Conference Agenda

We would like to start with giving spoken and visual input and to discuss the following three questions:

1. How do we begin the design process when we can research the past, evaluate the present, but can scarcely predict the future in such uncertain times? What is an alternative to speculative design and how might design research embrace flexibility toward the future.

2. What planetary-level adaptations might offer starting points? We are thinking through air and water as the main planetary lenses - we position them as ‘ocean of water’ and ‘ocean of air’

3. What is planetary resilience? We offer that resilience is embedded with the capacities of anticipation, preparation, recovery, healing, adaptation, and evolution.

With the exigencies of contemporary environmental, social, political, and economic, and nature crises, normal is being perceived as extreme by the generations currently active on this planet and the ‘new extremes’ reflect the pace and intensity of the planetary crises and their manifestations.

This conversation will focus on design through the lens of extreme environments, with the environment as a teacher in designing with limited resources, infrastructure, society and space. We acknowledge that living in the environmental extremes of temperature, pressure and air quality, requires a holistic view on the challenges for supporting life. We approach this conversation by adopting a systems perspective and using design strategies such as adaptability and resilience for the built environment. We invite guests and audience to discuss, interact and sketch; a generative process leading to first activities of critical input into a new framework.