“So how do you find the opening through which you can slip in order to grapple with the B-side of these logics?

On the flip side, where nothing is new and nothing is right, there are no dramatic manifestos. But perhaps there lies the opportunity to cultivate a mindset that has been pushed into the background. And suddenly you’re able to view the world—as if through half-closed eyes—with a different perspective. Suddenly, one is able—instead of all the explanations, correct answers, objects, and definitions (…) in which they are suspended and which change over time—to recognize and influence them.”

(Keller Easterling, 2017)

The scope of the teaching and research area of Design Methodology and Design lies in conveying possibilities of thought, for flexible, experimental thinking is the prerequisite for a necessary architectural transformation in light of rapid climatic and societal changes.

New models of thought, strategies, and methods are developed without hastily establishing new certainties. A key focus is on research-oriented, exploratory design that combines maximum intellectual openness with analytical rigor. The interplay between free, speculative thinking and rigorous methodology gives rise to an in-depth examination of central questions in architecture. In this process, methods from art, music, film, and literature are drawn upon and adapted for use in architectural design.

The goal is to create, through discussion and reflection, a critical, non-binary foundation for a multi-perspective view, in order to strengthen personal responsibility both as an individual and as a member of society. 

Close collaboration between students, researchers, and other Schools is essential for continuously assessing the relevance and feasibility of designs and for broadening the horizon of knowledge.