activity to abstract models of design processes,
In ‘Imitation and Innovation’, Jacob Voorthuis
To close off the range of articles, Nigel Cross
and from interviews with practitioners to the
expands this theme and shows how a continuity
presents the most important research that
written word of scientists, we hope to give a
between the concepts of imitation and innovation
has been done in the field of design thinking
somewhat complete picture of what is known
is essential to being able to design. By doing
throughout the twentieth century and over the
about design activity today.
this, he puts in perspective the disapproval
last decades. He shows what influence brain
of imitation and the great value that is being
damage can have on the design process, and
attached to innovation nowadays.
what this tells us about how we design. As in the
To start off, Bernard Leupen contrasts two visions on how design ideas are conceived.
previous articles, Cross proves that design ability
He claims that, on the one hand, designs are
The centre of this issue is formed by an
is something inextricably human, embedded in
based on the examination of other works of
intermezzo,
our brains as a natural cognitive function.
architecture. On the other, we need a certain
ten diagrams drawn by tutors of different
intuitive aspect to complement it. Leupen then
architecture schools in the Netherlands. Putting
Interestingly enough, there is a great variety
shows how these two ways of thinking are both
these perspectives together makes it possible
of connections that can be drawn between the
used by prominent architecture offices.
to compare them, and although some universal
articles, although the subject is reviewed by
elements can be found, it seems the idea of a
different writers from different disciplines. It
good design process takes many different forms.
shows there is a certain consensus on which
‘A Machine for Designing’ encompasses a report
which
shows
a
collection
of
of a discussion held by The Philosophical Table
themes play an important role in design activity.
Club. To understand what the club’s members
To get an idea of how these schematic design
The fundamental role of studying the existing
believe to be the fundamental nature of human-
processes
design
environment, the difficulty of representing a
design activity, they virtually created a design-
discipline, Archiprint interviewed design critic
complex and creative process and the observation
robot, by thinking about what properties this
Lucas Verweij. In this article he claims prescribed
that designing is an essential human feature are
robot should have. The report forms a useful
design processes as they are often presented do
good examples of this. So although the process of
exploration of the overall subject, and shows
not lead to good designs, as they ignore the
designing is still far from being unravelled, the
how close the ability to design is to being human.
much more complex and chaotic way in which
discoveries in this issue will bring you at least
designing actually takes place.
one step closer.
work
in
the
industrial
This intertwining of design ability and human nature is further explored by Daan Jenniskens
Another perspective from the practitioners’ side
and Jasper Brus, who try to find out what an
is presented in a conversation with MVRDV
evolutionary understanding of heritable traits
architect Klaas Hofman, where it becomes clear
can teach us about the origin and development of
how the office uses representations of the design
our mental ability to design buildings. In doing
process to structure its own ideas, communicate
so, they question our common understanding
them to the clients and sell them to the public.
of designing and show the important role of
The emphasis on collaboration of rationality
imitation.
in the form of Big Data and intuitive decisionmaking based on these data, lightly connects the interview with the ideas of Leupen and Verweij.
1 Cross, N. (2011). Design Thinking: understanding how designers think and work. London: Berg. p. 6 2 The lecture series Making Architecture took place in the spring of 2016 at Eindhoven University of Technology and consisted of presentations by, among others, Felix Claus, David Gianotten, Harm Timmermans and Liesbeth van der Pol. 3 Cross, N. (2011). Design Thinking: understanding how designers think and work. London: Berg. p. 6 4 Bernard Leupen et al., Design and Analysis (Rotterdam: nai010 publishers, 1997). 5 Arbib, M. (2015). Toward a neuroscience of the design process. In S. Robinson, & J. Pallasmaa (eds), Mind in Architecture (pp. 75-98). London: The MIT Press.