A Theory of "Design by Reserach"

Mapping Experimentation in Architecture and Architectural Design

Abstract

In an age of increased fragmentation, orientation and specialization, architectural research that aims at breaking new theoretical ground and introducing new techniques and methods of design makes sense only if it is able to formulate and make explicit an implied “discursive whole”. The article argues that cartographic means enable architects to chart characteristics of space and explores the extent to which mapping in architectural design can potentially inform architectural construct. This form of activating spatial analysis is both projective and performative. By identifying three basic principles of activation, the article defines mapping as an instrumentalization, an operationalization or a conceptualization of the spatial map.