After successful completion of the course, students are able to recognise and compare the basic concepts of nature in the history of ideas of urban planning and architecture. Above all, an awareness should be awakened that the frequently used term nature can have a wide range of meanings. On this basis, participants should be enabled to develop their own position on the topic in a critical manner.

With the beginning of the modern era, the idea of God as a guarantor of the validity of built artefacts gradually disappeared. In its place, the concept of nature became increasingly the theoretical fundation for architecture and urban planning: in the perspective-mathematised nature of the Renaissance, in the utopian nature following J.-J. Rousseau, in organic building according to Cuvier, in the British landscape garden and in the latest theories of ecodesign etc. The normative inferences from the concept nature are essentially related to the previous understandig of the same concept.

The block seminar is held in presence and comprises three elements:

• Introductory presentation by the lecturer
• Oral oresentation by a student on a topic of their choice
• Joint deepening discussion

Two elements are required to pass this seminar with compulsory attendance:

• Short presentation on a topic of your choice - scope, literature and form will be announced at the beginning of the course.
• Written paper on a topic of your choice - the scope and form will be announced at the beginning of the course.

Presentation, oral contribution in the discussion and written paper can be in German or English.