The Making of Architects / Architecture in the Making (Darmstadt)
Darmstadt, 02. - 03.02.2012
Deadline: Oct 24, 2011
The Making of Architects / Architecture in the Making
Spring Workshop of the Architectural Sociology Working Group
Planning and building are deeply complex processes. The objective of architectural design is to provide solutions to problems that extend beyond spatial-functional requirements and which have aesthetic, social and cultural implications. The factors of influence cannot be clearly defined, nor can the consequences of individual architectural solution strategies be predicted. In order to confront the 'heteronomy' (Larson) of architectural practice, architects have developed different strategies: from insisting on artistic autonomy, the cultivation of an autonomous discourse, trust in intuition or technology, to the redefinition of their professional identity or the attempt at circumventing the dependence of architects on economic and political power by means of practices of resistance. But what effect do these strategies have in practice when designing and planning? To put the question sociologically: What conditions of possibility are behind the production of architectural knowledge?
The goal of this workshop is to discuss the social framework of planning and building using the example of the figure of the architect. What role do architects play in different societies? How did the profession develop in the European tradition? And outside Europe? What characterizes architectural education and training? How do competitions work? What role does architectural criticism play as a legitimization of building?
With a view to the present, global economic factors of influence in particular appear to be central to the field of architectural action. It is impossible to conceive of construction these days without the influences of globalization, financial markets and the real estate economy. What effects do economization and internationalization have on the field of architecture? What agents and networks are relevant? Which forms of formal and informal regulations determine the creation of architecture and at what levels can these be found? And what kinds of knowledge do architects revert to when acting on the international markets and in international networks?
In particular we are seeking:
- Contributions that apply the notion of 'profession' or Bourdieu's concept of a 'field of cultural production' to investigate the making of architects / architecture in the making
- Contributions on the conceptualization of knowledge in architecture/architectural production
- Contributions that examine from the perspective of practice-theory the techniques, routines and (self-)representation in the actions of architects
- Contributions on differentiations within the architectural profession from a social structure and gender-specific perspective
- Contributions that reflect upon the legitimization and visibility work in the teaching, cultural and media-related operations of architecture
- Contributions on the conceptualization of knowledge in architecture/architectural production
- Contributions that examine from the perspective of practice-theory the techniques, routines and (self-)representation in the actions of architects
- Contributions on differentiations within the architectural profession from a social structure and gender-specific perspective
- Contributions that reflect upon the legitimization and visibility work in the teaching, cultural and media-related operations of architecture
We look forward to receiving abstracts with a maximum length of 250 words.
Please submit the abstracts by 24 October 2011 to
You will receive a reply from us by 10 November 2011. Papers can be presented in English or German.
Dr. Monika Grubbauer / Dr. Silke Steets (TU Darmstadt)
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