Science as a subset of Art

1. Science as a subset of Art Possible Prof.dr.ir. Taeke M. de Jong Probable University of Technology Delft, the Netherlands, Faculty of Architecture, Department of Urbanism, Chair Technical ecology

2. Questions • What established methods and types of research has “Research by Design” taken up or “codified” as its own? • How does “Research by Design” relate to, or position itself, with respect to other established academic communities and traditions? • How could “Research by Design” be formalized/systematized in order to gain recognition as a scientific methodology within the creative disciplines?

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

4. 1 Established methods

5. 1 Established methods

6. 1 Established methods

7. 1 Established methods • The object of design study is variable by definition • Social and physical context delimits that object • But ‘context’ is everything • How to handle context?

8. How tohandlecontext

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

10. 2. Other academic traditions Preface by our Rector Fokkema Within the range of a technical university the 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!

11. Ways to Study and Researchurban, architectural and technical design • CONTENTS • Introduction • Naming and describing • Design research andtypology • Evaluating • Modelling • Programming and optimising • Technical Study • Design Study • Study by design • Epilogue Empirical research Studybydesign

12. 2. Other academic traditions Distinguished in verbal sentences by modal verbs such as ‘can’, ‘will’, ‘want to’.

13. 2. Other academic traditions The task of Science The task of Design The task of Art

14. Classical empirical research • problem statement (problem isolation) • clear aim (aim isolation) • references • starting points • hypothesis • variables • data • method • content • publish

15. Design related study • can not isolate problems from a coherent field of problems • brings aims together in a field of aims, a concept • has many references, not only written text but especially images: forms, types, models, concepts, programmes • has many starting points • has designs as hypothesis assuming: “This will work” • has many context variables (“parameters”) • while the object still varies in your head • has many ways to study (needs a book with 10 000 key words) • content grows drawing, calculating and writing • publishes with the medium as a message

16. Empirical research orDesign related study • Research produces probabilities by causes • Design produces possibilities by conditions

17. Make probable by causes Make possible by conditions Not every condition is a cause,but every cause is a condition for something to happen

18. Unravelling condition and cause

19. Domains of future

20. Domainsin design science

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

22. 3 Recognition as a scientific method • Make the context of your case explicit • Distinguish probable, possible and desirable futures • Do not isolate problems and aimsas 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.

23. How tohandlecontext

24. 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 onesinstead of an isolated ‘problem statement’

25. 3B Probable, possible and desirable future contexts Three fields of desirable futures Desirable futures changing by design Probable, but not desirable;Desirable, but not probable

26. 3C Do not isolateproblems 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.

27. 3 Recognition as a scientific method • Make the context of your case explicit • Distinguish probable, possible and desirable futures • Do not isolate problems and aimsas 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.

28. Ideal contents of a study proposal 1. Object of study and its context 2. My study proposal 3. Accounts

29. 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

30. 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

31. 3Accounts 3.1. Meeting criteria for a study proposal 3.2. References 3.3. Key words

32. Criteria for a study proposal A.Affinity with designing B.University breadth C.Concept formation and transferability D.Retrievability and accumulating capacity E.Methodical accountability and depth F.Ability to be criticised and to criticise G.Convergence and limitations

33. 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

34. How to limite, concentrate • give way to fascinations (motivated concentrations) • choose a scale (frame and grain) before an object • publish your portfolio evaluating it as field of abilities • decide to improve or to extend them in your proposal • publish images that fascinate you as a field of means • look at them as a professional: which concepts, types, models and programmes could you harvest? • make your assumptions about the future explicit • imagine the impacts your study could have • cash your dreams

35. 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

36. Levels of scale to be aware of • Different scales mean different legend units, categories, views, approaches, conclusions

37. Names and boundaries of size categories • In this presentation ‘nominal values’ indicatean order of size • They are ‘elastic’ • 10m means somethingin between3m and 30m

38. 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’

39. Limit your object of study by scale http://team.bk.tudelft.nl

40. Grain and impacts of your study http://team.bk.tudelft.nl

41. 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 !

42. 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!

43. Subtracting futures • Field of problems = Probable - Desirable • Field of Aims = Desirable - Probable

44. Desired impacts of your study http://team.bk.tudelft.nl

45. How to judge these impacts in a future context? http://team.bk.tudelft.nl

46. 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 )

47. Changing context changes impacts http://team.bk.tudelft.nl

48. Let us try tomorrow

49. Starting by key words • y(x) • landscape( villa) • villa( landscape) • villa( landscape( water system))

50. Nestedkey words villa(landscape(water-system, history)) villa(landscape(water-system(history))) villa(landscape((water-system, occupation)(history, spatial dispersion))) )( means a matrix: 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)