The social production of design space

Published Date
September 2016, Vol.46:199–225, doi:10.1016/j.destud.2016.06.002

Author 

Frederick M.C. van Amstel ^,1,

VISICO Center, Department of Construction Management & Engineering, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, Enschede, The Netherlands

Timo Hartmann

Civil Engineering Institute, TU Berlin, Gustav-Meyer-Allee 25, Gebäude 13b, Berlin, Germany

• Mascha C. van der Voort

• Laboratory of Design, Production and Management, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, Enschede, The Netherlands

• Geert P.M.R. Dewulf

• VISICO Center, Department of Construction Management & Engineering, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, Enschede, The Netherlands

Available online 15 July 2016. 

Highlights

• Shifts the attention from design space to the production of design space.
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  Introduces the notion of contradiction as an alternative to constraint.
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  Applies a framework to study design space together with design activity.
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  Compares different layouts for a medical imaging centre.

The production of design space refers to the activity of an individual or a group of individuals considering alternatives and possibilities for a design brief. Design studies often consider constraints to be a major determinant of design space, yet this paper introduces the notion of contradiction to underscore a dialectical determination of design space. The intention here is to characterise the production of design space as a socio-material rather than a cognitive process. This is accomplished through an in-depth look at a medical imaging centre project and an experiment with design students about the same project. In comparison to the original project, the students' activity reproduced the same contradictions faced by practitioners.

Keywords

design activity

parametric design

architectural design

design space

case study

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  Corresponding author: Frederick M.C. van Amstel

For further details log on website :
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0142694X15301368