Unfolding the Potentials of the Oblique Function Theory in Educating the Cosmopolitan Architect

The paper unfolds the potentials of the Oblique Function Theory, founded by architect Claude Parent and urban theorist/ philosopher Paul Virilio under Architecture Principe group, in educating the cosmopolitan architect. It examines how the Oblique Function Theory engages with the architectural problems of cosmopolitan dynamics by extrapolating a new architectural language around tenets of habitable circulation, flexibility, continuity, free movement, openness, and adaptability. By emphasizing the importance of architectural space-making in pedagogy, the paper questions the validity of the Oblique Function Theory in creating a productive educational environment for cosmopolitan citizens. Doing so first reviews the literature on educative spaces, understanding the potential of how designing architectural spaces can contribute to the quality of cosmopolitan education. Then, hypothesizing that the cosmopolitan expectations warrant a contemporary architectural space, it argues that Euclidean spaces may fail to integrate humans and the environment, hindering the cognitive skills necessary for cosmopolitanism. Furthermore, it explores the Oblique Function Theory’s rejection of horizontal and vertical architecture to achieve more versatile, adaptable, and responsive architecture. To better clarify how the proposed tenets of the theory relate to the pedagogy of 21st-century cosmopolitanism, it analyzes Two Libraries at Jussieu by OMA and architect Rem Koolhaas, Rolex Learning Center by SANAA, and Roy and Diana Vagelos Education Center by Diller Scofidio +Renfro, that integrates the oblique architecture with educational purposes. Could the Oblique Function Theory contribute to the education of cosmopolitan architects by transforming architectural educational spaces, would it be enough to engage with whole issues comprehensively, and what it takes for the theory to ensure a constantly effective pedagogical medium, are among the questions the paper aspires to answer.

https://doi.org/10.35483/ACSA.Teach.2023.21

Volume Editors
Massimo Santanicchia

ISBN
978-1-944214-44-9