Zenghelis, considered one of the most influential leaders in the transformation of architectural education in the last half-century, will devote much of his Iowa State visit to teaching a master class for 50 third- through fifth-year undergraduate as well as graduate students in spring-semester architecture studio classes taught by assistant professor Nadia Anderson, senior lecturer Peter Goche and lecturer Ivonne Santoyo-Orozco.
This one-week, intensive workshop will address the topic of “The Public Interior, or The Invention of the Public Condenser.” In the assignment provided by Zenghelis, students will be asked to design “a space to accommodate a model of what is referred to as ‘the body politic’—a monumental interior in which representatives of the ‘rulers’ and the ‘ruled’ confront each other and where the conflict between the public and the private is revealed: a politically unique public function, a ‘public condenser.’”
“This is a theoretical type of building that relates to Soviet Constructivism and much of the work that Zenghelis and Koolhaas developed,” said Ross Adams, an ISU assistant professor of architecture who is organizing Zenghelis’ visit.
Small groups composed of students from across all levels will work together to produce a set of design drawings, visualizations and/or models, which will be on display during a public reception and exhibition at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 28, in the Beckman Forum, lower level of the College of Design’s King Pavilion.
“Elia Zenghelis is one of those rare design professionals who has, over the past 40 years, had a profound and visible influence on European architecture,” said Deborah Hauptmann, chair of the ISU architecture department. “Our students are incredibly fortunate to be able to engage intensively with such an iconic architect and educator.”