‘Philosophy of Architecture’ discusses and explains essential philosophical concepts within architecture and the various positions taken with regards to contemporary cultural phenomenas. This enables students to discover their own position within a philosophical debate and to place their work within a well-grounded understanding of philosophical concepts.
The first block starts with the comparison of fashion trends with architectural design connecting both with semiotic component analysis. The question is, whether and to what extent the analogy between architecture, fashion (popular culture) and language actually works. Possible answers arise from the examples given by Jencks, Baudrillard, Eco, Barthes, Alexander, Lynn and Barthes.
Architecture only becomes modern in its engagement with new media, and that in doing it radically displaces the traditional sense of space and subjectivity. Students should learn to understand their design in the same terms as drawings, photographs, writing, film and advertisements by developing new programs for their architectural models on the basis of philosophical texts (Koolhaas, Vidler, Foucault, Colomina) and film plots.
The third block deals with human attachment to landscape and how we find identity in landscape and place. Furthermore the lecture explores the relationship between innovation, medialisation (f.e. Bollywood in the Alps), individualisation and the new emerging ‘sportscapes’, it focuses on the impact of migration and globalisation on a territory (Latour, Deleuze, Appadurai, Hagerstrand) .
The fourth block is dedicated to the cross-fertilisation of technology, art, pop culture and architecture. The course starts with mainstream philosophy of the Sixties (Critical Theory, Mc Luhan, Marcuse) and provides students with a wider perspective concerning problems that come up in contemporary architectural debates.

Professional competence

• Understand philosophical concepts and their impact on own work
• Explain competently, discuss and critique own work through oral presentations, writing or visual communication

Methodological competence

• Identify key elements of problems and choose appropriate methods for their resolution in a considered manner
• Develop activities and self-organisation that will promote learning

Social competence

• Discuss and articulate ideas and information fluently

Personal competence

• Assess own work and put it into a historical, theoretical and philosophical context

This module supports the development of basic communicative and cultural competence in Spanish.

Interaction, study skills

>understanding and passing on simple information
>taking part in simple everyday conversation
>reporting past events
>creating simple texts

Please bring the following book with you to the first meeting: eñe A1: Der Spanischkurs (Hueber Verlag).

80 % compulsory attendance

This module supports the development of basic communicative and cultural competence in Spanish.

Interaction, study skills

>understanding the essential of understandable texts in standard language, if they deal with well-known facts from one's work environment, studies or leisure time
>communicating in most situations which can come up on a trip through regions in which Spanish is the mother tongue
>producing simple texts about topics which are known or of personal interest and which describe experiences, events, wishes and aims; giving reasons for one's opinion or explaining plans.

Please bring the following book with you to the first meeting: eñe B1.2: Der Spanischkurs (Hueber Verlag).

80% compulsory attendance

As an alternative to the Semester abroad, students can select to pursue a research project at the University of Liechtenstein. In this module, students develop and conduct an intensive research project providing them with insights into academic research methodologies. The scope and topic need to be agreed with the Academic Director prior to an application.

exercises, experiment, research, writing, visualising, modelling,
presenting, case study, peer feedback

Professional competence

• Independently identify a research topic and develop it coherently into a research proposal for the Master's thesis
• With minimal guidance can manage own learning using full range of resources for the discipline
• Execute complex defined and self-defined projects of research, development or investigation and identify and implement relevant outcomes.
• Make formal presentations about specialist topics to informed audiences.
• Show competence in analysing case studies and the ability to infer principles and motivations.

Methodological competence

• Analyse new and/ or abstract data and situations without guidance, using a range of techniques and methods appropriate to the subject
• Critically evaluate evidence to support hypotheses, reviewing its reliability, validity and significance
• Have knowledge of scientific or artistic methods within an interdisciplinary context

Social competence

• Explain competently, discuss and critique own work through oral presentations, writing or visual communication
• Understand how to work with confidence in the complex organisational and community settings within which the applied methods and design processes are typically deployed.

Personal competence

• Gain confidence in own role and the persuasive and accountable manner in which it is expected to be performed.
• Take responsibility for own work and are able to criticise it

Agreement with Academic Director

Mid-term and final presentations, book

>Spoken and written communicative competence in various every day situations.
>Cultural competence

Interactive teaching

The module "German as a Foreign language" deepens the competences acquired during the introduction week. It can also be chosen independently.

The Introduction week at University of Liechtenstein introduces international students to living in Liechtenstein and studying in Liechtenstein.

>Spoken and written communicative competence in various everyday situations
>Cultural competence

Interactive teaching

>Building German language competence
>Developing basic communicative competence
>Cultural competence
>Grammar and vocabulary
>Learning strategies

The modules in "German as a Foreign language" deepen the competences acquired throughout the introduction week. They can also be chosen independently.

>Spoken and written communicative competence in various everyday situations
>Cultural competence

Interactive teaching

>Building German language competence
>Developing basic communicative competence
>Cultural competence
>Grammar and vocabulary
>Learning strategies

The modules in "German as a Foreign language" deepen the competences acquired throughout the introduction week. They can also be chosen independently.

This module offers an overview of the interplay and dependencies of settlement, resource use, resilience, sufficiency, climate change and architecture, urban design and the formation of man-made landscapes. Additionally, it demonstrates the potential of an integrated approach to design sustainable, regenerative environments. Investigating and assessing recently designed and realized projects (considering topics as habitation, commercial, mixed-use, infrastructure, mobility, renewable energy production and supply, agriculture, forestry, biodiversity, carbon sequestration, water resource management, etc.), students will understand to what extent their future practice as architects and urban designers can contribute to more sustainable and regenerative environments.

Lecture and seminar: case studies, discourse, writing

Professional competence
Grasp essential parameters shaping sustainable, regenerative environments and translate this knowledge into own work
Show confidence in analysing case studies and the ability to infer principles and motivations
Explain competently, discuss and critique own work through oral presentations, writing or visual ¿communication
Develop a holistic approach on urban planning and design
Identify basic principles of various spatially significant fields
Evaluate regenerative potentials of urban design projects
Distinguish the limits and potentials of own role in urban development
Apply regenerative design strategies on urban territories

Methodological competence
Identify key elements of problems and choose appropriate methods for their resolution in a considered manner
Apply regenerative design strategies in complex organisational and community settings
Create formal presentations to informed audiences

Social competence
Discuss and articulate ideas and information fluently
Demonstrate the ability to work with other students for assignments, exercises, experiments, ¿presentations etc
Explain competently, discuss and critique own work through oral presentations, writing or visual communication

Personal competence
Assess own work and put it into a historical, theoretical, cultural and social context

Portfolio, exercises, minimum 75% mandatory presence

Architekturtheorie thematisiert die Fragen nach der Definition und der Bedeutung der Architektur in den unterschiedlichen Kontexten. Die disziplinarischen Aspekte dieser Fragen werden im Unterricht erforscht und vermittelt. Analogien und Widersprüche zwischen Theorien, Ideologien und Wissen, sowie auch Kontaktpunkte mit anderen Disziplinen (Bildende Kunst, Film, Soziologie, Philosophie, Wissenschaft) werden diskutiert und vertieft, um sie gleichzeitig mit mehreren Ebenen und Kenntnissen in Verbindung zu bringen. Die Architektur wird somit als Teil des gesamten kulturellen Diskurses erlebbar. Die durch Texte und Projekte präsentierten, unterschiedlichen Thesen werden als mögliche "zeitlose" Werkzeuge in den Händen entwerfender Architekten verstanden. Die Architekturtheorien sind keine reinen Abstraktionen, sie bewegen sich zwischen absoluten Positionen, und relativen Verhältnissen. Das Modul dient der anwendungsorientierten Horizonterweiterung durch Vermittlung und Aneignung von Wissen.

Blockunterricht mit Fachstudium (Vorlesung )
Mögliche Methoden:
Schreiben, Vortrag

Die Studierenden…
Fachkompetenz

• verfügen über grundlegende Kenntnisse aus der Architekturtheorie.
• können architekturtheorierelevante Texte kritisch lesen.

Sozialkompetenz

• sind befähigt in Gruppen zu recherchieren, vertiefen und präsentieren.

Selbstkompetenz

• sind befähigt einen kritischen Text zu strukturieren und zu verfassen und die gewonnen Kenntnisse mithilfe von Fachliteratur selbstständig zu vertiefen.
• sind befähigt aus dem vorgegebenen Material Zusammenhänge und/oder Differenzen, Tendenzen, Grundhaltungen, gestaltungstheoretisch relevante Kriterien zu erkennen und zu verbalisieren.
• verstehen Architekturtheorie als Teil eines kulturhistorischen Prozesses, der von jeder Epoche und Generation neu interpretiert und gestaltet wird.

Positiv bestandene Studieneingangsphase

Schriftliche Hausarbeit, Referat, Mündliche Schlusspräsentation mit Kritik
Anwesenheitspflicht: min. 75% verpflichtend