Keefer Dunn: The Future of Design at Georgia Tech

What is the future of design at Georgia Tech?

I think the future of our college lies in taking a more holistic view of design, and its ramifications. Technology has allowed us the ability to communicate complex ideas quickly and easily. This is in part the reason, why there is such a strong (and healthy) emphasis placed on multi-disciplinary study. But a holistic approach goes beyond sustainability, and beyond changing the working method. Architecture has traditionally been a very self-conscious field of study, precisely because a theoretical discourse is combined with the notion of praxis. Our theoretical discourse is changing, our praxis is changing. I’m not sure what is changing about it, I’m not nearly that knowledgeable. But, I can see our theoretical discourse grappling with how do we incorporate very diverse fields of study into our design process in a way thats is meaningful. William Carlos Williams famously penned the line “No ideas but in things,” a phrase relevant for us since we are in the business of learning how to make things for people, at a time when ideas are more accessible then ever.

Keefer Dunn is a second year Architecture student within the School of Architecture at Georgia Tech. He spends the majority of his time outside studio riding bikes and reading/arguing/practicing Marxist theory.