Context analysis

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Context analysis
Prof.dr.ir Taeke M. de Jong SASBE June 15th 2009
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Operational study proposals

• y(x)
• landscape( villa)
• villa( landscape)
• villa( landscape( water system))
• urbanity( liveliness, choice)
• ( liveliness, choice)( density, variety)

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Nested key words

• villa(landscape(water-system, history))
• villa(landscape(water-system(history)))
• villa(landscape((water-system, occupation)(history
  , spatial dispersion)))
• )( means a matrix

history spatial dispersion
water-system 1 2
occupation 3 4
useful as a list of contents of your report 1
water-system(history) 2 water-system(spatial
dispersion) 3 occupation(history) 4
occupation(spatial dispersion)
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Syntactic key words

• object y as a working (function, action, output,
  result, property) of
• subject x (independent variabele actor, input,
  condition, cause)
• y(x)
• object(subject)
• Suffering object(subject)
• impact(condition, cause)
• aim(means)
• The verb is replaced by brackets ()
• Form follows function. form(function)
• landscape(villa)
• villa(landscape)

See also index of Ways to Study
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Operations (functions) y f(x)

• intuitive f(x) associated with x
• conditional f(x) possible by x
• set-theoretical f(x) part of x, encloses x,
  without x ...
• logical f(x) if x, not x ...
• mathematical f(x) xx , x2...
• causal f(x) caused by x
• temporal f(x) preceded, followed by x
• spatial(formal) f(x) near to, contiguous to,
  surrounded by x ...
• structural f(x) connected with x, seperated
  from x ...
• combinations a box of boards connected by
  nailsbox(boards, nails)

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Valid, Reliable
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Classical empirical research

• problem statement (problem isolation)
• clear aim
• reference
• starting points
• hypothesis
• variables
• data
• method
• content
• publish

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Design related study

• can not isolate problems from a coherent field of
  problems
• brings aims together in a field of aims, a
  concept
• has many references, not only written text but
  especially images forms, types, models,
  concepts, programmes
• has many starting points
• has designs as hypothesis stating This will
  work
• has many context variables (parameters)
• while the object still varies in your head
• has many ways to study (in a book with 10 000 key
  words)
• content grows drawing, calculating and writing
• publishes with the medium as a message

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Empirical research orDesign related study

• Research produces probabilities by causes
• Design produces possibilities by conditions

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Make probable by causes Make possible by
conditions
Not every condition is a cause, but every cause
is a condition for something to happen
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Unravelling condition and cause
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Domains of future
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Domainsin design science
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Design related study
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Design related study
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Design related study
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Design related study

• The object of design study is variable by
  definition
• Social and physical context delimits that object
• But context is everything
• How to get grip on that vague concept first?

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Context sensitivity of our design object
Preface by Rector Fokkema Within the range of a
technical university the object of design in
terms of (urban) architecture and technique is
the design subject that is amongst all others
most sensitive to context. The programme of
requirements is not only derived from an economic
and technical context, but also from contexts
hailing from political, cultural, ecological en
spatial considerations on many levels of scale.
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Explicit future context

• protects your study against judgements with other
  suppositions about the future context
• raises the debate about the robustness of your
  study in different future contexts
• makes your study comparable to other studies in
  comparable contexts
• raises a field of problems instead of an
  isolated problem statement by subtracting
  desirable futures from the probable ones

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How tohandlecontext
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Ideal contents of a study proposal

• 1. Object of study and its context
• 2. My study proposal
• 3. Accounts

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1 Object of my study and its context

• 1.1. Object of my study scale, frame and grain
• 1.2. Probable future context field of problems
• 1.3. Desired impacts of my study field of aims
• 1.4. My designerly references field of means
• 1.5. My portfolio and perspective field of
  abilities

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2 My study proposal

• 2.1. Location andor other future context factors
• 2.2. Motivation andor programme of requirements
• 2.3. Intended results, contributions
• 2.4. Planning

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3 Accounts

• 3.1. Meeting criteria for a study proposal
• 3.2. References
• 3.3. Key words

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Criteria for a study proposal

• A.Affinity with designing
• B.University breadth
• C.Concept formation and transferability
• D.Retrievability and accumulating capacity
• E.Methodical accountability and depth
• F.Ability to be criticised and to criticise
• G.Convergence and limitations

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1 Object of my study and its context

• 1.1. Object of my study scale, frame and grain
• 1.2. Probable future context field of problems
• 1.3. Desired impacts of my study field of aims
• 1.4. My designerly references field of means
• 1.5. My portfolio and perspective field of
  abilities

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Ways to Study and Researchurban, architectural
and technical design

• CONTENTS
• Introduction
• Naming and describing
• Design research and typology
• Evaluating
• Modelling
• Programming and optimising
• Technical Study 
• Design Study
• Study by design
• Epilogue

Empirical research
Study by design
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How to limitate, concentrate

• give way to fascinations (motivated
  concentrations)
• choose a scale (frame and grain) before an object
• publish your portfolio evaluating it as field of
  abilities
• decide to improve or to extend them in your
  proposal
• publish images that fascinate you as a field of
  means
• look at them as a professional which concepts,
  types, models programmes could you harvest?
• make your assumptions about the future explicit
• imagine the impacts your study could have
• cash your dreams

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Scale paradox

• On the level of one spot you should conclude
  difference
• On the level of 7 spots you should conclude
  equality
• Reversal of conclusions may appear by a factor 3
  radius
• So, the order of size determines your view

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Levels of scale to be aware of

• Different scales mean different legend units,
  categories, views, approaches, conclusions

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Names and boundaries of size categories

• In this presentation nominal values indicatean
  order of size
• They are elastic
• 10m means somethingin between3m and 30m

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A frame 100x the granule of a drawing
representing a building

• r/R determines the resolution of a drawing or
  discourse,
• the resolution of the argument

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Limit your object of study by scale
http//team.bk.tudelft.nl
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Grain and impacts of your study
http//team.bk.tudelft.nl
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Explicit impacts within that context

• indicate actors and specialists to join the team
  or take into account
• imply a societal and personal relevance or
  fascination
• imply a field of aims
• imply actors willing to finance your study
• could produce a programme of requirements
• before you have a precise study proposal !

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The object (O,o), its impacts inconvenient (I) or
profitable (P)

• The programme of requirements is a set of desired
  impacts
• Locate them to locate the stakeholders
• Perhaps they are willing to pay the project!

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Subtracting futures

• Field of problems Probable - Desirable
• Field of Aims Desirable - Probable

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Desired impacts of your study
http//team.bk.tudelft.nl
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How to judge these impacts without future context?
http//team.bk.tudelft.nl
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Layers of social and physical context

• Managerial/governmental contexts (active ltgt
  passive)
• Cultural contexts (innovative ltgt traditional)
• Economic contexts (growing ltgt declining)
• Technological contexts (separating ltgt connecting)
• Ecological contexts (differentiating ltgt
  equalizing)
• Spatial contexts (accumulating ltgt dispersing )

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Changing context changes impacts
http//team.bk.tudelft.nl
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Changing perspective
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Imaginable
art
design study
Extending science
empirical research
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Design related study orempirical research

• Research produces probabilities by causes
• Design produces possibilities by conditions

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Creativity according toHerman Hertzberger

• A simple recipe for creativity written by
  architect
• Herman Hertzberger (1999, 2000, 2002)
• break off the cliché,
• collect many images,
• locate them in another context and
• start to adapt them.

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Break off the cliché
Robert Delaunay (1913)
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Change context (for example museum)
Marcel Duchamps (1917)
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Combine, leave out, adapt
Pablo Picasso (1942)
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Adapt reference images
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Model them in a composition

• dividing (verdelen)
• articulating (geleden)
• tailoring (tailleren)
• detailing (detailleren)

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Dividing, Articulating
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Tailoring, Detailing
adapting to context
components and connecting details
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Composition

• marking out components, their variation and
  characteristic details,
• connecting details between components,
• crucial details in the composition,
• determining striking details.

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10m
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30m
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100m
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Varying components
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Composition
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Larger scale as context(museum, movement)
Marcel Duchamps
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Policy, research and designas different language
games

• Prof.dr.ir. Taeke M. de Jongchair Technical
  Ecology, chair Regional Design, assignment
  MethodologyUniversity of Technology Delft,
  Faculty of ArchitectureT.M.deJong_at_bk.tudelft.nl
  http//team.bk.tudelft.nl

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Different modalities of future

• art science (imaginable futures)
• design science (possible futures)
• empirical science (probable futures)
• policy (desirable futures)

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Language games
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Probability
s 68, 2s 95, 3s 99.7 chance
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Possible futures
Anything probable is per definition possible but
not everything possible is also probable. The
probable future could be predicted. The
improbable possibilities cannot be predicted. You
only can explore them by design.
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Design study or empirical research

• Design produces possibilities by conditions
• Research produces probabilities by causes

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Desirable futures
Ir. Drs. Mr.
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Obvious and impossible futures
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Problems and aims
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Undesired, improbable possibilities
Are they relevant as long as nobody wants them?
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Unexpected inventions
Yes
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Changing desires
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The modality of possible futures
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Conditions presupposedin causal paradigms
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Possibility
Not every condition is a cause, but every cause
is a condition for something to happen
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Conditional and causal thinking
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Conditional analysis
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Environment set of conditions for life
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Environment as set conditions for life means at
least18 different kinds of technical
environments (contexts)
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Balancing
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Conditional methodology
A1 VERSCHIL wordt voorondersteld, A2 VERANDERING
vooronderstelt een soort verschil, A3 VERBAND
duur in verandering, A4 AFZONDERING
ongebondenheid in verband, A5 SELECTIE
continuiteit in afzondering, B1 VERBRUIK
verschil in selectie, B2 REGELING verandering in
verbruik, B3 ORGANISATIE verband in regeling, B4
SPECIALISATIE afzondering in organisatie, B5
REPRODUCTIE selectie in specialisatie, C1 NIEUWS
reproductie van informatie, C2 ZEKERHEID geregeld
nieuws, C3 AFFECTIE georganiseerde zekerheid, C4
IDENTITEIT specifieke affectie, C5 INVLOED
gereproduceerde identiteit.
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Diversity as a hidden supposition

• risk-cover for life
• precondition of
• communication
• trade, economy
• possibility of choice for future generations
• uniqueness of individual and context
• quality of human living

So, average is useless where exceptions
survive in ecology, evolutionary theory,
management and design science.
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Ecologicaltolerance
demonstrating diversity as a risk coverfor life
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Quality f(diversity)
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Diversity as a first condition

• The intellectual challenge of this century is to
  handle diversity
• instead of generalising it by statistical
  reduction.
• Generalising research has diminishing returns
• what could be generalised is generalised in
  centuries of empirical research.
• Problems left are context sensitive problems
• object of design generating study.