In Making Dystopia, distinguished architectural historian James Stevens Curl tells the story of the advent of architectural Modernism in the aftermath of the First World War, its protagonists, and its astonishing, almost global acceptance after 1945.

This lecture will focus on the context around the creation of Paulus church, a 1890s church made for the working class in Grünerløkka, Oslo. There will be a particular emphasis on the timeless qualities of the architectural details, supplemented by a history of the church throughout the decades.

This lecture introduces the concept of fractals in nature and in architecture and shows how fractals form a basis for universal preferences in architecture.

Nadia Buer Haugen talks about Christiania Tegneskole (the drawing school of Christiania) and their practice in the 19th century. Here we will take a closer look at the teaching methods at Norway’s earliest architectural education.

What is classical architecture in the Scandinavian context? Eric talks abou topics as democracy within the built environment, the market economy, and public opinion in architecture. What will be needed for a future with more buildings anchored in and based on classical knowledge?

Eskild will talk about functionalism as a case for organized crime. This argument is related to his work on aesthetics and building code. Aesthetic regulation is a key to uphold beauty, as ugliness is made de jure prohibited.