Political Economy of Design (PED) seeks to position and discuss architecture in relation to the world of production, economic interests and community benefits or decisions, at a local and global scale. By integrating yet moving beyond the stylistic, technological or sociological aspects of the discipline, the discussion reviews the industrial elements that are likely to affect programmatic objectives, formal directions and technical outcomes of building projects.
Such discussion has a strong comparative bent, and is colouredby the notion of innovation -what it means from a social, technical and cultural point of view, and how it enters and affects different building markets. Attention is directed at understanding the distinction between innovation on one side and invention and technological change on the other.
In this context, architecture's connection with planning and building disciplines is examined and criticised in the attempt to formulate a strategic framework for its use as an environmental policy instrument.
This year, PED focuses on 'power’ and the ways it can affect the space of architecture as a discipline. If architecture is to play a leading environmental role over the next coming decades, it is important to understand whether or not trust in architects’ ability to act is well placed. Thus, we are interested in revealing the struggles for power in the profession, and the mechanisms at work that generate an ability to take design decisions and enact them.
- Professor: Paolo Tombesi
- Teacher: André Ullal
- Teacher: Riccardo Vannucci
