Vitruvius – an investigation reaches back to the foundational text in architecture, Vitruvius´ De architectura (On Architecture) written ca. 20 BCE. It aims to re-evaluate the text and unravel hidden, overlooked, and misunderstood levels in the text and reign in the renewed message Vitruvius carries today, concretized in three specific areas of investigation. The first part of the course centers on understanding, analyzing the text and its translations and interpretations. A second part traces Vitruvius´ influence on architectural history and theory. A third part explores the relevance of Vitruvius today and investigates how De architectura yields new and meaningful dimensions to the practice and thinking of architecture.

The course is organized as a combination of lectures and seminars and includes a field trip to The Oslo Cathedral School Library and lectures by Ingrid D. Rowland, Øystein Nilsen Holdø, Nikolai Fischer, Victor Plahte Tschudi as well as presentations of three “classical” projects by the NTNU diploma students Karl Fredrik Honningsvåg, Jeppe Holter, Sigurd Randby and Jacques Dhainaut.