Course Description 

Architects know that built form and financing are mutually dependent. Materials, labor, and land must always be paid for somehow. Changing building costs can radically alter design decisions. At the same time, architectural interventions can transform property relations as well as the value of land and labor. The relationship between architecture and money, therefore, remains unstable. 

This seminar in architectural history invites students to consider the roles that architecture plays in the creation of value, the generation of wealth, and the consolidation of global financial systems. 

Together, we will discuss how specific typologies and aesthetics cultivated in the North African kingdom of Mali in the 14th century, the Southern European city of Florence in the 15th century, the North American plantations of the 19th century, and the financial centers of Southeast Asia in the early 21st century have shaped the movement, and accumulation, of gold, silver, dollars, and other currencies.