One of the many definitions of inclusive design is that it is a user-led approach to design. To d... more One of the many definitions of inclusive design is that it is a user-led approach to design. To date its focus has been on 'critical' users, in particular disabled people. As such, there is pressure to design environments that meet the often urgent and complex demands of these users. Designers, uncertain of their knowledge, rely heavily on user input and guidance, often resulting in designs that are 'solution' driven (rather than solution seeking) and short term; users focus on what they need, not what they might need. This paper argues that design needs to reclaim an equal presence within inclusive design. It proposes that the 'weakness' of design lies in the uneasy and at times conflicting relationship between ethics and aesthetics. The paper itself is constructed around a dialogue between two academics, one concerned with critical user needs, the other with aesthetics, but both directed towards the support of design quality.
This paper examines an attempt in a first year course to dispel the perceived conflict between re... more This paper examines an attempt in a first year course to dispel the perceived conflict between reality and creativity by constructing opportunities to allow one to activate and enliven the other. It describes two design studio projects, discussing how their assessment procedures compare to more traditional methods and how assessment in general relates to the dichotomous relationship between reality and creativity. The paper argues that only within a pluralistic design studio can students develop sustained creativity.
This paper contributes to the discourse of upcycling. It attempts to apply an understanding of up... more This paper contributes to the discourse of upcycling. It attempts to apply an understanding of upcycling to large-scale complex mass production processes, by exploring an ongoing case study that is repurposing waste plastics into interlocking building blocks, using ubiquitous manufacturing processes. In so doing, the paper responds to a call for more case studies of real-life industrial practices in material recovery. The paper however does not attempt to argue that the concept of upcycling, in its current form, is a perfect fit for this case study. Instead, it will identify those elements of upcycling culture and practice from which we can learn, and potentially apply to the management of plastic waste. Thus, the paper also contributes to an expanded understanding of upcycling, helping to legitimize it within mainstream practice, and move it beyond its current designation as a niche, though worthy, activity.
This paper discusses the opening moves of an international multidisciplinary research project inv... more This paper discusses the opening moves of an international multidisciplinary research project involving researchers from Ireland, Northern Ireland and the US, aiming to address the global problem of end-of-life disposal of wind turbine blades. The problem is one of enormous scale on several levels: a typical 2.0 MW turbine has three 50m long blades containing around 20 tonnes of fibre reinforced plastic (FRP). It is estimated that by 2050, 39.8 million tonnes of material from the global wind industry will await disposal. Whilst land-fill is the current means of disposal, the nature of the materials used in the composite construction of wind blades (glass and carbon fibres, resins, foams) means it unsustainable. Hence, the project sets out to deploy innovative design and logistical concepts for reusing and recycling these blades. The project begins within an innovative joint design studio, staged between Queen’s University Belfast and the Georgia Institute of Technology, where archit...
One of the many definitions of inclusive design is that it is a user-led approach to design. To d... more One of the many definitions of inclusive design is that it is a user-led approach to design. To date its focus has been on 'critical' users, in particular disabled people. As such, there is pressure to design environments that meet the often urgent and complex demands of these users. Designers, uncertain of their knowledge, rely heavily on user input and guidance, often resulting in designs that are 'solution' driven (rather than solution seeking) and short term; users focus on what they need, not what they might need. This paper argues that design needs to reclaim an equal presence within inclusive design. It proposes that the 'weakness' of design lies in the uneasy and at times conflicting relationship between ethics and aesthetics. The paper itself is constructed around a dialogue between two academics, one concerned with critical user needs, the other with aesthetics, but both directed towards the support of design quality.
This paper examines an attempt in a first year course to dispel the perceived conflict between re... more This paper examines an attempt in a first year course to dispel the perceived conflict between reality and creativity by constructing opportunities to allow one to activate and enliven the other. It describes two design studio projects, discussing how their assessment procedures compare to more traditional methods and how assessment in general relates to the dichotomous relationship between reality and creativity. The paper argues that only within a pluralistic design studio can students develop sustained creativity.
This paper contributes to the discourse of upcycling. It attempts to apply an understanding of up... more This paper contributes to the discourse of upcycling. It attempts to apply an understanding of upcycling to large-scale complex mass production processes, by exploring an ongoing case study that is repurposing waste plastics into interlocking building blocks, using ubiquitous manufacturing processes. In so doing, the paper responds to a call for more case studies of real-life industrial practices in material recovery. The paper however does not attempt to argue that the concept of upcycling, in its current form, is a perfect fit for this case study. Instead, it will identify those elements of upcycling culture and practice from which we can learn, and potentially apply to the management of plastic waste. Thus, the paper also contributes to an expanded understanding of upcycling, helping to legitimize it within mainstream practice, and move it beyond its current designation as a niche, though worthy, activity.
This paper discusses the opening moves of an international multidisciplinary research project inv... more This paper discusses the opening moves of an international multidisciplinary research project involving researchers from Ireland, Northern Ireland and the US, aiming to address the global problem of end-of-life disposal of wind turbine blades. The problem is one of enormous scale on several levels: a typical 2.0 MW turbine has three 50m long blades containing around 20 tonnes of fibre reinforced plastic (FRP). It is estimated that by 2050, 39.8 million tonnes of material from the global wind industry will await disposal. Whilst land-fill is the current means of disposal, the nature of the materials used in the composite construction of wind blades (glass and carbon fibres, resins, foams) means it unsustainable. Hence, the project sets out to deploy innovative design and logistical concepts for reusing and recycling these blades. The project begins within an innovative joint design studio, staged between Queen’s University Belfast and the Georgia Institute of Technology, where archit...
Bioprotopia: Designing the Built Environment with Living Organisms, 2023
What is “Bioprotopia”? It is a vision of a world with buildings that grow, self-heal and create v... more What is “Bioprotopia”? It is a vision of a world with buildings that grow, self-heal and create virtuous cycles where waste from one process feeds another. A vision where the spaces that we inhabit are attuned to both the human occupants and non-human microbial ecologies.
This is the first book to ground the concept of biotechnology in the built environment in tangible, large-scale prototypes. With rich visuals, it presents materials and processes that bring to life the many possibilities of shaping the built environment with micro-organisms. In addition to considering scientific and technical challenges, the book also discusses the need for a shift in thinking and culture to realise this vision.
First comprehensive publication on the state of research Demonstrates the use of renewable materials in design Illustrative, scientific documentation for design professions and researchers
Contributors: Jane Anderson , Adam Cowley, Gary Doherty, Dan Jary, Jo Lintonbon,, Ruth Morrow, Jacqueline Mulcair, Fevzi Ozersay, John Sampson, Rachel Sara, Baz Shamsuddin, Judy Torrington
The issue of gender inequality in architecture has been part of the profession’s discourse for ma... more The issue of gender inequality in architecture has been part of the profession’s discourse for many years, yet the continuing gender imbalance in architectural education and practice remains a difficult subject. This book seeks to change that. It provides the first ever attempt to move the debate about gender in architecture beyond the tradition of gender-segregated diagnostic or critical discourse on the debate towards something more propositional, actionable and transformative.
To do this, A Gendered Profession brings together a comprehensive array of essays from a wide variety of experts in architectural education and practice, touching on issues such as LGBT, age, family status, and gender-biased awards.
Architects are now more than ever part of an interdisciplinary context. The emergence of creative... more Architects are now more than ever part of an interdisciplinary context. The emergence of creative art-based practices, film making, post-disaster designs and slum management, as part of the architecture discourse and curriculum, is an indication of how broad architecture has become, and the extent to which it has already merged peripheral practices into its core.
This new volume in the AHRA Critiques Series is a statement about how broad, complex, influential, and, ironically central, architecture has become in the contemporary culture, economy and society, despite the marginal position the profession currently occupies. Peripheries questions and challenges the boundaries of architectural research by bringing together subjects and relevant streams of investigation, some of which rarely feature in architectural research and practice titles.
Divided into four themes, Places of Formation and Insight, Practices at the Edge, People on the Margins and Edge Readings, each section presents a selection of high calibre interdisciplinary research papers, from a range of renowned contributors including Stephen Walker, Gerry Adler, Dana Vais and author Glen Patterson. The volume also includes a Dialogue between Murray Fraser, Christine Boyer and Kim Dovey. Each section interrogates a peripheral aspect of the built environment, and brings to the fore peripheral case studies. Chapters discuss architecture in United States, Lebanon, Egypt, Japan, Romania, and Europe. Hence, the book takes Architectural humanities discussions to new cultures, societies and practices and towards a global level of influence and impact.
The paper draws on the learning that has emerged from a long-term collaborative design-led proces... more The paper draws on the learning that has emerged from a long-term collaborative design-led process that conjoins research, scholarly activity and design-based approaches. In essence the project is founded on a collaboration between a textile designer and an architect, who have developed technology that allows textiles and concrete to permanently co-form the surface of pre-cast concrete elements. The chapter provides a fuller description of the project, its background and drivers, followed by a discussion of the processes at the heart of the project (i.e. conceptual, technical, contextual and structural). Throughout the project the aim has been to achieve what Bonsiepe calls ‘critical operationality. (Fathers and Bonsiepe 2003: 52) Being critical and informed by surrounding contexts within a design process, is one level of critical operationality. However a further level is to elucidate that learning in order that it can be applied and tested in other contexts. It is only when this level is reached that design becomes research. More specifically it is what Bonsiepe calls ‘endogenous design research’ (i.e. research initiated from within the design process that then contributes to a ‘pool of knowledge specifically related to design..’). (Crouch and Pearce 2012: 31) The chapter will conclude by by highlighting lessons learned and discuss, more generally, those issues that relate to design research.
Catalogue to the 'Linen Lace Concrete' exhibition based on work emerging from the collaboration o... more Catalogue to the 'Linen Lace Concrete' exhibition based on work emerging from the collaboration of Ruth Morrow and Trish Belford, together with MYB: A Scottish Textile Firm. The catalogue documents both the exhibition itself and the stages of project development ie: Textile Design Development; Concrete Development; Textile Manipulation; and the Timeline of Belford and Morrow's longterm Creative Collaboration (2005-2020) - as Textile designer and Architect and with textiles and concrete. The Project and Exhibition was funded by the AHRC and supported by Ulster University and Queen's university Belfast.
This booklet covers the itinerary and some of the findings of a day-long visit to Belfast on the ... more This booklet covers the itinerary and some of the findings of a day-long visit to Belfast on the 7th November by Peter Oborn: Vice President International of the Royal Institute of British Architecture...... The visit to Beflast was part of a wider fact-finding mission and evidence taking. At its heart was the question: 'Is it appropriate for the institute (RIBA) to engage with communities facing civil conflict and/or natural disaster and, if so, how it can do so most effectively.'
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This is the first book to ground the concept of biotechnology in the built environment in tangible, large-scale prototypes. With rich visuals, it presents materials and processes that bring to life the many possibilities of shaping the built environment with micro-organisms. In addition to considering scientific and technical challenges, the book also discusses the need for a shift in thinking and culture to realise this vision.
First comprehensive publication on the state of research
Demonstrates the use of renewable materials in design
Illustrative, scientific documentation for design professions and researchers
FOR A CLEARER VERSION OF PDF PLEASE GO TO : http://buildingclouds.blogspot.com/
Contributors: Jane Anderson , Adam Cowley, Gary Doherty, Dan Jary, Jo Lintonbon,, Ruth Morrow, Jacqueline Mulcair, Fevzi Ozersay, John Sampson, Rachel Sara, Baz Shamsuddin, Judy Torrington
To do this, A Gendered Profession brings together a comprehensive array of essays from a wide variety of experts in architectural education and practice, touching on issues such as LGBT, age, family status, and gender-biased awards.
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This new volume in the AHRA Critiques Series is a statement about how broad, complex, influential, and, ironically central, architecture has become in the contemporary culture, economy and society, despite the marginal position the profession currently occupies. Peripheries questions and challenges the boundaries of architectural research by bringing together subjects and relevant streams of investigation, some of which rarely feature in architectural research and practice titles.
Divided into four themes, Places of Formation and Insight, Practices at the Edge, People on the Margins and Edge Readings, each section presents a selection of high calibre interdisciplinary research papers, from a range of renowned contributors including Stephen Walker, Gerry Adler, Dana Vais and author Glen Patterson. The volume also includes a Dialogue between Murray Fraser, Christine Boyer and Kim Dovey. Each section interrogates a peripheral aspect of the built environment, and brings to the fore peripheral case studies. Chapters discuss architecture in United States, Lebanon, Egypt, Japan, Romania, and Europe. Hence, the book takes Architectural humanities discussions to new cultures, societies and practices and towards a global level of influence and impact.
Throughout the project the aim has been to achieve what Bonsiepe calls ‘critical operationality. (Fathers and Bonsiepe 2003: 52) Being critical and informed by surrounding contexts within a design process, is one level of critical operationality. However a further level is to elucidate that learning in order that it can be applied and tested in other contexts. It is only when this level is reached that design becomes research. More specifically it is what Bonsiepe calls ‘endogenous design research’ (i.e. research initiated from within the design process that then contributes to a ‘pool of knowledge specifically related to design..’). (Crouch and Pearce 2012: 31) The chapter will conclude by by highlighting lessons learned and discuss, more generally, those issues that relate to design research.
The Project and Exhibition was funded by the AHRC and supported by Ulster University and Queen's university Belfast.