Rethinking (A)rchitecture: History & Theory Open Seminar

Rethinking (A)rchitecture

Baha Odaibat will discuss the possibility of essence and to reflect on what architecture is within the complexity of today's context. Humanity at large has been, for a long while now, aware of the existence of the term, a term that has been and will always be changing in scope and meaning even among individuals. However, this amount of iterations that occurred within the discipline through history, has produced a level of disjecta membra that is able to offer an unprecedented insight if observed holistically. It is now more crucial than ever to look for what is consistent in this picture rather than what is ephemeral. The whole of the architectural and even the intellectual community globally have a duty to get ahead of the escalating entropy of the discipline, by investigating the possibility of grammar for the purposes of:

• Establishing rules of conduct that are from within the game field of architecture not superimposed from outside.
• Reduce the gap between the praxis and academic sides, that are clearly exponentially diverging. 
• Allow evolution among generations or make it more optimized. 
• Take responsibility for the resources-heavy product of architecture and potentially prevent counterproductive efforts.

The narrative here is to launch a phenomenological investigation in the different types of concepts within the space of consciousness. To produce what is called a 'phase portrait' in dynamical systems, then position the architectural approach in conceptual inquiries, with the hope of learning more about the essential qualities of architecture. The obvious challenge for such an endeavour is to create a panoramic view without the bias of a single field of knowledge in contrast to antecedent efforts in similar direction. The risk remains however, in the rich potential of uncharted territories, for pseudo-scientific masquerading. The purpose of this seminar is to show the potentials that lie in such discourse, and hopefully serve as an invitation for interested parties.

Biography

Baha Odaibat has dedicated, for half a decade, from design to production. He worked In the fields of product and interior design at studios DJ and TaSaMeem, in Amman, gaining experience in tooling and surfacing while delivering solutions for the Jordanian market and small manufacturing communities. Then in the field of women’s fashion accessories and shoe design at Annis Eunis in Italy; getting to know form from the human body and culture perspective while gaining exposure to the marketing and branding aspects of the industry. For another half a decade, he worked in the field of architecture in various scales and typologies at Schneider+Schumacher Frankfurt, mainly in competitions, investigating mathematical models in the built environments while gaining experience in digital design, planning and fabrication. Now as an independent architect, freelancer, and researcher, working on interdisciplinary projects with international teams, Baha achieved his Architecture studies at GJU Science in Architecture, and Trier University of Applied Science.

Image: Baha Odaibat