examples from these two readings or those you have
uncovered in your own research to compare the building you dislike with other works of
architecture. !
Essay 2: We discussed the concept of “archetypes” and the way this concept is important as a
means of giving a building a strong and culturally significant image. How does your least favorite
building fail to conform to this principle? In other words, how do the thoughts of Cooper help you
explain the strength of your dislike for the building? !
Essay 3: Is the building you have chosen a negative example of a historical or environmental
model? Take the lessons you learned from either Jacobs or Lynch and show how the building you
chose exemplifies what the author was communicating. !
Essay 4: Now that you have used the lessons from this semester to support your own subjective
prejudices about a building, campus or urban space that you do not admire, use those same
lessons to be positive and explain how it could be redesigned to be a “better” place. Use the
information we have discussed in class to define what your own architectural judgments and
preferences are and why you support them. I am not asking you to reject your preferences for the
building you chose, but I am asking you to apply a detached and critical analysis.
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