Master Thesis WS19/20

Digital technologies can serve as a starting point for the development of new integrative planning strategies and tools to democratize complex architectural planning processes. In his thesis, Roger Winkler developed and investigated a process that provides architects with a new tool for crowdsourcing in the design process. Using a web-based configurator (www.reptiles-project.com), design proposals for a site in Frankfurt were collected online. These were then used as the basis for a feasibility study, which was rated by a jury together with the results of a control group.

Thesis supervision: Anton Savov, Oliver Tessmann

The architects Durand, Gropius and Alexander tried to solve architectural problems with the help of a scientific, efficient and objective methodology. Also contemporary start-ups in the prop-tech industry are developing tools using Artificial Intelligence in order to apply such an approach.

Rittel criticized back in 1973 that architectural design was not accessible to conventional scientific methods. Design problems are so-called wicked problems, and the development of new methods is often not about solving problems, but creating them.

As a strategy for dealing with wicked problems, both Rittel and Roberts recommend a collaborative approach, although this often involves a significant amount of effort.

Crowdsourcing today represents a new way of creatively involving interested parties in architectural problem-solving processes. In this thesis Roger Winkler therefore developed and investigated a process that provides a new tool for crowdsourcing in the design process.