Thesis (M. Arch.)--Carleton University, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 91-92). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (doctoral)--Technische Universiteit Delft, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (p. [383]-397) and index.

Thesis (doctoral)--Technische Universiteit Delft, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (p. [383]-397) and index.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--UCLA, 2008. / Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 256-271).

Thesis (M.Des.)--Victoria University of Wellington, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Sydney, 2000. / Title from title screen (viewed December 12, 2008). Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the Dept. of Architectural and Design Science, Faculty of Architecture. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in print form.

Cette thèse développe un modèle sémiotique de l’abduction pour représenter un processus de conception architecturale. Elle formalise ce processus par une dualisation hypostatique du rapport sémiotique entre un problème de conception, saisi en tant que signe, et la possibilité de sa matérialisation géométrique. La dualisation réintègre ce signe dans le domaine des systèmes de savoir-concevoir utilisés en conception architecturale, et par conséquent, elle génère de nouvelles solutions architecturales. L’abduction modifie les connaissances préalables engagées dans la production d’une solution (l’hypothèse) et en introduit de nouvelles. La complexité du processus de conception implique, au niveau méthodologique et à partir d’une position épistémologique constructiviste, l’intégration de la subjectivité du concepteur dans le modèle. Ainsi résulte une incertitude des interactions entre problème de conception, production de solution, concepteur et contexte. La sémiotisation de l’abduction architecturale explicite le rôle central de l’interprétation dans la création d’une solution. D’ailleurs, la dualisation s’appuie sur la théorie des possibilités pour opérationnaliser le calcul interprétatif incertain et pour valider les hypothèses générées. En retour, la gestion de la propagation de cette incertitude, dans le modèle sémiotique, facilite l’identification et la formulation des solutions, et rend possible une émergence observationnelle de la nouveauté. Le modèle développé est appliqué à un cas de transformations architecturales géométriques dans un milieu urbain fortement caractérisé. / This thesis develops a semiotic model of abduction to represent a process of architectural design. It formalizes this process by the means of a hypostatic dualization, applied to the semiotic relationship between, on the one hand, a design problem, considered as a sign, and on the other, the possibility of its geometric materialization. The dualization reintegrate this sign in the domain of know-how systems used in architectural design, and consequently, it generates new architectural solutions. Abduction modifies and augments the prior knowledge involved in producing the solution (the hypothesis). From a constructivist stance and the ensuing methodological viewpoint, the complexity of the design process implies embedding the designer’s subjectivity in the model. Thus arises an uncertainty about the interactions among design problem, solution production, designer and context. Semiotizing architectural abduction reveals the central role played by interpretation in creating a solution. Besides, dualization relies on possibility theory to formalize the resulting, and uncertain, interpretation calculus, and to validate the obtained hypotheses. In return, managing the uncertainty propagation within the semiotic model, facilitates the identification and the formulation of architectural solutions and allows for an observational emergence of novelty. The developed model is applied to a case of architectural geometric transformations in a heavily characterized neighborhood.

Previous studies of the design studio have tended to treat learning to design as a matter of learning to think in the right way, despite the recognition that material artifacts and the ability to make and manipulate them in architectural ways is important to the design process. Through the use of empirical data gathered from watching design teachers and students in action, this thesis works to discover how material things and bodies are important to the fabrication of architectural meaning and architectural subjectivity within design studios. In particular the role of gesture is highlighted as doing important work in design studio knowledge practices. / The approach taken in this thesis is to treat design activity in design studios in a ‘post-human’ way. An analytical eye is turned to how things and people perform together and are organised in various ways, using Actor network theory (ANT) as a way to orientate the investigation. The assumption drawn from ANT is that that architectural meaning, knowledge and identity can positioned as network effects, enacted into being as the design studio is ‘done’ by the various actors — including material things, such as architectural representations, and human behaviours, such as gesture. / Gesture has been largely ignored by design studio researchers, perhaps because it tends to operate below the threshold of conscious awareness. Gesture is difficult to study because the meanings of most gestures produced during conversations are spontaneous and provisional. Despite this humans seem to be good interpreters of gesture. When studied in detail, ongoing design studio activity is found to rely on the intelligibility of gesture done in ‘architectural ways’. The main site for the observation of gesture during this study was the ‘desk crit’ where teachers and students confer about work in progress. In the data gathered for this thesis gesture is found to operate with representations in three key ways: explaining and describing architectural composition, ‘sticking’ spoken meanings strategically to representations and conveying the phenomenological experience of occupying architectural space – the passing of time, quality of light, texture and movement. / Despite the fact that most of the work of the thesis centres on human behaviour, the findings about the role of gesture and representation trouble the idea of the human as being at the centre of the action, putting the bodies of teachers and students amongst a crowd of non human others who participate together in design knowledge making practices.

Thèse de doctorat : Génie des systèmes industriels : INPL : 2007. / Titre provenant de l'écran-titre. Bibliogr.

Thesis (M.Arch.) - Carleton University, / Accompanying material: 1 CD-ROM located at the Circulation Desk. CD-ROM for the archival copy located at THS. Includes bibliographical references (p. 90-92). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.