http://theses.ncl.ac.uk/jspui/handle/10443/65 2026-04-21T14:37:01Z http://theses.ncl.ac.uk/jspui/handle/10443/6686 Title: Fungal parametrics : designing a living material through bio-digital fabrication Authors: Ozkan, Dilan Abstract: Designing with living materials, as a burgeoning approach in the field of architecture, requires the development of novel design strategies and fabrication methods. Living cells have the ability to perceive and respond to environmental stimuli and this is an indicator of their intelligence, along with the capacity to form themselves. This thesis raises the question of how designers can guide the growth of a living material that has such tendencies, allowing its inherent capacities to inform the design process. The objective is to develop a framework for fabricating living materials using digital tools, with an attempt to generate new processes and practices around growing organisms. To achieve this, this thesis positions the work within the broader context of New Materialism, helping the emergence of new ideas, while adopting a parametric design approach in the context of biodigital fabrication. Furthrmore, by employing the “Research through Design” methodology, this thesis conducts conceptual experiments using fungi as a biomaterial probe to explore concepts, and to generate and assess new design strategies. The design experiments illustrate the correlation between environmental growth parameters and morphological changes in a living material (specifically fungi in both mycelium and mushroom form). Developing input-output relationships helps in exploring philosophies and concepts, such as plasticity, linearity, and predictability. The experiments raise questions about the extent to which biological systems and their corresponding input-output relations can be considered parametric. If, indeed, they exhibit parametric characteristics, the subsequent question involves understanding the nature of these parametric systems and evaluating whether designers can employ a parametric design method when working with living materials exhibiting nonlinear behaviour. Answering these questions leads to fabricating living materials by harnessing their developmental plasticity to give form by adjusting the environmental parameters that influence biological growth. Understanding how designers can impact organism growth without direct physical intervention leads to the development of a probability space method as a predictive tool. This method informs designers about how to manipulate input variables to achieve the desired morphological outcome. The method that has evolved through this research, based on predictions of input-output relations, may also apply to other types of biological systems, allowing meaningful interactions between the designer, organism, tools, and form. This interaction suggests that when designing collaboratively with living systems, the architect’s role transforms, requiring the relinquishment of control over the material. This, in turn, requires a new set of design processes to emerge. Description: PhD Thesis 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z http://theses.ncl.ac.uk/jspui/handle/10443/6658 Title: Collaging Nicosia : engaging with contested spaces through collage-making Authors: Çekmez, Ceren. Ceren. Abstract: This research aims to investigate how collage, a creative practice, can provide productive opportunities to engage with contentious debates in contested spaces. Collage is approached as a multifaceted medium characterised by its capacity for fragmentation, remaking, and re-perception, offering a process-oriented approach conducive to dialogue and intellectual engagement. It allows for constant experimentation, facilitating ideas and fragments to be explored and arranged, encouraging intellectual engagement both for the collagist and among the viewers. Contested spaces, on the other hand, can be imagined as somehow counter to the nature of collage. While these spaces are defined by diverse voices, perspectives, identities, and beliefs coexisting or co-owning a space, they are often locked in conflict, exemplifying situations where differences struggle to harmonise. Drawing inspiration from Lebbeus Woods’ Sarajevo Project, which uses architecture as a means of communication and critique in war-damaged cities, this study investigates the potential of collage to engaged with contested spaces. The testing site for this research is Nicosia, the divided capital of Cyprus, which has been politically and physically divided for over five decades between Turkish Cypriots in the north and Greek Cypriots in the south. This research employs a collage-based methodology, where collage is not only the focus but also the method of working. Various means of documentation, such as diary writing, video recording, photographing, sketching, and exhibition, are used to document the process, forming data that can be organized, communicated, and discussed. This thesis consists of two parts. Part I focuses on theorisation about collage and contested spaces, exploring concepts of agency and examining Woods’ Sarajevo Project as a case study. Part II progresses through five stages of collage-making in Nicosia, exploring the deceptive, imaginative, interpretative, spatial, and dialogical potentials inherent in collage. These stages deeply engage with the city’s sociopolitical fabric, expanding the horizon of collage-making to encompass not only artistic expression but also description, critique, analysis, interpretation, and imagination. This study extends an invitation to researchers in contested space studies to embrace collage as a tool for examining diverse historical and contextual spaces. Through such explorations, spatial thinking can be enriched and expanded, uncovering the complexities that shape perceptions of what is considered given and unchangeable in divided cities. Description: PhD Thesis 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z http://theses.ncl.ac.uk/jspui/handle/10443/6629 Title: Narrating Sunderland: Exploring the Complex Relationships between Authorized Heritage, Community Values, and the Evolving Nature of Heritage as a Social Construct Authors: Cengiz, Gulnur Abstract: Situated within the historical tapestry of Sunderland, UK, this thesis embarks on a nuanced exploration of urban revitalization efforts and community narratives within the Sunderland Heritage Action Zone (HAZ). Drawing from critical heritage discourse, the study unveils the intricate layers of significance embedded in the city's industrial remnants and contemporary initiatives aimed at conservation and renewal. At its core, this study adopts a conceptual framework that views heritage as a socially constructed entity shaped by communities. As such, it emphasises the fluid nature of cultural and historical significance, by recognising the evolving nature of cultural and historical significance, continuously influenced by shifting demographics and contexts. Central to the inquiry is a deep-seated quest to understand the nuanced interplay between the values, experiences, and collective memories of Sunderland's communities and their perceptions of heritage. Utilizing qualitative methodologies such as in-depth interviews and narrative analysis, the study seeks to capture the attachments and emotions individuals and communities harbour towards heritage. By delving into these internalized views, the study aims to elucidate how communities engage with heritage and its implications for urban development and regeneration initiatives. Through qualitative inquiry, the research explores the driving forces behind heritage-led regeneration endeavours, the emotive bonds anchoring residents to their environment, and the hurdles hindering inclusive community engagement. Throughout the research, a multifaceted theoretical framework informs the exploration of heritage conservation complexities. Drawing on seminal works in the field, including the concept of authorized heritage discourse and discourse on heritage (in)significance, the study navigates the intricate terrain of heritage valorisation and conservation. These perspectives offer insightful lenses through which to examine the dynamic cultural landscape of Sunderland. This research goes beyond traditional conservation perspectives, shedding light on the complex relationships between authorized heritage, community values, and the evolving nature of social constructs. Description: PhD Thesis 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z http://theses.ncl.ac.uk/jspui/handle/10443/6563 Title: Reimagining urban void : using design provocations to support placemaking processes in Teesside Authors: Bailey, Robert Abstract: In response to the challenges posed by urban voids in post-industrial regions, this research addresses the pressing need for alternative solutions to transform such neglected spaces. The research focuses on the role of prefiguration within placemaking as a transformative tool for reimagining these spaces. Drawing on related concepts of tactical urbanism, and urban acupuncture and using design methods, the thesis challenges local government dominant imaginaries and, rather, empowers communities in actively envisioning and shaping alternative futures for neglected urban spaces. The study focuses on Teesside, UK, where through a series of case studies, and in collaboration with three community groups, the research examined how non-planning experts could actively contribute to envisioning alternative futures for urban voids. The case studies involved deploying digital tools and design provocations. The first case challenged demolition at an industrial site through digitally materialising alternative futures, the second explored community-led envisioning via an online platform and physical toolkit, and the third employed speculative future scenarios through a mobile app for in-situ discussions. The research revealed that design provocations can effectively open spaces for discussion, provoke citizen groups to reimagine urban voids, and enable challenges to top-down decision-making. The design processes empowered community groups to articulate their aspirations, addressing issues of civic pride and cultural inertia within the citizen groups, but struggled to engage the wider public and found non-digital tools to be more effective in co-designing place futures. The primary contribution of this research lies in showcasing how prefigurative placemaking, supported by a combination of digital and non-digital tools, serves as a mechanism for eliciting community-led visions for the transformation of urban voids. By including citizens in the initial ideation processes of placemaking and utilising imaginaries to challenge existing narratives, the study provides valuable insights into how more citizen-led alternative futures for urban voids can emerge. Description: Phd Thesis 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z