The Practice of Spatial Thinking: Differentiation Processes

How do designers in research-driven practices differentiate themselves from each other and form distinctive platforms for future practice? The research presented in this second edition and carried out in Australia as part of an Australian Research Council Discovery Program is of significance for design practice, review, and our deeper understanding of the design of space and spaces. In continuing the exploration of spatial intelligence,” this research further develops our understanding of designers, how they work and what they draw on through their lives that shapes their spatial thinking, and their practice. The research also provides broader insights into a more public understanding and acknowledgement of our collective spatial intelligence. It shows how this could be developed and enhanced to provide more spatial and design literacy in our communities, and how these can engage with their changing environments. Contributors: Benedict Anderson, Suzie Attiwill, Nigel Bertram, Richard Black, Stephen Collier, Graham Crist, Lucas Devriendt, Harold Fallon, Arnaud Hendrickx, Tom Holbrook, CJ Lim, Paul Minifie, Vivian Mitsogianni, Stephen Neille, Deborah Saunt, Jon Tarry, Jo Van Den Berghe, Gretchen Wilkins

Leon van Schaik - Emeritus Professor Leon van Schaik AO, B.Arch. Studies (Ncle), AADip (SADG), M.Arch (UCT), PhD (CNAA), RIBA, LFAIA, LFAA, School of Architecture and Urban Design, RMIT, has written books on spatial thinking, the poetics of architecture and the processes involved in procuring innovative architecture. The practice-based design research program that he initiated in 1987 has become a template for institutions worldwide. His support of local architectural cultures and his leadership in the procurement of exemplary architecture has resulted in some of Melbourne’s most distinguished contemporary buildings. He is a founding member of the Academic Court of the London School of Architecture.

SueAnne Ware is a Professor of Landscape Architecture and the Head of the School of Architecture and the Built Environment at the University of Newcastle, Australia. She is the founder of out(fit), an all-female collective of design practitioners and academics, as well as a self-confessed design activist.

Colin Fudge is Professor of Urban Futures and Design, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden. He is a Senior Adviser, Urban Transitions, EU Climate Change KIC; Global Advisor, UN Global Compact, Cities Programme and the King Carl Gustaf XVI of Sweden, Royal Professor of Environmental Science. Colin was the Inaugural President of RMIT University Europe and also an Emeritus Professor at RMIT University.

Geoffrey London is Professor of Architecture at the University of Western Australia. He is a former government architect of Victoria and Western Australia, and a past dean and head of architecture at UWA.