Schwerpunkte 2020 – the 8th annual symposium of PhD students organised by fellows of the D-ARCH doctoral programmes Schwerpunkte questions the production of research in architecture. Such questions will challenge some of the unspoken disciplinary drills underpinning different research fields whether they be history, landscape, technology, design or robotics. We believe that the difficulties of communication across these fields are intimately intertwined with the very way that we produce knowledge in our separate spheres of study, and that by sharing and questioning them we can start to better understand architecture research practices as a whole. Presenters and audience will be asked to confront the mechanics of their research, exposing different research cultures to each other in order to create debate across fields that often do not communicate. These aims constitute the substance of Schwerpunkte 8, but due to our current circumstances we will also consider how such conditions and practices have been affected by the constraints of social distancing. The Schwerpunkte online debates will be divided into three sessions each focused on a specific topic in the production of research and each having its own guest. The first will be centred on “Audience & Relevance” with Cynthia Davidson (Pratt Institute, Log). The second on “Mechanics & Practices” with Mark Jarzombek (MIT). The third on “References & Collaboration” with Caitlin Mueller (MIT). Each session will involve two hours of presentations and discussion, followed by a lecture from the guest beginning at 17:00. All three sessions will be recorded to document the event and facilitate a potential future publication. Presenters will describe an object, document or tool critical to their work in 5-10 minutes and through that description to touch on aspects of how they conduct their research. Describing this object will allow the audience of researchers from diverse fields to quickly enter into the presenter’s research in a tangible way. Presentations will then be followed by a collective discussion to unwrap the disciplinary patterns behind how we all conduct our research. Finally there will be a lecture at 1700 given by the guest for that session. The detailed schedule for the full session can be found at: www.are.na/schwerpunkte-8. We look forward to seeing you online!
SESSION 1: Audience & Relevance
What are the dynamics of your research?
Who is your audience and how does it affect your work?
How do you present your work?
What is the relevance of your research to architectural education or production?
How is your work peripheral to, or centered, on architecture?
Does your research affect education?
How does your research define architecture?
Where can people find your work?
What does the topic of your research teach about these types of issues?
14:30–15:00 Technical check for presentations
15:00–15:10 Introduction to the Schwerpunkte
15:10–16:00 Presentations from Gerlinde Verhaeghe, Henryetta Duerschlag, Lydia Xynogala, Karla Saldana Ochoa, and Davide Spina
16:00–16:45 Collective discussion on the questions
16:45–17:00 Online Break
17:00–18:00 Lecture: Cynthia Davidson, “Why Write?”
18:00–18:30 Q&A
Detailed information on the presentations can be found at: https://www.are.na/schwerpunkte-8/session-1-audience-relevance
SESSION 2: Mechanics and Practices
How do you work?
What is your daily routine?
What tools do you use?
What are your research materials?
What are your resources?
How do you gather information?
How do you handle challenges?
How do you organize your findings?
14:30–15:00 Technical check for presentations
15:00–15:10 Introduction to the Schwerpunkte
15:10–16:00 Presentations from Nicole de Lalouvière, Sarem Sunderland, Giulia Boller, Lukas Ingold, and Yue Zhao
16:00–16:45 Collective discussion on the questions
16:45–17:00 Online Break
17:00–18:00 Lecture: Mark Jarzombek, “Bracketed Ambiguities: Urban Heterology and the Massachusetts Frontier”
18:00–18:30 Q&A
Detailed information on the presentations can be found at: https://www.are.na/schwerpunkte-8/session-2-mechanics-and-practices
SESSION 3: References and Collaboration
What do you consider a reference in your work?
What is the role of a reference in your work?
Who are your collaborators?
Which tools do you use to collaborate?
How do you find your collaborators?
What is the outcome of the exchange?
How is the exchange materialized or made tangible?
How do you work together with your collaborators?
How do your collaborators and your wider network affect how you work?
14:30–15:00 Technical check for presentations
15:00–15:10 Introduction to the Schwerpunkte
15:10–16:00 Presentations from Nikos Magouliotis, Linda Stagni, Susanne Hefti, Roshanak Haddadi, and Hannes Hofmann
16:00–16:45 Collective discussion on the questions
16:45–17:00 Online Break
17:00–18:00 Lecture: Caitlin Mueller, “Computing Across Disciplines”
18:00–18:30 Q&A
Detailed information on the presentations can be found at: https://www.are.na/schwerpunkte-8/session-3-references-and-collaboration