Books by Nader Vossoughian
Industrial Management, the Staatliche Bauhochschule in Weimar, and the Intellectual Prehistory of the Bauentwurfslehre, 2024
“Industrial Management, the Staatliche Bauhochschule in Weimar, and the Intellectual Prehistory o... more “Industrial Management, the Staatliche Bauhochschule in Weimar, and the Intellectual Prehistory of the Bauentwurfslehre,” Candide. Journal for Architectural Knowledge (2024).
Bauhaus und Nationalsozialismus, 2024
“Ernst Neufert and Bauordnungslehre (1943)“ Bauhaus und Nationalsozialismus, eds.,
Elizabeth Otto... more “Ernst Neufert and Bauordnungslehre (1943)“ Bauhaus und Nationalsozialismus, eds.,
Elizabeth Otto, Patrick Rössler, and Anke Blümm (Weimar: Klassik Stiftung, 2024).

1835Der durchschnittliche Körper Adolphe Quetelet hrt mit Über den Menschen und die Entwicklung s... more 1835Der durchschnittliche Körper Adolphe Quetelet hrt mit Über den Menschen und die Entwicklung seiner Fähigkeiten, oder Versuch einer Physik der Gesellschaft die Idee des "mittlern Menschen" (frz. Homme moyen) ein. Er erklärt Normalität und Abnormalität mithilfe der Wahrscheinlichkeitsrechnung und nimmt damit die moderne Eugenik vorweg. 1777 Mit der Verabschiedung der Kon derationsartikel, dem Vorläufer der amerikanischen Verfassung, darf der US-Kongress Gewichts-und Längenmaße vereinheitlichen. Normung wird so zum Teil der Nationsbildung. 1791 Die französische Nationalversammlung erklärt den Meter zur Standardmaßeinheit. Er wird zum Instrument der Besteuerung und Bodenverwaltung. zu setzen. Wo Telegrafenleitungen Ländergrenzen überschritten, hatten bis dahin Nachrichten gestoppt und zwischen verschiedenen Codesystemen übersetzt werden müssen. 1876 Die Dewey-Dezimalklassifi kation (DDC) wird einge hrt, die bis heute global am weitesten verbreitete Klassifi kation von Bibliotheksbeständen. 1824 Mit dem Weights and Measures Act werden die Imperial Units r das gesamte Britische Weltreich verbindlich. Lokale Maßsysteme verlieren im Zuge der kolonialen Expansion ihre Gültigkeit. 1977 Christopher Alexander prägt mit A Pattern Language das Konzept der Mustersprache zur Lösung gestalterischer Probleme, das in der Folge auch in die objektorientierte Computerprogrammierung übernommen wird.

I am a Germanist, philosopher, and architectural historian by training, and I have always been at... more I am a Germanist, philosopher, and architectural historian by training, and I have always been attracted to research topics that blend these disciplines. I currently teach architectural history and theory at the New York Institute of Technology, and I was a guest professor at the University of Kassel a year ago. I had the privilege of studying with Keller Easterling at the Jan van Eyke Academy about five or six years ago. It inspired my current work on standardization, which I consider my life's work. When Keller introduced me to the topic of standardization, I was a little puzzled at first. "Isn't this welltrodden territory?" I thought. But the more she probed the issue with us-and by "us" Imean the other participants, Santiago del Hierro and Dubravka Sekulic in particular, who are brilliant theorists in their own right-I became fascinated by it. I became interested in the work of the German architect Ernst Neufert in particular, and I traveled to Germany that summer to examine his archive at the Bauhaus University in Weimar.

die Details seines Entwurfs der 20-Euro-Banknote. o Europäische Zentralbank / Claudio Hils ie lde... more die Details seines Entwurfs der 20-Euro-Banknote. o Europäische Zentralbank / Claudio Hils ie ldee einer gemeinsamen Nährung stand bereits bei der Gründung der Europäischen Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft 1957 im Raum. Doch bis der erste Euroschein aus der NADER VOssouGHIAN: Sie haben mehr als 35 Jahre für die Osterreichische Nationalbank gearbeitet. Wie sind Sic dorthin gekommen? ROBERT KALINA: Ich habe Gebrauchsgrafik studiert, also eine Ausbildung zum Werbegrafiker gemacht, an der Höheren Druckwalze kam, sollten noch einige Jahrzehnte Graphischen Bundes-Lehrund Versuchs vergehen. Erst 1992 legte der Maastricht-Vertrag den Grundstein für die Europäische Wirtschafts-und Währungsunion und leitete die Etablierung des Euro in die Wege. Bei einem Wettbewerb für die Gestaltung der neuen Banknoten setzte sich unter 44 Einreichungen der Vorschlag des Osterreichers Robert Kalina durch. Der Architekturhistoriker Nader Vossoughian traf den mittlerweile pensionierten Gestalter der Banknoten in Wien und sprach mit ihm darüber, wie man eines

1835Der durchschnittliche Körper Adolphe Quetelet hrt mit Über den Menschen und die Entwicklung s... more 1835Der durchschnittliche Körper Adolphe Quetelet hrt mit Über den Menschen und die Entwicklung seiner Fähigkeiten, oder Versuch einer Physik der Gesellschaft die Idee des "mittlern Menschen" (frz. Homme moyen) ein. Er erklärt Normalität und Abnormalität mithilfe der Wahrscheinlichkeitsrechnung und nimmt damit die moderne Eugenik vorweg. 1777 Mit der Verabschiedung der Kon derationsartikel, dem Vorläufer der amerikanischen Verfassung, darf der US-Kongress Gewichts-und Längenmaße vereinheitlichen. Normung wird so zum Teil der Nationsbildung. 1791 Die französische Nationalversammlung erklärt den Meter zur Standardmaßeinheit. Er wird zum Instrument der Besteuerung und Bodenverwaltung. zu setzen. Wo Telegrafenleitungen Ländergrenzen überschritten, hatten bis dahin Nachrichten gestoppt und zwischen verschiedenen Codesystemen übersetzt werden müssen. 1876 Die Dewey-Dezimalklassifi kation (DDC) wird einge hrt, die bis heute global am weitesten verbreitete Klassifi kation von Bibliotheksbeständen. 1824 Mit dem Weights and Measures Act werden die Imperial Units r das gesamte Britische Weltreich verbindlich. Lokale Maßsysteme verlieren im Zuge der kolonialen Expansion ihre Gültigkeit. 1977 Christopher Alexander prägt mit A Pattern Language das Konzept der Mustersprache zur Lösung gestalterischer Probleme, das in der Folge auch in die objektorientierte Computerprogrammierung übernommen wird.

I am a Germanist, philosopher, and architectural historian by training, and I have always been at... more I am a Germanist, philosopher, and architectural historian by training, and I have always been attracted to research topics that blend these disciplines. I currently teach architectural history and theory at the New York Institute of Technology, and I was a guest professor at the University of Kassel a year ago. I had the privilege of studying with Keller Easterling at the Jan van Eyke Academy about five or six years ago. It inspired my current work on standardization, which I consider my life's work. When Keller introduced me to the topic of standardization, I was a little puzzled at first. "Isn't this welltrodden territory?" I thought. But the more she probed the issue with us-and by "us" Imean the other participants, Santiago del Hierro and Dubravka Sekulic in particular, who are brilliant theorists in their own right-I became fascinated by it. I became interested in the work of the German architect Ernst Neufert in particular, and I traveled to Germany that summer to examine his archive at the Bauhaus University in Weimar. I realized as I began working on Neufert that standardization was poorly understood. I also came to understand that the work which Keller was doing was both necessary and groundbreaking: it was groundbreaking because she was showing to the rest of us that "quality control"-which anyone of us who have been placed on hold by a telephone service professional is familiar with-belongs to the DNA of "infrastructure space," to use Keller's language. Keller's work showed us how standards such as those belonging to the ISO 9000 family can be used to interrogate inherited understandings of power. For power, Keller suggests, is not invisible or abstract the way that dialetical thinkers such as Hegel, Marx, or Weber would have us believe, but is embedded in the concrete tools, managerial systems, specification sheets, and procedures that condition the work that architects, designers, and other professionals perform on a daily basis. It underpins the very infrastructure of global capitalism. During Keller Easterling's studio midterm review you challenged yourself to rethink how tenuous even "taboo" subjects are taught in a theory seminar or architectural studio. Why do you think in architecture school that there are issues that are considered forbidden?
Interview by Nader Vossoughian
Barack Obama's campaign for the presidency redefined American pol... more Interview by Nader Vossoughian
Barack Obama's campaign for the presidency redefined American politics in a number of ways. He proved that an African-American could be a viable candidate for what is arguably the most powerful executive position in the world. He also illustrated the important role that branding and visual communication play in our contemporary social and political landscape. His message
Urban planning and military planning have been virtually indistinguishable for most of history. A... more Urban planning and military planning have been virtually indistinguishable for most of history. Ancient Roman towns such as Timgad and London were first conceived as military
Today, just over half the world's population live in cities. This represents a revolutionary deve... more Today, just over half the world's population live in cities. This represents a revolutionary development, one without precedent in history, yet it is a trend that will likely become only more dominant in the decades to come: by 2050, 75 percent of the global population will be livingin urban environments. Global population numbers will also increase by about thirty percent, and the majority of that growth will be absorbed by the poorest regions of the world. By 2030, sub

What role do freedom and human rights have to play in global capitalism? This is the departure po... more What role do freedom and human rights have to play in global capitalism? This is the departure point of Nobel Prize-winning ecomomist Amartya Sen, who delivered the Lewis Mumford Lecture on Urbanism at The City College of New York earlier this month. The series, initiated by Michael Sorkin and CCNY's Graduate Program in Urban Design, invites leading intellectuals and activists to speak about the city and its relationship to civic, social, and political life. Its first speaker was Jane Jacobs (2004), followed by Mike Davis (2005) and Enrique Penalosa (2006). Sen, known for his work on welfare economics, is a professor at Harvard whose recent work emerges at the intersections between philosophy, economics, social policy, and cultural studies. His basic insight is that while markets are exceedingly strong at fostering ethnic diversity, tolerance, and opportunity, they can also breed poverty, exploitation, and cultural and social fragmentation. Appeal to self-interest works where short-term individual needs are concerned, but not when it comes to constructing social
conceptions of place. Robin Dripps tollows these with an account of the relationship berwecn site... more conceptions of place. Robin Dripps tollows these with an account of the relationship berwecn site and conceptions of ground scen through a variety of culrural and historical lenses. The following rwo essays mark a transition from theory to history as Elizabeth Meyer and Kristina Hill interrogate notions of site-a-vis landscape. Meyer's overview of site conception in the history of modernist landscape architecture makes an essential contribution to the corpus of landscape literature. Hl's contribution teascs out the intersections and tangents berween conceptions of site and concptions of ccology. approach to a topic of central concern for multiple audiences suggest that it will follow Kahn's

New York City is currently undergoing redevelopment on a scale it has not seen for decades. Colum... more New York City is currently undergoing redevelopment on a scale it has not seen for decades. Columbia University is planning to expand its Morningside Heights campus by 6.8 million square feet with a scheme designed by Renzo Piano in collaboration with SOM. Forest City Rattner's bid to develop Atlantic Yards constitutes the largest private development proposal in the history of the borough of Brooklyn. The rebuilding of Ground Zero represents one of the most ambitious, if politically fraught, initiatives that New York City has seen in years. Finally, over the last decade state and city funding has been used to build a network of waterfront promenades and parks in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. Hudson River Park stretches from Chambers Street on the lower west side of Manhattan to 59th Street in midtown. If you can muster the ener y, you can already ride your bike from the Staten Island Ferry up to the George Washington Bridge without passing a single traffic light (that's not true actually, there is a slight interruption when you get to 125th Street. But you get the point). Given these realities, the fact that the Queens Museum of Art, the Museum of the City of New York, and Wallach Art Gallery at Columbia University are now collaborating on an exhibition that looks at the work of Robert Moses (it is officially titled "Robert Moses and the Modern City") only makes sense. Moses was the most significant figure in the history of city planning in New York, period. His reign spanned from 1934, when he was appointed commissioner of parks, to 1968. Over the course of his life, he constructed 17 pools, 25 playgrounds, 2 zoos, and 3 beaches. Early in his career, he built Jones Beach. Later on, he was
The last thirty years have witnessed an explosion of literature dealing with modernity and its re... more The last thirty years have witnessed an explosion of literature dealing with modernity and its relationship to the city. These range from Tafuri's Marxian analysis of the metropolis to Rem Koolhaas' post-Surrealist "manifesto" on New York, to Michel de Certeau's Freudian study of language and everyday life. 1 Common between these works is a fascination with the subjective
Edward Dimendberg's Film Noir and the Spaces of Modernity analyzes the logic and history of the m... more Edward Dimendberg's Film Noir and the Spaces of Modernity analyzes the logic and history of the modern metropolis through the eyes of its most faithful disciple and staunchest critic, the postwar noir film, especially its B variation, where "the loss of public space, the homogenization of everyday life, the intensification of surveillance, and the eradication of older neighborhoods by urban renewal and redevelopment projects are seldom absent" (7). In the tradition of

Otto Neurath was a social scientist, an economic historian by training who radically reconceptual... more Otto Neurath was a social scientist, an economic historian by training who radically reconceptualized collecting practices and museum and exhibition design during and after the first World War. In 1917, he founded the Museum of War Economy in Leipzig, which attempted to popularize knowledge about the war economy and its impact on public and domestic life. The museum hosted an exhibition titled 'World Blockade and World Economy', which considered how Germans and Austro-Hungarians coped with trade restrictions imposed by the British after 1914. In 1922 and 1923, Neurath also put together exhibitions dealing with self-help housing and agrarian settlement initiatives in Vienna. These exhibitions offered information about everything from animal husbandry to housing design and construction, from sanitation to hygiene and agriculture. Finally, in September 1923 Neurath opened the Museum of Settlement and Town Planning in Vienna, which showed how 'the economic foundations of human settlements develop in general, how cities are being planned systematically, [and] how … the erection of buildings evolve, as the highrise city of the nineteenth century is gradually being taken over by the construction of garden suburbs and garden cities in all countries' (Neurath 1991d, 4). 2 In January 1925, the Museum of Settlement and Town Planning was renamed the Museum of Society and Economy, which had the expanded mandate of educating the working class masses about 'production, emigration, mortality, interior furnishing, unemployment, the fight against tuberculosis and alcoholism, diet, the meaning of sport, physical and mental development, schooling … [and] the state of industry'
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Books by Nader Vossoughian
Elizabeth Otto, Patrick Rössler, and Anke Blümm (Weimar: Klassik Stiftung, 2024).
Barack Obama's campaign for the presidency redefined American politics in a number of ways. He proved that an African-American could be a viable candidate for what is arguably the most powerful executive position in the world. He also illustrated the important role that branding and visual communication play in our contemporary social and political landscape. His message
Elizabeth Otto, Patrick Rössler, and Anke Blümm (Weimar: Klassik Stiftung, 2024).
Barack Obama's campaign for the presidency redefined American politics in a number of ways. He proved that an African-American could be a viable candidate for what is arguably the most powerful executive position in the world. He also illustrated the important role that branding and visual communication play in our contemporary social and political landscape. His message