On Wednesday 16 December, the module group met to read and discuss abstracts of the essays (~ 3000 words) to be submitted after Christmas.
1. Gerard Tohill: Valuing digital craft.
With the development of new production techniques, through new technologies such as 3d printing and digital pre-fabrication, I wish to examine what it is we value when we think of well-crafted objects.
In terms of the traditional craftsman, whittling away at a chair, or the weaver at their loom is it the object itself we value or the act of making the object that we appreciate. If it is object itself it is therefore reasonable to assume that objects made by digital means still have the inherent qualities associated with objects made at the hand of an experienced craftsman?
Within the realm of digital production methods, precision is often celebrated with the final object. Where as in objects crafted by the human hand, we often find imperfections in the quality of the cut, or marks left over by the tools used to make the piece of interest, is it these imperfections that we value along with skill of the craftsman?
By looking at these opposing methods of making objects I hope make some conclusions about what it is we find of value in objects.
Suggest you take two objects – once digitally crafted and the other hand made – and write a tight description of them – perhaps a tool itself
2. Ben McSharry: (untitled)
I wish to undertake a study of ‘Creativite Development in Architectural Practice’. The essay will deal with how to maintain an ongoing creative development while working in practice.In a busy office it is easy to lose sight of creative goals and to lose an awareness of creative development.
The essay will address this topic by looking at architectural practices and how they have tried to develop their work creatively, why/how they have succeded or failed and their methods of evaluation of success/failure.
Conclusion will be suggestions on how to continue to be a creative practioner while working in practice.
I became interested in this topic after reading ‘Mastering Architecture: Becoming a Creative Innovator’ by Leon van Schaik.
3. Grace Kealey: Changing times
Questions : Are we going through a change in the way Architecture is Practiced?
The aim of this essay is to highlight the changes occurring in the way Architecture is practiced today and to highlight the possibilities, opportunities and challenges that face us in the future.
“The students of today will be at the forefront of redefining the profession”
Harriet Harriss, Oxford Brookes
This issue is relevant to the students of today (as emerging Practitioners ‘to-be’) as this change will affect how we Practice. Now is the time to question the way in which Architects operate, to value what exists, define what’s missing and nurture the possible.
This essay will attempt to reveal how different types of Practice have managed to survive & thrive and how they have changed and adapted to the increasing speed of today’s contemporary world. The evolution of digital technology / CAD / CAM etc is one way in which Architectural Practices have advanced over the past few years. Until recently it has been very difficult and expensive to design, produce and assemble complex forms using traditional construction but the advance on digital technologies has opened opportunities for design in the future (examples such as Frank Gehry’s – Guggenheim Museum/Bank Building Berlin).
Do we lack confidence for change or is it time to embrace the possibilities, opportunities and challenges that face us?!!
4. Will Pakenham: Suburbia and the Value of Architecture
The suburban belts around the cities of America and the city of Dublin draw obvious comparisons. Although there are many different factors that influenced why such settlement patterns occurred, there is one common factor in both. Money.
The relationship between the suburb and the city has always been clear. The position of the city as superior and dominant to the suburb is obvious. The suburb, with the car as facilitator, draws its economic energy from the city, yet the idea of living in the city is not desirable in either society. The ideal situation in Irish society is the largest possible house built on the outskirts of commuter town. In American society the suburb is the ideal, where ownership of land and your own backyard is the benchmark in modern living.
By using the American and Irish situation, this essay will address the current suburban style of modern living and the involvement of the architect and architecture in this type. The suburb is built, and thus valued financially, through the eyes of the developer. Rarely is the architect involved in the building of the suburbs. The developer knows only the monetary value; the suburb is an investment. Whereas the architect is trained to design for the user and creates a building that has a societal, cultural and architectural values.
5. Catriona Toner: What is the value of architecture and how is it assessed?
Architectural design adds significant value to buildings in terms of lifestyle benefits and market value, etc. In order to convince the general public of the value of architecture, it is necessary to prove that the benefits far outweigh the costs and that value can, in fact, be achieved at little or no extra cost. After all, the most expensive parts of a building are usually the essential, functional and structural elements, such as the roof. We also need to convince the public that design is more than just decoration. The transformative power of architecture lies in the use of materials and the quality of spaces and this can be achieved effectively through the use of inexpensive or expensive materials.
This essay will investigate the evaluation tools used to assess the value and level of success of architect designed buildings. I will analyse and compare a number of built examples to determine what constitutes a successful and valuable design and to investigate if it can be achieved cost effectively. I will analyse the buildings in terms of user quality, visual quality and technical quality.
By investigating the methods of assessing the value of architecture and by establishing what constitutes a valuable piece of architecture, I aim to promote an awareness of how architectural value can be achieved cost effectively, which will encourage more people to commission architectural projects.
6. Orla Young: Prefabrication and Craft
This essay will examine how craft is reconciled within architecture, as Seamus Heaney speaks of, “two orders of knowledge, the practical and the poetic”. A historical evaluation will be sought of the evolution of the architect, from the process of the skilled manual labourer to a professional designer today. This will lead to a critical exploration of the contemporary meaning and aspiration of craftsmanship with regards to the application of craft to architecture and digitally augmented processes.
What is the contemporary definition of craftsmanship? Has the development of indigenous design with pace of the twenty-first century mean that ornamentation has now become an option, not just an unnecessary expense? A new generation of European, in particular Swiss and Dutch architects, will be of particular value in examining boundaries of pre fabrication and craft. Is digital craft the only way to reinstate craft back into the industry? How is the connection between the making of architecture and the close engagement of materiality being challenged? Does digitalization lead to a detachment and disconnection from the mind and body or become integral in the design process?
A conclusion examines the nature of design itself. To what extent does craft evoke a sense of time, sense of place within contemporary building processes? How is this reached on a personal, contextual and global level? Is the reclaim of materiality the way to make more humane spaces away from the modernist view?
7. Laura Puls: The value of Architecture
During this economic downturn, people are less willing to part with money and this has had a major impact on the Architectural profession. It seems clients are less willing to pay architectural fees for the design of a building and instead are willing to pay someone who is not an architect but can produce drawings to do what they see as ‘the same job but for less’. Why is this? As human beings we take the built environment for granted. From the day you are born your life, your daily routine revolves around this built environment, it’s a given, you have no choice and therefore don’t ever need to consider it’s importance. You take for granted for example that school is a place where you have to go to learn but don’t consider how the design of the spaces within the school can impact greatly on your learning experience. This is because most people don’t understand the value of architecture. They know partly what architecture is but they rarely see past the building to the qualities associated with the spaces to ensure that that building is going to create pleasant environments for it’s users and improve their quality of life.
For my essay I wish to investigate why the public don’t appreciate the value of architecture and how do we make the public aware of the importance of architecture, it’s value to society, how good design makes economic sense and encourage them to participate in the design process so that the profession has a prosperous future.
8. Stephen McClatchey: An investigation into the relevance of prefabrication vs. craft in architecture today.
Over the past few decades the development in technology has allowed the craftsman to explore a variety of construction techniques as well as using alternative materials. As a result of these developments, a chain reaction has indirectly occurred where the non-craftsman has, to a certain extent, become disengaged with the environment in which they live. Cars can no longer be fixed at home, toasters are replaced after one year, etc.
However, there has to some degree been a sterilisation of lay craftsmanship, is ‘style’ valued over ‘quality’ where objects are simply used then discarded (eg B&Q). Is expecting an object to last decades an outdated notion or is there still a prolific sub-culture of craftsmanship where ‘quality’ is still valued (but at a price?). This may raise the issue of the design life of an object, is there an expectation for longevity.
In relation to architecture, what went wrong (if anything) with previous developments in prefabricated architecture, eg. Habitat ’67 and the social housing blocks of the 1970’s. Have people became mistrusting of prefabricated architecture as a result of the lack of understanding of material and context (Buildings that did not respond well to their environments, eg. damp leading to mould.)
Where has the line between prefabrication and craft been blurred, can a prefabricated object been seen as being crafted. What factor does the material play in the construction technique, are certain materials seen as being more akin to craftsmanship.
My conclusion shall be a critique of the current climate of prefabrication and craft in architecture today. Has prefabrication ‘won’ over craftsmanship in today’s consumer world, or has prefabrication become a subset of craftsmanship.
9. Declan Smith: Architecture and People
An in depth look at participatory design within architecture. Often the architecture profession has been criticized for being too elitist aesthetes that fail to recognise the real needs and requirements of building occupants. By involving the end users of a space throughout the design process the potential for a much more successful outcome is created. Although this fact is beginning to once again be acknowledged by universities and institutions it is still a rarely used design method within both the education and building industry. This essay will explore various precedents and techniques that have been used to great effect by designers that have made it their goal to involve everyone within the design process.
10. Elaine Hawthorne: Practice \ Practice
The discussion of past, present and future – where architecture has been and where it is going. As the related texts touch upon how today local practices are working globally and that global firms can practice locally I am interested in the parallels I might draw between this and my dissertation topic (architecture and travel).
With global interconnectivity and current economic issues affecting all of us I would like to formulate a discussion about what direction architecture may be taking and to what extent it can be introduced within the learning environment. Practice \ Practice – the reality of practice tends to be substantially different to that of the college environment, what I would like to question is which method works best at rooting student ideals for the future? Can we teach ideals? Do we need real projects before students can be truly connected?
I would like to cross reference a few university course contents to assess which (if any) are more successful than others. For some it is 6 months in practice, for others there is no year out. What is it that facilitates more self directed learning? Does a unsatisfactory college experience create the ‘drive’ (Consensus). Should it be compulsory to spend some of the period of learning in another country? I find all these questions have been raised during our discussions and feel that continued reading will not necessarily result in concrete answers but allow me to critique what I feel is essential in my architectural education and what path I want my architectural career to follow
11. Catherine Blaney: Architects under pressures of consumerism
How consumerism influences our built environment is the elephant in the room that architecture schools seems to brush under the carpet. Market forces with corrupt politics and legislation leaves every building and site with a price tag, negligible of their painlessness to society or to a city’s or to a country’s Identity. The city of Belfast has suffered irreversible damage in this rush for ‘change’ and in its vulnerability it has embraced the propaganda of ‘consumerism’ a parasite that has irreversibly destroyed more of Belfast’s city centre built fabric that 30 years of violence.
My essay will look at an architects place within the consumerist environment, do they embrace it, or do they ignore it and find a niche in which they can work, willing to die for their ‘art’ in odds with the world. The niche obviously does not deal with reality though it is wonderfully self indulgent. Most architects have to make money to survive many at the expense of their own morel conscience.
I will look at the birth of consumerism how the client has influenced the motivations of architecture throughout history. I wish to consider is it still possible to preserve and design new buildings of value in the odds of the shortermist greed that exist in today’s business world.
12. Petrina Tierney: The Architects’ Ethos
I have come to the naming of this essay via the consideration of the value of an architect, what is their role? Architects create architecture.
‘Architecture frames human existential experience and provides a horizon of understanding. As architects, we do condition others’ lives; this definitively projects a decisive ethical dimension onto our work.’ Juhani Pallasmaa – Encounters
Why is it the architect that conditions the lives of others? I want to investigate the ‘skill’ of the architect that deems Architecture a profession and how does this ‘skill’ ‘condition others lives’ as stated above. What is the conditioning of lives?
Do architects actually succeed in their ethical mission? This brings me to the relationship between the architect and their employer; people. Emmanuel Levinas, as I have been directed to by Jeremy Till, defines ethics as ‘being-for the other’. The question I should ask is, are architects for the ‘other’ i.e. the people. I wonder can there be a set system of moral values for this profession. This discussion may also lead me to sources of our creativity; with direct contact with people? From history books and theory?
From this paper I wish to achieve justification of architecture as a profession
13. Jamie Gibson: An analysis of the design studio and theoretical study in the Undergraduate school.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate through research and recent discussion, the design studio and the teaching of theory within the undergraduate school of architecture. The essay will cover a range of issues such as the importance of examination and teaching of theoretical subjects, the amount of time dedicated to studio projects, the frequency and content of design projects, the teaching of design theory and ultimately whether or not the current system adequately prepares students for the year out.
This study should seek to present a balanced argument for and against the current status and processes of the undergraduate design school but should also seek to shed light on new approaches to theoretical study and topics, reform of design teaching methods and the relationship between education and design practice with regards to architectural education in the 21st century.
The intention would be to carry out an investigation into these topics through analysis of my own experiences and a series of informal interviews with a range of people who are currently or have been involved in the process of undergraduate architectural education. This will inevitably involve Students, Lecturers and Practitioners who have had first hand experience of undergraduate architectural education in recent years.
14. Ollie Chapman: Does architectural education advocate egocentric design?
Without contact with the other vital members of the consultation process or users, our development as architects is limited, while our development as designers continues. If our understanding of user groups is fundamentally non-existent, we design buildings ‘for’ ourselves and tutors.
Our design is therefore not only unresolved and unrealistic, but also not fit for purpose and lacks any real value except possibly under the role of the architect as form designer/communicator. Visual communication is a vital skillwhich we refine throughout our education, and continue whilst in practice. This is the basis of our portfolio, and fundamentally therefore our source of employment/income.
However, in practice the professional architect is given opportunities to create built works which embody the voices of a sub-community, the design should surely reflect the desires and agenda of the users rather than our own, a task which our education does not prepare us for.
In opposition, we develop the ability for best practise in design, a refinement of precedents, not solely a search for our own style. The projects we encounter in education prepare us to understand issues from a variety of perspectives other than our own.
15. Mark Anderson: Prefabrication + Digitalization
The practice of architecture has changed more radically in the last fifteen years than perhaps at any time in its entire history. The commercial availability of complex software and its hardware technologies have resulted in a fast, accurate, and globally transferable design culture. While the first generation of digital architects was often preoccupied by pure formal experimentation, the new practitioners, most of whom have only known digital tools, fabrication methods, and communication address a more diverse agenda. From the environment to social responsibility, they have an acute awareness of the built world that informs and animates their architecture. Many of the new techniques pioneered by digital architects more than a decade ago are now finding their way into mainstream architecture, creating a greater public appreciation of, and appetite for, what was once perceived as “radical” architecture.
Focus will be on the relationship between digitalization and architectural design, exploring the concepts, forms, patterns, materials, processes, technologies and practices that are being produced with this collaboration. Does the preoccupation of digital formats in contemporary architecture challenge traditional perceptions?
How does Architecture in the Digital Age address contemporary architectural practice in which digital technologies are radically changing how the buildings are conceived, designed and produced? What impact has digitization had on architectural students and the teaching of architecture?
Assess the digitally driven changes, their origins, and their effects by analyzing contemporary practices already developing the used methods, while thinking about their wider implications for the future. Consider what is relevant today and what will be relevant tomorrow for emerging architectural practices of the digital age? Review the advantages and challenges of prefabrication with an emphasis on digital tools used in design
Provide informed conclusion of what is seen as a critical juncture in architecture’s evolving relationship to its wider cultural and technological context.

