Good choices. Include dates. The thesis is a little general. What are his innovative approaches? What is the historical context? How does that impact the building? Your conclusion is probably

closer to what you want for your thesis in terms of specificity. Outline: Your descriptions of the buidllings don't really line up with each other. You talk about the urban context of Prague but not LA. Why? You'll need to break these buildings down along similar categories of analysis and really hold them up against each other. Right now you're talking about each in isolation. Ultimately the idea of context, function, and nature of each commission leading to different interpretations is a strong justification, but it will only work if the buildings are really analyzed against each other. The gendered reading of the "Dancing House" needs to be more than asserted here. It needs to be interrogated. How is this a combination of masculine and feminine? Why is that appropriate in the setting of Prague? Why is there no gendered reading of the Disney Concert Hall? Is it specific to the commissions? A phase that Gehry moved out of? An interpretation imposed on the buidling by others? Sources: These should be stronger. There are literally dozens of books about Frank Gehry. I shouldn't see these totally random things dredged up from the internet on a college level Works Cited page about somebody who has been written about as frequently as Gehry. Source 1 is about an AI light show that incorporated Gehry's building. It is not directly about the building. Source 2 is about the acoustics firm, not Gehry's contributions to the Disney Concert Hall. Source 3: The Vojack isn't a published paper. It was written for a class by a random student majoring in business. You can't use it as a source. It would be like citing one of your classmates' papers. Books and articles have been edited and peer reviewed. You could however use some of the sources he did. He actually demonstrates the kind of bibliography I expect to see in a college level bibliography. You should get some primary sources, his talks interviews, something. Format this properly. Thesis: 1.75/2 Outline: 1.5/2 Building choices: 2/2 Images: 1/1 Bibliography: 1.5/3/n Project Preliminary Proposal- Outline Architect: Frank Gehry Buildings: Walt Disney Concert Hall (Los Angeles, USA) and Dancing House (Prague, Czech Republic). Thesis Statement The idea is to analyze and compare two iconic Gehry buildings: Walt Disney Concert Hall and Nationale-Nederlanden Building, commonly known as the Dancing House. These masterpieces illustrate Gehry's innovative approaches and the evolution of his style by examining their structural features, design philosophies, historical contexts, and cultural impacts. Specific characteristics of each building will be explored, including their forms, materials, spatial arrangement, and cultural significance. Introduction Frank Gehry, renowned for his groundbreaking architectural designs, has left an indelible mark on the built environment with his avant-garde creations. Among his most celebrated works are the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and the Nationale-Nederlanden Building in Prague, both of which epitomize his innovative approach to form function and symbolism. Analysis The genesis of the Walt Disney Concert Hall can be traced back to an international design competition in the late 1980s, where Gehry's visionary proposal stood out among over 70 submissions. In contrast, the inception of the Nationale-Nederlanden Building stemmed from a commission by the Dutch bank, which sought to commission a distinctive architectural statement for its headquarters in Prague. The Walt Disney Concert Hall is a testament to Gehry's mastery of form and materiality, characterized by its undulating stainless-steel façade, fluid contours, and dynamic spatial composition. The exterior of the building evokes the imagery of sails billowing in the wind, while the interior exudes an aura of sculptural elegance, with the main auditorium resembling the hull of a ship. Gehry's meticulous attention to acoustics, spatial flow, and visual aesthetics imbues the concert hall with a sense of harmony and immersion, forging a symbiotic relationship between architecture and music (Anadol and Kivrak 2023), (Toyota et al. 2020). Fig-1 Walt Disney Concert Hall The Nationale-Nederlanden Building, also known as the Dancing House, challenges conventional notions of architectural symmetry and stability. Comprising two distinct towers, one solid and the other transparent, the building embodies a playful interplay of masculine and feminine forms, reminiscent of a dancing couple. Gehry's design language, characterized by asymmetry, fluidity, and whimsicality, imbues the structure with a sense of dynamism and vitality, juxtaposing sharply against the historic backdrop of Prague's urban fabric. m Conclusion 60 50 83 61 BUNTE Fig-2 Dancing House (Prague, Czech Republic) While both the Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Nationale-Nederlanden Building showcase Gehry's signature style and experimental ethos, they diverge in their contextual responses, programmatic functions, and cultural resonances. The former epitomizes Gehry's pursuit of architectural excellence in the realm of cultural institutions, offering a transcendent space for musical performance and civic engagement. On the other hand, the latter represents a bold departure from traditional architectural paradigms, serving as a contemporary icon of Prague's architectural renaissance (Vojcak). The comparative analysis of these two iconic buildings underscores Gehry's transformative impact on contemporary architecture, pushing the boundaries of design innovation and cultural expression. Through their distinct forms, spatial narratives, and cultural contexts, the Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Nationale-Nederlanden Building stand as enduring testaments to Gehry's visionary legacy and architectural ingenuity. Bibliography Anadol, Refik, and Pelin Kivrak. "AI, Architecture, and Performance: Walt Disney Concert Hall Dreams." In Choreomata, pp. 379-389. Chapman and Hall/CRC, 2023. Toyota, Yasuhisa, Motoo Komoda, Daniel Beckmann, Marc Quiquerez, Erik Bergal, Yasuhisa Toyota, Motoo Komoda, Daniel Beckmann, Marc Quiquerez, and Erik Bergal. "Walt Disney Concert Hall." Concert Halls by Nagata Acoustics: Thirty Years of Acoustical Design for Music Venues and Vineyard-Style Auditoria (2020): 33-43. Vojcak, Danny. "Professor Kucera Art 161 Gehry's Nationale-Nederlanden Office Building (Dancing House/Fred & Ginger)."/n Final Paper Project Choose ONE of the following topics and write a 8-10 page paper (2000-2500 words, excluding footnotes and Works Cited page). All papers should exceed the minimum word count. The maximum word count may be exceeded without penalty. Topic 1 Write a paper focused on the theory and architecture of an architect of your choice. Architects we have discussed in class may be selected, but you may not work on a building or text that we discussed extensively in class. Your paper should explore how an architect's ideas intersect with and are manifested in his or her buildings. To fulfill the assignment, the student should do the following: ● Choose a critical/theoretical text by an architect that lays out principles and theories of design. The text should not simply be a description of one of the architect's building. Nor should it be one of the supplemental readings from class (It can be a different section of one of the longer works excerpted as a supplemental reading). In addition, the text should be a minimum of five pages long. It is highly recommended that you get the professor's approval of the text prior to proceeding. Your discussion of the text should not just summarize their argument but analyze it and critique it. Here are some questions you should ask yourself as you read the text. What does the text reveal about the architect's beliefs about the role of architecture in society? How architectural form should be generated? What aspects of architectural practice does the text ignore? Can you think of ways to enhance the architect's argument? Choose a building designed by your architect and analyze it according to the principles and theories laid out in your chosen text. As you do so, think critically about whether there is a gap between theory and practice, i.e. whether the building adequately reflects the principles described in the text or whether the text is unable to articulate fully what is happening in the design, whether the building reinforces or reveals flaws in the architect's theoretical position, etc. Topic 2 Choose two buildings by the same architect that show significant change in his or her approach. This change could relate to the materials and their expression, structure, space, ornament, style, etc. It could be a change over time, a change due to client demands, a change due to context, or a change for some other reason. Describe this change, as well as any continuities shown between the two buildings, and put forth a valid hypothesis explaining why it occurs based on primary and secondary research. You may choose an architect whom we have discussed in class, but you may not choose works by that architect that we have discussed extensively in class. At least one of the buildings you discuss must have been completed after 1900. Paper Criteria All papers should include: A strong introduction and conclusion, as well as a clearly articulated thesis statement. A thesis statement should be the summary of the argument you are going to make about the architect. If you are doing topic one, it should address the architect's theoretical argument and how that is revealed or contradicted in the architect's building. If you are doing topic two, it should explain the change you see in the architect's career and explain why you think that change occurred. A Works Cited page (not part of the total word count) that includes at least five books or journal articles by academics or professionals beyond the textbook. If you are analyzing a theoretical text by the architect, that text counts as one of your five sources. ● ● ● ● Important due dates: Due: Tues. Jan. 30, preliminary project proposal. The proposal should include: ● A preliminary thesis statement. The architect's name, name of building, location, and date of the building or buildings you are writing about. If you are doing option 1, you will also need to include the title of the theoretical text you are planning to analyze and its original date of publication. Preliminary outline of your paper. In addition, include a Works Cited page with at least three sources that are books or journal articles by academics or professionals (beyond the textbook). Primary sources are strongly encouraged. You do not have to have actually used the sources yet, but you should have collected them by the due date. All sources should be in English, unless prior approval has been granted for use of a source in a foreign language. An image of each building you are writing about. ● Footnotes that show that all of your sources were used for your research. Labeled images with references to them in the text. Do not integrate the images into the text but include them at the end of the paper after the Works Cited page. (The images and Works Cited pages do not count towards your final page count). Standard margins, 12-point font, double-spacing, footnotes and works cited page in Chicago Style format. An attachment of screenshots showing the sources of the information in your footnotes. ● Suggested sources for critical texts if writing topic 1: Conrad, Ulrich, ed. Programs and Manifestoes on 20th-Century Architecture. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1975. Ockman, Joan, ed. Architecture Culture 1943-1968: A Documentary Anthology. New York: Rizolli, 1993. Hays, K. Michael, ed. Architecture Theory since 1968. New York: Columbia Books of Architecture, 2000. Mallgrave, Harry Francis and Christina Contandriopoulos. Architectural Theory Volume II: An Anthology from 1871-2005. New York: Blackwell Publishing, 2008. Nesbitt, Kate, ed. Theorizing a New Agenda for Architecture: An Anthology of Architectural Theory 1965-1995. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1996. NOTE: If you use these as sources to find a critical text, you must cite the specific text you have found, not just list the anthology. Also, note that some of the texts in the anthologies are not by architects. Others may be too short. Your text should be by an architect. Places to find additional resources: ● Use the bibliography found in the textbook. Search databases for scholarly articles and articles from architecture journals, particularly the Avery Index, JSTOR, ArtSource, and ProjectMuse. Wikipedia is not an adequate source for a college level paper, but many Wikipedia articles now have very extensive lists of sources.