Epistemic Artefacts

A Dialogical Reflection

on Design Research in

Architecture



Edited by

Matthias Ballestrem

and Lidia Gasperoni



Architectural artefacts are negotiated as epistemic objects, an autonomous and innovative form of knowledge capable of inaugurating and institutionalising architectural research. The backbone of this publication is a dialogue between the architect Matthias Ballestrem and the philosopher and architectural theorist Lidia Gasperoni. In a vibrant discussion, they consider the epistemic value of the architectural artefact, the role of research practices in making this knowledge explicit and accessible, and the criteria for qualifying as design-based research. Alex Arteaga, Fabrizia Berlingieri, Peter Bertram, Helga Blocksdorf, Anđelka Bnin-Bninski, Marta Fernández Guardado, Joerg Fingerhut, Anke Haarmann, Rolf Hughes, Rachel Hurst, Daniel Norell, Tomas Ooms, Claus Peder Pedersen, Tim Simon-Meyer, and Philip Ursprung have added short comments and images to enrich the arguments with criticism, extensions, associations, and references. An afterword by Marcelo Stamm provides a theoretical reflection on a possible taxonomy of epistemic artefacts.