Montage as process of knowledge mobilization in architectural design

Abstract

Drawing on findings from an ethnographic study, the paper at hand provides an example of a pronounced way of working with montage as a means of mobilizing knowledge in the architectural design process. With reference to a specific design project, the paper follows architecture students systematically exploring and structuring the problem’s space of possibilities by applying montage. Highlighting the methodological rigor and logical coherence their procedure involves, the paper elaborates on montage as an effective method and traceable exploratory process. Presenting and discussing this empirical data, the paper aims at showing how montage allows for apprehending a problem in a holistic manner while at the same time facilitating its analysis into separate parts. In this way, montage engenders the mobilization of knowledge, which can be implicated to the case at hand.

Keywords:

• Montage
• architectural design
• knowledge mobilization
• ethnography

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes (incorrect formatting in Table 1). These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation [grant number 100013_172843].

Notes on contributors

Jan Silberberger

Jan Silberberger is a senior assistant at the Institute for the History and Theory of Architecture (GTA) at ETH Zürich. He has studied Architecture at the University of Stuttgart (1996–1998) and Visual Communication and Fine Arts at Hochschule für bildende Künste Hamburg (1998–2005). In his PhD studies (2008–2011, ETH Zürich and University of Fribourg), he analyzed decision-making and knowledge creation within jury boards of architectural competitions. Dr Silberberger’s current research focuses on design methodologies.