The Evolution of the Full-Scale Artifact in Architectural Academia

Under the influence of digital technologies and the virtual realm, the architectural model has radically mutated, not only in its appearance and method of fabrication but in its function. It’s no longer just a scaled object to glance upon and imagine how the spaces might be at their true size. Instead, the full-scale artifact has regained an important place in academia and practice due to both technological advances and current events. According to Michael Speaks in Design Intelligence, the field of architecture faces unprecedented challenges in a world increasingly dominated by globalization, technology and a knowledge-based economy. Thus, design should be about innovation and the creative process, not just the result of a single product. The aim is cheap, quick and adaptable prototypes, research and design performed by the act of doing. These goals for architecture on the whole incite new values and modes of thinking about design and the status of the fabricated model. It’s no mere mode of representation but rather a physical reality to inhabit and a significant part of the process that interweaves the role of design and construction.

Volume Editors
David Ruy & Lola Sheppard

ISBN
978-0-935502-95-4