1. OPERATIONAL CONTEXT ANALYSIS
Necessary part of design related study and research
3rd IASME / WSEAS International Conference on ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT, ECOSYSTEMS and SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (EEESD'07) Agios Nikolaos, Crete Island, Greece, July 24-26, 2007
Prof.dr.ir. Taeke M. De Jong, chair Technical Ecology And Methodology, chair Regional Design
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Faculty of Architecture, department Urbanism

2. An architectural, urban or regional design is always a case study
and (like any location bound project) consequently is:
scale-bound and very context sensitive
integrating many less context sensitive contributions:
probable futures of specialists
desirable futures of politicians, managers and stakeholders
together creating a field of problems to be solved and
a field of targets to be optimised
cannot isolate problems or targets like empirical research
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3. Context sensitive design
cannot isolate problems or targets like empirical research
cannot even formulate a proper object of study
since the object of study does not exist
since it has to be designed,
being variable in the head of the designer
searches for non-probable possibilities in a given context
on a specific level of scale
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4. Design related study
The object of design study is variable by definition
Social and physical context delimits that object
But ‘context’ is everything
How to get grip on that vague concept first?
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5. Getting grip on future context
distinguish:
Levels of scale (largest frame and smallest detail)
Layers of social and physical context
Language games supposing probable, desirable or possible future contexts
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6. LEVELS OF SCALE The object of design is variable
But at least the order of size could be determined
Then, anything larger or smaller is ‘context’
Determining ‘external variables’ with hidden assumptions: models for anything outside the object of study
But conclusions from outside and inside may differ: is a ball convex or is it concave?
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7. Scale paradox
On the level of one spot you should conclude ‘difference’
On the level of 7 spots you should conclude ‘equality’
Reversal of conclusions may appear by a factor 3 radius
So, the order of size determines your view
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8. Levels of scale to be aware of
Different scales mean different legend units, categories, views, approaches, conclusions
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9. Names and boundaries of size categories
In this presentation ‘nominal values’ indicate an order of size
They are ‘elastic’
10m means something in between 3m and 30m
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10. A frame 100x the granule of a drawing representing a building
r/R determines the resolution of a drawing or discourse,
the ‘resolution of the argument’
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11. Locating a spatial object of design study within its context
If the scale (frame ‘O’ and granule ‘o’) of the object is determined, then the rest is context
The programme is a set of desired impacts
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12. The object (O,o) its inconvenient (I) and profitable (P) impacts located
The programme of requirements is a set of desired impacts
Locate them to locate the stakeholders
Perhaps they are willing to pay the project!
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13. LAYERS OF SOCIAL AND PHYSICAL CONTEXT
Managerial/governmental contexts (active <> passive)
Cultural contexts (innovative <> traditional)
Economic contexts (growing <> declining)
Technological contexts (separating <> connecting)
Ecological contexts (differentiating <> equalizing)
Spatial contexts (accumulating <> dispersing )
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14. The future context determines the possibility of realization
The supposed future impacts will be different in different future contexts
For example, the economic impact will be different in a growing local economy compared with a declining local economy
So, you have to specify your suppositions about the probable future within which your object will have its impacts
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15. Making suppositions about the context more explicit to assess the impacts
You cannot estimate the impacts without suppositions about the context
Make them explicit before study
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16. Suppositions about management context on any relevant level of scale
Is it an active management context with much initiatives? Give it sign ‘!’ in the scheme
Is it a passive administrative context of just checking and controlling the rules? Note ‘?’
In the last case initiative should be part of your project to get the intended impacts realized
And they can be different on different levels of scale
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17. Local initiative expected
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18. Suppositions about cultural context on any relevant level of scale
For administration and management we took opposites of initiative (!) and checking and controlling (?)
They apply on any level of scale.
But what about culture? For example, what does ‘culture’ mean on the level of building material (R = 3mm)?
To include any level of scale, we propose 'traditional' (<) opposed to 'innovative' or 'open to experiments' (>)
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19. Traditional building expected
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20. Suppositions about spatial context on any relevant level of scale
Mass can accumulate, concentrate (C) or disperse (D) in space and time
That is an essential design context factor
What is called mass could be specified later
State of dispersion of legend units in a drawing are characteristics of form and composition
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21. Accumulation or sprawl R=30km
Towns can concentrate, disperse or be subject to a policy in between
In which spatial context your project will have its impacts?
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22. States of dispersion r=100m
Houses can concentrate or disperse
In which spatial context your project will have its impacts?
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23. States of dispersion in the same density on one level of scale
Anything can concentrate or disperse on any level of scale
State of dispersion and density are different concepts
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24. One million people in two states of distribution on two levels of scale
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25. Making suppositions about the context more explicit to assess the impacts
You cannot estimate the impacts without suppositions about the context
Make them explicit before study
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26. Locating the object (O,o) its impacts (I) and the origin of a programme (P)
The programme is a set of desired impacts
Locate them to locate the stakeholders
Perhaps they are willing to pay the project
Don’t forget the other impacts
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27. LANGUAGE GAMES
One cannot agree with a proposition without determining its modality:
I agree it’s is true or probable is different from
I agree it’s desirable
I agree it’s possible
Probable but not desirable detects a problem
Desirable but not probable detects an aim
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28. Three language games in a planning team
Different specialists use different language games
The same concepts may mean different things uttered by politicians, scientists or designers
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29. Subtracting futures to outline fields of problems and aims
If a statement is probable but not desirable, then it’s a problem
The reverse it’s an aim
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30. Adding possible futures, skipping the impossible ones
Probable but not desirable futures are relevant
Desirable but not probable ones also
Probable and desirable futures are not relevant
Impossible and desirable ones also
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31. Proposals for design studies with many specialists and stakeholders
Struggle with:
A variable object
Uncertain impacts hitting different stakeholders
They need an agreement about a supposed future context, properly distinguishing relevant
Levels of scale
Layers of social and physical context
Language games (modalities)
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32. Discussion
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