Terrance Galvin Associate Professor and Director, School of Architecture BEDS, MArch (TUNS), MArch History & Theory (McGill University), PhD (University of Pennsylvania)
ARCH 3101: Survey of Western Architecture I > ARCH 3102: Survey of Western Architecture II > ARCH 4110: Architectural History & Theory > ARCH 5001: M1 Design : "Dwelling in the City" > ARCH 5002: M2 Design: "Urban Housing Studio" ARCH 5105: History and Theory of Cities > ARCH 5106: International Sustainable Development (ISD) > ARCH 9007: Thesis Preparation & Design Teaching areas History and theory of architecture, the study of architectural form and meaning, history and theory of cities; the study of culture and appropriate technologies. Background Terrance Galvin received his architectural education at the University of Toronto and the Technical University of Nova Scotia (TUNS). He went on to receive a post-professional degree in the history and theory of architecture from McGill University (1990) and earned his doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania (2003) where he was a University Fellow. He has been an Adjunct Professor and Research Associate at McGill University and is currently Associate Professor of Architecture at Dalhousie University where he offers courses in architectural history, theory and design. He teaches undergraduate history of architecture courses through a hands-on method, and a graduate course in the history and theory of cities where students conduct field research followed by modelling the city. In recent years his research has focused on the 'loss and recovery of the concept of proportion' in 20th century architectural theory. He has been a member of several research groups in design, including the 'Circle for Research on Proportionality' (CROP) and the Minimum Cost Housing Group (MCHG). Mr. Galvin has received fellowships from PENN in Philadelphia Ð University Fellow (1994-97); the Sir John Soane's Museum Foundation, New York (1998); SSHRC (1998) and the FCAR Quebec (1994-97). He has received Travel Grants from the Canada Council on three occasions, and was awarded a project grant in architecture from the Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Québec. He has published in selected magazines and journals in Canada, the USA, and Germany. He is a member of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) in Ottawa and the Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA) in Montreal. Research interests I am most interested in the mind of the designer, and how the complex process of design finds its expression in various forms of representation. This interest guides my work in exploring the relationship between history, theory, and design, as well as in projects in the field where questions of development and sustainability arise. I am committed to recording culture through architectural documentation, and addressing appropriate technology, material culture, and cultural expression as distinct but interrelated parts of the study of architectural form. In studying the works of architecture within a particular context, much can be said about the general broader context of the world-view, or culture, of a particular place and time. I find this type of detective work endlessly rewarding, from the close reading of a primary text or image, to the investigation of vernacular practices. For nearly a decade, I worked on the ideas underlying the cabinet of curiosity, precursor to the modern Museum, through the Sir John Soane's Museum in London, England. This led to an investigation of emblem and symbol during the late 18th century in the works of John Soane and the great architectural visionary Joseph Michael Gandy. Examining their social context led to excursions in freemasonry, the Grand Tour and occult practices. Both Soane and Gandy believed in a trans-historical architecture that held universal meaning through symbols, an idea that paralleled the philosophy of the Enlightenment: universal brotherhood, the encyclopedia, the modern Museum, etc. My dissertation is entitled "The Architecture of Joseph Michael Gandy (1771-1843) and Sir John Soane (1753-1837): An Exploration into the Masonic and Occult Imagination of the Late Enlightenment." Please refer to 'Dissertation Abstract' below. In addition to teaching, and having a small design practice in Montreal, I have conducted architectural research in developing countries including Peru, India, Thailand, and most recently Mexico. Projects funded by the IDRC, CIDA and the HRSDC have allowed groups of students and myself (along with Essy Baniassad and Vikram Bhatt) to work as architects with local NGO's and communities. Projects have included building a school/gathering hall in Peru, recording villages in India, and working on housing and settlement reconstruction in the region of Kutch, India, following a major earthquake there in 2001. For our current research project called the "North American Sustainability, Housing, and Community Consortium (NASHCC)", please refer to www.mcgill.ca/mchg/projects/nashcc/. Visiting lecturer/critic Carleton University, Concordia University, Cranbrook Academy of Art, Harvard University, McGill University, Philadelphia College of Textiles, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Temple University, Université de Montréal, Université de Québec à Montréal (UQAM), University of Nottingham (UK), & University of Pennsylvania. Dissertation Abstract The Architecture of Joseph Michael Gandy (1771-1843) and Sir John Soane (1753-1837): An Exploration Into the Masonic and Occult Imagination of the Late Enlightenment In examining select works of English architects Joseph Michael Gandy and Sir John Soane, this dissertation is intended to bring to light several important parallels between architectural theory and freemasonry during the late Enlightenment. Both architects developed architectural theories regarding the universal origins of architecture in an attempt to establish order as well as transcend the emerging historicism of the early nineteenth century. There are strong parallels between Soane's use of architectural narrative and his discussion of architectural 'model' in relation to Gandy's understanding of 'trans-historical' architecture. The primary textual sources discussed in this thesis include Soane's Lectures on Architecture, delivered at the Royal Academy from 1809 to 1836, and Gandy's unpublished treatise entitled the Art, Philosophy, and Science of Architecture, circa 1826. Soane's Museum at Lincoln's Inn Fields provides a three dimensional encyclopedia that is an embodiment of architectural vision and memory. I propose Soane's Museum as parallel to Gandy's architectural watercolor drawings, particularly his final series executed for "Comparative Architecture" from 1836 to 1838. While these works remain distinct, they are complementary examples of visual representation that rely upon architectural narrative through emblem and symbol. Another correspondence between Soane and Gandy involves Soane's role as a Masonic architect and Gandy's role as an occult visionary. As the result of a planned reconciliation between two groups in freemasonry - the 'Antients' and the Moderns - Soane became the Grand Superintendent of Works for the United Grand Lodge of England in 1813. This led to Soane and Gandy's shared visions for London's Freemasons' Hall, designed and built between 1813-30 (and subsequently demolished in 1863). I argue that this is the architectural project through which Soane and Gandy's common interest in universal symbolism was made manifest, as evidenced by the design and presentation drawings held at the Soane Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum. In each of these collaborative works of architecture, Soane and Gandy displayed 'Masonic and occult imagination.' Research publications and articles 2007: "Roman Holiday." Canadian Architect, Vol. 52, No. 03. March 2007. pp. 35-36. 2007: Havana: History & Theory of Cities Publication (forthcoming). Halifax: Dalhousie Faculty of Architecture & Planning. ISBN 0-7703-9292-X. 2006: Prague: (History and Theory of Cities publication. Halifax: Dalhousie University, Faculty of Architecture and Planning. ISBN 0-7703-0726-4. 2005: "The Concept of Proportionality and Principles of Good Fit in Architectural Theory." Aesthetics and Architectural Composition: Dresden International Symposium of Architecture. Dresden: Otto Verlag, 2005. pp. 32-40. ISBN 3-86611-022-7. 2004: "Unpacking Soane's Library." Symposium on Sir John Soane's Library, in connection with the publication Hooked on Books. Held at the University of Nottingham, England, on May 19, 2004. (unpublished) 2004: "The Concept of Proportionality and Principles of Good Fit in Architectural Theory." Aesthetics and Architectural Composition: Dresden International Symposium of Architecture. Published in the Technical University of Dresden Faculty of Architecture Year Book under the title Technische Universität Dresden Fakultät Architektur Entwerfen 2004, pp. 15-17. 2003: The Architecture of Joseph Michael Gandy (1771-1843) and Sir John Soane (1753-1837): An exploration into the Masonic and occult imagination of the Late Enlightenment. PhD Thesis, University of Pennsylvania (unpublished MS). 2003: Reconstruction and Cultural Expression: Earthquake rebuilding in Gujarat, India. Montreal: McGill University, University Minimum Cost Housing Group (MCHG) publication. 2002: "Jeux de transparences," and "Conserver, restaurer, transformer, un geste collectif," by Emmanuelle Vieira. Le Devoir (section Samedi). Articles: Saturday, March 9 and Sunday, March 10. 2001: "The Meaning of Proportion." Works + Conversations, No. 5. Oakland, CA. Richard Whittaker (editor), pp. 22-35, 45, 53. 1998: "Three Visionary Houses: The work of Peter Yeadon." The Fifth Column, vol. 10, no. 2-3. Montreal: McGill School of Architecture. pp. 4-13. 1996: "The Angel and the Mirror: Reflections on the Architecture of the Amalgam." Chora 2. Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press. pp. 69-90. 1994: "Interview with Frank O. Gehry." (with Tom Balaban and Gregg Dunn). The Fifth Column, vol. 8, no. 4. Montreal: McGill School of Architecture. pp. 30-38. 1994: Patterns of Living: Architectural research in India, vol. 2: Tora Village, Uttar Pradesh, India. Montreal: McGill University, Minimum Cost Housing Group (MCHG) publication. 1993: "The Great Western Railway: Bombay 4:30 p.m." The Fifth Column, vol. 8, no. 3. Montreal: McGill School of Architecture. pp. 36-37. 1992: Patterns of Living: Architectural research in India, vol. 1: Tribeni Tissues Ltd., West Bengal, India. Montreal: McGill University, Minimum Cost Housing Group (MCHG) publication. 1992: "Architecture as Probe: Elizabeth Diller in Conversation with Terrance Galvin." The Fifth Column, vol. 8, no. 2. Montreal: McGill School of Architecture. pp. 27-35. 1992: The Power of Polemic (is that a POLEMIC ...?). Catalogue. Montreal: McGill University, School of Architecture (4th Year Studio) publication. 1992: "From New Jerusalem to New York: the Problem of Existential Displacement." The Fifth Column, vol. 8, no. 1. Montreal: McGill School of Architecture. pp. 29-34. 1990: Gravity and Light: Looking through the architecture of Jean Cocteau. M.Arch. thesis, McGill University (unpublished MS). 1988: Investigations into Quincha Construction, Lima, Peru. Halifax, NS: TUNS Faculty of Architecture publication. 1988: Architecture and the City: M1 Design Studio. Halifax, NS: TUNS Faculty of Architecture publication. |
