Design Studio Vol. 5: Experimental Realism: (Design) Fictions and Futures

Speculative design injects the experimental with a new realism to explore alternative models of society and push the boundaries of the possible, advocating the inclusion of the visionary in the architectural design process.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 144 pages
Publication date: 01 June 2022
Publisher: RIBA Publishing

Architects have a crucial opportunity to explore and test their ideas through experimentation, much like writers and artists do. By employing the power of fiction, architects can envision alternative models of society and push the boundaries of what is possible. While these imaginative designs may have aesthetic appeal, such as the fictional prisons of Piranesi or the cities of Lebbeus Woods, they often remain confined to paper or screens, remaining unbuilt.

By infusing experimentation with a renewed sense of realism, speculative design has the potential to shape new, inclusive, equitable, and desirable futures. This Design Studio volume advocates for the inclusion of visionary thinking in the architectural design process. It explores the real-world applications of near-future fantastical storytelling and the power of imaginative literacy. Articles in this volume cover a range of topics, including plausible impossibilities, other worlds, terraforming, activism, democratizing design, future innovations, and education.

Rather than relying on unrealistic utopian or dystopian visions, this approach empowers plural design reactions to real-life scenarios. For example, how might a generational wave of ethical non-monogamy impact the way we use space and shape the future design of our built environment? Or what might the introduction of a universal basic income or the availability of lab-grown meat mean for the future of design?

Thinking, imagining, designing, and storytelling are all political acts. As voters, how will you use your voice to shape the future?

This Design Studio volume features a diverse range of contributors, including Phil Balagtas, Nicolay Boyadjiev, Benjamin H. Bratton, Dana Barale Burdman, Tom Greenall, Anab Jain, Nicola Koller, Matteo Mastrandrea, César Reyes Nájera, Kathy Nothstine, Ethel Baraona Pohl, Anna Pompermaier, Ayesha Silburn, Phoebe Walton, Matt Ward, and Liam Young.

Weight: 502g
Dimension: 210 x 250 x 15 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781914124099