Internal Consistencies: Regarding Weights and Measures

Rather than seeing a distinction between theoretical discourse and the science of building Vitruvius, a Roman architect and engineer active in the 1st century BC, argued convincingly for the breadth of knowledge necessary to practice architecture with authority, that 'knowledge is the child of practice and theory'. The crux of his argument is that a sufficient breadth of training is necessary to appreciate both the theoretical and practical sciences, to lend authority to creative vision and enable discourse 'for it is by [t]his judgement that all work done by the other arts is put to test'. In like spirit, a series of workshops in Architecture at UCD has sought to challenge the contemporary lack of sympathy between theoretical discourse and the science of building. Embedded within each workshop are variations regarding intent, from the social/political discourse of the North Atlantic Rim project, to the theoretical concerns of the Ateliers Series or the environmental bias of the Irish Timber course, each drawing upon discourses external to architecture and measuring them against the weight of material and its inherent logic. The resulting evolution in attitudes regarding design process, linking both technological imperatives and conceptual intentions to the creative act, shatters the prevailing distinctions between theoretical concerns and technological explorations in the discipline of architecture.