History Of The Built Environment I - AR329 - 202102

Abstract

Course Description The study of the history of the built environment provides a general understanding on how human societies have adapted the form of the built environment to their unique cultural, political, economic, climatic, and environmental challenges across time. This is the first of two courses which explore the history of the built environment through the lens of the six global climatic zones, providing an opportunity to explore the built environment across the world and throughout various cultures. This course provides an overview of the history of the built environment at the city, building, and landscape scales and covers the built environment in selected climates. Students will learn examples from the past to help inform solutions to the multiple and complex challenges that our built environment faces today and in the future. This course will explore the economic, social, and environmental challenges that have shaped the built environment. Students will analyze the built environment in three scales - buildings, landscapes, and cities - as a response to the multiple cultural, economic, political, and environmental challenges that societies have faced throughout history. This is the first course out of two courses, and they are organized in modules that correspond to different climatic zones. These are: 1. Hot and dry 2. Hot and humid 3. Cold and dry 4. Cold and humid 5. Temperate and dry 6. Temperate and humid This first course starts with an introductory module and includes the first three climate zones (hot and dry, hot and humid, and cold and dry). As an introduction, we examine the historic role of cities, the socio-economic factors that shape the built environment, the role of natural resources, and the vernacular architectural solutions 1according to climatic zones. For hot and dry climates, this course focuses on the Sumerians in Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, the Persian Empire, and the Puebloans in Southwestern U.S. For hot and humid climates, we examine the civilizations in the Indus Valley and the Mughal Empire in India, the Khmer Empire in Southeast Asia, and the Mayans in Mesoamerica. For cold and arid climates, we explore the polar cultures of the Inuit and the Samis, the Vikings in Scandinavia, and the Mongol Empire in north Asia. Course Instructor Co-Instructor Adriana Zuniga Assistant Research Scientist Sustainable Built Environments Degree Program School of Landscape Architecture and Planning University of Arizona Contact information: 803 E First St. Tucson, AZ 85719 (520) 626-4393 aazuniga@arizona.edu Gustavo Díaz Paz Adjunct Instructor School of Landscape Architecture and Planning University of Arizona Professor Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas pcargdia@upc.edu.pe