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AARHUS SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

RESEARCH 2010

CONTENT

Published  by  Aarhus  School  of  Architecture  2011

Edition:  The  Research  Administration

Layout:  Anders  Kruse  Aagaard  Nielsen

Print:  Lasertryk  A/S

Cover:  

Front:  Assembly  of  polystyrene  moulds  at  the  building  site.  Unikabeton.  

Back:  Finalized  optimised  prototype  structure.  Unikabeton.  

Photos:  Per  Dombernowsky/Asbjørn  Søndergaard

IntroductionCooperation  with  Local  Practitioners  A  Tectonic  Sustainable  Building  PracticeResearch  Centres  and  Networks  Designing  Interactive  Systems  –  DIS  2010  

 -­  when  practice  becomes  researchA  Centre  Without  LimitsStrategic  Design  -­  the  key  to  value  creationEvaluation  of  Design  ResearchPhD  Degrees  in  2010Facts  &  Statistics

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Claus  Peder  Pedersen

Head  of  Research

INTRODUCTION

2010  has  been  a  good  year  for  research  at  the  Aarhus  School  of  Architecture  and  a  year  which  has  provided  many  useful  perspectives.  There  has  been  an  increase  in  the  research  full-­time  equivalent  of  17  per  cent,  a  progress  which  was  mainly  caused  by  an  increase  in  external  research  grants  which  made  up  42  per  cent  of  the  total  resources  for  research  of  the  school  in  2010.  

The  results  from  research  and  the  continued  development  of  the  research  environment  give  reason  for  optimism  as  well.  The  research  in  design  conducted  by  the  school  was  evaluated  very  positively  and  is  considered  to  be  on  a  par  with  international  state-­of-­the-­art  research.  Alongside  this,  the  School  of  Architecture  hosted  the  DIS  2010  conference  with  200  participants  and  a  

the  conference  as  very  successful  and  as  a  revitalisation  of  the  conference  series.  

2010  was  also  the  year  during  which  the  Bachelor  and  the  Master’s  degree  programmes  of  the  Aarhus  School  of  Architecture  were  accredited.  In  this  connection,  the  knowledge  building  of  the  school  through  research  and  artistic  development  work,  as  well  as  the  ability  to  implement  this  knowledge  

in  teaching,  were  found  to  be  fully  satisfactory  by  the  Accreditation  Council.  

Furthermore,  the  School  of  Architecture  has  developed  its  international  research  network  by  means  of  contacts  and  cooperation  agreements  with  Harvard  University,  the  University  of  Technology,  Sydney  and  the  Royal  Melbourne  Institute  of  Technology.  The  latter  offers  an  interesting  PhD  degree  programme  which  allows  practicing  architects  and  designers  to  acquire  a  

related  to  architecture  and  design.  The  Aarhus  School  of  Architecture  is  currently  examining  how  this  programme  can  be  offered  in  Denmark  –  in  particular  how  the  programme  can  form  part  of  current  efforts  to  develop  knowledge  exchange  between  the  Aarhus  School  of  Architecture  and  regional  architecture  and  design  companies.        Internally,  a  new  academic,  organisational  and  managerial  structure  for  the  Aarhus  School  of  Architecture  has  been  decided  upon.  Among  other  things,  the  result  of  this  structure  will  be  that  the  existing  departments  will  be  abolished  

academic  communities,  each  community  will  have  

new  research  management  will  be  implemented.  

More  on  this  subject  in  Research  2011…

Workshop with the business worldPhoto:  Anders  Kruse  Aagaard  Nielsen

5COOPERATION WITH LOCAL PRACTITIONERSIn  parallel  with  this,  the  Aarhus  School  of  Architecture  planned  and  carried  out  a  round  of  interviews  with  some  of  the  architecture  and  design  companies  of  Aarhus  as  well  as  with  the  municipal  administration.  These  interviews  clearly  demonstrated  that  the  needs  for  a  closer  cooperation  is  mutual.  The  architectural  profession  expressed  a  need  to  have  access  to  the  most  

order  for  the  profession  to  be  competitive,  it  is,  precisely,  with  regards  to  this  aspect  that  the  research  of  the  school  is  relevant.  The  interviews  were  followed  by  a  workshop  for  participating  practices,  municipalities  and  a  team  of  researchers  from  the  school  in  order  to  narrow  down  potential  forms  of  cooperation  for  the  future.    

Finally,  towards  the  end  of  2010,  a  project  group  was  set  up  to  function  as  a  “think  tank”  for  developing  new  forms  of  cooperation.  It  will,  

activities.  The  idea  is  that  the  school  and  practitioners  should  develop  their  cooperation  jointly  and  that  both  parties  should  assume  responsibility  for  initiatives  that  aim  at  providing  momentum  to  the  cooperation.  The  group  is  consequently  made  up  of  representatives  from  practices  and  teachers/researchers  from  the  School  of  Architecture.  

The  Aarhus  School  of  Architecture  is  searching  a  closer  cooperation  with  local  architecture  and  design  companies  as  well  as  with  the  municipality  of  Aarhus  –  regarding  teaching,  research  and  further/continuing  education.  A  closer  cooperation  

the  city.  With  regards  to  the  school,  practitioners  of  the  profession  can  contribute  with  experience  from  building  work  and  knowledge  about  current  professional  problems  and  needs.    With  regards  to  practitioners,  the  school  can  contribute  with  knowledge,  methods,  analysis  and  absorption.

of  activity  in  2010.  This  has  resulted  in  various  activities  which  were  launched  by  means  of  a  “matchmaking”  event  in  Copenhagen  which  was  carried  out  in  cooperation  with  DANSKE  ARK  (The  Danish  Association  of  Architectural  Firms)  and  The  Royal  Danish  Academy  of  Fine  Arts  -­  School  of  Architecture.  The  participants  included  architecture  and  engineering  companies,  researchers  from  a  number  of  relevant  educational  institutions  and  research  institutions  as  well  as  representatives  of  funds,  boards  etc.  which  distribute  grants.  The  purpose  of  the  event  was  to  inform  about  

Formwork. Tectonics. Photo:  Ole  Egholm  Pedersen

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The  project  entitled  “Towards  a  Tectonic  

Sustainable  Building  Practice”  examines  and  

discusses  what  consequences  the  increasingly  

rigorous  demands  for  energy  optimization  have  

for  architecture.  Behind  the  project  is  a  research  

group  consisting  of  researchers  form  the  Aarhus  

School  of  Architecture,  the  Royal  Danish  Academy  

of  Fine  Arts  -­  School  of  Architecture  and  the  Danish  

Building  Research  Institute.    In  the  year  2020,  energy  used  in  building  must  be  reduced  by  no  less  than  75  per  cent  compared  

consequences  for  architecture.  This  is  the  motivation  behind  “Towards  a  Tectonic  Sustainable  Building  Practice”:  “We  focus  on  the  importance  of  envisioning  sustainable  solutions  based  on  a  tectonic  approach  where  technology,  form,  materials  and  processes  of  production  are  joined  through  a  holistic  approach.    It  is  our  ambition  to  focus  on  a  basic  discussion  of  architecture  which  is  not  disconnected  from  present  conditions,  but  which  is,  on  the  contrary,  based  on  present  challenges  with  regards  to  sustainability,  increased  industrialisation  and  standardisation  of  building  practices,”  explains  Charlotte  Bundgaard,  associate  professor  and  prorector.  She  is  a  part  of  the  project  together  with  Professor  Karl  Christiansen  and  PhD  student  Ole  Egholm  Pedersen,  all  are  from  the  Aarhus  School  of  Architecture.      

The  Concept  of  Tectonics“Towards  a  Tectonic  Sustainable  Building  Practice”  consists  of  a  main  project  with  the  aim  of  creating  a  conceptual  foundation  and  of  stating  several  positions  based  on  studies  of  current  examples  of  architecture.  Furthermore,  there  are  a  number  of  subprojects  that  focus  on  rather  more  limited  problems  which  are  dealt  with  in  depth:  concrete  and  masonry,  identity  and  changeability,  climate-­adapted  architecture  et  cetera.      The  concept  of  tectonics  is  the  pivotal  point  of  all  the  parts  of  the  project,  and  it  is  on  the  basis  of  this  concept  that  we  will  attempt  to  outline  possible  qualitative  answers  to  current  challenges.  Tectonics  relates  to  the  lay-­out  and  joining  of  building  elements  into  a  single  unit  and  emphasizes  the  relationship  between  ideas,  aesthetics,  technology  and  construction  or,  in  

several  elements  interact  inextricably:  materials,  technology  and  the  architectural  idea  intertwine  in  the  architectural  form  and  is  expressed  as  a  single  aesthetic  entity.

Cooperation  and  Networking  Ole  Egholm  Pedersen  contributes  with  a  PhD  project  on  concrete,  whereas  Karl  Christiansen  and  Charlotte  Bundgaard  contribute  to  the  main  project.  For  several  years,  these  two  researchers  have  been  cooperating  with  the  Centre  for  Industrial  Architecture,  CINARK,  located  at  the  

A TECTONIC SUSTAINABLE BUILDING PRACTICE

Royal  Danish  Academy  of  Fine  Arts  -­  School  of  Architecture  which  has  provided  a  large  number  of  the  remaining  participants  of  the  research  group.The  different  forms  of  cooperation  have  focused  on  tectonics  and  perspectives  of  new  industrialisation  –  themes  which  are  now  connected  to  sustainability.  Consequently,  a  possibility  to  merge  potentials,  examine  intersections  and  discuss  possible  ways  of  achieving  increased  quality  in  building  practices  has  been  created.      The  PhD  project  of  Ole  Egholm  Pedersen  on  tectonics  and  sustainability  with  regards  to  the  concrete  of  the  future  is  based  directly  on  the  extensive  work  in  the  development  of  concrete  which  has  been  carried  out,  in  recent  years,  in  research  as  well  as  in  teaching  at  the  Aarhus  School  of  Architecture.

International  ExchangeThe  project  of  Ole  Egholm  Pedersen  and  the  research  in  concrete  carried  out  by  Karl  Christiansen  have,  furthermore,  resulted  in  an  international  cooperation  on  research  and  teaching  with  the  University  of  Technology  Sydney  (UTS).  In  the  spring  term  of  2011,  they  will  go  to  Sydney,  together  with  six  students,  to  develop  new  opportunities  for  pouring  concrete  in  the  intersection  between  digital  design,  production  

will  continue  the  whole  year  through.  During  the  autumn  term,  researchers  and  students  from  the  UTS  will  come  to  Aarhus  to  carry  on  the  exploration  of  the  potential  of  concrete.    

“Through  the  interinstitutional  project  “Towards  a  Tectonic  Sustainable  Building  Practice”  we  have  managed  to  gather  some  of  the  central  academic  threads  in  the  areas  of  tectonics,  industrialization  and  sustainability.  We  have  thus  laid  the  foundation  for  a  more  concentrated  and  united  effort.  It  is  our  intention  to  make  research  results  available  and  applicable  to  national  and  international  research  as  well  as  to  the  practical  application  of  architecture  and  the  practices  that  interact  with  present  demands  and  conditions  in  their  daily  activities,”  concludes  Charlotte  Bundgaard.  

Facts:

This  project  spans  three  years  from  2010  to  

 The  Danish  Council  

for  Independent  Research  by  means  of  a  

grant  of  DKK  7.7  million.

The  project  has  a  homepage:  

www.tektonik.dk

You  can  also  follow  current  activities  in  Syd-­

ney  by  visiting  the  cooperation  blog:  

http://concretetectonics.spruz.com/

9RESEARCH CENTRES AND NETWORKS“The  Centre  for  Strategic  Urban  Research”  in  cooperation  with  

The  Institute  of  Geography  and  the  Centre  for  Forest,  Land-­

scape  and  Planning  at  the  University  of  Copenhagen.  Funded  by  

Realdania.

“Centre  for  ‘Cultural  Milieu’  -­  Cultural  Heritage  –  Studies”.  De-­

partment  of  Architectural  and  Cultural  Heritage  in  cooperation  

with  Roskilde  University  Centre.

“Danish  Centre  for  Design  Research”  in  cooperation  with  the  

School  of  Architecture  -­  The  Royal  Danish  Academy  of  Fine  Arts,  

The  Danish  Design  School  and  the  Kolding  School  of  Design.

“Dansk  Center  for  Herregårdsforskning”  (a  Danish  centre  for  

research  in  manor  farm  buildings)  in  Gl.  Estrup.  Funded  by  

Realdania.

Preliminary  study  for  a  centre  for  knowledge  about  and  develop-­

ment  of  agricultural  buildings  in  cooperation  with  VIA  University  

College  and  The  Danish  Agricultural  Advisory  Service.  Funded  by  

Realdania.

Membership  of  the  Alexandra  Institute  and  participation  in  the  

management  of  ISIS  Katrinebjergvej.

“Det  digitale  byggeri”  (Digital  Construction),  funded  by  the  Dan-­

ish  Enterprise  and  Construction  Authority.

”LysnET”.  A  professional  network  connecting  a  great  many  

researchers  and  research  institutions  in  Denmark  and  Norway  

as  well  as  a  number  of  private  companies.  Funded  by  Velux  and  

Velfac.

Digital  Crafting  –  a  network  which  cooperates  with  the  School  of  

Architecture  -­  The  Royal  Danish  Academy  of  Fine  Arts.  Funded  by  

the  Danish  Agency  for  Science  Technology  and  Innovation.

”Renord”  –  a  Scandinavian  research  network  focusing  on  sustain-­

able  modernisation  of  the  housing  stock  built  after  1945.

“Systemleverancer  I  byggeriet”  (Systems  Deliveries  Within  

Construction)  -­  a  research  network  comprising  the  Technical  Uni-­

versity  of  Denmark  (DTU)  and  The  Royal  Danish  Art  Academy  for  

Fine  Arts  focusing  on  strengthening  and  qualifying  the  develop-­

ment  and  application  of  systems  deliveries  in  Danish  construc-­

tion.  Funded  by  Realdania.

Nordisk  netværk  for  forskning  i  ældres  boliger  (Scandinavian  

research  network  on  residences  for  the  aged).

Nordisk  netværk  for  arkitekturforskning  i  design-­for-­alle  (Scandi-­

navian  network  for  architectural  research  in  ”design  for  every-­

body”)

PIT  STOP  -­  knowledge  refuel  for  creative  enterprises.

             Innovative  networks

“Nordes”  a  Scandinavian  design  research  cooperation  with  

participation  of  the  Department  of  Design  as  well  as  schools  of  

architecture  and  design  from  other  Scandinavian  countries.  

The  research  school  cooperation  for  architecture  and  design  

between  the  School  of  Architecture  -­  The  Royal  Danish  Academy  

of  Fine  Arts,  The  Danish  School  of  Design,  the  Kolding  School  of  

Design  and  the  Aarhus  School  of  Architecture.

Participation  in  a  think  tank  on  physical  IT  products  under  the  

IT-­council  of  the  Aarhus  Region.

Participation  in  the  development  of  a  Scandinavian  Postgraduate  

Master’s  degree  in  church  restoration.  

Partnership  agreement  with  SmartCity  -­  a  commercially  operat-­

ing  foundation:  development  of  the  building  industry  and  related  

professions.

“Livsstil  Bolig  og  Beklædning”  (Innonet  Lifestyle  –  Interior  &  

Clothing)  –  an  innovative  network  in  cooperation  with,  among  

others,  Udviklingscenter  for  Møbler  og  Træ  (a  development  

centre  for  furniture  and  wood).  Funded  by  the  Danish  Ministry  of  

Science,  Technology  and  Innovation.

“VIC-­videnscocktail”  a  network  on  the  communication  of  knowl-­

edge  from  institutions  of  knowledge  to  private  companies,  a  

cooperation  with  the  development  centre  for  furniture  and  wood.

Dansk  Lys  –  Lys  i  byen  (Danish  Lighting  /  Light  in  the  city).  An  

innovative  network  under  the  Danish  Lighting  Centre.

The  Danish  Food  Pack  development  network  under  the  Growth  

Forum,  Central  Denmark  Region

DIS2010. Workshop Handcrafting Textile Mice 1.Photo:  Kevin  N.  Andersen

11DESIGNING INTERACTIVE SYSTEMS – DIS 2010

In  August  2010,  the  Aarhus  School  of  Architecture  

hosted  a  large  international  conference  on  

designing  interactive  systems.  Almost  200  

participants  from  all  over  the  world  debated  the  

technological,  social  and  cultural  aspects  of  new  

interactive  technologies.        

The  DIS  2010  conference  was  organised  in  cooperation  with  Computer  Science,  Aarhus  University.  According  to  Professor  Peter  Gall  Krogh,  it  is  important  for  the  School  of  Architecture  to  attempt  to  arrange  similar  conferences  in  other  architectural  disciplines.  Planning,  however,  

years  to  attract  DIS  2010  to  Aarhus  because  it  was  necessary  to  gather  support  and  trust  from  individual  research  environments  around  the  world.

“We  have  made  a  name  for  ourselves  internationally,  and  we  have  acquired  a  wealth  of  contacts,  this  means  that,  in  the  future,  we  will  not  necessarily  have  to  be  the  ones  to  ask  to  

have  shown  what  we  are  capable  of  and  we  will,  to  a  great  extent,  receive  offers  to  participate  in  various  research  projects  -­  and  courses,  for  that  matter,”  says  Peter  Gall  Krogh,  and  adds:      ”The  fact  that  200  leading  researchers  from  large  private  research  units  and  academic  institutes  from  all  over  the  world  have  visited  Aarhus  and  have  become  acquainted  with  the  School  of  Architecture  and  the  design  environment  of  the  city  means  that  we  will  be  remembered.”

comprised  of  seven  workshops  on  different  

conference  itself.  Furthermore,  visits  to  some  of  the  city’s  design  practices  had  been  arranged.

New  Networks  and  New  PerspectivesThe  participation  of  representatives  from  some  of  the  most  important  research  environments,  

the  importance  of  this  conference  –  and  the  networks  that  were  created.  It  was  not  just  designers  that  participated  but  a  wide  range  of  professional  groups  that  work  with  interactive  systems  in  different  ways.  A  characteristic  of  the  area  is  precisely  that  it  is  interdisciplinary  and  

perspectives  on  design.    

For  the  individual  participant,  the  conference  resulted  in  new  contacts,  inspiration  and  valuable  feedback  on  ongoing  research  projects.  In  the  words  of  Research  Assistant  Majken  Kirkegaard  Rasmussen:  “It  was  amazing  to  be  given  an  opportunity  to  discuss  your  research  with  other  scientists  from  all  over  the  world  and  to  hear  what  they  think  is  

you  to  clarify  your  arguments  and  concepts,  and  it  provides  you  with  new  perspectives  on  your  own  work  that  you  can  use  constructively  in  your  future  research.”

 is  a  PhD  degree  programme  which  gives  practicing  architects  and  designers  an  opportunity  to  immerse  themselves  in  a  

own  work.  This  is  a  radically  different  way  of  approaching  research  as  the  aim  is  not  to  publish  a  large  number  of  articles  but  rather  to  draw  

sector.  The  plan  is  to  give  architects  and  designers  with  several  years  of  professional  experience  an  opportunity  to  relate  to  their  own  work  –  realised  projects  as  well  as  competition  projects.

At  present,  the  education  is  offered  by  the  Royal  Melbourne  Institute  of  Technology  (RMIT),  Australia  (where  the  education  originated)  and  Sint  Lukas  School  of  Architecture,  Belgium.  In  November,  representatives  from  these  two  institutions  visited  the  Aarhus  School  of  Architecture  in  order  to  inform  about  the  programme.  The  aim  is  to  provide  practicing  architects  with  an  opportunity  for  competence  enhancement  –  while,  at  the  same  time,  providing  the  teaching  and  research  conducted  by  schools  of  architecture  and  design  with  useful  knowledge  based  on  practice.  The  programme  allows  the  students  to  relate  to  their  past  practice  in  architecture  and  design,  deduce  a  few  general  properties,  systematise  these  properties  and,  based  on  this,  contemplate  the  direction  they  are  going  to  take  in  their  future  work  as  practicing  architects  or  designers.

 is  a  programme  spanning  four  years,  it  is,  however,  planned  in  a  way  that  allows  students  to  carry  out  their  work  as  practicing  designers  or  architects.  During  these  four  years,  the  students  follow  a  PhD  programme  and  they,  naturally,  also  receive  ongoing  supervision.  Two  times  a  year  a  Graduate  Research  Conference  is  held  during  which  the  PhD  students  meet  and  present  their  projects.  The  students  also  assess  their  progress,  and  an  academic  panel  provides  commentary  and  advice  with  regards  to  the  remainder  of  the  programme.  The  conference  also  offers  several  international  lecturers  who  take  part  in  the  academic  panels  that  comment  on  the  projects  of  PhD  students.

Whereas  PhD  students  traditionally  communicate  knowledge  through  academic  articles  and  a  dissertation,  the  students  in  the    programme  generally  conclude  their  PhD  projects  by  means  of  an  exhibition  of  photos,  drawings  

written  report  containing  their  thoughts.  In  some  cases  this  is  supplemented  by  an  interview  with  the  student  in  question.

In  April  2011,  representatives  from  the  RMIT  and  Sint-­Lucas,  once  again,  visit  the  Aarhus  School  of  Architecture,  partly  to  present  regional  architecture  and  design  companies  with  the  opportunities  presented  by   ,  but  also  to  invite  interested  parties  to  a  Graduate  Research  Conference  where  they  will  be  given  an  

REFLECTIVE PRACTICE - WHEN PRACTICE BECOMES RESEARCH

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Edit landscape boxPhoto:  Frederik  Petersen

opportunity  to  get  to  know  the  programme.  There  will  also  be  a  discussion  on  how  can  be  planned  and  offered  at  the  Aarhus  School  of  Architecture.  Contacts  to  the  RMIT  and  Sint-­Lukas  will  provide  the  school  with  an  opportunity  for  drawing  upon  the  experience  of  these  institutions  and  for  entering  into  a  prosperous  cooperation  with  regards  to,  among  other  things,  holding  semi-­annual  conferences  for  researchers.

For  more  information:

Claus  Peder  Pedersen  

E:  claus.peder.pedersen@aarch.dk

ØrestadenPhoto:  Boris  Brorman  Jensen

15A CENTRE WITHOUT LIMITSThe  Centre  for  Strategic  Urban  Research  (CSB)  

was  established  in  2004  to  focus  on  “The  City  

Without  Limits”.  Six  years  later,  the  centre  is  

able  to  present  a  series  of  research  results,  due  

to  a  productive  cooperation  across  studies  and  

institutions,  explains  Research  Professor  Niels  

Albertsen  who  coordinates  the  efforts  of  the  School  

of  Architecture  within  the  centre.    “The  town  of  Randers  is  beginning  to  see  itself  as  a  residential  town  with  regards  to  Aarhus,  and  in  Grenå  they  are  thinking  about  what  they  can  do  with  their  town  centre  in  order  to  make  it  more  attractive  to  people  who  work  in  Aarhus.  The  boundaries  between  towns  have,  consequently,  become  more  diffuse.  The  towns  have,  in  a  manner  of  speaking,  become  limitless.  At  least  if  

the  everyday  life  of  people.  It  is  this  thesis  which  we  have  tried  to  document  through  The  Centre  for  Strategic  Urban  Research,  explains  Professor  Niels  Albertsen  from  the  Aarhus  School  of  Architecture.  He  has  been  coordinating  the  efforts  of  the  school  within  the  centre  which  has  existed  since  2004.  

The  CSB  is  a  cross-­disciplinary  centre  under  the  auspices  of  Realdania  Research  which  has  made  a  grant  of  DKK  25  million  to  the  project.  Apart  from  the  Aarhus  School  of  Architecture  the  centre  consists  of  the  Forest  &  Landscape  Denmark,  LIFE  and  the  Institute  of  Geography  and  Geology  at  the  University  of  Copenhagen.  The  funds  for  research  salaries  have  by  now  been  practically  

to  maintain  the  centre  as  a  research  network  and  for  communicating  results  through  conferences,  workshops,  articles  et  cetera.  In  this  period,  the  Department  for  Architecture,  Design  and  Media  Technology  at  Aalborg  University  will  also  be  a  part  of  the  centre.  

From  Knowledge  to  Practice  “One  important  task  is  to  communicate  the  knowledge  we  accumulate  in  the  centre  to  regional  and  municipal  decision  makers  and  planners.  For  this  reason,  we  have  recently  held  a  large  conference  in  Copenhagen  entitled  “Cities  Without  Limits”  which  we  have  used  to  present  results  gathered  during  six  years  of  research  work”,  explains  Niels  Albertsen.    A  similar  mid-­way  conference  was  held  in  2007.  In  addition  to  this  we  have  held  workshops  and  seminars  in  the  interim  period.  Results  have  also  been  communicated  by  means  of  articles  in  several  

 This  year,  the  CSB  also  hosts  a  large  international  conference.  It  will  be  held  in  cooperation  with  the  European  Urban  Research  Association  which  is  a  group  of  urban  researchers  that,  like  the  CSB,  aims  to  create  a  connection  between  research  and  practice.  The  international  conference  is  held  June  22-­25  in  Copenhagen.  The  theme  will  be:  ”Cities  Without  Limits”  and  several  CSB  researchers  are  involved.  

by Leif Leer Sørensen

Many  ContributionsA  total  of  fourteen  teachers  from  the  School  of  Architecture  have  contributed  to  the  activities  of  the  centre.  This  has  resulted  in,  among  

framework  of  the  centre.  Add  to  this  a  series  

publications  in  book  form:  ”Det  urbaniserede  territorium.  Østjylland  under  forandring”  (The  Urbanised  Territory  -­  Change  in  Eastern  Jutland)  by  Tom  Nielsen,  ”Sustainable  Compact  City”  by  Poul  Bæk  Pedersens  and  ”Towards  an  Urbanism  of  Entanglement”  by  Anne  Tietjen.  All  were  published  by  Arkitektskolens  Forlag  (the  publishing  house  of  the  Aarhus  School  of  Architecture).  The  report:  ”Aarhus  Cluster  of  Architecture”  by  Tine  Nørgaard  and  Anders  Toft  has  also  been  published.Furthermore,  an  anthology  with  the  working  title  “Den  grænseløse  by”  (The  City  Without  Limits)  is  on  the  way,  it  will  exclusively  contain  contributions  from  the  School  of  Architecture,  says  Niels  Albertsen.  Publication  is  expected  in  early  autumn.

Challenging  TraditionAccording  to  Niels  Albertsen  the  Aarhus  School  of  Architecture  has  also  contributed  with  an  architectural  professional  view  of  urban  problems  which  has  challenged  traditional  research,  “The  “Sustainable  Compact  City”  project  contained  an  analysis  of  types  of  virtual  settlements  with  very  high  plot  ratios,  and,  based  on  this,  different  types  of  architecture  for  high-­rise  and  high  density  settlements  were  developed,  and  their  respective  

qualities  with  regards  to  wind  climate  conditions,  daylight  and  energy  were  examined.  The  project  was  actually  carried  out  as  if  it  was  a  consultancy  assignment  with  contributions  from  researchers  from  the  School  of  Architecture,  from  architectural  and  engineering  companies  and  from  the  Institute  of  Technology.  The  project  was  conducted  as  research  by  design.  Furthermore  the  PhD  project  of  Anne  Tietjen  was,  to  a  large  degree,  based  on  study  related  projects  by  students  which  

project.  This  project  was  based  on  teaching-­based  research.  

There  has  generally  been  a  very  prosperous  interaction  between  the  CSB  and  our  Master’s  degree  programme  in  Landscape  and  Urbanism.  We  have  developed  the  Master’s  degree  programme  in  connection  with  the  research  in  the  CSB:  we  have  been  teaching  subjects  that  we  have  been  researching,  and,  reversely,  our  research  projects  have  been  based  on  the  projects  of  students.”

Cooperation  Across  DivisionsAside  from  the  fact  that  the  CSB  has  thus  helped  strengthen  urban  research  conducted  at  the  school,  the  interdisciplinary  and  interinstitutional  cooperation  has  been  very  valuable:“The  result  has  been  that  we  have  been  able  to  draw  on  expert  knowledge  that  we  do  not  posses  ourselves,  knowledge  which  has  helped  us  develop  some  of  our  research  projects.  This  has  

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Facts:

The  Centre  for  Strategic  Urban  Research  was  

established  in  2004  as  a  cross-­disciplinary  

centre  under  the  auspices  of  Realdania  

Research  which  has  made  a  grant  of  DKK  25  

million  to  the  project.  The  aim  of  the  centre  

is  to  improve  the  basis  for  making  decisions  

about  the  development  of  cities  through  a  

holistic  approach.

The  centre  management:  

Gertrud  Jørgensen,  Forest  &  Landscape  

Denmark,  LIFE,  the  University  of  Copenhagen

Lars  Winther,  Institute  of  Geography  and  

Geology,  the  University  of  Copenhagen.

Niels  Albertsen,  Aarhus  School  of  Architecture

Ole  B.  Jensen,  Architecture,  Design  and  Media  

Technology,  Aalborg  University  

Professor Niels AlbertsenPhoto:  Anders  Kruse  Aagaard  Nielsen

our  PhD  students.  We  very  much  hope  that  it  is  a  cooperation  which  we  will  be  able  to  continue  -­  even  after  our  grants  end  in  2013”,  concludes  Niels  Albertsen.

Jørgen Rasmussen demonstratesPhoto:  Christoffer  Regild

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“In  the  future  designers  must  not  only  develop  

debate  general  strategic  questions  related  to  the  development  of  a  company  with  the  management.  This  gives  designers  some  valuable  tools”,  says  Associate  Professor  Jørgen  Rasmussen  who  is  the  manager  of  a  consortium  for  Strategic  Design  at  the  Aarhus  School  of  Architecture.“It  is  a  question  of  merging  technology,  human  values  and  business  -­  Strategic  Design  is  the  very  intersection  between  these  three  elements  of  design,“  says  Jørgen  Rasmussen.  He  opens  his  laptop  and  presents  various  models  which  illustrate  his  ideas:“Strategic  Design  is  about  using  design  skills  we  already  use  during  design  processes  in  an  advanced  way.  The  aim  is,  among  other  things,  to  create  processes  of  change  and  innovation  in  Danish  companies.  Designers  can  help  companies  understand  what  values  they  are  offering  their  users  -­  based  on  this  we  can  develop  and  change  the  company:  creating  innovation.  Put  differently,  it  is  not  just  a  question  of  designing  an  individual  product  it  concerns  the  entire  company  and  its  underlying  values.Today,  it  is  a  complicated  process  to  run  a  company  and  navigate  constantly  changing  user  needs.  It  is  necessary  to  understand  connections  and  raise  complicated  issues  in  a  way  that  is  comprehensible  to  everyone.  It  is  a  precondition  for  discussing  and  working  with  these  issues  in  interdisciplinary  teams.  However,  as  designers  we  can  express  complex  processes  and  problems  in  

words  and  images,  this  process,  known  as  visual  sensemaking,  helps  create  clarity  and  breadth  of  view  by  using  visual  aids.”

Value  Creation  Traditionally,  designers  are  trained  to  “look  into  the  future”  and  to  sketch  hitherto  unknown  possibilities  for  development  and  for  solutions.  Company  managers,  on  the  other  hand,  are  traditionally  trained  to  “look  to  the  past”  and  make  reliable  decisions  based  on  thorough  analysis  of  existing  conditions.  The  task  is  to  bridge  this  divide,  this  is  a  precondition  for  creating  innovation  and  value  creation,  according  to  Jørgen  Rasmussen:“Often  several  different  professional  groups  take  part  in  the  strategic  processes  of  a  company.  Based  on  an  understanding  of  the  company,  the  product  and  the  customers,  designers  are  able  to  inform  the  strategy  process,  i.e.  contribute  to  gathering  and  making  visible  knowledge  that  is  central  to  the  process.  This  knowledge  is  thus  made  accessible  to  all  participants.  During  the  process,  designers  are  also  able  to  facilitate  the  process,  for  instance  by  creating  a  common  visual  understanding  of  the  process  through  illustrations  and  diagrammatic  visualisations  of  the  course  of  the  process.  Furthermore,  designers  are  able  to  use  the  innovative  tools  of  the  design  process  to  help  design  a  strategy,  i.e.  state  or  develop  a  strategy.”

Through  an  understanding  of  the  company,  the  

STRATEGIC DESIGN - THE KEY TO VALUE CREATIONby  Irene  Houstrup  and  Leif  Leer  Sørensen

product  and  the  users  –  partly  through  user  involvement  -­  designers  can  help  identify  the  unique  values  the  company  offers  its  customers  

company,  according  to  Jørgen  Rasmussen.  Based  on  these  underlying  values  the  company  can  strengthen  and  develop  further  its  organization  and  improve  its  products  and  services.”Many  companies  do  not  actually  know  their  value  proposition.  Nevertheless,  identifying  the  value  proposition  and  creating  innovation  on  this  basis  -­  that  is  the  central  issue.  The  reason  why  designers  are  good  at  this  is,  partly,  due  to  their  experience  with  user  involvement  and,  partly,  due  to  the  fact  that,  in  the  words  of  design  researcher  Richard  

are  experts,  as,  for  instance,  software  experts  do.  This  means  that  they  are  able  to  view  everything  as  a  whole  without  prejudice.  Designers  are  able  to  create  innovation  by  working  in  cross-­disciplinary  teams  and  draw  upon  relevant  competences  from  different  professional  areas.”

Also  about  BusinessToday,  when  designers  take  part  in  a  process  of  development  it  is  through  a  dialogue  with,  for  instance,  engineers  about  possibilities  and  limitations  of  different  materials  or  with  anthropologists  with  regards  to  user  aspects.  It  is,  however,  according  to  Jørgen  Rasmussen,  just  as  important,  if  not  more  important,  to  focus  on  the  dialogue  with  the  business  element.  Such  as,  

for  instance,  experts  in  economy,  marketing  and  strategy  who  work  synchronously  on  some  of  the  elements  which  also  form  part  of  design  research,  including  cultural  understanding  of  trends,  user  surveys,  strategy  development  et  cetera.  ”Strategic  Design  is  located  at  the  intersection  between  these  three  central  elements  of  design:  technology,  human  values  and  business.  It  is,  consequently,  important  that  designers  also  understand  the  business  element  and  are  able  to  include  the  most  important  aspects  of  the  three  elements  in  a  holistically  oriented  understanding  of  a  company  and  its  potentials.”

Examples  Can  you  provide  any  examples  of  companies  that  

use  strategic  design?  “Apple  is  an  obvious  example,  closer  to  home  we  have  Novo  Nordisk.  For  instance,  our  PhD  student  Brett  Patching,  who  works  with  Strategic  Design,  has  been  working  with  Novo  Nordisk,  a  company  which  is  changing  its  strategy  –  from  being  a  company  working  with  the  development  of  medication  for  curing  disease  it  is  currently  orienting  itself  towards  including  disease  prevention,  partly  because  the  company  saw  it  as  an  ethical  challenge  not  just  to  make  money  from  the  continually  growing  problem  with  diabetes  but  also  to  contribute  to  solving  the  problem.

instance,  directed  a  Strategic  Design  process  for  a  small  manufacturer  of  staircases  which  was  in  trouble.  The  management  entered  the  process  

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with  great  enthusiasm.  In  close  cooperation  with  the  company  we  carried  out  a  series  of  processes  for  user  surveys  and  user  involvement,  and  we  held  a  workshop  together  with  the  most  important  partners,  distributors  and  end  users  of  the  company.  Based  on  these  activities  we  managed  to  develop  new  ideas  and  identify  needs  and  business  opportunities.”

Potential  Apart  from  the  research  time  of  Jørgen  Rasmussen,  the  consortium  for  Strategic  Design  employs  one  

the  centre  is  currently  working  on  obtaining  further  outside  grants  and  on  expanding  their  group  of  partners,  research  institutions  and  private  companies.  The  potential  is  there,  there  is,  however,  a  need  for  further  research  in  the  area,  says  Jørgen  Rasmussen:”Research  in  design  is  very  important  to  Strategic  Design.  Partly,  because  research  in  design  analyses,  systematizes  and  communicates  

projects,  and,  partly,  because  it  can  help  create  an  important  dialogue  with  companies  and  with  the  business  branch,  and  it  can  help  anchor  this  

understanding  of  business  aspects  is  central  to  designers  as  well  as  to  design  researchers.”

This  article  is  partly  based  on  an  interview  

with  Jørgen  Rasmussen  published  in  Mind  

Design,  a  webzine  for  design  research.

User-friendly packaging – guidelines for the industryProject  manager:  Birgitte  Geert  Jensen

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In  2010,  the  Danish  Ministry  of  Culture  carried  out  an  evaluation  of  design  research  in  Denmark  for  the  period  spanning  from  2004-­2009.  This  evaluation  consequently  included  the  design  research  carried  out  at  the  Aarhus  School  of  Architecture.  To  this  purpose  the  Ministry  had  constituted  an  international  assessment  panel  chaired  by  Vice-­dean  Professor  Pekka  Korvenmaa  of  the  Aalto  University  of  Art  and  Design,  Helsinki.        

In  its  report  the  panel  characterises  design  research  at  the  Aarhus  School  of  Architecture  as  “a  positive  example  of  how,  in  very  little  time,  a  goal-­oriented,  highly-­focused  and  well-­run,  but  nevertheless  relatively  small,  team  of  researchers  has  been  able  to  generate  a  cohesive  strategy  for  research  as  well  as  research  results  of  a  high  international  standard.”        

The  report  continues:  “these  research  results  have  been  published  in  leading  international  journals,  this  has  made  the  school  and  its  activities  in  this  

clearly  on  a  par  with  what  is  considered  state-­of-­

i.e.  primarily  with  regard  to  research  in  interaction  

out  is  in  accordance  with  the  concept  of  research  of  the  Danish  Ministry  of  Culture.”      

The  research  areas  are  also  commended:  “even  though  the  design  research  unit  forms  part  of  a  school  of  architecture,  it  has  been  able  to  produce  research  and  specialists  in  areas  that  are  not  traditionally  seen  as  related  to  architecture,  

complement  and  enrich  the  school  in  its  entirety.  

Architecture  conducts  highly  developed,  mature  and  clearly  focused  design  research  activities.”

EVALUATION OF DESIGN RESEARCH

Urban forest and landscape infrastructurePhoto:  Stefan  Darlan  Boris

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criticism.  She  also  asks  for  architectural  solutions  that  are  more  sustainable  and  which  allow  for  changes  –  including  changes  architects  and  entrepreneurs  do  not  program  and  cannot  predict  -­  to  be  taken  into  consideration  and  handed  down.

The  dissertation  of  Louise  Aagaards  is  called  Leg  og  lær  aktiviteter  til  børn  med  cochlear  implant-­  undersøgt  gennem  computerspillet,  det  interaktive  gulv  og  digitale  legeobjekter,  (Play  and  Learn  Activities  for  Children  With  Cochlear  Implants  -­  Examined  Through  Computer  Games,  the  Interactive  Floor  and  Digital  Objects  of  Play).  Her  PhD  project  was  part  of  a  large  interdisciplinary  pedagogical  project  examining  how  children  with  cochlear  implants  (CI)  can  be  motivated  for  active  participation  through  speech  and  language  education  aided  by  digital  elements,  and  whether,  in  this  connection,  it  is  possible  to  integrate  linguistic,  social  and  physical  interaction  with  their  surroundings.    

Children  are  interested  in  digital  products,  and  for  a  long  time  there  have  been  made  attempts  at  using  this  enthusiasm  in  connection  with  learning  by  means  of  edutainment  applications.  The  project  of  Louise  Aagaard  examined  the  learning  potential  of  computer  games  as  well  as  pervasive  gaming  with  regards  to  products  used  by  speech  and  language  pathologists.

Based  on  three  different  groups  of  CI  children  who  gradually  improve  with  regards  to  language  skills  

In  2010,  Rikke  Stenbro,  Louise  Aagaard  and  Stefan  Darlan  Boris  were  awarded  a  PhD  degree  after  having  defended  their  PhD-­dissertations.  The  three  PhD  projects  were  within  the  academic  disciplines  Cultural  Heritage,  Design  and  Urbanism  and  Landscape.  They  represented  different  approaches  to  research  as  Rikke  Stenbro  and  Stefan  Darlan  Boris  challenged  existing  concepts  and  attitudes  to  research  in  their  respective  academic  areas,  whereas  Louise  Aagaard  researched  new  tools  for  

In  the  dissertation  Bevaringsprocesser  -­  perspektiver  på  arkitektur  i  forandring  (Processes  of  Conservation  -­  Perspectives  on  Architecture  in  Change)  Rikke  Stenbro  works  with  architectural  strategies  for  the  preservation  and  change  of  architecture,  partly  by  means  of  an  analysis  of  the  

carried  out  by  Realdania,  The  Danish  Forest  and  Nature  Agency  and  the  Heritage  Agency  of  Denmark.

The  focus  of  the  dissertation  is  the  processes  for  creating  meaning  which  are  involved  when  architecture  survives  and  is  passed  on  to  posterity.  Rikke  Stenbro  demands  a  new  kind  of  monumentality  which  is  able  to  contain  changeability  as  well  as  complexity.  She  breaks  with  autonomous  concepts  of  creation  and  knowledge  and  with  the  understanding  of  the  architect  as  an  artistic  “creative  genius”  who  shapes  a  new  architectural  whole  which  is  above  

PHD DEGREES IN 2010

compared  to  their  age,  Louise  Aagaard  developed  products  and  concepts  for  motivational  speech  and  language  pathological  material  for  CI  children.    The  PhD-­dissertation  of  Darlan  Boris  Urban  skov  og  landskabsinfrastruktur  (Urban  forest  and  landscape  infrastructure)  is  the  result  of  a  PhD  project  under  the  auspices  of  the  Centre  for  Strategic  Urban  Research  and  the  interinstitutional  research  project  Den  grænseløse  by  (City  Without  Limits).  In  his  dissertation  Stefan  Darlan  Boris  relates  to  the  forest  as  a  landscape-­infrastructure  which  is  an  integral  part  of  the  “fragmented  urban  landscapes”  of  the  city  without  limits.  He  confronts  

a  “Sunday-­landscape”,  instead,  he  sees  the  forest  as  an  infrastructural  element  with  potential  for  being  a  boundary,  a  connection  and  a  space  for  development  of  self-­organized  use.

Based  on  current  problems  with  regards  to  fragmented  urban  landscapes,  Stefan  Darlan  Boris  narrows  down  the  values  which  are  of  importance  for  the  general  development  of  these  landscapes.  

Download  the  pamphlet  describing  current  PhD  projects  on  

http://en.aarch.dk/doctoral_studies/phd_students/

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0  

2  

4  

6  

8  

10  

12  

14  

16  

18  

20  

2002  

2003  

2004  

2005  

2006  

2007  

2008  

2009  

2010  

Research  funding  in  mio.  Dkk.  

Internally  funded   Externally  funded  

0  

20  

40  

60  

80  

100  

120  

2002  

2003  

2004  

2005  

2006  

2007  

2008  

2009  

2010  

Projects  and  fulltime  equivalents  

Active  research  projects   Fulltime  equivalents  

FACTS & STATISTICSUntil  the  end  of  2010,  the  research  activities  of  the  School  of  Architecture  were  anchored  within  

drawn  up  the  future  organisation  of  the  school  

departments  were:  Department  of  Architecture  Department  of  Landscape  and  UrbanismDepartment  of  Architectural  Heritage  Department  of  Design  

 The  PhD  students  of  the  school  were  attached  to  the  individual  departments  and  to  a  joint  research  school  which  plans  and  implements  PhD  courses  and  functions  as  a  unifying  environment  for  the  PhD  programme.  

In  2010,  the  school  had  21  PhD  students  and  45  teachers  who  were  given  time  to  carry  out  research.  In  addition,  there  were  2  industrial  PhDs  as  well  as  12  PhD  students  attached  to  the  Kolding  School  of  Design.

The  research  activities  of  the  school  are  managed  by  the  Research  Administration  in  cooperation  with  the  Research  Committee  established  by  the  School  Council.

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