Rome: Urban Formation and Transformation

(Hardback)

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Formation is ideal and utopian thinking, whereas Transformation is the adaptation of the ideal to the real or existing conditions. Are the two mutually exclusive Or do they exist in conversation, a constant back-and-forth, push-and-pull between the idealised and the pragmatic This book examines the dialectical relation of Formation and Transformation in the creation of the city. Taking Rome as its central case study, it develops a contextual theory of urban development that incorporates Italian Renaissance, Baroque architecture, and classical history. Similarly, this book encourages the aspiring architectural student to consider the ramifications of practice and praxis. How can utopian thinking, and the actualised execution of that thinking, continue to operate in existing urban contexts How can we relate the complexity of Roman urbanism to the role of Roman architecture in its urban context This book manoeuvres through such difficult questions deftly, illuminating its points with a wide selection of colour images. AUTHOR: Jon Michael Schwarting is an architect and professor of architecture and urbanism. He is a graduate of Cornell University in architecture and urban design. He had a Rome Prize and is a Fellow and Trustee Emeritus of the American Academy in Rome. SELLING POINTS: A detailed overview of the city of Rome, which engages with seemingly-antithetical theoretical terms such as 'Formation' and 'Transformation' Will be of interest to architectural students and professionals, as well as those who want to learn more about Rome 150 colour images

Reviews

"Influenced by Rowe's vision, the author collects historical, analytical and graphical data derived from these elaborate studies on the city of Rome, which is seen as a perfect case study to comprehend and demonstrate how urban formation, transformation and architecture in general are in a critical relationship with the concepts of the ideal, the utopian and the physical reality."
"The book is simple in structure, well illustrated with a number of black and white maps and line sketches."--Landscape+Urbanism

Author Bio

Jon Michael Schwarting is an architect, urban designer and professor. He has a B.Arch. and M.Arch in Urban Design from Cornell University and received a Rome Prize Fellowship from the American Academy in Rome. He is a Professor of Architecture and has been Director of the graduate program of Urban and Regional Design at New York Institute of Technology. He has also taught at Columbia, Yale, Pennsylvania, Cornell, Cooper Union, Syracuse and the Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies. He has lectured on his work and on architectural, history, theory and issues at numerous institutions. He was an Associate at Richard Meier and Associates and has had a Practice with partners since 1975, and presently, at Campani and Schwarting Architects. His work has been exhibited and published internationally in journals and books. His projects have receive LI AIA ARCHI awards and a PA Citation. He has been recognized and placed in several architectural competitions, and has directed the restoration of the 1931 Alumianaire House since 1987. He has published articles on architecture and architectural theory in Domus, Harvard Review, VIA, Modulus, Precis and ACSA, and has received private and public grants from the Graham Foundation, NEA, NYSCA and NYS P&HP. Michael has served on the Board of the Architectural League of NYC, Van Alan Institute and is Trustee Emeritus of the American Academy in Rome.