Digital design in ‘peripheral’ contexts

Abstract

Digital design, defined at its fundamental level, is a discipline grounded in systemic thinking and computation that folds the context to establish a material system that, in turn, unfolds the context within its spatial outcomes. It instigates an architecture that responds to and engages with contextual heterogeneity. In abundant resources and technology contexts, digital design derives unprecedented architectural advances with limited applicability to different contexts. The paper argues that as contemporary contexts are increasingly contingent, digital design gains relevance, particularly in contexts' peripheral' to digital 'hot spots' and at the grassroots level of architectural education.