CoCreative Roles, Agencies and Relations in Post-Anthropocene: The Real Life Gigamaps and Full-Scale Prototypes of SAAP

Authors

Abstract

The gigamaps relating full-scale prototypes series in this article are synthesising a work developed within the framework of Systemic Approach to Architectural Performance (SAAP) research by design field. Gigamapping serves as a tool for complexity co-designing through relations mapping and has no strict recipe (Sevaldson, 2018b). It is project and participation specific. The particularity of SAAP is that it develops theories and methods through experimental practice. SAAP involves Time-Based Eco-Systemic Co-Design that is performed by both living and non-living agents. Gigamapping is central to SAAP because it is a tool that relates the complexity within collaborative design-research processes and its co-performances. It maps and generates their relations, meaning environmental, societal and cultural aspects and processes across past, current and future habitats and edible landscapes of and across different species and other agencies involved. SAAP’s ambition is to co- and re- design these complexities. Thus, SAAP is based in full-scale prototyping related with gigamapping, both placed into ‘real life’ environments, the “real life co-design laboratories” (Author, Pánek, & Pánková, 2018). SAAP is therefore considering gigamaps as well as the full-scale prototypes as ”prototypical urban interventions” that can drive extensive generative agencies across various communities (Doherty, 2005) and agents; and while doing that, across much larger systems, introducing the necessary shift towards Post-Anthropocene of bio-climatic layers of cultural landscapes, their territories and life-cycles.

Author Biography

Marie Davidova, Welsh School of Architecture Collaborative Collective Systemic Design Association

Marie Davidová, MArch, MNAL, ARB, Ph.D. is a lecturer (teaching & research) at the Welsh School of Architecture, a founding member and chair of Collaborative Collective practice design-research network NGO and a founding member of Systemic Design Association. Marie gained her Ph.D. at CTU in Prague and Master's degree at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design. She worked in studios Snøhetta and Expology in Oslo and taught at NTNU in Trondheim. She has been transdisciplinary studio course head at ARCHI Prague and FUA TU of Liberec. All of this in cooperation with the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences at the University of Life Sciences in Prague. Marie founded Systemic Approach to Architectural Performance (SAAP) research by co-design field. 

SAAP discusses the question of cities’ adaptation to climate change and biodiversity loss. Current environmental ecology research shows that species that have adapted to agricultural land hundreds of years ago are recently adapting for life within the cities. Our agricultural land has become so toxic, due to pests, etc., that the built environment now offers them better living conditions. Our cities therefore need to adapt for such co-living situation. The research demonstrates this through full-scale eco-systemic prototypical urban interventions and their historical context studies. It considers not only the prototypes’ design and creation process but also their performance within the ‘real life’ environment. This covers observations of their generative co-designing agency across the eco-system and speculations of their futures. This is including human and non-human communities. Further on, the work­ reaches larger scale and layer through spreading its parametric DIY recipes and codes for prototypes’ locally adapted iterations for communities across the world.

SAAP is fusion of process-based fields formally initiated by integration of Systems Oriented Design and Performance Oriented Architecture. It develops methodology and generates theory through experimental practice. SAAP involves Time Based Eco?Systemic Trans-Disciplinary Co-Design that is performed by both biotic and abiotic agents, including humans. It belongs to broader field of Systemic Design, considering overall eco-system. Marie has held guest lectures, presentations and workshops in this field across Europe, North America, Asia, Africa and Oceania, where she is also widely published and exhibited.

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Published

2020-10-29

Issue

Vol. 13 No. 2 (2020): May/Aug

Section

Relating Systems Thinking and Design: Systemic Design and co-creation processes for territorial enhancement

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