The development of ‘a sustainable architecture’ in Gaia

‘We call ‘local’ what is discussed and argued in common. (…) To explore the possibility of transformation it would be good to have a device that could convey the ever more concrete descriptions of the territory as seen from below.”

Bruno Latour, After Lockdown.

The creation of sustainable architecture requires that ‘an architecture’ be developed with the involvement of qualified knowledge from many different fields.

Artistic development in the field of architecture must be carried by the ambition that ‘an architecture’ is developed with attention to: A) the useful not only for human life forms, but also for non-human actors and their life forms. B) The technical, which relates to architecture's sensible involvement of materials and technical possibilities in the ambition to create materially sustainable housing. And finally, C) attention to the aspects of architecture in which we are involved by our senses.

On the basis of specific cases, the research project will create concepts that relate to the exchange between, on the one hand, different sciences and on the other the development of an architectural proposal; concepts which can be conveyed to exchanges that will be required in connection with the development of a next ‘local’ and situated project.

The ambition is to re-actualize the ancient attention to utilitas, firmitas and venustas, but on new premises insofar as this project insists that the awareness that the Earth we inhabit is not static and controllable, but populated by diverse and changing life forms, requires a recognized understanding that the generalizable, which can be conveyd from one project and locality to the next, must be concepts that promote the attention to the special, living, changeable of the next situation.

It is the research project's thesis that the various disciplines that can contribute to the creation of ‘an sustainable architecture’ must work with understanding not only for the scientifically focused: The various disciplines involved must all–at the same time–work with the understanding that the gathering of mutually different and specialized knowledge in and with 'an architecture' requires a special dimension of experience and competence and which is named ‘artistic development’.

Or expressed differently and with emphasis on dimensions that will be in particular focus in this research project: The relationship between sociology (utilitas) and architecture is not established by sociology seeking to explain architecture, but by sociology creating an understanding of social life forms that will be relevant to the creation of ‘an sustainable architecture’, which must also involve qualified understanding of other than the special attentions of sociology. The communication between the special insights of science (in casu: sociology) and architecture is not a question of causality (that ‘form follows function’, for example), but–which sociology is also qualified aware of–about negotiations and what is discussed and argued in common…. and special cases/themes/situations concerning the study of the 'political' as synonymous with the exchange between a) bodies/life forms, b) special fields of knowledge and common sense c) space/field/territory, will be in center for the research project's studies.

The research project thus involves both sociology's studies of specific, and for a concrete, architectural project relevant life forms, and sociology's understanding of the political, which will be able to contribute to the formation of concepts that is in focus for the research project.

It is the research project's ambition to contribute with objectifications, generalizations, explanations in a world of ever-changing and interacting life forms and which can serve as input to architects' work to create gatherings that will also involve other than what this research project focuses on…. and which the project in a possible process will ask for and learn from.

In this way, the project belongs to–and benefits from–the collaboration that is established with the cluster ‘Architecture, Strategy and Politics’.