Architecture is one of the most complexly negotiated and globally recognized cultural practices, both as an academic subject and a professional career. Its production involves all of the technical, aesthetic, political, and economic issues at play within a given society. Over the course of ten modules, we’ll examine some of history’s most important examples that show how architecture engages, mediates, and expresses a culture’s complex aspirations.

The first part of the course introduces the idea of the architectural imagination as a faculty that mediates sensuous experience and conceptual understanding. Two examples of the architectural imagination—perspective drawing and architectural typology—are explored through video presentations and hands-on exercises. You will be introduced to some of the challenges involved in writing architectural history, revealing that architecture does not always have a straightforward relationship to its own history.

In the second set of modules, we address technology as a component of architecture’s realization and understanding. Architecture is embedded in contexts where technologies and materials of construction—glass and steel, reinforced concrete—are crucial agents of change. But a society’s technology does not determine its architectural forms. You will discover ways that innovative technology can enable and promote new aesthetic experiences, or disrupt age-old traditions. You will witness architecture’s ways of converting brute technical means into meaningful perceptions and textures of daily life. The interactions of architecture and modern technologies changed not only what could be built, but also what kinds of constructions could even be thought of as architecture.

The final set of modules confronts architecture’s complex relationship to its social and historical contexts and its audiences, achievements, and aspirations. As a professional practice deeply embedded in society, architecture has social obligations and the aesthetic power to negotiate social change; to carry collective memories; even to express society’s utopian ideals. You will learn about what we call architecture’s power of representation, and see how architecture has a particular capacity to produce collective meaning and memories.

• Read, analyze, and understand different forms of architectural representation.
• Understand social and historical contexts behind major works of architecture.
• Apply basic principles to produce your own architectural drawings and models.
• Explore pertinent content for academic study or a professional career as an architect.

This edX program is available for free to all, but you must be a registered member of the American Institute of Architects to add AIA Learning Units.

To sign up for the online course, visit the edX site page and select Enroll Now.

Please note that the online course content and course sign-up process are managed entirely by edX. For questions on how to enroll for the course, please contact edX Support.

You can upgrade to the Certificate track at any point during the course by clicking on the “Upgrade to Verified” button from your edX dashboard.

For further help, read edX’s guide on verified certificates or contact edX Support.

You are able to upgrade to the verfied track at any point until 10 days prior to the course end date.

The Architectural Imagination qualifies for 10.0 AIA Learning Units.

In order to add AIA Learning Units for The Architectural Imagination, you will need to have the following:

1. The URL link from your edX Verified Certificate
2.  Your AIA Member Account #

Please submit both items above to GSD Executive Education to apply for AIA Learning Units.

The GSD Executive Education fee covers the administrative cost to add AIA Learning Units, provided that you meet the following requirements:

• You have an edX verified certificate for the completion of The Architectural Imagination course 
• You are an AIA Member

Please note that the fee does not cover any costs associated with signing up and enrolling for the actual online course, which is managed entirely by edX.

We accept payments via Credit Card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover) or Electronic Check/ACH.

To find the certificate URL, use one of the following methods.

Use the Browser Address bar.
1. Open the certificate in your browser, and then click on the certificate ID.

The certificate opens in a new browser page.2. Copy the URL from the browser address bar.

Create the URL manually.
1. Open the certificate in your browser, and then copy the certificate ID.
2. Use the following URL, replacing certificate_ID with the certificate ID that you copied.

https://courses.edx.org/certificates/<certificate_ID>

For example, your certificate URL might resemble the following URL.

https://courses.edx.org/certificates/a1b2c3d4e5f6g7h8i9j10k11l12m13n1

You should see your Learning Units reflected on your AIA transcript within 10 business days of registering with GSD Executive Education to apply for AIA Learning Units. GSD Executive Education will report your attendance to AIA directly, and you will receive a confirmation letter from us. After receipt of this letter, and any time in the future, please contact AIA for a transcript of your Learning Units.

You can sign up for membership through the AIA website.

Need help? Contact AIA Information Central at 1-800-242-3837 or [email protected]

AIA offers international membership options for individuals based outside of the U.S. For more information, please visit the AIA membership website or contact AIA Information Central at 1-800-242-3837 /[email protected].