Between Words and Forms. The Design Project in Search for the Possible

In the immense diversity of written texts on the subject of built environment, on the urban space and its architecture, we may distinguish one discoursive category that is worth considering in detail. It is a category which has been rarely analysed, scarcely discussed and often marginalised in doctrinal debate on architecture and the city. It's about the specific discourse (principally written) of architects accompanying their presentation of architectural and urban designs. This kind of presentation has at least in contemporary practice become an inevitable obligation, almost institutionalised, and an integral part of the actual projected design. We will call this discourse a discourse of legitimation. The objective of this text is to approach this specific type of discourse by way of looking at it from two complementary points of view. One starts out to delineate certain basic and fundamental specificities of its content. To examine the articulations of this content with the design activity and specially with the form of the expression of the "conceptual" primary material which structures the beginning of architectural and urban design. The other point of view starts out to examine the contents of the discourse of legitimation as the means through which we can reveal the modalities and the conditions of the design process

The gifts of Prometheus. Profiling architectural education in a fast-changing world

The reconsideration of architectural education in light of a new reality emerging from the fast changes occurring in our social, cultural and physical environments is now imperative. In order to divulge the incompatibilities of the existing educational structures with the current dynamics of change, three main aspect of our contemporary architectural education are examined: the system of studies, the contents of studies and the architectural design pedagogy implemented by Schools of Architecture.Concerning the system of studies, amongst other issues we speculate on the limited agility of the system to host innovations, its dominant conceptions about the teacher’s profile, its unclear way to define the profile of the graduate and the obscure relationship between architectural academia and professional practice. As to the content of studies amongst other issues we speculate on the impoverishment of humanities in architectural studies that caused a passive technicality which, fascinated by the digital tools, sterilizes architecture from its cultural and human values and meanings.Further observations concern current pedagogy and its reservations on the fear for mistake-making and risk-taking, on the methodological rigidity of design education founded on what is wrong and on not what could be done on a speculative basis, on the attitude to (over)simplify complexity, on the passive inclination and docility towards certainties, on the resistance to change, revisit or renew teaching practices.The paper concludes by presenting the basic lines of the priorities architectural education has to consider in order to be able to critically follow the new paradigm emerging from and imposed by the new philosophical understandings of our world and the consideration of the new normal that is ascribed to them as a new ethical statement that profoundly affects architectural contemplation and practice

Artificial intelligence and architectural design : an introduction

Descripció del recurs: 27 juliol 2022The aim of this book on artificial intelligence for architects and designers is to guide future designers, in general, and architects, in particular, to support the social and cultural wellbeing of the humanity in a digital and global environment. This objective is today essential but also extremely large, interdisciplinary and interartistic, so we have done just a brief introduction of the subject. We will start with the argument fixed by the Professor Jonas Langer in his web some years ago, that we have defined as: “The Langer’s Tree”.Primera edició

Arquitectura simbiòtica

El material bàsic de l’arquitectura són les idees; idees sobre el món real i la posició de l’ésser humàen ell. Els canvis d’aquestes idees a mesura que avança el temps afecten la manera de com percebem,concebem i creem arquitectura. Les idees s’estructuren en els valors que guien la formulació de principis,a través dels quals es creen formes arquitectòniques. Per tal d’entendre l’arquitectura d’un cert períodede temps, cal entendre el sistema de valors que governa aquest període de temps específic i com afectales maneres en què la vida és representada en l’espai a través de l’arquitectura. En una invitació perdefinir la característica més significant del nostre temps que afecta la generació de noves idees i valors,la resposta podria trobar-se en tres nocions; les més importants: velocitat, complexitat i predictibilitat.Ideas are the primary material of architecture; ideas about the real world and the position of human beings in it. Changes in these ideas over time affect the way that architecture is perceived, conceived and created. These ideas are based on values that guide the way in which the principles for the creation of architectural forms are formulated. In order to understand the architecture of a certain period of time, it is necessary to understand the value system that governs the respective period and affects the ways in which life is represented in space by means of architecture. In an attempt to define the most significant feature affecting the generation of new ideas and values in our times, three central notions are identified: speed, complexity and predictability.El material básico de la arquitectura son las ideas; ideas sobre el mundo real y la posición delser humano en él. Los cambios de estas ideas a medida que avanza el tiempo afectan la manerade cómo percibimos, concebimos y creamos arquitectura. Las ideas se estructuran en los valoresque guían la formulación de principios, a través de los cuales se crean formas arquitectónicas.Para entender la arquitectura de un cierto período de tiempo, es necesario entender el sistemade valores que gobierna este período de tiempo específico y cómo afecta a las formas en que lavida es representada en el espacio a través de la arquitectura. En una invitación para definir lacaracterística más significante de nuestro tiempo que afecta a la generación de nuevas ideasy valores, la respuesta podría encontrarse en tres nociones; las más importantes: velocidadcomplejidad y predictibilidad

Architectural Interregnums

Architectural design has always been the laboratory where experimentation with ideas about the newness, and elaboration of forms and spatial arrangements take place towards architectural creations. Prefixes such as post-, de-, re-, neo-, appear as typical signifiers of the spirit of novelty representing the different shifts that shape the history of architecture and could be broadly summarized by the term ‘meta’. Even if ‘meta’ is a kind of ontological reference to newness, implying its definition with what preceded, it always remains polysemic and, for this reason, ambivalent. Design is acting between the existing and the (be)coming, the established and the expected, the familiar and the xenon, the antipathy and the empathy. It is driven by the quest for a ‘meta’, known (or not) that since its appearance, it will lose its newness and will become commonplace. What type of novelty does it put forward through its creations in the contemporary interregnum? What are the primary formal or material traits that can attribute that identity to the new that can clearly distinguish it from the old? The paradox we are confronted with nowadays is that despite the unprecedentedly fast pace of changes happening in the sphere of the intellect, the sciences, technology, and the geopolitics of the globalized world, there are no apparent signs of novelty in contemporary architectural production

Schools' engagement in research

No abstract

URBAN DESIGN AND THE MEANING OF SPACE IN MODERN DESIGN PRACTICES

THE THESIS CONSISTS OF A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF THE TRANSFORMATIONS OCCURING SINCE THE 1960S TO BOTH THE THEORY OF URBAN DESIGN AND THE OPERATIONS INVOLVING THE ELEMENTS OF URBAN SPACE DURING THE DESIGN THE ARGUMENT DEFINES FOUR MAJOR APPROACHES: THE "SYSTEMATIC", THE "CREATIVE", THE "PARTICIPATORY", AND THE "POST-MODERN". EACH APPROACH IS CHARACTERISED BY DIFFERENT PRIORITIES AND DIFFERENT DESIGN ELEMENTS AND METHODS FOR THEIR MANIPULATION. FURTHERMORE, EACH APPROACH DEFINES IN A DIFFERENT MANNER THE DESIGN PRACTICE AND LOOKS UPON DIFFERENT SCIENTIFIC FIELDS FOR THE SUPPORT AND LEGITIMATION OF ITS CHOICES. FINALLY, EACH APPROACH, ACCORDING TO ITS SENSITIVITY TO THE SEMIOTIC DIMENSION OF SPACE, PROPOSES AND IMPLEMENTS A DIFFERENT USE OF THE SEMIOTIC VARIABLES. THE ARGUMENT, THROUGH THE CRITICAL AND ANALYTIC PRESENTATION OF THE PROFILE OF EACH APPROACH, DEFINES THE THEORETICAL ISSUES WHICH EMERGE OUT OF THE CONTEMPORARY CONCERN WITH URBAN DESIGN. THESE ISSUES REFER TO THE FOLLOWING: A) THE EPISTEMOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE DEFINITIONS OF URBAN SPACE, B) THE DEPENDENCY OF THE DESIGN PRACTICEUPON THE ABOVE FRAMEWORK, C) THE THEORETICAL DESCRIPTION AND REGULATION AS WELL AS THE SCIENTIFIC DELIMITATION OF THE DESIGN PRACTICE, D) THE SEMIOTIC COMPONENT OF URBAN SPACE AND ITS CONSTITUTING ELEMENTS, E) THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE SEMIOTIC TO ALL OTHER COMPONENTS OF URBAN SPACE, AND F) THE USE OF SEMIOTIC ELEMENTS IN THE PROCESS OF PROVIDING THE FORM OF THIS SPACE. IN THIS WAY, THE THESISDEFINES THE MAJOR AXES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE THEORY CONCERNING THE DESIGNOF URBAN SPACE.Η ΔΙΑΤΡΙΒΗ ΣΥΝΙΣΤΑ ΜΙΑΝ ΑΝΑΛΥΤΙΚΗ ΚΑΙ ΔΙΕΞΟΔΙΚΗ ΚΑΤΑΓΡΑΦΗ ΤΩΝ ΜΕΤΑΣΧΗΜΑΤΙΣΜΩΝ ΠΟΥ ΥΦΙΣΤΑΤΑΙ, ΑΠΟ ΤΗ ΔΕΚΑΕΤΙΑ ΤΟΥ '60 ΜΕΧΡΙ ΣΗΜΕΡΑ, ΤΟΣΟ Ο ΘΕΩΡΗΤΙΚΟΣ ΛΟΓΟΣ ΓΙΑΤΟ ΣΧΕΔΙΑΣΜΟ ΤΟΥ ΑΣΤΙΚΟΥ ΧΩΡΟΥ ΟΣΟ ΚΑΙ ΟΙ ΧΕΙΡΙΣΜΟΙ ΤΩΝ ΣΤΟΙΧΕΙΩΝ ΠΟΥ ΕΜΠΛΕΚΟΝΤΑΙ ΣΤΙΣ ΔΡΑΣΤΗΡΙΟΤΗΤΕΣ ΟΙ ΟΠΟΙΕΣ ΤΟΝ ΟΡΓΑΝΩΝΟΥΝ ΚΑΙ ΤΟΥ ΑΠΟΔΙΔΟΥΝ ΜΟΡΦΗ. ΜΕ ΒΑΣΗ ΑΥΤΟΥΣ ΤΟΥΣ ΜΕΤΑΣΧΗΜΑΤΙΣΜΟΥΣ ΤΩΝ ΣΤΑΣΕΩΝ ΑΠΕΝΑΝΤΙ ΣΤΟΝ ΑΣΤΙΚΟ ΣΧΕΔΙΑΣΜΟ ΔΙΑΚΡΙΝΟΝΤΑΙ ΤΕΣΣΕΡΕΙΣ ΠΡΟΣΕΓΓΙΣΕΙΣ: Η "ΣΥΣΤΗΜΑΤΙΚΗ", Η "ΔΗΜΙΟΥΡΓΙΚΗ", Η "ΣΥΜΜΕΤΟΧΙΚΗ" ΚΑΙ Η "ΜΕΤΑ- ΜΟΝΤΕΡΝΑ" ΠΡΟΣΕΓΓΙΣΗ. ΚΑΘΕ ΜΙΑ ΑΠΟ ΑΥΤΕΣ ΔΙΑΚΡΙΝΕΤΑΙ ΑΠΟ ΤΙΣ ΠΡΟΤΕΡΑΙΟΤΗΤΕΣ ΠΟΥ ΘΕΤΕΙ, ΤΙΣ ΑΡΧΕΣ ΠΟΥ ΥΙΟΘΕΤΕΙ, ΤΟ ΕΙΔΟΣ ΤΩΝ ΣΤΟΙΧΕΙΩΝ ΠΟΥ ΕΙΣΑΓΕΙ ΣΤΗ ΔΙΑΔΙΚΑΣΙΑ ΣΧΕΔΙΑΣΜΟΥ ΚΑΙ ΤΟ ΕΙΔΟΣ ΤΗΣ ΕΠΕΞΕΡΓΑΣΙΑΣ ΤΟΥΣ, ΤΟΝ ΤΡΟΠΟ ΠΟΥ ΟΡΙΖΕΙ ΤΗ ΣΧΕΔΙΑΣΤΙΚΗ ΠΡΑΚΤΙΚΗ ΚΑΙ ΤΑ ΕΠΙΣΤΗΜΟΝΙΚΑ ΠΕΔΙΑ ΠΟΥ ΕΠΙΚΑΛΕΙΤΑΙ ΠΡΟΚΕΙΜΕΝΟΥ ΝΑ ΝΟΜΙΜΟΠΟΙΗΣΕΙ ΤΙΣ ΣΧΕΔΙΑΣΤΙΚΕΣ ΤΗΣ ΕΠΙΛΟΓΕΣ. ΚΑΘΕ ΜΙΑ ΑΠΟ ΑΥΤΕΣ, ΑΝΑΛΟΓΑ ΜΕ ΤΗΝ ΕΥΑΙΣΘΗΤΟΠΟΙΗΣΗ ΤΗΣ ΣΤΗ ΣΗΜΕΙΩΤΙΚΗ ΔΙΑΣΤΑΣΗ ΤΟΥ ΧΩΡΟΥ, ΠΡΟΤΕΙΝΕΙ ΚΑΙ ΕΦΑΡΜΟΖΕΙ ΔΙΑΦΟΡΕΤΙΚΟΥΣ ΧΕΙΡΙΣΜΟΥΣ ΤΩΝ ΣΗΜΕΙΩΤΙΚΩΝ ΠΑΡΑΜΕΤΡΩΝ. Η ΔΙΑΤΡΙΒΗ ΚΑΤΑΛΗΓΕΙ, ΜΕΣΑ ΑΠΟ ΤΗΝ ΚΡΙΤΙΚΗ ΠΑΡΟΥΣΙΑΣΗ ΤΗΣ ΦΥΣΙΟΓΝΩΜΙΑΣ ΚΑΘΕ ΠΡΟΣΕΓΓΙΣΗΣ, ΝΑ ΕΠΙΣΗΜΑΝΕΙ ΤΑ ΘΕΩΡΗΤΙΚΑ ΖΗΤΗΜΑΤΑ ΠΟΥ ΑΝΑΔΥΟΝΤΑΙ ΑΠΟ ΤΟ ΣΥΓΧΡΟΝΟ ΛΟΓΟ ΓΙΑ ΤΟ ΣΧΕΔΙΑΣΜΟ ΤΟΥ ΑΣΤΙΚΟΥ ΧΩΡΟΥ ΚΑΙ ΑΦΟΡΟΥΝ: Α) ΤΟ ΕΠΙΣΤΗΜΟΛΟΓΙΚΟ ΠΛΑΙΣΙΟ ΜΕΣΑ ΑΠΟ ΤΟ ΟΠΟΙΟ ΟΡΙΖΕΤΑΙ Ο ΑΣΤΙΚΟΣ ΧΩΡΟΣ ΚΑΙ ΤΟΥΣ ΜΕΤΑΣΧΗΜΑΤΙΣΜΟΥΣ ΑΥΤΟΥ ΤΟΥ ΠΛΑΙΣΙΟΥ, Β) ΤΙΣ ΣΧΕΣΕΙΣ ΚΑΙ ΤΙΣ ΕΞΑΡΤΗΣΕΙΣ ΤΗΣ ΣΧΕΔΙΑΣΤΙΚΗΣ ΠΡΑΚΤΙΚΗΣ ΑΠΟ ΤΟ ΠΡΟΑΝΑΦΕΡΟΜΕΝΟΠΛΑΙΣΙΟ, Γ) ΤΗ ΦΥΣΙΟΓΝΩΜΙΑ ΤΟΥ ΘΕΩΡΗΤΙΚΟΥ ΛΟΓΟΥ ΠΟΥ ΠΕΡΙΓΡΑΦΕΙ, ΡΥΘΜΙΖΕΙ ΚΑΙ ΟΡΙΟΘΕΤΕΙ ΕΠΙΣΤΗΜΟΝΙΚΑ ΤΗ ΣΧΕΔΙΑΣΤΙΚΗ ΠΡΑΚΤΙΚΗ, Δ) ΤΗ ΣΗΜΕΙΩΤΙΚΗ ΣΥΝΙΣΤΩΣΑ ΤΟΥ ΑΣΤΙΚΟΥ ΧΩΡΟΥ ΚΑΙ ΤΑ ΣΤΟΙΧΕΙΑ ΠΟΥ ΤΗ ΔΙΑΜΟΡΦΩΝΟΥΝ. Ε), ΤΗ ΣΧΕΣΗ ΤΗΣ ΣΗΜΕΙΩΤΙΚΗΣ ΣΥΝΙΣΤΩΣΑΣ ΜΕ ΤΙΣ ΑΛΛΕΣ ΣΥΝΙΣΤΩΣΕΣ ΤΟΥ ΑΣΤΙΚΟΥ ΧΩΡΟΥ, Ζ)ΤΟΝ ΤΡΟΠΟ ΧΕΙΡΙΣΜΟΥ ΤΩΝΣΗΜΕΙΩΤΙΚΩΝ ΣΤΟΙΧΕΙΩΝ ΣΤΗ ΔΙΑΔΙΚΑΣΙΑ ΑΠΟΔΟΣΗΣ ΜΟΡΦΗΣ ΣΤΟΝ ΑΣΤΙΚΟ ΧΩΡΟ. ΠΑΡΑΛΛΗΛΑ ΟΡΙΟΘΕΤΕΙ ΤΟΥΣ ΒΑΣΙΚΟΥΣ ΑΞΟΝΕΣ ΠΑΝΩ ΣΤΟΥΣ ΟΠΟΙΟΥΣ ΘΑ ΠΡΕΠΕΙ ΝΑ ΑΝΑΠΤΥΣΣΕΤΑΙ Ο ΘΕΩΡΗΤΙΚΟΣ ΛΟΓΟΣ ΓΙΑ ΤΟ ΣΧΕΔΙΑΣΜΟ ΤΟΥ ΑΣΤΙΚΟΥ ΧΩΡΟΥ

Cognitive Computational Model Using Machine Learning Algorithm in Artificial Intelligence Environment

In order to explore the application of machine learning algorithm to intelligent analysis of big data in an artificial intelligence (AI) environment, make cognitive computing meet the requirements of AI and better assist humans to carry out data analysis, first, the theoretical basis of machine learning algorithm is elaborated. Then, a cognitive computational model based on the machine learning algorithm is proposed, including the essence, principle, function, training method of deep belief network (DBN) algorithm, as well as the joint use of DBN algorithm and multilayer perceptron. Finally, the proposed algorithm is simulated. The results show that under the same parameter conditions, the accuracy rate of the DBN algorithm combined with multilayer perceptron is higher than that of the DBN algorithm; when the number of units is >40, the accuracy rate of the DBN algorithm combined with multilayer perceptron is significantly higher than that of the DBN algorithm; when the number of units is 30, the best effect can be obtained, and the error rate is <0.05, but the DBN algorithm cannot achieve this effect alone; when the number of network layers is specified as four, the error rate of the DBN algorithm combined with multilayer perceptron is <0.05, forming the optimal level. In the AI environment, the performance of the cognitive computational model based on the DBN algorithm and multilayer perceptron can reach the highest level, which makes the computer become a handy intelligent auxiliary tool for human beings

Navigating the Nexus of Relevance in Doctoral Research in Architecture

The text adeptly contextualizes the discourse surrounding relevance in architectural research, drawing upon the insights gleaned from the dedicated academic conference hosted at Anglia Ruskin University in July 2023.</p