As they were doing a century ago, architects are now trying to figure out what techniques their discipline has for working with systemic problems such as the “rhythmically repetitive patterns” of humanity pumping carbon into the atmosphere. More than ever the world is made up of large socio-technical systems, in the parlance of science and technology studies. The building industry is one such system, and architects should again ask themselves how flows of capital can be redirected to create better built environments. Note that these systems are not usually designed—instead, they accrete over time—and so the tendency is to fall back on the familiar realm of form and traditional modes of design. Thus the question arises again: How can architects reconceptualize their discipline in terms of the language of flows?
— in: Flowcharting: From Abstractionism to Algorithmics in Art and Architecture, p.14
As they were doing a century ago, architects are now trying to figure out what techniques their discipline has for working with systemic problems such as the “rhythmically repetitive patterns” of humanity pumping carbon into the atmosphere. More than ever the world is made up of large socio-technical systems, in the parlance of science and technology studies. The building industry is one such system, and architects should again ask themselves how flows of capital can be redirected to create better built environments. Note that these systems are not usually designed—instead, they accrete over time—and so the tendency is to fall back on the familiar realm of form and traditional modes of design. Thus the question arises again: How can architects reconceptualize their discipline in terms of the language of flows?
— in: Flowcharting: From Abstractionism to Algorithmics in Art and Architecture, p.14