BLACKSBURG, Va., Aug. 17, 2007 – Markus Breitschmid, assistant professor of architecture in Virginia Tech’s College of Architecture and Urban Studies, has authored a book, Nietzsche's Denkraum, published by Edition Didacta, in Zürich, Switzerland.
“Friedrich Nietzsche's architectural proposal is to build a world. It is not so much a megalomaniac and over-ambitious project in which Nietzsche would lead us to a perfect utopia according to his own taste, but more so a proposed conduct for nihilist modern men, who have lost God, to overcome that nihilism. Recognizing the weakness of modern man's life-compass, Nietzsche is the ‘architect’ who builds a Denkraum, a space for reflection, from which man can master his world once more,” said Breitschmid.
Breitschmid received his Master of Architecture degree from Virginia Tech.
The College of Architecture and Urban Studies is one of the largest of its type in the nation. The college is composed of three schools and the Department of Art and Art History, part of the multi-college School of the Arts. The School of Architecture + Design includes programs in architecture, industrial design, interior design, and landscape architecture. The School of Public and International Affairs includes programs in urban affairs and planning, public administration and policy, and government and international affairs. The Myers-Lawson School of Construction, a joint school of the College of Architecture and Urban Studies and the College of Engineering, includes programs in building construction and construction management. The college enrolls more than 2,000 students offering 25 degrees taught by 160 faculty members.