New Programs and Typology. The Example of School Architecture

Typological studies contributed to the renewal of architectural history, by widening its scope to include all building, as well as by emphasizing space rather than materials. This article follows the origin and the development of these studies in the field of school architecture, beginning in the 1950s. Two examples, intentionally chosen among buildings which had been important for the reputation of their architects, demonstrate how this approach provided salutary re-evaluations of architecture. These are the school in Hunstanton built between 1949 and 1954 by Alison and Peter Smithson, and the open air school in Suresnes built between 1931 and 1934 by Eugene Beaudouin and Marcel Lods.