Framing indeterminacy: Pedagogical journey into experimental architectural thinking

Abstract

Abstract This paper presents and discusses design studio outcomes that followed the brief that was collaboratively developed by the authors, and that was linked to the Fun Palace Futures initiative launched by the Royal British Institute of British Architects (RIBA) in honour of the architect Cedric Price and the artist Joan Littlewood. One of the core questions set by the brief was: How the thoughts that guided the development and design of the Fun Palace – a project that was never built but is still today cited as a model for thinking flexible and open architecture – could be re-interpreted and renewed for the future? This line of thinking guided the initial and experimental research phase within which students were developing an understanding of what indeterminacy is or could be. This paper shows that through translation of some of the major principles of Fun Palace into pedagogical instruments, students were allowed to approach the questions of indeterminacy in an open and innovative manner. It argues that methods such as media shifts and the use of a variety of media, which often went far beyond the conventional architectural pallet, helped students develop their own tools for creating a new kind of open and flexible architecture. The aim is to present one pedagogic approach that postulates that the conditions of indeterminacy, of uncertainty, of chance and change hold potentiality for establishing a challenging framework for the design and creation of a new kind of dynamic architecture, as well as for initiating experimental architectural thinking in a design studio setting.