Fields — phenomena to investigate
Five open, revisable research fields: each develops its own knowledge while revealing correspondences with other disciplines. Their interactions inform experiments; the findings initiate new processes.
No field operates in isolation.
A research object may engage several fields at once. Each hypothesis identifies relevant fields, intersecting axes and possible explorations. Connections follow a shared research question, not an analogy alone.
A transversal connection is assessed by its traceable transitions: initial variable, translation, observation, interpretation and critical feedback.
F.01SPACE & ARCHITECTURE
Architecture is approached as a system of relations before it is considered an object. Research examines how geometry, structure, envelope, light, circulation and use construct spatial experience.
Research objects
Habitable geometries, thresholds, interiors, envelopes, intermediate spaces, daylight devices, exposed structures, density and void, monolithic and organic architectures.
Questions
How does form influence behaviour? How can signs be reduced while spatial intensity increases? How can structure and envelope simultaneously contribute to performance, perception and identity?
Experiments
Spatial models, parametric models, construction fragments, lighting simulations, use scenarios and full-scale prototypes.
Transdisciplinary connections
Connected fields: F.03 — Perception and spatial cognition; F.04 — Image, sound and representation.
Relevant axes: A.01 — Silent architectures; A.04 — Hybrid environments.
Method sequence: M.01 Observe → M.04 Model → M.05 Prototype.
Experimental test and assessment
Compare measured geometry, acoustic response and lived itineraries within the same spatial test bed. Record discrepancies between predictions, measurements and first-person accounts, then revise the configuration.
Evolving research trajectory
Spatial organisation may correspond to a sonic rhythm, a bodily sequence or a lighting pattern; analogy alone does not establish causality.
Experiments combine geometry, structure, acoustics and bodily orientation: surveys, threshold variations and comparative walks distinguish measured performance from lived presence.
An initial survey leads to parametric drawing, models and full-scale fragments; discrepancies redirect both hypotheses and design decisions.
Documented connections
A.01 — Silent architecturesA.03 — Morphogenesis & emergent formsA.04 — Hybrid environments
F.02MATTER & TRANSFORMATION
Matter is studied as a process rather than a finish. Mechanical, sensory, environmental and temporal properties are treated as active components of experience.
Research objects
Wood, concrete, paper, fibres, bio-based materials, metals, glass, charred surfaces, composites, reclaimed materials and hybrid assemblies.
Time
Patina, wear, oxidation, humidity, light, repair and transformation are design data. Ageing becomes a project dimension rather than an external accident.
Purpose
Identify material systems combining constructive economy, durability, sensory expression and capacity for change.
Transdisciplinary connections
Connected fields: F.04 — Image, sound and representation; F.05 — Dynamics and complexity.
Relevant axes: A.02 — Active matter; A.03 — Morphogenesis and emergent forms.
Method sequence: M.01 Observe → M.03 Formulate → M.05 Prototype.
Experimental test and assessment
Follow material change through surface measurements, photographic series, imprints and time logs. Isolate production variables while documenting aesthetic qualities not fully captured by instrumental metrics.
Evolving research trajectory
Imprints, deposits, strata and changes in surface reveal correspondences between physical behaviour, artistic mark-making and material temporality.
Identical specimens undergo humidity, abrasion, lighting and handling cycles; controlled photography, measurement and impressions expose potentially divergent outcomes.
A documented series of tests records batches, dates, formulations and surface states to compare durability, ageing, repair and expressive potential.
Documented connections
A.02 — Active matterA.03 — Morphogenesis & emergent forms
F.03PERCEPTION & SPATIAL COGNITION
Measured space and lived space do not necessarily coincide. This field investigates how the body perceives, interprets, remembers and anticipates its environment.
Variables
Light, darkness, contrast, scale, distance, depth, silence, rhythm, orientation, texture, perceived temperature and movement.
Research
Attention, disorientation, spatial sequences, memory of place and perceptual thresholds are studied through comparative paths, photographic protocols, mappings and immersive experiments.
Transdisciplinary connections
Connected fields: F.01 — Space and architecture; F.04 — Image, sound and representation.
Relevant axes: A.01 — Silent architectures; A.05 — Augmented perception.
Method sequence: M.01 Observe → M.02 Question → M.05 Prototype.
Experimental test and assessment
Connect use observations, on-site trajectories and first-person descriptions without conflating physiological correlations with lived quality. Test variations in scale, daylight and reverberation.
Evolving research trajectory
Changes in contrast, scale or reverberation may correspond to shifts in perceived distance, walking rhythm or attention.
Controlled sequences compare physical parameters, observable behaviour and first-person descriptions; none can stand in for the others.
Walks are repeated under varied conditions, recorded as attention maps and compared with prototype changes while acknowledging individual variability.
Documented connections
A.01 — Silent architecturesA.05 — Augmented perception
F.04IMAGE, SOUND & REPRESENTATION
Image and sound operate as media, measuring instruments and forms of knowledge. They isolate, amplify or translate phenomena that are difficult to access directly.
Image
Photography, abstraction, image-as-matter, series, mappings, diagrams and mappings are treated as ways of constructing observation.
Sound
Soundscapes, frequencies, resonance, spatialisation, synthesis and generative systems explore the temporal and invisible dimensions of space.
Transcoding
Data may become image; spatial variation may become sound; frequency may become movement or light. These translations form an experimental territory in their own right.
Transdisciplinary connections
Connected fields: F.02 — Matter and transformation; F.03 — Perception and spatial cognition.
Relevant axes: A.04 — Hybrid environments; A.05 — Augmented perception.
Method sequence: M.02 Question → M.04 Model → M.05 Prototype.
Experimental test and assessment
Translate imprints, topographies or observation series into images, sounds or installations. Preserve the documented mapping between source data and translation parameters and examine sensory reception.
Evolving research trajectory
A photograph, imprint, spectrum or score may describe comparable patterns of rhythm, intensity or interval without conflating the media.
Translations from data into images, frequencies or light installations are tested against explicit rules: what was preserved, transformed or lost in transfer?
Versioned series connect source data, translation parameters, visual or sonic results and documented listening or perceptual responses.
Documented connections
A.01 — Silent architecturesA.02 — Active matterA.04 — Hybrid environmentsA.05 — Augmented perception
M.01 — ObserveM.02 — QuestionM.03 — FormulateM.04 — ModelM.05 — Prototype
F.05DYNAMICS & COMPLEXITY
Some phenomena cannot be understood by isolating their components. The laboratory investigates interactions, feedback loops, non-linearity and emergent behaviour.
Tools
Dynamic systems, simulations, parametric models, data, sensors, automata, cybernetics and generative processes.
Hypothesis
Simple local rules may generate complex global organisations. Research focuses on conditions of emergence rather than imposing a final form.
Transdisciplinary connections
Connected fields: F.01 — Space and architecture; F.02 — Matter and transformation.
Relevant axes: A.03 — Morphogenesis and emergent forms; A.04 — Hybrid environments.
Method sequence: M.03 Formulate → M.04 Model → M.05 Prototype.
Experimental test and assessment
Define input variables, dependencies, scales and system boundaries; run sensitivity tests. Evaluate whether simulated shapes and behaviours remain meaningful when initial conditions or uses change.
Evolving research trajectory
Repeated local rules may produce comparable forms, rhythms or organisations in a material, space or generative composition.
Sensors, simulations, feedback loops and material tests distinguish robust emergent behaviour from numerical artefacts and merely visual effects.
Sensitivity analysis varies initial conditions; differences between simulation, fabrication and use lead to revised model rules.
Documented connections
A.02 — Active matterA.03 — Morphogenesis & emergent formsA.04 — Hybrid environments
M.01 — ObserveM.02 — QuestionM.03 — FormulateM.04 — ModelM.05 — Prototype
Fields remain permeable: research develops across their boundaries.
One matrix, three interdependent operations.
Each enquiry can cross several fields, engage multiple axes and combine several explorations. Outcomes, including contradictory ones, may redirect correspondences, protocols and the original research question.
CORRESPONDENCES
Identify resonances without confusing analogy with evidence.
INTERACTIONS
Test hypotheses against material behaviour, spatial conditions and lived experience.
PROCESSES
Document, compare, revise and renew the investigation.