Science as a subset of Art Prof.dr.ir. Taeke M. de Jong University of Technology Delft, the...

Science as a subset of ArtProf.dr.ir. Taeke M. de Jong

University of Technology Delft, the Netherlands, Faculty of Architecture, Department of Urbanism, Chair Technical ecology

Possible

Probable

Questions

1. What established methods and types of research has “Research by Design” taken up or “codified” as its own?

2. How does “Research by Design” relate to, or position itself, with respect to other established academic communities and traditions?

3. How could “Research by Design” be formalized/systematized in order to gain recognition as a scientific methodology within the creative disciplines?

Question 1: established methods

What established methodsand types of research

has “Research by Design”taken up or “codified”

as its own?

1 Established methods

CONTEXT determined Design Researchor variable

determined or variableOBJECT

1 Established methods

CONTEXT determined Design Researchor variable Typological Research

determined or variableOBJECT

1 Established methods

CONTEXT determined Design Research Design Studyor variable Typological Research

determined or variableOBJECT

1 Established methods

CONTEXT determined Design Research Design Studyor variable Typological Research Study by Design

determined or variableOBJECT

•The object of design study is variable by definition

•Social and physical context delimits that object

•But ‘context’ is everything

•How to handle context?

How tohandlecontext

Question 2; Other academic traditions

How does “Research by Design”relate to, or position itself,

with respect toother established academiccommunities and traditions?

2. Other academic traditions

Preface by our Rector FokkemaWithin the range of a technical universitythe object of urban, architectural and technical design is amongst all others most sensitive to context.

Context: political, cultural, economic, technical, ecological and spatial; at many levels of scale.

So: case studies. Difficult to generalise!

Ways to Study and Researchurban, architectural and technical design

CONTENTSIntroductionA. Naming and describingB. Design research and typologyC. EvaluatingD. ModellingE. Programming and optimisingF. Technical Study G. Design StudyH. Study by designEpilogue

determined variable OBJECTdetermined Design Research Design Studyvariable Typological research Study by designCONTEXT

Study by design

Empirical research

2. Other academic traditions

Language games: being able knowing choosingModalities: possible probable desirable

Sectors: technique science managementActivities: design research policy

Reductions as toCharacter: legend variables agenda

Location or time: tolerances relations appointments

Distinguished in verbal sentences by modal verbs such as ‘can’, ‘will’, ‘want to’.

2. Other academic traditions

The task of Science The task of Design The task of Art

Classical empirical research

1. problem statement (problem isolation)2. clear aim (aim isolation)3. references4. starting points5. hypothesis6. variables7. data8. method9. content10. publish

Design related study

1. can not isolate problems from a coherent field of problems

2. brings aims together in a field of aims, a concept

3. has many references, not only written text but especially images: forms, types, models, concepts, programmes

4. has many starting points

5. has designs as hypothesis assuming: “This will work”

6. has many context variables (“parameters”)

7. while the object still varies in your head

8. has many ways to study (needs a book with 10 000 key words)

9. content grows drawing, calculating and writing

10. publishes with the medium as a message

Empirical research orDesign related study

• Research produces probabilities by causes

• Design produces possibilities by conditions

Make probable by causes Make possible by conditions

Not every condition is a cause,but every cause is a condition for something to happen

Unravelling condition and cause

Domains of future

Domainsin design science

Question 3: recognition as a scientific methodology

How could“Research by Design”

be formalized/systematizedin order to gain

recognition as a scientific methodologywithin the creative disciplines?

3 Recognition as a scientific method

A. Make the context of your case explicitB. Distinguish probable, possible and desirable futuresC. Do not isolate problems and aims

as always advised in empirical science.

But extend them intoa field of coherent problems anda field of coherent aimsas the proper basis of a design conception.

How tohandlecontext

3A Making the future context explicit

• protects your study against judgments with other suppositions about the future context

• raises the debate about the robustness of your study in different future contexts

• makes your study comparable to other studies in comparable contexts

• raises a ‘field of problems’by subtracting desirable futures from the probable ones

instead of an isolated ‘problem statement’

3B Probable, possible and desirable future contexts

Three fields of desirable futures

Probable, but not desirable;Desirable, but not probable

Desirable futures changing by design

3C Do not isolateproblems and aims

as always advised in empirical science

But extend them intoa field of coherent problems and

a field of coherent aimsas the proper basis of a design conception.

3 Recognition as a scientific method

A. Make the context of your case explicitB. Distinguish probable, possible and desirable futuresC. Do not isolate problems and aims

as always advised in empirical science.

But extend them intoa field of coherent problems anda field of coherent aimsas the proper basis of a design conception.

Ideal contents of a study proposal

1.Object of study and its context

2.My study proposal

3.Accounts

1 Object of my study and its context

1.1. Object of my study: scale, frame and grain

1.2. Probable future context: field of problems

1.3. Desired impacts of my study: field of aims

1.4. My designerly references: field of means

1.5. My portfolio and perspective: field of abilities

2 My study proposal

2.1. Location and|or other future context factors

2.2. Motivation and|or programme of requirements

2.3. Intended results, contributions

2.4. Planning

3 Accounts

3.1. Meeting criteria for a study proposal

3.2. References

3.3. Key words

Criteria for a study proposal

A.Affinity with designingB.University breadthC.Concept formation and transferabilityD.Retrievability and accumulating capacityE.Methodical accountability and depthF.Ability to be criticised and to criticiseG.Convergence and limitations

1 Object of my study and its context

1.1. Object of my study: scale, frame and grain

1.2. Probable future context: field of problems

1.3. Desired impacts of my study: field of aims

1.4. My designerly references: field of means

1.5. My portfolio and perspective: field of abilities

How to limite, concentrate

1. give way to fascinations (motivated concentrations)2. choose a scale (frame and grain) before an object3. publish your portfolio evaluating it as field of abilities4. decide to improve or to extend them in your proposal5. publish images that fascinate you as a field of means6. look at them as a professional: which concepts, types,

models and programmes could you harvest?7. make your assumptions about the future explicit8. imagine the impacts your study could have9. cash your dreams

Scale paradox

• On the level of one spot you should conclude ‘difference’

• On the level of 7 spots you should conclude ‘equality’

• Reversal of conclusions may appear by a factor 3 radius

• So, the order of size determines your view

Levels of scale to be aware of

Radius = Radius =Global 10 000km Ensemble 100m

Continental 3000km Buildingcomplex 30mSubcontinental 1000km Building 10m

National 300km Buildingsegment 3mSubnational 100km Buildingpart 1m

Regional 30km Buildingcomponent 300mmSubregional 10km Superelement 100mm

Town 3km Element 30mmDistrict 1km Subelement 10mm

Neighbourhood 0.3km Material 3mm

• Different scales mean different legend units, categories, views, approaches,

conclusions

Names and boundaries of size categories

• In this presentation ‘nominal values’ indicatean order of size

• They are ‘elastic’• 10m means

somethingin between3m and 30m

A frame 100x the grain of a drawing representing a building

• r/R determines the resolution of a drawing or discourse,

• the ‘resolution of the argument’

Limit your object of study by scale

http://team.bk.tudelft.nl

Grain and impacts of your study

http://team.bk.tudelft.nl

Explicit impacts within that context• indicate actors and specialists to join the team or take

into account• imply a societal and personal relevance or fascination• imply a field of aims• imply actors willing to finance your study• could produce a programme of requirements• before you have a precise study proposal !

The object (O,o), its impacts inconvenient (I) or profitable (P)

• The programme of requirements is a set of desired impacts

• Locate them to locate the stakeholders

• Perhaps they are willing to pay the project!

Subtracting futures

• Field of problems = Probable - Desirable

• Field of Aims = Desirable - Probable

Desired impacts of your study

http://team.bk.tudelft.nl

How to judge these impacts in a future context?

http://team.bk.tudelft.nl

Layers of social and physical context

• Managerial/governmental contexts (active <> passive)• Cultural contexts (innovative <> traditional)• Economic contexts (growing <> declining)• Technological contexts (separating <> connecting)• Ecological contexts (differentiating <> equalizing)• Spatial contexts (accumulating <> dispersing )

Changing context changes impacts

http://team.bk.tudelft.nl

Let us try tomorrow

Starting by key words

• y(x)

• landscape( villa)

• villa( landscape)

• villa( landscape( water system))

Nested key wordsvilla(landscape(water-system, history))villa(landscape(water-system(history)))villa(landscape((water-system, occupation)(history, spatial dispersion)))

)( means a matrix:

history spatial dispersion

water-system 1 2

occupation 3 4

useful as a list of contents of your report:1 water-system(history)2 water-system(spatial dispersion)3 occupation(history)4 occupation(spatial dispersion)

Syntactic key words

object y as a working (function, action, output, result, property) ofsubject x (independent variabele actor, input, condition, cause)

y(x)object(subject)Suffering object(subject)impact(condition, cause)aim(means)

The verb is replaced by brackets ()Form follows function. ~ form(function) landscape(villa)villa(landscape)

See also index of Ways to Study

Operations (functions) y= f(x)• intuitive: f(x):= associated with x• conditional: f(x):= possible by x• set-theoretical: f(x):= part of x, encloses x, without x ...• logical: f(x):= if x, not x ...• mathematical: f(x):= x+x , x2...• causal f(x):= caused by x• temporal: f(x):= preceded, followed by x• spatial(formal): f(x):= near to, contiguous to, surrounded by x ...• structural: f(x):= connected with x, seperated from x ...• combinations: a box of boards connected by nails:

box(boards, nails)

Valid, Reliable