Concept

Space is essential to architecture. In contrast to painting and sculpture, architecture is fundamentally defined as a spatial construct, taking form not in two dimensions or three, but four. Architecture—as a direct product of its spatial dimension—is also fundamentally experiential and social. The theoretical conception of space—the understanding of space as a social product—provides a systematic, yet expandable language for examining the production of architecture—the processes, materials, structures, knowledge systems, and people integral in the making of architecture. To the extent that the concept of space facilitates such avenues of investigation, this conference pursues these insights in regards to architecture of early modern Europe. 

Conference Program

9:00–9:30 Welcome & Registration

9:30–9:45 Introduction

Prof. Dr. Jürgen Renn (MPIWG)

Director’s Welcome

Elizabeth Merrill (MPIWG)

Introduction to the Conference

9:45–11:15 Panel I

Noam Andrews (New York University)

Towards an Architectonics of Outer Space

Ludovica Galeazzo (Duke University)

“Conquest” and Construction of an Urban Space: the Insula dei Gesuiti in Venice in the Early Modern Period

Susan Klaiber (Winterthur, Switzerland)

Network Structures: Exploring the Architectural Spaces of the Theatine Archipelago

11:15–11:30 Coffee

11:30–13:00 Panel II          

Wolfgang Lefèvre (MPIWG)

Architecture on Paper: Development and Functions of Architectural Drawings in the Renaissance        

Sebastian Fitzner and Paul Brakmann (Freie Universität, Berlin)

Spaces of architectural knowledge: The model collection and “Kunstkammer” of Johannes Faulhaber (1580-1635) in Ulm

Elizabeth Merrill (MPIWG)  

Model Book Production & Architectural Education in Fifteenth-Century Siena 

13:00–14:00 Lunch

14:00–16:00 Panel III

Federico Bellini (Università degli Studi di Camerino)

Architecture for Music: Sonorous Spaces and Furnishings in Sacred Buildings of the Roman Renaissance and Baroque

Stefan Holzer (ETH Zürich) and Nicoletta Marconi (Università degli Studi di Roma Tor Vergata)  

Construction and Restoration Scaffoldings Development between 17th and 19th Century in Europe: Case Studies in Italy, France, and Germany, and their Interrelationships

Merlijn Hurx (Universiteit Utrecht)

“The Most Expert in Europe”: Knowledge Production and Innovation in Specialized Building Technologies in the Seventeenth-century Dutch Republic

16:00–16:30 Coffee

16:30–17:30 Panel IV

Anthony Gerbino (University of Manchester)

Architectural Knowledge as Spatial Practice: Geometrical Survey in Sixteenth-Century France

Edward Triplett (Duke University)

Drawing Borders with Castles and Maps —Making Sense of the 16th Century Livro das Fortalezas